After eating breakfast in the workroom, they hurried to Karlan’s office to see if Silas had returned. Gwennore hadn’t heard any noises coming from his dressing room, so she suspected he was still gone.
When they spotted Dimitri inside the office, Annika halted outside the door and Gwennore dragged her inside.
“Do you know when the general is returning?” Gwennore asked, and Karlan shook his head. When Dimitri turned his back to them to look out the window, she was tempted to kick him in the rear. “The general promised he would help us collect all the materials we need. Since he isn’t here, I expect his second in command to honor that promise.”
Dimitri glanced back at her with a wary look. “What do you need?”
“Verna leaves, to start with. We’ve depleted the supply here at the castle. Is there another place nearby that has a large garden?”
Dimitri shifted his weight. “My family has a manor house not too far from here. There’s a garden there.”
“Excellent.” Gwennore smiled, grabbing on to Annika’s arm when she tried to slip out the door. “When do we leave?”
Dimitri tugged at his shirt collar. “You’re both going?”
“Of course,” Gwennore told him. “You’ll need us to identify the correct plants. And please bring as many men as you can spare.”
“All right.” Dimitri strode toward the door. “Be in the courtyard in five minutes.”
As he headed down the hallway, Annika groaned. “I can’t believe you’re dragging me into this.”
Gwennore gave her a wry look. “It’s a sacrifice you’ll have to make for your country.”
Annika snorted. “As if I didn’t know you’re playing matchmaker.”
Gwennore grinned. “Come on. Let’s get ready to go.”
* * *
Once Silas learned that the Eberoni king and queen were still encamped across the border, close to Vorushka, he decided to ask them if they knew anything about the Circle of Five. So, after breakfast, he and Aleksi rode the short distance to Vorushka and tethered their horses on the north end of the bridge spanning the Vorus River.
“Wait here.” He left Aleksi and strode across the bridge to where four Eberoni soldiers were standing guard. He handed them his sword belt as he addressed them in the Eberoni language, “Please inform King Leo and Queen Luciana that General Dravenko would like a word with them.”
One soldier dashed toward the far end of the camp, where a large tent was topped with a pennant in the royal colors of Eberon, red and black. A second soldier motioned for Silas to follow him.
Halfway across the camp, Silas entered a clearing where he spotted Eviana, two little boys, and a young woman scampering about, laughing. She had to be the youngest of Gwennore’s adopted sisters.
Sorcha was standing across the clearing, covering her eyes with her hands as she called out in a loud voice, “I can hear you, but I can’t see. I hear the buzz of a bumble bee.”
Silas recognized it as the poem that was recited during the game of hide and seek. He smiled and waved Eviana to come over.
The little girl ran toward him. “You came back!”
“Yes, I did,” he responded in Eberoni as he made a bow. “How have you been, Princess?”
She giggled. “Can I hide behind you?”
“It would be my honor.” He noticed the young woman signaling the two little boys to crouch behind a nearby barrel.
“Who are they?” Silas whispered.
“Ewic and Weyn.”
She had to mean her twin brother, Eric, and Reynfrid, the son of Ulfrid of Tourin. “Is King Ulfrid here?”
Eviana shook her head. “He had to go home. But Bwigitta is still here.”
The soldier nearby cleared his throat and gave Silas a disapproving look. Silas smiled to himself. The soldier must think he was using the little girl for information.
“I can hear you, but I can’t see,” Sorcha called out. “I hear you hiding behind a tree.”
Eviana put a chubby finger up to her mouth. “We have to be quiet,” she whispered loudly. “Or Sowcha will hear us.”
The young woman approached him. “Ye’re General Dravenko?”
“Yes.” He blinked with surprise as his senses went on alert. She was a shifter.
“Maeve, you’d better hide!” Eviana whispered. “Sowcha’s almost done!”
“This is important,” Maeve told her, then gave Silas a stern look. “Where is Gwennore? Why didn’t ye bring her with you?”
“Oh, that’s wight.” Eviana stuck out her bottom lip. “I want Gwennie back. I miss her.”
“She misses you, too,” Silas told the little girl. “She misses all of you, but she’s very busy right now.”
“I can hear you, but I can’t see,” Sorcha yelled. “I’m going to find you. One, two, three!” She lowered her hands as she spun around. Her eyes widened at the sight of Silas.
He lifted a hand in greeting as he smiled. “It’s good to see you again.”
She gave him an annoyed look as she strode toward him. “Ye came back without Gwennore.”
With a huff, Maeve planted her hands on her hips. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
“Me, too!” Eviana put her fists on her hips, mimicking Maeve.
“Lady Gwennore is busy finding a cure for the plague that threatens our country every summer,” Silas explained. “We’re very grateful for her help.”
Maeve nodded. “We heard. Brody was just here and he told us about it.”
“I see.” Silas figured the shifter was gathering medical advice for Gwennore.
The little boys wandered up to them.
“What happened to our game?” Eric asked, frowning at Silas for interrupting the fun.
“We’ll play in a minute.” Sorcha reached out to tousle the boy’s hair. “And ye need to mind yer manners.”
The sapphire ring on Sorcha’s hand glittered in the morning sun, catching Silas’s attention. At first, he felt a spurt of joy that she was wearing the ring he’d given her that had belonged to her mother. But then a sudden, ominous thought jumped into his mind.
He grabbed her hand and yanked the ring off.
“What are ye doing?” She stepped back, pulling her hand from his grasp.
“I need to check something.” He held the ring up to
