Page 14 of Between Wrath and Mercy

Dewalt barked out a laugh, and I was surprised to see Rainier smile as he stood.

“You tell me.” He smirked, and I felt my temper flare.

Afterwesteppedthroughthe rift, finally in Mira, I couldn’t help myself.

“You’ve gotten much better at this.” Looking over my shoulder at him, I saw his mouth form into a straight line. I’d struck a nerve.

“I’ve had some time to practice.” He stared at me pointedly. Not sure if he was commenting about the time that had passed or about the last time he’d rifted me, I chose not to ask for clarification or speak further. He grimaced and rubbed at his temple, and I wondered if he’d pushed himself too far with his divinity. Pondering for a moment, I realized our second rift would have been a much farther distance.

Dewalt cleared his throat, and all three of us turned to him. We were in an alley in the middle of the city, or so I thought. I didn’t hear the ships or the market dock which would have been serving up breakfast for the hungry fishermen. Nor was it quiet enough to be near the temple in the northern part of the city. The alley where we stood was distinctly cleaner than I’d have expected, though Dewalt carefully led us farther away from the main road past a questionable pile of debris with an unpleasant smell. He took on an air of seriousness I didn’t remember him being capable of.

“Let’s separate and meet back here in one hour. Ask questions, but don’t give any details. Ask about a girl with white hair, a group of men. Don’t get more specific. See what we find.”

“It’s darker right now. Normally it is white. I—I made her change it that morning with brun root. It’s more blonde than white right now.” The memory of the sun glinting off Elora’s hair made my breath catch and my chest tighten. Dewalt nodded grimly.

“Blonde hair. If you get a lead, return here, and we will go together. Do not go any further by yourself. I don’t want any of this getting out of hand.” Lavenia shot him a glare before she took over.

“I’d say it’s already pretty out of hand, but alright. I’ll go through the shops on the northern side of the market toward the temple. Rainier, do you want to check the docks? Dewalt, you take the marketplace. That leaves the weapons vendors for you, Emmeline.” I was surprised Lavenia and Dewalt took charge while Rainier maintained his silence. It was unlike him to not take the lead. Though he did have an air of leadership when he eyed each of us in turn, his gaze settling on me. His eyes, today a deep green not unlike the forests north of Ardian in spring, met mine as he spoke.

“No risks.” I held his gaze defiantly, tilting my chin up. “Emmeline.” His eyes narrowed on mine, and he tilted his head down. His voice betrayed him. He knew me better. I’d risk everything and more to get my daughter back. I didn’t know why he bothered to say it.

“Come on,” I said, leading our way out of the alley.

“Emmeline, I’m serious. You came to me for a reason. Maybe I flattered myself by assuming you needed me more than just my ability to rift. Maybe you know just how dangerous this will be. Don’t be reckless.” He stood in the alley, arms crossed, staring down at me. I swallowed and nodded, and they finally filed out behind me.

I’d been to Mira a few times before. The last time we went as a family, Elora was around ten years old. Every time Faxon traveled to Mira for supplies he couldn’t get in Brambleton, he made sure to pick up a book for her, but the memory of her grin when we stepped into the building full of books warmed my heart. Part of me wanted to go explore the book shop, knowing if Elora had been able, she would have made a line straight to it. She’d been enchanted by the floor-to-ceiling shelves and the comfortable furniture spread throughout the corners of the shop. Since Lavenia was the one headed in that direction, I was grateful for the conversation I’d had with her about Elora, about how my daughter liked to read. I headed toward the main road with the others, Dewalt and Lavenia turning right, leaving Rainier and I to turn left. If I remembered correctly, it would be about a ten-minute walk before Rainier would branch off. I hoped he’d maintain the silence. I didn’t know how to talk to him, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to remember.

