Page 137 of In Rising Tides

The scout shook his head. “They weren’t elvish either.”

Lyra could feel the temperature in the room plummet with the scout’s words.

“What do you mean they weren’t human or elvish?” Drystan asked. His voice had turned darker, more deliberate, like a predator sizing up its prey before an attack.

“They had to have been human. They bled like mortals, but they didn’t fight like them.” He shook his head as if he could shake the memory from his mind. “I don’t know how else to explain it, sire. It was like … magic.”

The words echoed and twinned with those of the scout’s claims from earlier. He had said that there was a dark magic surrounding Badenvaria.

Drystan didn’t take his eyes off the scout, and neither did anyone else.

“Did they say anything useful to you or the others as they butchered your squad?” Caius asked. From the snarling of his upper lip, it was obvious his poor opinion of the scout.

“They just kept asking about the tithe and?—”

“And what?” Lir barked. His face had turned a ruddy shade of red that almost matched the red of his hair.

“And about the princess,” the words tumbled from the scout’s lips, and Lyra could feel every pair of eyes settle on her.

Except Drystan’s. “Which princess?”

The scout raised a gnarled and broken finger, pointing it directly at her chest.

Wilder drummed his fingers against the tabletop and then rubbed at a pockmarked scar.

The missive from the humans still sat in the middle of the table where they had left it, after going through the words more than a dozen times.

Prince Wilder Vale of the Wilds, dishonored son of House Vale?—

Her Majesty, Queen Ursa Bloodstone of Badenvaria

desires that you cease any and all alterations to the Tidal Tithe,

and hand over any information on the location of

Princess Lyra Auris of Atlantis,

at once.

“They don’t even leave instructions for where we would hand over information,” Maelys grumbled opposite him, rubbing a hand in small circles on her temple.

Ridge’s mouth dropped open in surprise as he leaned away from her. “We wouldn’t hand over information even if owe had it.”

Maelys huffed and elbowed him. “Obviously. What I’m saying is it’s not very official.”

“Well, it did come from humans,” Jordania added, sliding a small stone back and forth between her hands.

Her nose wrinkled delicately as she spoke, but she focused on the stone sliding across the table.

“It means Maelor told the humans of Lyra’s plans and now she’s in danger,” Wilder said as steadily as he could.

But he couldn’t fight the tremor that shook his body.

She was already in a place she loathed, with the people who didn’t care for her, and now the humans wanted her.

“It’s worth mentioning that she is currently safe,” Otto mumbled. “As far as I can tell.”

It should have given him a vague sense of relief. But it did not.