of Jonas upon him.
“What will you do here all alone when I move out, Caleb?” His sister fretted for the hundredth time.
He glanced at her over his cup and his eyes sparkled in the soft light of the candles. “I won’t be alone when I find her. Besides,” he grinned, “you two need to have a child or something because you’re driving me mad.”
Jonas winked at Shauna. “We are working on it.”
While Shauna blushed to her roots, there came a knock at the door.
“Who could that be at this late hour?” Shauna knit her brows, secretly thankful that she was spared discussing her bedroom activities in front of her brother.
“Let me.” Jonas was already up. When he passed Shauna’s chair on his way to the door, he bent his lips to her ear and whispered something that made her blush all over again.
Caleb picked up another cake and bit into it. He stopped chewing when Jonas entered the room a moment later looking like all the blood had been drained from his normally tanned face.
“What?” Caleb asked quietly.
“There’s someone here to see you, Caleb.” Jonas could hardly manage the words and turned to beckon the visitor forward. “Come in.”
The old man peeked his head into the sitting room first. When he saw Caleb, his blue eyes crinkled and creased into a bright, gaping smile.
“His name is Martin,” Jonas said, and Caleb looked up at him. “And he says he knows Willow.”
Caleb rose from his chair slowly, his face ashen while he tried to swallow the food in his mouth.
Martin bowed low. “Your Majesty, still got them thinking eyebrows, I see. I know you don’t remember me, but I remember you and your father, good King Samuel.”
“You know her?” Caleb took a step forward, afraid to move to quickly lest the old man disappear like a mirage on the plains. “You know Willow?”
“Yes. Is she here?” Martin looked around the room and smiled at Shauna when his eyes came to rest on her.
“No, she’s not here,” Caleb said, inching closer to his guest. His heart beat so wildly in his chest, he thought he might be sick. “How do you know her?”
“You must be Jonas, the Warrior,” Martin guessed as Jonas came to stand beside his best friend. Martin circled his index finger around over his own head. “She told me you were bald—and dead.”
Jonas smiled softly at Martin. “I survived the attack.”
Martin returned the smile. “She cried for you. Oh, did she cry.”
The sweet odor of honey drew his cloudy blue gaze to the table. “I’ve interrupted your supper. I’ll come back another time.” He turned to leave, and Caleb almost leaped upon him.
“No, please.” Caleb took his arm and led him gently to a chair. “Please tell me where she is.” He tried to remain calm, for it was obvious the man was simple-minded, but as Caleb shot a stunned look to his sister, he realized he wanted to squeeze the words out of Martin. “Please,” he said more quietly. “Tell me where she is.”
Martin looked around the room again and shrugged. “Don’t know where she is. I thought she’d be here.” He studied the wheat cakes with starving eyes. Jonas picked up the plate and offered it to him. They all waited while Martin savored a bit of the sweet honey until Caleb finally threw his hands up to his forehead and began to pace. He stopped again.
“Tell us how you know Willow. I’ve been searching for a long time… I…”
“We were in the church together.” Martin chewed and smiled like a grateful puppy at Jonas. “These are delicious!”
“The church?” For a fleeting moment Caleb was tempted to toss the plate of wheat cakes out the window. “What church? Where?”
“The Catchers’ church,” the old man stated, looking at Caleb as if he were daft. “In Culderia.”
“Cu…Culderia?” Caleb opened his mouth and raked his fingers through his hair. “She’s in Culderia?”
“No. Not anymore. Drakar roughed her up good. Looked like every bone in her sweet little body was broken.”
Instantly, Caleb’s eyes filled with mist and rage. He clutched the back of his sister’s chair to keep from falling to his knees. From somewhere in the back of his mind he heard his sister’s speaking, her voice cracking on a soft sob.
“Who is Drakar?”
“Oh, he’s dead now. The king here killed him.” Martin informed them all happily and reached for another cake. “I heard Seth telling King Baltrasard about the way you killed him, but Baltrasard told him to say