“How can that be?” Nash's mother asks, voice shaking.
“I've got to search his room,” I say.
“My lady, forgive me, but I'm not certain it's safe,” Jaku says. “I need to secure the room and the perimeter around it better first, to make certain it's safe.”
“I can protect myself.” I flash my dagger.
“I know you can, but I would be remiss if I didn't check anyway.”
“Fine. But do it now. I want to see the scene before much time passes.”
He bows and is gone.
Guilt hits me. He went missing under my watch. And it has to be Daros. Who else would it be, unless I have an enemy I'm unaware of?
That's entirely likely too. I don't know what to do. I need to see his room, to get answers.
I did this to his family.
“Your Majesty,” a servant says, entering the room, “the council wishes to see you.”
“Now?” There couldn't be a worse time for it.
“They requested now, Your Majesty. They say it has to do with your missing Head Advisor.”
Maybe they somehow got the answers I was unable to find. “Have someone take care of Nash's family for me.” I turn to them. “I will be back as soon as I can. We will figure this out.”
The mother nods. The girls just look frightened.
I hurry out of the room, unwilling to waste another minute.
It takes longer than I'd like to get through the hallways to the council room, though I'm going at top speed. My escorts follow, armor clanking.
When I get to the council room, all council members and their aides are here.
“What news do you have of Nash?” The words are out of me as soon as everyone bows.
I don't bother sitting; I stand behind my usual seat.
“It's not that we have news of him,” Timit says. “With blood in his room and him missing, we need things fixed. We need you to choose a new Head Advisor.”
This has to be a joke. There's no way I can pick one under these circumstances. “I will not.”
“You have to,” Yuka says, but her words are soft. “The law states that you must have one present at all times, in case something happens to you. We can't let our country fall into disarray.”
“I don't want to.”
“What if someone was to kill you?” Timit asks.
“No one will.” Though my voice is low, it fills the room.
“I understand this is hard,” Yuka says, “but you have to choose someone. We can't leave it up to chance.”
I say the first name that comes to mind. “My lady-in-waiting, Jem Surha.” Where did that come from? It doesn't matter. She won't be in the position long. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find my real Head Advisor.”
“You can't pick a lady-in-waiting,” Kada says.
“Why not?”
“Because she's a lady-in-waiting, not an advisor,” Timit says.
“And she advises me in that form. Might as well do it as my Head Advisor until Nash gets back.” I still don't know why I said her name. Ranen, Borkus, and Freya were going to control her—she admitted herself that they might have had power over her. So why do I trust her all of the sudden?
Jem acted differently around the people. She’s been more thoughtful and less snide lately. She might make an all right regent until a new queen was chosen, if she didn’t let others control her. Not that I have any intention of dying and making her so.
It doesn't matter. There are more important things to do.
“If Her Majesty wishes to name Jem her Head Advisor, she can do so,” Mina says.
The others scoff, and I have to wonder if it's because she's one of those farthest from my seat. Her advice isn't supposed to mean as much as that of people closer to me, but I appreciate it. “Thank you.”
They continue to argue, but I leave the room.
Jaku is waiting when I get back to my room. “The room is ready for your inspection.”
“Thank you for being so swift.”
I follow him, not knowing where I'm going. I should know where Nash sleeps, but all I know is that it's in the bunkhouse with the other guards. I need to see his family after this. I can't leave them hanging; they have more of a right to information than I do.
We wind through hallways and out of the building and come to a complex that looks small next to the palace, but is fairly big in reality.
“This is where all the guards sleep,” Jaku says.
“Where are Nash's quarters?” The words bite out of me.
“This way.” He doesn't hesitate.
We pass by one brick building and enter a second.
“This is where I moved him shortly after he became Head Advisor. He said he needed to stay with the men, but I insisted that he needed a space at least somewhat more befitting his station, since he refused to move into the palace.”
There are guards around, some stationed and others looking at the ground as if searching for something. The floor is a rough wood, smoothed by what must have been years of use. The walls are wood too, with no decorations on them.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“It’s where the leaders of the guard sleep. My personal quarters are through here. I saw and heard nothing out of the usual last night or this morning.”
We pass several rooms, people all over the place. How could anyone have snuck out of here with Nash, without someone seeing them? I ask Jaku just that.
“There weren't as many guards around this morning. They are here now both to look for more clues and for your safety. It must have been in the middle of the night when he was taken, for nobody to have noticed. Though even then, shifts are always changing.”
That's not a good sign. Nash wouldn't have left without a fight if he could help it.
What did they do to him?
My stomach rolls as I follow Jaku. He stops next to a room and motions me inside.
“Take all the time you need.” He stands inside the door frame. There's another guard outside the window, his back to us.
I’m overly aware of being in Nash’s room—of how this is his space—but I can’t dwell on it when his life may hang in the balance.
“Where's the blood?” I ask.
“It's over there, by the bed, on the floor. There are a few drops.”
Thank goodness there isn't more, but that doesn't mean it wasn't spilled.
There's a bed, a dresser, and a washbasin with a clouded mirror over it. Simple furnishings. It doesn't surprise me. The walls are bare, but there are plenty of blankets on the bed. The bed that's unmade doesn't seem right.
“Does he usually leave his bed unmade?”
“I wouldn't know. I make it a point to give the officers, including him, as much privacy as possible, though our guards are taught to keep things clean.”
Not helpful, but understandable. Nash was most likely taken during the night.
I inch closer to the bed, studying the floor. Then I see it—a drop of red. And another.
It's not much, but it's enough.
My heart gives a painful squeeze.
I get on my hands and knees to look underneath the bed.
“What are you doing, Your Majesty? One of us can do that for you.”
I ignore him. It's dark, but there's nothing here. Nash keeps this place immaculate.
Just thinking of him hurts.
I swipe my hand all the way under the bed to make sure I'm not missing anything. When nothing comes up, I get up and scour the room, looking over every nook and cranny, opening his drawers and riffling through his things.
I don't even feel bad about it.
But it does no good.
There's nothing out of the ordinary.
I look in the wash basin. Nothing. I fling the blankets off the bed and go through them one at a time. I search under the pillow. Still nothing.
I have no clue as to where he’s gone, but there has to be something. I go over the floor again and again. Finally, I shut the door and search behind it. There’s a glint in one of the cracks. I did out my dagger and chip away at the wood around it until it’s loose. A gem.
My throat closes up as I reach for it.
It's cold in my hand.
It looks exactly like one of the gems on the hilt of Daros's knife.
I was right, and it's never felt so horrid. Not only is Nash gone, but Daros came for him personally.
Nash doesn’t have a chance.