Her mother was not at the keep.

Tax let her stay with him as he received reports from his captains. They all had men searching for her mother but she had not turned up yet. They couldn’t figure out how she disappeared overnight. The guard responsible for watching her mother had left after she’d fallen asleep. A night watch stayed outside the doors to keep anyone from entering or exiting. The next morning when her mother’s guard came to stand watch again, he’d discovered her mother was missing.  

Kella’s stomach was a heavy lump. She was on the verge of panic and beads of sweat were gathering on her forehead.

“May I see her room?” she asked.

Tax frowned at her. They were standing in his office in the center of the guard barracks. T...

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