Seth rode back to the church, making sure he wasn’t followed. So her Caleb was a Warrior. Seth shook his head in disbelief while his heart returned to beating normally. He remembered the savageness of Drakar’s death and wiped the sweat from his brow.
When he entered the church, Baltrasard was readying to leave with Willow. In fact, his guards were carrying her toward the doors.
Seth stopped them and went to the king. “You can’t leave yet.”
“Why not?” Baltrasard growled, angry at the interruption.
“There are Warriors everywhere. You’ve heard of the war they’ve declared on the Catchers?”
Baltrasard gave Seth the scowl such a stupid question deserved. “Even in Alare, word of war spreads quickly. Of course I heard.”
Unfazed by the royal sarcasm, Seth continued, “They war with the Catchers over your daughter, Sire.”
It was good that there was a chair behind the king that he could fall into. “They had taken her from me. They took my daughter and killed all my men in Silvergard.” He looked up at Seth. “Why war? They kidnapped my daughter months ago. I thought demands would be made, my life for hers…something. But I never heard a word, not one missive did I receive. I can understand them searching for her because she is their bargaining chip. But why war?”
Seth frowned, not understanding. “Bargaining chip for what?”
“For me, of course.”
“You? But why would the Warriors want you?”
Baltrasard waved his hand casting the whole trivial matter away. “There is one of them who holds me responsible for this hell we inhabit. He seeks my life as recompense. I will kill him eventually. But I still don’t understand why the Warriors made war because of my daughter.”
Seth took a step closer to him and looked past the king’s shoulder to where his men were guarding Willow’s wrapped body. “One of them is in love with her, and she with him.”
Baltrasard sprang to his feet as if his chair was on fire. “Impossible!” He grasped Seth by the shoulders. “His name?”
“His name is Caleb.”
“No.” Baltrasard breathed and turned to gaze at his daughter. He shook his head, then fell back into his chair. “She cannot love Caleb.”
“I assure you she does,” Seth told him. He tilted his head to get a better look at his king’s stricken face. “I assume Caleb is the one you spoke of. The one who seeks your life?” When Baltrasard nodded, Seth let out a long sigh and pulled another chair closer to the king. He sat down and leaned forward.
“Sire, I just watched this Caleb kill the bastard who did this to your daughter. I tell you this, that Warrior is not to be reckoned with. This war is because of her, and the Warriors are winning.”
Baltrasard closed his eyes. “I have to think. His daughter might already know Caleb’s true identity. The thought of it made Baltrasard want to retch. He looked at Seth and brought his index finger to his chin. “You searched the full turning of a moon for me. Tell me why.”
“Because I care for your daughter and I wanted to save her from this,” Seth said bluntly.
Baltrasard nodded. “Her hand is promised to another, but if you can make her forget this Warrior, her hand will be yours.”
His words looked painful coming out and Seth figured the king didn’t want his daughter to marry a Catcher any more than he wanted her to marry a Warrior. But he guessed anyone would be better than Caleb, Commander of the Warriors.
“Sire,” Seth said. “I don’t think she’ll forget him. Even a little while ago she—”
“She cannot forget him here,” Baltrasard spoke over him. “That’s why you must come to Beldar with us, become one of my guards, spend time with her.”
“And if she wants to leave Beldar and go back to him?”
“She’s not going anywhere for a while. Just look at her.” They both turned at the same time to gaze at her broken body.
“You say the one who did this to her is dead?” Willow’s father’s eyes flashed in anger, then he looked back at Seth.
“Yes, Caleb killed him.”
“Tell her that you killed him, do you understand?”
Seth nodded and the king let out a long, explosive sigh. “Now, as for getting home, she needs to be tended to properly. I cannot sit around here waiting for the Warriors to leave Culderia.”
Seth smiled. “I have a way.”
The plains outside Culderia were quiet as Seth brought the covered carriage through them. He