Bound to the Elvin King (41 page)

Eamon’s fingers scrambled at the hands around his neck. Maggie could only hope Andrian strangled the bastard.

“You and your people will pay if you don’t release me right now,” Eamon croaked out.

Andrian released him, shoving him toward the center of the room. Eamon went sprawling to the stone floor, not too far from her bed.

Andrian strode to him and stared at the elf on the ground. Maggie flinched. The gray of Andrian’s eyes was gone. Instead, yellow colored his irises. Yellow? That signified something important, didn’t it? It only took a moment for her to remember just what that was, and her stomach plummeted through the bed.

She covered her mouth with a shaking hand. The darkindred. Andrian was a darkindred. She didn’t know very much about them other than they were at war with the Erians. Well, and what little Cal had told her after she learned it from Relian. But Cal definitely said they had yellow eyes, which only the older ones could supposedly disguise for a time.

Andrian’s hands fisted at his sides. “I know I’ll pay. I’ve been paying since day one.”

The other elf picked himself up, glowering at Andrian. “You forget yourself, darkindred.”

Maggie gulped. That confirmed her suspicions.

“I forget nothing.
Nothing.
” Andrian’s posture still threatened violence.

“You seem lax in remembering who keeps your people alive.”

Andrian tossed his long blond hair over one shoulder. “I keep them alive.”

“By my grace and good nature.”

A bark of laughter left Andrian’s throat. “What good nature?”

“I made you captain of your people, and I can easily take that position away. You know you can’t do a damn thing about it.”

Instead of getting angry as Maggie suspected, Andrian laughed in Eamon’s face. “Idle threats. You haven’t lived up to any of them yet.”

Watching the volley of responses going back and forth made Maggie dizzy. What the hell were they talking about? Andrian was some kind of captain over the darkindred army? And Eamon had appointed him? If that were true, it would make Eamon the possible leader of the darkindred. How messed up was that, and was Eamon a darkindred himself?

A small smirk lifted the corners of Andrian’s mouth. “You’re giving away all our secrets, o’ mighty leader.”

Eamon did a complete turnaround of his prior stance. “We don’t have to worry much about the human. She won’t be talking to anyone.”

Oh, she wouldn’t? Eamon was too cocky. Talion would send someone to rescue her. Once free, she’d spill all the secrets she’d just heard. And Eamon’s butt would fry.

She must’ve made a dismissive noise because Jerk Face loomed threateningly over her.

“I normally don’t torture women, but in your case, I might make an exception,” Eamon said.

Andrian stepped between her and the other elf. “Now, now. I can’t allow you harm our collateral yet.”

Yet?
Did Andrian really mean that, or was he just playing along with Eamon like she suspected—or at least hoped? His blank expression revealed nothing.

Eamon smiled hatefully. “She need only be in one piece and alive.”

Talion’s brother shrugged. “Call it a misplaced sense of chivalry, but I don’t enjoy women being hurt.”

“A darkindred with a moral conscience?” Eamon raised a dark brow. “Who knew?”

“I lost that a long time ago, but I guess most anyone would appear moral next to you. Congratulations.”

The grin faded from Eamon’s face. “You better learn to control your tongue, or you’re liable to lose it.”

“And who would take it? You?”

Eamon didn’t reply and merely sent the other elf a dirty look before spinning on his heel and stalking to the door. Once at the exit, he turned around and said, “Captain, make sure the door is guarded at all times. Your life, and those of your darkindred, rely on it.” With that, he slammed the door shut.

“Ooh, a threat, a threat, so many threats,” sang Andrian in a barely audible tone.

Wariness caused Maggie to watch him closely. One moment he seemed cogent and then batty. Not a good or reliable combination.

With alarming swiftness, he whirled around to face her. The crazy gleam in his eyes faded away as he studied her. “What are we going to do about you?”

***

Talion paced his study, only stopping when he stood in front of Avrin. “You’re sure the informants had no other information on Morson and Aaeson?”

“They were thorough during our debriefing session,” Avrin said patiently, as he had been for the last half hour. “Morson still seems as loyal as ever, even though humans aren’t on his list of favorite species.”

Kenhel snorted. “Elves barely make that list, so I’m not surprised.”

Talion paused before his desk and straightened some papers before he realized what he was doing. With a sigh of contempt, he dropped them back down to the desk, where they scattered across the smooth wood surface. “We need to be doing something.
Now.
”

Relian sighed. “We are. More reports will be filtering in. Just wait a few more minutes. I know you want to go out there looking for her, but we need additional information before we have you gallivanting around the country.”

Damn Relian’s rationality. He couldn’t argue against it. The feel of everyone’s gaze in the room set his nerves to screaming. What? They’d never seen a king go insane before? Well, they had prime seats for it now. Though he’d vowed to stay levelheaded, he was failing that promise fast.

He stalked to the window behind his desk and stared blankly out of it. The darkness of midnight mirrored his mood and his heart. There’d been no sign of Maggie in the palace, and all the spies had no information, at least not on this matter. And right now, this was the only matter about which Talion cared. The darkindred could be tearing down his palace, and he’d barely notice.

Fury clashed with feelings of powerlessness until he thought he’d explode from the internal battering. He gripped the sill of the window until his fingers lost all sensation. Did Eamon have Maggie? Or did the darkindred? Or some other person or group he hadn’t even thought of? With a surety that seemed to flow through his veins, he’d come to the conclusion she hadn’t run away or willingly left the palace. A worried Cal had also bolstered this belief, assuring him even Maggie wouldn’t do something as harebrained as leave.

She’d been gone less than a day, yet it felt like the longest century of his life. Why hadn’t he checked her location when he—

A knock on the door sounded. Talion startled, jumping a few feet away from the window, and spun to face this newest messenger.

