Broken Dove (Fantasyland #4)(128)

“Apollo,” Maddie called in protest at the same time Finnie said, “I don’t think so, Frey.”

Frey turned to his woman.

Apollo turned to his.

“You’re a distraction, dove,” he said quietly. She opened her mouth but he saw her face was pale, her eyes haunted. He knew she would not spend one more minute in that room and he didn’t care if he had to carry her out himself.

But first he tried, “Please.”

She shut her mouth.

Thank the gods, that worked.

“Take the women to the witch,” Frey ordered and Thad moved toward Finnie.

Apollo looked to Draven, jerked his chin Madeleine’s way and Draven moved toward her.

He watched them leave the room, noting Maddie left without looking back. He then watched the door close behind them. Only when the door closed did he turned his eyes to Laures.

“Start with Franka,” he ordered.

“What? No!” she cried, all her audacity lost, her eyes were huge and staring at Laures.

Laures looked to Apollo and Apollo knew why.

He drew a line at woman.

Apollo cut his eyes to Frey.

Frey nodded then looked to Oleg.

Oleg moved forward.

“I know nothing of conspiracy!” Franka exclaimed.

“Annar, get me a hook,” Oleg said.

Franka’s face lost all color.

Annar moved to the door and her eyes followed him.

“I…you can’t…” Her eyes shot to Frey. “Frey, you can’t really believe I’d—”

Frey interrupted her. “Convince me you wouldn’t, cousin, but do it fast.”

Apollo saw her gaze flick in the direction of her brother before it moved back to Apollo. “The Drakkars are the most powerful family in Lunwyn. You know I value my ties to my family. You know why. We’ve been here before during the last conspiracy. What reason would any Drakkar have to—?”

But Frey had seen the glance too.

“Oleg, not Franka. Kristian,” he ordered.

“No!” Franka shrieked as Kristian cowered into the wall.

“What has he done, Franka?” Apollo asked.

“He…he…” She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Oleg started to move to Kristian and Kristian turned his side to the corner, pressing in like the stone could absorb him.

“What has he done, Franka?” Apollo asked.

Oleg made it to Kristian.

“Nothing!” Franka shouted and started toward Kristian but Apollo caught her in the chest and shoved her back roughly. He watched without remorse as she lost her footing and went down on her arse.

He bent deep, leaning into her and roared, “What has he done?”

“Nothing!” she shrieked.

There was a thud of flesh hitting the wall and Franka’s eyes flew there. Apollo looked over his shoulder to see Kristian shoved face first in the wall, one of Oleg’s hands at his neck keeping him there, the other wrapped around his wrist, twisting it behind his back.

Kristian was struggling and panting.

Oleg was looking at Frey.

“How ugly to start?” he asked.

“Mark him,” Frey ordered.

Oleg turned back to Kristian.

“I have a lover!” Franka cried and Apollo looked back to her.

“Continue!” he barked when she said no more.

She shook her head in short jerks, closed her eyes, opened them and whispered, “He’s been taken to Specter Isle.”

Gods damn it.

“And?” Apollo clipped.

“And, they told me I have unique access to both Finnie and Ils…I mean,” she corrected hurriedly at seeing the look that moved over Apollo’s face, “Madeleine. They said if I could get them access, they would release him.”

Bloody hell.

They were after the women.

“Why are Finnie and Madeleine targets?” Apollo asked curtly.

“They didn’t share their strategy,” she replied shakily.

As they wouldn’t.

“They just told me, if I didn’t, I’d receive his shaft back, the only part they said I liked, which isn’t true,” she spat. “And that was all I’d get back.”

Shocked deeply she cared about anyone enough to risk her own neck, Apollo stared at her a moment before he went on. “And who approached you?”

“Helda,” she answered.

“And is her magic black?” Apollo pressed.

She held his eyes but couldn’t hold back her obvious shudder.

Helda’s magic was black.

It was Helda’s magic that spirited Maddie away.

So it would be Helda’s head that rotted on a spike at Rimée Keep, the Queen’s palace in Snowdon.

Apollo would take it there himself.

“They’ve hurt him,” Apollo guessed quietly.

“She showed me a mirror. He was in it,” she snapped. “And yes. Every day. On the hour. Every hour. They hurt him.”

Apollo felt Frey draw close but he didn’t take his eyes off Franka.

“So you schemed to trap your brother, shift blame should this plan be discovered?” Frey asked.

“No,” she replied. “The Keer parcel had to be laid somewhere in the house. A Keer parcel is easily detected as it glows when the magic outside is trying to pierce the enchantments protecting a location, so it had to be well-placed. Calder informed me there was no room for me.”