Copper Veins(6)

“He’s gone!” she shouted.

“Who?” I demanded. “Max?” Then Max came running in, and my heart fell.

Dad.

We all started talking to Mom at once—where did he go, was he kidnapped, would we ever see him again? Was he even really here? Amidst our collective freakout, Micah burst into the room.

“What has happened?” he demanded. With a pang, I remembered falling asleep in his dreamself’s arms. His glance toward me confirmed that he remembered it, too, and that our day together would have to wait.

“Dad’s gone,” I explained.

“Gone?” Max repeated. “Gone where? When?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Mom wailed. “He came to my room last night, but he was restless. I asked one of the silverkin to fetch us some wine—Beau and I always used to enjoy a glass before bed—and we sat together, sipping it. I must have fallen asleep, and when I woke, he was gone.” Mom sat heavily between Sadie and me. “I’ve looked everywhere. He’s not in the manor, not in the gardens or even the orchards. It’s like he was never here at all.”

In that moment, Micah was no longer my new husband. He became the Lord of Silver, issuing orders to the silverkin and even Max as he organized an all-out search. Shep, the silverkins’ de facto leader, handed one of his many keys to his master, and Micah strode across the room and opened a cabinet I’d never noticed before, probably because its silver door blended into the rest of the walls. Inside the cabinet were maps and compasses and other paraphernalia I couldn’t hope to name. As Micah unrolled a map and fixed it to the wall, we heard a male voice call out from the next room.

“What’s all the commotion?”

We turned as one and saw Dad standing in the entrance to the sitting room, seemingly none the worse for wear.

“Beau!” Mom cried, rushing to embrace him. “When you were gone, I—I thought—”

“I only went for a walk,” he admonished. “While I was in hiding I hardly ever slept at night. Better to move at night, you know, and go to ground during the daylight hours. I suppose I’ll have to work on breaking that habit.” He took in the rest of us as he untangled himself from Mom’s arms. “All this over me? Come, let’s have breakfast together. Sadie, you sit beside me. I want to go over a few things with you.” And just like that, my father traded all of our concerns for a plate of bacon.

I watched Dad lead Sadie into the dining room, Max trailing behind them like a little puppy. After a moment, Mom squared her shoulders and followed as well. To say I was dumbfounded would have been an understatement—my father, who I remembered as a kind and thoughtful man, had hardly even acknowledged that we’d all been beside ourselves with worry. I mean, it wasn’t like he didn’t know that we’d been without him for sixteen years. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that we’d searched for him across two realms, desperate to find him.

I glanced at Micah, but he merely shook his head, nonplussed. Like us, he couldn’t understand why Dad would just slip away in the dark of night without even leaving us a note. Micah relocked the cabinet and assured the last few silverkin that they could return to their duties, then faced me and grinned. For a moment I couldn’t understand what he was so happy about, until I realized that Micah and I were alone in the sitting room.

“Hey,” I began, intending to mention our unfinished business from the night before. He already had that on his mind, though, and he grabbed me by my waist. We landed on the couch, little more than a heap of limbs and lips.

“Would you like me to carry you to bed?” he asked after we’d kissed for a while. “I understand that it’s a Mundane tradition.”

“I think I would like that,” I murmured. Micah hoisted me into his arms, but we were off-balance and he nearly toppled over. We laughed as he steadied himself against the wall, and I ended up facing him, my legs wrapped around his waist.

“How are you going to make it up the stairs?” I asked.

“I’ll manage,” he murmured. He took a few steps, but something tugged us to a stop. I looked over my shoulder and learned that the source of the tug was Shep. I slid down Micah’s body while Shep informed us that the Golden Queen Oriana had just sent a request that Micah and I attend her at the Golden Court immediately.

“Right now?” I sighed. “We can’t wait until later?”

“That would not be wise, my Sara,” Micah said, his brow furrowed. “Oriana rarely sends requests of such an urgent nature. It is best if we leave now.” After a quick change of clothes and a few longing glances toward our bed, we left the manor and stepped onto the metal pathway. I had no idea what Oriana wanted to talk about, but I hoped it would be quick.