When he looks over his shoulder and sees me, he stops, turning his back against the wall to give me a nod. “Your Majesty.”
“Morning, Vaen. Have you seen Lady Auren?”
He shakes his head. “No, Sire, but we just did a shift change. I can go ask the previous guards?”
I shake my head. “That’s alright, I’ll find her.”
Taking the stairs, I go down a level and head for the private breakfast room near Judd’s rooms. We always eat our casual meals in there, hardly ever using the formal dining except when we have to. I pass another guard on the way, and then let myself in.
Lu looks up from the table just as she knocks Judd’s propped feet off the top. “Well, look what the rot dragged in,” she singsongs. “You overslept.”
My brow arches as I walk forward. “Does being a king have no perks?”
“No,” she and Judd both answer.
My gaze sweeps around. “Where’s Auren? Did she already eat?”
“We thought she was with you,” Lu tells me.
“Yeah, we haven’t seen her yet this morning.”
Dread fills me. “Neither of you have seen her?” I look around again, noticing Digby isn’t here either. “Have you checked on Digby this morning?”
“No, but it’s early.”
I nod and head for the door. “She’s probably with him.”
“Or she might’ve gone to walk around the main floor?” Judd offers.
I should’ve given Auren a tour last night so she knew where everything was, or at least where to go for breakfast. “You put Digby in the silver room?”
“Yep.”
When I get back out into the hallway, my stride takes me right to where Digby’s staying, and I knock on the door. There’s no answer right away, but I wait a moment, and then knock again, louder.
Worry crawls over my spine, making me roll my shoulders back, and I see Judd and Lu coming over from the corner of my eye. Just as I’m about to pound on the door with my fist, I hear him call out to wait. There’s a shuffling noise, and then the door is yanked open by a bleary-eyed Digby, who clearly just rolled out of bed, his gray hair sticking up. He looks at me, gaze casting to the others behind me. “Yeah?”
“I take it Auren isn’t with you.”
His brows draw together. “No.”
I spin around, my worry now coalescing into something tangible that presses right on my ribs, restricting each breath.
“I’ll check the kitchens and the dining room,” Lu says, spinning on her heel.
“The library too,” I call after her, and she nods over her shoulder. Then, a thought occurs to me that makes my blood run cold.
“What room was Manu given?”
Judd’s brows shoot up, like he hadn’t thought of that either. “The blue room on the third floor. Do you think…”
“I don’t know.” I’m already striding away, my ribs continuing to constrict. “But if he did anything to fucking hurt her—”
Judd catches up with me, his face drawn tight.
“Alert the guards,” I order. “Have a full scale search, have them—”
“Oy!”
Judd and I stop in our tracks, jerking around to look behind us. Even Lu, where she’s already on the east stairwell, looks up and stops.
Digby leans against the door jam, glowering at me. “You don’t know where Auren is.”
Impatience prickles my neck, but I answer his non-question anyway. “No.”
He limps over to me, and even though my mind is screaming at me to hurry up and go find her, I impatiently wait for him.
He looks up at me from beneath bushy eyebrows, lips pinched together with clear disapproval as he stops in front of me and gives me a once-over like I’m about to get lectured. “I thought you were smart.”
I blink down at him. “What?”
He shakes his head and lets out a sigh. “My lady isn’t in the kitchens or the dining room or the library.”
Judd and I share a look while Lu comes walking over. “Okay…so you did see her this morning?”
“No,” he says. “But I don’t need to have seen her to know where she is. Just like you would know if you’d pull your head out of your ass for a second.”
My jaw grinds so hard I’m surprised my teeth don’t crack. “Explain.”
“My lady lived in the north of the world for ten years. That’s a decade of nothing but snow, seen through cages and windows and caves and restrictions.” His arms cross in front of him. “If you know her at all, you’ll know right where to find her. So where do you think she is right now, boy?”