“We saw her when—” Uneasy now as he watched anger fill Lucian’s eyes, Aiden finished clumsily, “We saw her when we were traveling in the west.”

“You saw her, and yet you said nothing until now, sent no messages to me or Dianna.”

“There was no reason to say anything, no reason to send any messages. Ari is happy where she is. She’ll never come back to Brightwood.”

“My sister was challenged and lost to that cold-blooded bitch because her power was being drained by having to be the anchor for our Clan’s territory—something Ari should have been doing.”

“No,” Aiden said. “You said you would have let her go.”

“Where would she have gone?” Lucian said furiously. “If Morag had gathered that human when Dianna asked her to, Ari would have stayed.”

“And she would have died! Neall got her away from the Inquisitors. That’s the reason she survived.” This wasn’t right. Where was the grief, the guilt, the regrets that had filled the room a few moments ago? Where was the relief that the woman Lucian cared about had survived?

“So he survived as well. That’s something that can be changed, and once Ari is back at Brightwood—”

“Lucian, no.” Aiden grabbed Lucian’s arms. “They’re in love, and they’re happy, and she’s growing fat with their first child. You can’t take her away from her husband and home. You said you cared for her. Be glad she’s well, Lucian, and let her go.”

“Be glad of what?” Lucian snapped, jerking his arms to break Aiden’s hold. “That she let a human fill her belly?”

Was that what the anger was about? That Ari had chosen a human over the Lightbringer? “Not a human, Lucian. Neall is Fae. A Lord of the Woods. He has a human face, true enough, but he’s Fae.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Where is she?”

Aiden shook his head.

Lucian stared at Aiden. “You went west to find the Hunter, didn’t you? You brought that bitch down on us.”

“She would have come regardless. After the Black Coats attacked her Clan, she would have come east to fight them whether I found her or not.”

“You wouldn’t have stayed long in one place while you were looking for the Hunter. And you would have wanted to stay, at least a day or two, if you’d found Ari first.”

Aiden didn’t dare say anything. Here was the anger he’d seen over the past year—the sneering anger that had cost them all so much.

“The Bretonwood Clan. Isn’t that where the Hunter comes from? Yes, I’m sure that’s the Clan that was mentioned. Does Bretonwood have a witch to anchor the shining road in the Old Place? A witch who should be living at Brightwood?”

Aiden said nothing.

“Just as well you don’t answer. You lied to me, Bard.”