Ocean's Secret |on hold|

11 | Searching

"What do you mean, no one's seen her? Where could she have gone? Why did she come here in the first place?"

"Calm down, Kallum! We've been asking those questions too, and have a search party made up of some of the best scouts and hunters, out looking for her as we speak," Jace spoke calmly to ease the young man's restless pacing. He sat on the wooden bench that lined one wall of Cyrus' study, while Cyrus watched from his comfortable recliner behind a large desk. Governor Roakin stood in the corner, absently flipping through an ancient-looking book he'd pulled from the large bookcase, his disinterest clear as day. They all seemed unconcerned, like there was nothing to worry about.

But Kallum couldn't shake the sense of uneasiness from his mind. If Meredee wasn't here at Cyrus' mansion, where could she be? Why would she come here and just wander off exploring on her own? She would've told someone where she was going, so the only conclusion he could draw was that something else had happened, maybe bad, and Meredee might be in trouble.

"Did she say why she was here in the first place? Why she had come to Sen Cyrus?" Kallum pinned Jace with a puzzled frown, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he contained the worry that clutched at his chest, making it hard to breathe. Why was no one else bothered by this?

"I didn't get the chance to speak to her – I was taken up with trade negotiations with Haemon and his ambassadors – but Emily did, and Cyrus. As far as I know, nothing was amiss," Jace crossed his arms and looked out the window towards the gardens where Emily and a few of the mansion servants were working, a dreamy expression on his face that made Kallum roll his eyes at the newlywed. Jace was clearly in another world.

Then Cyrus' gentle voice filled the tense atmosphere, "She did seem troubled, I will admit," he slowly began. "She told me all about her childhood, and the loss of her parents. We talked until late into the night, so I expected she would sleep in-"

"Meredee always gets up early," Kallum shook his head with the interruption, but closed his lips quickly when Cyrus continued, the gentle blue gaze meeting his own bright blue one.

"But apparently, she was gone before the sun even rose. The guard outside her hall thinks he heard footsteps, but no one came by. I have a feeling..." Cyrus stopped short and gazed out the window, a far-away expression crossing his usually serene face. "She mentioned meeting an old friend of mine while she was here last. Perhaps...perhaps she wanted to learn more about her, for some reason beyond me. I warned her not to– " Cyrus looked down as his voice cracked, and Kallum walked over in quick strides.

"Warned her not to what? Who is this old friend of yours?" he demanded, his voice coming out a little more harshly then he meant to. "Sorry, but...but if Meredee is in trouble–"

"I don't think she's in trouble. And like Jace said, my men are taking a quick look around the place in case she got lost or became injured. But in the meantime-"

"Sir! There's a messenger for you!" The door to the study opened abruptly and two men entered; one, a guard Kallum had seen on his way in, and the other, a younger fellow with a dusty jacket and sweat beading on his forehead. He must have ridden hard and fast from quite a distance.

"Speak," Cyrus rose with a frown.

"The village in East Tarsus. It's burnt to the ground. No one has been hurt besides a few scrapes and minor burns, but – but everything is destroyed!" he panted, a traumatised expression in his wide brown eyes.

Roakin snapped to full attention, "What do you mean destroyed? By whom? Haemon gave his word—" he growled.

"It wasn't the king or his former soldiers. It was....it was.... Well, Sir, no one knows for sure. It happened late last night and the sky was dark, but..."