Mark of Love (Love Mark #3) - Linda Kage Page 0,165

who it goes to, and for what reason.”

After he discarded the second scroll, I picked it up and unrolled the spools so I could study it. Olivander went on explaining a few more he had, but I blocked him out, frowning at names, dates, and prices, running my finger along the list as I went. When I saw a name I recognized, it pinged in my head.

I saw it again, then again, once every moon cycle, in fact. I went back in time, checking for more transactions, only to realize that Everett of House Teller had been receiving the same stipend for supplies from King Ignatius for the last two years.

“What’s this?” I asked, showing it to Olivander.

He squinted over and took the scroll from my hand. “The payments to Teller?” he asked, glancing up in question.

I nodded.

“Your uncle Everett’s been commissioned to build elevated guard stations down the canyon pass between Far Shore and High Cliff.”

“Elevated guard stations?” My brow furrowed. “And he’s been building them for the past two years? In the canyon pass?”

The prince nodded. “Father visits at least twice a year to inspect the progress.”

I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t. He can’t have. I just went through the pass. There are no guard towers anywhere throughout the entire length. None have even been started.”

“Hmm.” Olivander sent me a troubled glance and rubbed his chin. “I guess dear ol’ Dad is hiding something else, then. I’m not surprised.”

“You think it has something to do with the Graykey tracking ritual?”

Olivander shook his head. “I don’t know why it would.”

“But they had some surprisingly sophisticated perimeter magic set up to catch her.”

I explained the booby trap that had started this whole mess.

Olivander’s eyebrows lifted, impressed. “That does sound extreme. We don’t even have those kinds of measures set up around Elaina. I didn’t realize your uncle was that motivated to end the Graykeys.”

“I didn’t either,” I murmured, growing suspicious. I’d lived with him for three years, and the only things he’d been passionate about was his hatred for the High Cliff crown and reclaiming the Teller title.

Now, he was supposedly working with the crown?

It didn’t add up.

“I want to talk to him,” I decided. I didn’t like how nothing made sense. I needed answers.

“Patience, Moast,” Olivander cautioned. “Just because something’s going on there doesn’t mean it’s what we’re looking for. I wouldn’t be surprised if the king has a dozen different shady deals going on under the table about numerous issues that his council wouldn’t approve of. Let’s keep looking.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. Quilla could be anywhere. The chances that she’d be in the first place I suspected was low. Except I couldn’t ignore the feeling that my uncle knew something about this Graykey locating ritual.

We kept scouring Olivander’s scrolls for days. Then weeks. Whenever he suggested I eat or rest or bathe, or even shave, I merely snapped at him and kept searching for something definitive that would lead us to Quilla.

Whenever I did bother to lie down, I only saw her when I closed my eyes. Sometimes she’d glare at me and threaten to stab me, and I’d grin, enjoying her sass. Sometimes, she’d take my hand and lead me somewhere private, like she had the first time we’d been together.

But most of the time, I saw her beaten and bloody, dying alone and calling out for me, begging, asking why I didn’t help her. Yet, I didn’t know how to even find her.

Soaked with a cold sweat, I gasped awake one night and bolted upright.

Wiping the tormented sleep from my face, I swung my legs over the side of the cot and pushed to my feet. I wandered outside and into a warm, breezeless night.

Looking up at the stars, I wondered if Quilla could see them from wherever she was.

“I’ll find you,” I whispered to the sky. “No matter where you are, I’ll find you. I swear it.” I wouldn’t give up until I at least knew she was okay.

“Jesus,” I hissed, scrubbing my hands over my face. I hated this more than I hated anything. This not-knowing and complete loss of control could ruin me. I just needed—

Hearing footsteps storming toward me, I dropped my hands just in time to see a dark shadow barreling from the shadows.

“Hey!” I shouted in warning just before the figure plowed into me, tackling me to the ground.

“Where is she? Where the fuck is she?” a familiar voice demanded, just before I got an eyeful of