I expected Dorian to come back with one of his stinging remarks and escalate things further with Roland. It was simply Dorian’s nature, plus this was an issue he felt passionately about. I was about to silence them both when Dorian took a deep breath and said, “Look, I don’t want to pick a fight with you. I respect you too much, and at the heart of this, our goals are the same. We both just want her safe.”

Roland’s blue eyes narrowed as he sized Dorian up. I caught my breath, wondering what Roland’s response would be. Agreeing with a gentry was not his normal operating procedure.

“Agreed,” Roland said at last. “We do want the same thing. Arguing methods is counterproductive.”

I exhaled and stared at both men in astonishment. Contrary Dorian and stubborn Roland ... in agreement? If not for the fact that threats on my life were the source of their accord, I would’ve reveled in this as a landmark moment of gentry and human peace. Unsurprisingly, this tranquil interlude couldn’t last. Guards burst into the room, with Pagiel right beside them. It was almost a repeat of last week at Dorian’s, and I half expected Ysabel to be in tow, ready with some new bitchy comment. Pagiel’s expression told me, however, that something much direr was at stake.

“What’s wrong?” Dorian and I asked in unison.

Pagiel’s face grew grim, and I had a feeling he was trying very hard to behave in a calm and controlled manner. A glint in his eye suggested his outrage was so great that he just wanted to burst out with it. “Ansonia,” he said.

I cast a quick, questioning glance at Dorian to see if this made any sense to him. His puzzled look said he was just as much in the dark as I was. Pagiel’s sister had left shortly after the wedding, and I’d hardly talked to her while she was here.

“What about her?” I asked.

“She was attacked this morning by Willow Land riders on the outskirts of the Oak Land, on her way to see our grandmother.”

That got Dorian’s attention. He leaned forward. “The Oak Land? My Oak Land?” As if there was any other.

“Was she alone?” I asked.

Dorian stood up, his face as furious as Pagiel’s. “It’s irrelevant. Alone or not, a young girl should be able to ride the length and breadth of my kingdom without feeling threatened by any brigand—let alone militants from another kingdom! Maiwenn has gone too far. This is an act of war! This is—”

“Is the girl okay?” asked Roland, his quiet voice cutting through Dorian’s outrage. At first, Dorian looked offended at the interruption, but then he—like me—seemed to realize that we all probably should’ve asked that immediately.

Pagiel nodded and took another steadying breath before continuing. “She’s with a healer now and is recovering. Maiwenn’s people beat her up pretty badly but were interrupted when some passing merchants noticed what was happening. By that point, the attackers realized they’d made a mistake and were ready to flee anyway.”