“He’ll tear this land apart and rip the castle down around that fancy Lord Salebiri and his whore-wife Ageltrude.”

Brigida had been cutting past them when she said that last part and Talwyn quickly stepped in front of her, stopping Brigida in her tracks.

“You know who Ageltrude really is—why are you acting like you don’t? What are you up to?”

It was a sound question Rhi’s cousin asked. They’d known for years now that Salebiri’s wife Ageltrude was actually Vateria, last of the House of Atia Flominia and hated cousin of the Rebel King. Gaius had discovered her involvement with the Zealots and warned Rhiannon and Annwyl, because there was no way that Vateria was a true believer. She only loved herself.

Not only had she convinced her husband she was human and a loyal follower of Chramnesind, but they’d had children together. Offspring like Rhi and Talan and Talwyn, Abominations.

Brigida stepped into Talwyn, her face close. “What if I am up to something?” she asked, her voice low. “What will you do about it?”

Rhi and Talan were about to spring to Talwyn’s side, but just as they were both going to move, Brigida’s damaged eye, all milky white and painful looking, suddenly swiveled over in its eye socket and locked on the pair.

“That thing has a life of its own!” Talwyn had screamed more than once at them. And Rhi feared her cousin might be right.

“You three got much work to do,” Brigida said, now moving around Talwyn to go her own way. “Better get to it. There won’t be much time left once your grandfather gets here.”

They silently watched her walk away until Talwyn asked Brigida, “Where’s my mother?”

“How should I know?” was the reply they got back.

“Is she dead?”

“Maybe,” Brigida said with a shrug. “Then again . . . maybe not. Who knows with that woman?”

* * *

The three cousins returned to the tent and Fearghus felt his heart drop when they told him what had been said. Sadly, though, he wasn’t surprised. He knew that Brigida would never tell any of them what she might or might not know about Annwyl’s disappearance, but they’d all needed to try.

He refused to believe his mate was dead. That somehow, Zealots had gotten hold of her. He refused to believe it because if he did, he’d never get through this. And he knew Annwyl would want him to lead this fight in her absence because she’d told him that more than once.

So he put his heartache away and focused on the more important matters at hand.

“We need to be ready before your grandfather gets here. There’s always a chance Salebiri could be planning something. Has already moved on it.”