Broken Dove (Fantasyland 4)

He would struggle.

Apollo knew the instant he explained Maddie’s existence months ago that Chris was uncomfortable with it.

He should have kept watch and planned how to battle it should demons arise.

He should have seen to his son.

These thoughts assailing him, his attention focused on the forest opening up in front of them as they arrived at the house, Frey growled, “Bloody hell.”

Apollo knew why Frey sounded annoyed.

Finnie was atop a steed and galloping toward him.

Frey put heels to his horse and shot forward, thundering, “Wife! I told you—”

“Maddie!” she cried, cutting off her husband, her eyes not to him but to Apollo, her horse in full gallop as it brought her toward them. “Maddie’s gone!”

Even as he felt his son do the same, Apollo went completely still and only at the last minute reined in as Finnie pulled back her own reins so swiftly, her horse wheeled under her.

She turned her head as it did to keep her eyes on Apollo as she continued with her dire news.

“We’ve turned the house upside down, men have gone to the dower house.” She finally stopped her horse and her eyes were still on Apollo. “Ruben found two sets of tracks, both he says were female, leading away from the house. All the women at the house are accounted for so we don’t know for certain who’s with her. But the tracks abruptly stopped and there’s no other sign.”

She drew in a breath, her eyes wide and concerned, before she finished on a whisper, her words landing yet another blow straight to Apollo’s soul.

“She’s disappeared.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Fucked Up. Huge.

Something was not right.

And that something not right was not the fact that thirty minutes ago, Cora, the Gracious surprised the absolute crap out of me by showing up in Apollo’s study telling me that she and Prince Noctorno were riding to Karsvall and found a young boy Noctorno knew to be Apollo’s son. Said boy refused to budge from where he’d dashed from them and was holed up in the trunk of a tree.

That was, he refused to budge unless he saw me.

The house was in disarray, people were freaked, most of the men were out looking for Chris and I was alone in the study, fretting and wishing I could do something.

And this was something I could do.

Not to mention, this was Cora, the Gracious. A woman of my people. One of the women of four couples united over worlds.

One of us.

And, let us not forget, I was freaked too.

Chris was gone and with the enemies we had, that could mean anything.

None of it good.

And most of it really not good.

So I’d followed her seeing as she said Prince Noctorno was with Chris and seeing as she was Cora, the Gracious.

And I knew it was her. I’d seen newspapers in Hawkvale, and even Lunwyn, that had pen and ink drawings of her that were printed beside articles that described what she wore to some ball or when she’d do a good deed, like visiting a children’s hospital.

Why she was there with Tor and we didn’t know they were coming, I didn’t know.

Then again, Finnie and Frey had shown without warning so maybe the bird sent with the message they were coming got shot for someone’s supper (or something).

As I followed her, and followed her, and followed her, deep into the forest around Karsvall, worried we were getting into a zone that was unprotected by Apollo’s witches, I began to realize that things were not right.

First, if I thought about it (which I hadn’t) the fact that she’d mentioned Prince Noctorno repeatedly and she’d done it just like that was weird.

She called him Prince Noctorno.

Now, I didn’t know any aristocracy from the Vale, so maybe I was wrong, but the dude was her husband and she was from my world. I couldn’t imagine she’d address her husband as Prince Noctorno unless she was at some official function. And truly, I couldn’t even imagine her doing it then. I hadn’t been to an official function with Apollo but I couldn’t imagine addressing him as anything but Apollo, even to servants, as he called me Lady Ulfr or Lady Madeleine to them.

And that was another thing. She was from my world.

But she spoke like she was from this world.

Now, I’d heard that Americans who lived in England (or wherever) could take on the accent. But she hadn’t been in this world for decades, for goodness sakes. I couldn’t imagine her talking just like people from this world.

Not yet.

Further, I couldn’t imagine Christophe wanting to see me.

For two weeks he’d been doing his best to avoid me.

Demanding to see his father, sure.

But me?

Having time to think on it, lots of it as we trekked through the forest, that wasn’t right either.

Not to mention, she’d said that Prince Noctorno was not far.

But he was.

We kept going (and going) and she had to know we were unprotected by men or weapons and the further away from the house we were, the more danger we’d be in.

Apollo had told me that all the women knew what was going on. Their men let them in on it so they could be vigilant and cautious (he’d also added the word “obedient” but I decided to forget he said that; though, it was becoming scarily apparent that I’d forgotten the “cautious” part too).

If she was leading me to her husband who was with Chris not too far away from Karsvall, I could get it.

But she was leading me to what seemed like nothing except deeper into the forest and far away from Karsvall.

And last, she had no guard.

Her husband had let her go like that, unprotected. From what I’d heard about him, that was not something he’d do.

Ever.

No.

This was not right.

I was getting the distinct feeling that I’d been an idiot.

I knew that feeling. It had happened often in my life, this one worse than the rest (except, of course, when I’d picked Pol to pledge my troth to; then again, that remained to be seen depending on whether I could get myself out of what I was currently getting myself into).

I decided it was time to stop being an idiot and called, “Hey!”

She forged ahead, not looking back when she replied, “Not too far now.”

“Uh, I’m thinking that we should turn back, find a man to find Apollo and have you lead him back to Tor and Christophe.”

“We’re not too far,” she mostly repeated. “It would be foolish to turn back now.”

I stared at her plowing through the snow.

Then I stopped.

“Hey!” I called again to her still moving form. “I’m thinking this isn’t smart.”