State of Sorrow (Sorrow #1)(85)
“She’s fine, don’t worry. In fact, she’s here too; she came with me. She wanted to come straight to you, but I asked her to let me speak to you first. I’ve left her unpacking, so by my estimate she’ll be here in ten minutes and our belongings will remain in their trunks.” He smiled.
Sorrow’s mood lifted temporarily at the thought of her friend being here, but fell again almost immediately. “Who broke in? Do you know? And how?”
Charon paused. “They came through your room. Through the balcony door. And I suspect, after what happened in Prekara, that it was the Sons of Rhannon.”
His words picked at something in her memory then. Monkeys on the roof, metal hitting the tiles…
Charon continued, bringing her back to the present. “Irris was still awake, when it happened. She heard sounds coming from your room, and knowing you’d gone, took some of the servants and a large knife with her to investigate. By the time she arrived, there was no one there but the balcony door was open. The lock had been picked. I’ve ordered it repaired, and additional bolts added, but I think it best to move when you return to Rhannon. To somewhere more secure. Bayrum Mizil would offer his manse. Or there’s the Day seat in the East Marches.”
“Stars…” Sorrow said, as understanding chilled her to the bone. They’d come for her in the night, when they knew she’d be alone. And vulnerable. So they did mean her real harm; it wasn’t just public threats and graffiti. She shivered and crossed her arms.
“And I have a man ready to take over as your bodyguard once you return,” Charon continued.
“Actually… Assuming she’s not a spy for Vine, I think I’d like to keep Dain,” Sorrow said, as Charon’s thick eyebrows rose. “She stood up for me at the bridge, and she’d welcome it, I’m sure. Plus, it might go a long way to appeasing the Decorum Ward when the time comes if they see me employing their former colleagues—” Sorrow stopped as Charon held up a hand. “Too close to election talk?” she said, and he nodded. “Sorry. Should we tell Mael about the break-in?” Sorrow asked suddenly, ignoring the look of surprise on Charon’s face. “They’re probably after him too. I know he’s more or less an enemy of sorts right now, but I don’t want him murdered in his bed,” she added when he continued to stare at her.
Charon nodded. “I suppose we should. I’ll speak to Arta Boniface later. But for now, tell me about Rhylla. How are you enjoying it?”
“It’s beautiful,” Sorrow said. “I still can’t get over the food. I feel like I’m actually eating colours sometimes, everything is so tasty and vibrant. And I met Fain Darcia and the Lady of Skae. I think I made a good impression on them.”
Charon shot her a warning glance and Sorrow swallowed an impatient sigh. This was harder than she’d thought.
“Have you seen Rasmus?” Charon asked, watching her closely.
Sorrow nodded. “You needn’t worry. He hates me. He can’t even look at me.” She remembered his words from last night and felt her chest contract as sadness rose like a tide inside her.
“I never wanted that,” Charon said. “And for what it’s worth, I am sorry. Really,” he said, when her eyebrows quirked, betraying her scepticism. “So, any other news?”
“Oh,” she remembered. “We stopped on the way here in Ceridog, for … a reason. And we’re going to see some of the south before we return, for the same reason.” She didn’t know how much she could, or should, say about Mael here, so she gave Charon a deliberate look.
“That’s the last avenue you have?”
“Yes. No.” Sorrow’s gaze fell on Luvian’s reports. “Luvian pulled all the reports of children who went missing around the time—”
Charon jerked so violently Sorrow was afraid he’d tip out of his chair. Her words died in her mouth as she reached for him, but he shook his head, bracing his hands on the armrests, and took a deep breath.
“Are you all right?” Sorrow asked him.
He nodded, but Sorrow didn’t believe him. Though his expression hadn’t altered, he was noticeably paler, his temples and upper lip glistening as sweat bloomed there. His knuckles were white as he gripped the armrests.
“I’ll fetch someone.” Sorrow half rose, but the vice chancellor waved her down.
“No,” he said, then again in a stronger voice. “No. I’m all right. Just an odd moment. No doubt from travelling so far without a real rest. I’m fine. What were you saying?” he asked. “Something about missing children?”
“Let me get you some water, or maybe something to eat?”
“I’m fine, Sorrow. Please, carry on.”
She sat back slowly, pausing before she answered. “We think it’s probable that Mael doesn’t know he’s an imposter. In which case he would have been taken from Rhannon as a very little boy. Luvian thinks we might be able to find him. So we’re looking for a child who went missing from the North Marches, in the two years after the accident.”
Charon sat back in his chair, resting his hands in his lap. “How will it prove anything?”
“We’ll know where he came from,” Sorrow said. “We’ll know who his parents are and who he really is.”