Kavlin the sentry held the door for one of Kenhel’s captains and announced, “Your Majesty and my lords, Captain Simmon is here with an update.”

Talion growled low in his throat, drawing everyone’s attention except for Kavlin’s. His gaze flitted everywhere around the room without once landing on Talion. Hadn’t the idiot understood that no introduction was needed during this time? Talion had only told him about five times already. Damn it all, they all knew each other, and didn’t have time for this formality.

“Go now,” he barked at Kavlin. “And let us get the door from now on.”

“Yes, Your—”

“And if you value your life, leave off with the formalities.” Talion fingered the sword at his hip. He’d buckled it there in case he needed to leave at a moment’s notice. “I don’t have the time or patience to deal with them.”

The other elf turned pale but thankfully didn’t utter one word before he left the room.

Talion swung to face Simmon, who seemed to shrink back. What was wrong with his men today? Talion sent the ninny a thunderous scowl. “Now, you, what news do you have?”

Simmon blinked but managed to blunder out some words. “A—all of Eriannon has been searched again, with no sign of her majesty. We also combed through all the towers and wings in the palace, even the secret tunnels, for a second time.”

The air huffed out of Talion’s lungs as a terrible feeling of unreasonableness gripped him. “They’re not so secret anymore.”

“N—no, I guess not, Your Majesty, though only my small contingent of men know about—”

Kenhel interrupted the captain, all the while keeping a close watch on Talion. “Simmon, thank you for your update. You may go.”

“Yes, Commander.” Simmon bowed quickly and left without a backward glance, his pace practically a run.

As soon as the door shut, Kenhel rounded on Talion. “You’re scaring our poor men.”

“Men?” Talion snorted. “They found nothing, and you call them men?”

Relian stepped up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Father, they’re doing their best. We all are.”

Talion shrugged off Relian’s hand, not wanting to feel anyone’s touch but Maggie’s. “Well, your best isn’t good enough.”

His son’s lips thinned. “Be that as it may, we’re all working nonstop to ensure Maggie’s safe return.”

Maggie.
The sound of her name bored a hole through his heart. Right now unthinkable things could be happening to her. The shaky hold he had over his fury and fear snapped, along with his resolve to stay clearheaded. He slammed his hand against the nearest wall, wanting to tear something apart. But the stone was unyielding, and he only earned bruised and bleeding knuckles.

Shaking off the pain, he gazed around for an easier target. His chair. He stalked to it and hoisted the chair above his head, sending it sailing through the air. The wood splintered nicely against the stone, and he smiled in grim satisfaction, even as the madness gained another inch.

All the belongings on his desk were next. Papers ripped, books slammed against the cream-and-silver-colored walls, pens shattered under his hands. He tore the tapestries from the walls and the curtains from the windows. But nothing eased the ache. In the background, muted voices yelled his name. He ignored them.

As he went to lift another chair, someone grabbed him around the waist. Talion struggled and aimed a punch at the idiot’s jaw. But his fist grazed the skin, most of its power going to waste.

“Damn it, Father,” the person hissed in his ear.

Those words fought through his haze, and he opened and closed his eyes twice to make sure he was really seeing the person who held him. He gulped in a deep, shuddering breath. “Relian?”

His son scowled. “Yes, dear Father, please stop trying to lay me out flat. And though it might feel good to demolish your study, I think you’ll later regret it. If I let you go, do you promise to behave?”

Talion nodded, staring at the damage he’d wrought. By Eria, he’d done that? He remembered feeling rage course through him, but after that, nothing….

Relian’s grip tightened before he released him. “Good.”

Everyone in the room watched him silently, as if they expected another outbreak. He didn’t blame them. His tantrums wouldn’t save Maggie. Only his levelheadedness could do that, so he had to stay calm. For her sake. That endeavor seemed nearly impossible, though.

He staggered through the debris littering the floor to the window. His head fell forward until his forehead thumped against the cool pane of glass. A part of him wanted to break through the fragile glass and make it reflect the state of his soul, but he couldn’t summon the energy to do it. He closed his eyes in despair. These highs and lows gripping him threatened to fracture his mind. If he wanted to remain whole and sane for Maggie, he needed to temper these emotions.

Surely someone knew something, saw something? If one servant would come forward…. Of course during the time she went missing, the halls had been nearly empty of servants. Almost all had been at the Harvest Festival still going on in town or at the Harvest Evening Court, either serving or celebrating.

An insistent hand on Talion’s shoulder forced him to surface from his thoughts, and he pushed himself away from the window with a grunt.

“What do you want to do next, Father?” asked Relian, his concerned gaze watching him as if he feared Talion might go insane at any moment. Which might not be too far off from the truth. He kept the madness at bay with a layer of will that thinned by the hour, and it waited to pounce on him during his weakest moment.

Talion gathered his remaining wits about him. Maggie and his people relied on him as king, and to do that, he had to lead. “We send out search parties farther afield than Eriannon.” He glanced at Kenhel with a penetrating stare. “You’ll have everyone marshaled within the next hour, will you not?”

Kenhel inclined his head. “It will be done, though you know any evidence will be more readily visible when it’s light.” He appeared to hesitate before asking, “Though this could either possibly be Eamon’s handiwork or the darkindred’s, as we’ve discussed, I have to wonder how Eamon could arrange all this unless he had a lot of help.”

Talion’s lips twisted. “He would’ve had help, just as the darkindred. We know there’s at least one traitor in the palace. The question of how many townspeople may be involved is unknown, too.”

“We’ll find her, my friend,” Avrin said.

Then why did Talion feel so helpless? “Don’t make vows you might not be able to keep.”