He wore black breeches and boots and a light tan cotton shirt covered by a deep green cloak. The sun hadn’t had a chance to warm up the dark bricks underneath our feet, so it felt cool and crisp even on the main road directly in the dawn’s path. There was no sign of his crown, of course, something he only wore for formal occasions. I’d only seen him wear it twice. The first time was his arrival at Crown Cottage, when King Soren and Queen Shivani announced his betrothal to Lucia. He’d been sixteen years old, the crown threatening to slide off his head at any moment. It seemed like a lifetime ago. The second time was the last time I saw him.

He walked so he was positioned between me and the street—ever the gentleman even though the roads weren’t busy yet, only one lone horse and its rider in sight. The whitewashed buildings we walked past were private residences, easily distinguished by the state of disrepair of the roofs. They were row houses, all connected down the length of the street. One window was thrown open, and I could hear humming, a soft lullaby sound, perhaps a mother comforting a baby.

A young woman came out to dump a pail of water. She froze when she saw Rainier, and it wasn’t because he was recognizable as the prince. I watched her lick her bottom lip slowly, her hand coming up to rest on her chest, which was blooming a light pink color across her pale skin. I felt my eyes narrow on her, and she glanced at me for just a moment before running back inside. I was no obstacle, yet I struggled to push my satisfaction away at the fact she thought I might be. I started to wonder again why he hadn’t found someone else to perform the bonding ritual with. Surely King Soren would be worried his son hadn’t bonded to another conduit. I knew there would have been interest. We passed an older lady walking in the opposite direction, pushing a cart full of apples. She gave a curt nod but gave no indication she recognized the Crown Prince of Vesta was walking toward her. Sensing my confusion after two different people failed to recognize him, Rainier took a breath and spoke quietly.

“I haven’t made my presence known in Mira in over ten years. They forget me.”

“At least you don’t have people falling over themselves to speak to you.”

His brows furrowed, but he said nothing.

“I’m sorry about—”

“My apologies for this morning,” he spat the words out, like he needed to say it and be done with it.

“It’s nothing. I should have locked the door.”

“Yes, you should have.” I threw a glare in his direction, but if he saw it, he didn’t react to it, his face impassive.

We continued walking in silence and came to a split in the road. Rainier would need to go right toward the docks, and I would go left to the metalworkers. He contemplated me for a moment as if he was debating what to say. He settled on a gruff “good luck” and veered to the right, suddenly picking up his pace.

I went into the first shop on the corner. Noticing a display of bows in the window, I suddenly remembered I’d only brought my small dagger with me to Mira. My bow was likely in the stables of Ravemont with Bree. The shopkeeper was an elderly man, round in the spine, with more hairs coming out of his nose than there were left on his head. He didn’t have any information which might concern Elora, but he was kind and pressed a mint into my hand as I left.

I visited shop after shop for the better part of the hour before I started walking back toward the alley, feeling defeated. My thoughts ran wild. I knew high tide was within the next few hours. It was probable Elora and her abductors were already gone, but there was a chance they’d be headed out today. If the others hadn’t found anything, would we start searching the ships scheduled to leave? The panic started to bubble. What if Elora was already halfway to Folterra? Hopefully, she had her pack and cloak; she’d need the warm clothes for the trip. She’d never been on a ship before; would she get seasick? Would anyone comfort her? My heart started racing, and I took a deep breath. I couldn’t spiral here. We had no leads yet, and I needed to control myself. I was passing the old man’s shop, the mint aftertaste in my mouth still present, when I spotted something that made my stomach drop. One of our horses.

“Allegro!” I sprinted toward the dapple-grey horse, shouting his name, trying to get the attention of the woman riding him. Allegro was Faxon’s horse.

“Ma’am, excuse me!” I shouted up at the woman. She was around the same age as me, holding a bundle in her arms. A sharp cry told me it was a baby. The woman took me in, made a gesture, and pulled the rein, pointing Allegro away.

“This is my husband’s horse, and he’s missing. Where did you get it?”

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