Aira was deeply worried.
Her sister was yet to be found, regardless of how many people were out there looking for her. Riders had been sent in every direction, scouts dispatched to the surrounding villages and forests, yet nothing concrete had come back. Every passing hour weighed heavier on her chest, tightening the knot of fear she tried so desperately to ignore.
Even worse was the news that reached them the next morning—that Zyren's family, whom he had locked away in the dungeons, had broken out.
The information spread quickly through the castle, whispered in hushed voices by servants and guards alike. Aira hadn't even been aware that his family were alive until that very moment, and the revelation left her unsettled. She sat at breakfast in the main hall with the others, barely tasting the food in front of her.
Unable to take her eyes off Zyren even as she ate.
