Exiting the trailer in a daze, I had to move, had to do something. I started walking the perimeter of the wards, aware Graeson’s keen hearing meant he would catch every word exchanged. Speed dial trilled in my ear, and I paced as Vause’s phone rang five times then rolled to voicemail. I hung up without leaving a message.

I had tapped my phone against my bottom lip once when it buzzed with an incoming call.

“Ellis.”

“This is Magistrate Martindale.” A haughty huff filled the line, and I had no trouble picturing him as puffed with self-importance as a toad. “Forgive me. I just missed your call.”

What was he doing answering Vause’s phone?

“I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Having gotten used to dealing directly with Vause, I scrambled for the proper reverent tone one should use when addressing a magistrate. “I was trying to reach Magistrate Vause.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” A whiff of a chuckle tickled the line before he shared the cause of his delight. “Irene is missing.”

“Missing,” I echoed, as though I had misunderstood.

“Vanished from behind a locked door twenty-four hours ago.” After the delicious morsel of gossip had been devoured by my ears, his savor ended. “It goes without saying that no one outside the Earthen Conclave is privy to this information. Some fool ran late for an audience. He thought she must have cancelled and forced his way in, making quite a spectacle of himself. We might have hoped to contain these most unfortunate circumstances if not for that. As it is, I’m sure the news will be making the rounds by morning.”

My back hit a tree, and I leaned against it. “Were her guards…?”

“One dead.” He clicked his tongue. “One missing. Seelie the both of them. Had she accepted my offer of Unseelie guardians, this tragedy might have been averted.”

Noncommittal noises bubbled out of me. Seelie I might be, but a fool I was not.

He must have taken the mumbles as agreement, as he sighed in satisfaction. “Now then.” A ripple of pops, similar to knuckles cracking, rang in my ear. “What business did you have with Irene?” He slathered on what I’m sure he thought was charm. “I will be governing the Northeastern Conclave in her absence, quite a burden by one’s self, but a task I am equal to. Anything you have to tell her, you can share with me.”

“I…” I fumbled for an excuse and settled on, “I wanted to check on the status of my leave of absence.”

“Oh. You’re that Ellis. The Gemini girl. The one who cavorts with a warg and compromised a multiple-homicide case.” The disgust in his tone at having wasted perfectly good gossip on me was evident. “I’ll have my assistant call you with that information.”

Click.

Across the yard, Graeson rubbed his jaw. “What do you think it means?”