Aurelia stared at Levina as they continued walking down the quiet corridor.
"What was Vaelric doing in the Forbidden Forest?" she asked slowly, the disbelief clear in her voice.
Levina let out a long breath.
"We do not know," she replied.
Aurelia frowned deeply.
"You mean no one knows at all? Not even a guess?" she asked, her tone filled with disbelief. "A seven-year-old boy disappeared from the palace and was later found in the one place in the entire kingdom that is forbidden to enter. Surely someone must have asked him what he was doing there."
"We did," Levina answered. "Everyone asked him."
She paused, remembering.
"His father asked him first. Valerian was furious when he heard he left the palace in tears. He was also angry at where he had found him. I have never seen my brother so angry and frightened at the same time. He demanded to know why Vaelric had gone there."
"And what did the boy say?" Aurelia asked quickly.
"Nothing," Levina said quietly.
