Fear filled him then. Some of it was fear for his half-sister, because in spite of what some people thought, Vars was not a monster. Admittedly, more of it was fear for himself, and how their father would react if he found out that Vars had lost Lenore, but that wasnt the point.

The point… the point was that this had happened and Vars hadnt been here.

His first thought was relief, because being here would have meant senseless danger, maybe even death, looking at the ease with which it seemed that theyd slaughtered the few guards that had gone with Lenore.

His next thought was that he was meant to be there, and that everyone would know it. They would look at him like he was nothing, less than nothing, even though he was a prince of the realm.

Find my sister! Vars commanded. Find out what happened here!

He sat there atop his horse while his men spread out, watching as they moved from building to building. Vars sat with his hand on the hilt of his sword, not knowing what he would do if attackers were to leap from the buildings around. Would he strike out at them, or sit there frozen, or flee? Certainly, he wasnt going to go into the buildings first, seeking out danger.

A part of Vars hated himself for that.

Theres someone here! the sergeant called out from over by the inns stables. Shes alive, barely!

That was enough to send Vars down from his horse, hoping against hope that it was Lenore. If she was dead among all of this…

He burst into the stables and found the sergeant helping a young woman to her feet. She wasnt Lenore, didnt even look like one of her maids. Instead, she wore simple clothes that marked her out as a peasant of some sort, perhaps a servant at the inn. Vars strode up to her.

What happened here? he demanded. Where is my sister?

The young woman cried out at the violence of his tone, and only the sergeants soothing grip on her stopped her from pulling away completely. Vars had no time for that. He needed to know what had happened here, needed to know just how much trouble he was in.

What happened here? he demanded. Where is Princess Lenore?

Gone, the servant said. The Quiet Men… they took her…

Quiet Men? Vars said, unwilling to believe it. Hed heard the stories. King Ravins trained killers, taught to cross the bridges to do his bidding.

They… they killed most of us, the woman said. They took over the inn, kept only a few of us for… for…

Another man might have said something soothing in that moment. Vars just watched her.

Where is my sister? he repeated.