“Interesting theories.” Callum grabbed my hand and gently squeezed. Calming my nerves a little. “But no bodies were found.”
“They could’ve been tossed overboard and eaten by sharks.”
Maddox gave me a tight smile. “We believe the crew abandoned ship as a way to avoid detection. It would allow them to come ashore in secret.”
“But why would they… oh.” A chill ran down my spine as realization sank in. “Do you think they’re from Haran?”
“That’s one theory,” Maddox said. “There were no sails or markings to indicate where it came from, yet Stone recognized the ship design as one common in kingdoms across the sea.”
Briar took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “Is it possible the ship is how the infiltrators entered the kingdom in the past and is only now being found?”
Callum shook his head. “Stone’s crew went aboard and said that while some of the food had spoiled, the ship had only been anchored for a fortnight at most.”
“We suspect our target is involved.” Rowan slowly moved his glass in circles, watching the liquid swirl. “He arrived in the kingdom around that time.”
“Can you bring him in for questioning?” Briar asked. “Surely, the discovery of the ship justifies such a thing, regardless of any obvious wrongdoing.”
“Would if we could.” Rowan took a drink. “He vanished late last night. We were tracking his movements from the brothel when the trail went cold. That’s when we made a discovery of our own.”
Something in his expression unsettled me, just like when we’d been in the kitchen earlier. What made it worse? The way Maddox tensed. He already knew what was about to be said.
“Reign and I visited the brothel to retrace his steps,” Rowan continued. “While using the shadows, I overheard one of the wenches mention the man she just fucked. She spoke of his beautiful bronze skin and skills in bed. She also mentioned his ring. It meant nothing to me, but Reign paled when I told him.”
“A ring?” Briar asked.
“You might know of it, Specs.” He downed the rest of his rum in one gulp, then stared at the empty glass. “The ring was black with a red stone. And it had a crest of a headless serpent and two swords.”
Briar paled. “This woman… she was certain that’s what she saw?”
Rowan nodded.
“What’s the significance of it?” Lake asked, ears lifting in interest. Apparently, he and I were the only ones left in the dark.
“The crest is well known within the magical community,” Briar explained. “It’s the symbol of an Order that goes back centuries called Nocturne. Only mages of the highest caliber are permitted to join.”
“But not just any mage,” Rowan added. “Reign said all within the ranks must be proficient in dark magic.”
“Dark magic?” The top of my scalp tingled. “That doesn’t mean they’ve done anything wrong though. You have dark magic and aren’t bad.”
“That’s debatable,” Maddox mumbled.
Rowan rolled his eyes at him.
“While I would normally agree with you, love, this Order isn’t known for their goodwill.” Briar lifted a trembling hand to his glasses and pushed them farther up his nose. “They’re mercenaries of sorts and are hired for nefarious reasons. To track someone. To assassinate. I’ve heard some of them can even bend a person’s will and control them. If a member of Nocturne is here in Bremloc, it’s unlikely that he’s merely passing through.”
“We think he realized we were shadowing him and hid himself,” Rowan said. “Probably using a concealment spell and laying low for a while.”
Briar pushed from his chair and started pacing. “Perhaps this is a stretch, but taking everything into account, it seems a logical deduction. If your target is indeed a member of Nocturne, he could potentially be casting spells on the demons. It would explain their strange behavior, such as the enhanced aggression toward the knights, and the mana sickness in the dead demon as well.”
Maddox frowned. “The two could be related?”
“It’s possible, yes,” Briar answered. “Controlling demons is beyond the skill of lower level mages, though more powerful ones like him could succeed with little effort.”
I mulled around the info. “Why would he cast spells on the demons? To cause some chaos, I guess, but if he’s a dark mercenary or whatever, that means he was hired for a job, right? Why waste energy toying with the knights?”
“He could be biding his time and keeping our forces engaged in the meantime.” Maddox exchanged a look with Rowan. “Waiting for the moment to strike. Such as the engagement ball.”
Anxiety flared in my chest. “You think he’s here for Prince Sawyer.”
