that Seth did it, not you.”
Jonas shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “What was Baltrasard doing there?”
“This Drakar…he beat her?” Caleb’s voice was so quiet that his question almost went unnoticed. A moment later, he wished it had when Martin lifted his large, sad eyes to him, eyes that said so much more than his words did.
“Nearly killed her, King.” Martin blinked at the utter sorrow he saw in Caleb’s face, then the old man turned to Jonas. “And Baltrasard was there because Seth went and found him. Seth is a Catcher. He fancies Willow flower, even took care of me because of her, but she never stopped talking about the king here. Told Seth that she loved you and to leave her alone, but he kept right on trying to win her. Told them all that she was the other king’s daughter, but they didn’t believe her. And then Seth was sent away and Drakar did the bad things to her cause Seth wasn’t there to keep her safe anymore.”
Caleb could only stare in horror as Martin told his tale. It was all he could do to keep himself from splintering into pieces from his grief.
“The way she talked about all of you, especially you, King, I thought for sure she would be here with you. Last time I saw her was right before I started for your village, that was over a month ago.” He smiled at Shauna. “Took me longer to get here than I expected.”
“A month ago?” Shauna repeated and glanced at her brother. It might as well have been ten years ago when you were in a slaver’s pen.
“Seth took her home. I thought she would come straight here the minute she got better. She was mighty sick,” Martin remembered, shaking his head.
“Home?” Caleb finally blinked. “To Beldar?”
Martin nodded. “Yes. I just said that.” He smiled, happy with himself when Caleb sighed with such relief it seemed as if the weight of the whole world were just lifted off his shoulders and crushed him at the same time.
“Then she’s alive for certain,” the king breathed.
“Yes. Seth took her home in his carriage.”
Suddenly Caleb’s eyes darkened with the force of a storm brewing within them. He looked at Jonas and then his sister and repeated the name, “Seth.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Martin helped himself to Caleb’s tea and took a long, thirsty sip. When he was done, he swiped his dirty sleeve across his mouth. “He was nice to Willow and me.”
Caleb was silent as he nodded, but Jonas and Shauna knew that he was about to explode. It didn’t take long before he did. “He had her all the time!” he thundered, and Martin moved deeper into his chair. The storm was set loose, pacing like a wild beast, forgetting who he was, as he had over the last few months. “It was that smiling deceiver, Jonas,” he said through tight lips. “The one we chased after we killed the big Catcher outside of Culderia, remember? He was watching us.”
“That was Drakar you killed.” Martin informed him, nodding as if he’d been there himself.
“Good!” Caleb shouted, setting that fury on Martin. “I should have taken his head! And that lying piece of devil spit with him.” He wheeled around to his sister. “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to rip his heart out. He rode right by us and she was in the carriage!” The realization of how close he had been to Willow struck him like a massive blow to the knees. “I’m leaving tonight. I’m going to get her.”
“Caleb,” Shauna said. “Surely she has healed by now of what this Drakar did to her, and she hasn’t come back.”
“Maybe she cannot,” he argued.
“Maybe she doesn’t want to.”
He didn’t believe it. Willow would come back to him if she could. Something was stopping her. Her father? This Seth?
Silence covered the cottage like a heavy mist then Martin cleared his throat. “King, she was real sick, you know. She talked about you all the time…in the beginning. It was a bad place we was in, King. Seth made it better for a time. And as much as you hate him for tricking you. It was him who saved the woman you seem to love.”
“I do love her.” Caleb nodded and turned away letting Martin’s words and their meaning reach his heart.
“Jonas,” he said after a moment and turned to his second in command. “I want Warriors guarding the perimeter of Shondravar. If she told