[Alvar's POV—On the way to Frojnholm—Same Night]
Damn it. Damn it all.
This was my fault. Mine alone. I should never have left Leif unguarded; I should never have trusted anyone but myself with his safety.
"My lord… you must slow down, the horses—" Haldor's voice thundered behind me, swallowed by the night wind.
"Faster!" I roared, my voice cutting through the dark like a blade. My grip tightened on the reins until the leather bit into my palms. "Do you hear me, Haldor? Faster! Or I'll ride alone and leave you in the snow."
The hooves thundered over the frozen earth, the storm of their pounding echoing the chaos inside me. I had not breathed since that messenger owl swooped into my chamber—through the open balcony doors—striking my cheek with its wing as if to jolt me awake. A scrap of parchment tied to its leg, words scrawled in haste… and venom.
Lord leif, is missing.
It was from Baron.
No names. No ransom. Just a provocation.
