Son of Night and Daughter of Stars

Chapter 7: The Searchers

Over the next few days, Queen Aelin Galathynius tore the kingdom apart looking for her would-be killer. She sent her best soldiers to every corner of Terrasen, searching for news about who or what it could have been. No one knew a whisper, and as time passed, Aelin grew more and more prone to anger. 

Estelle had taken to avoiding her mother. She only snapped at her when she saw her. Estelle understood that her mother was having a very difficult time, but she was annoyed that she was taking it out on her family. 

"She'll get over it," Danica drawled from where she lay with her head hanging off Estelle's bed. 

"'Get over' her assassination attempt?" Odette asked incredulously as she picked through Estelle's jewelry at her vanity. She turned to look at Danica, who was admiring the tiara in her hands she'd stolen from Estelle's dresser. Estelle walked over to her and snatched it out of her hands, which caused Danica to hiss at her. 

"Yes," Danica said in reply to Odette. "She was an assassin herself! Shouldn't this be less of a big deal to her? Nothing happened, anyway." Her eyes shot to Estelle, who was putting the tiara back on the shelf. "Thanks to Stelly over there." 

"Please don't call me Stelly," Estelle sighed. "And you would have done the same in my position, Danica." 

"If I could winnow, I'd winnow home for some good cake," Danica groused. "Terrasen's cake is shit." 

Odette laughed. "Don't let the queen hear you say that." 

Estelle smiled begrudgingly. It was no secret that her mother was a lover of sweets. 

All three girls turned at the knock on the door. "Come in," Estelle called. 

Yrene Westfall opened the door. "Have any of you seen my daughter?"

Estelle shook her head. "Did you check Evangeline's rooms? She said something about helping Julian with Clarion today." 

Seeing Lady Evangeline with a child would always be a strange sort of happiness to Estelle. Clarion was the daughter of Evangeline's husband, Julian, and his first wife. The girl's mother had died during childbirth, leaving Julian alone to care for his daughter. Until, that is, he'd met the Lady of Arran. While not Clarion's mother by birth, Evangeline treated the girl with as much love as Estelle had seen her treat anyone. 

Yrene rolled her eyes. "My daughter has the terrible habit of helping everyone around her and forgetting she has things for herself planned. I'll go look there, but if any of you see her, please tell her she needs to come and find me so we can work on her father's birthday present." 

Danica saluted Yrene lazily. "Will do, M'lady." Yrene laughed and started to close the door when Odette spun around in her chair. 

"Oh, wait!" She yelped. Yrene stopped, startled. 

"What is it?" She asked. 

"Have you heard anything from my parents?" Odette asked, standing and clenching her hands together in front of her. Yrene pursed her lips together tightly, and Estelle knew the answer before she even responded. 

"No, not yet," Yrene said softly. "But they're due back in two days. I'm sure we'll hear from them before then." 

Lorcan and Elide had left Orynth with a party of Perranth soldiers to search for the assassin a week ago. Odette and Ahren had stayed behind, mostly because Lorcan had caught Ahren trying to bribe one of the guards to let him come and made Odette promise to watch her brother. 

Personally, Estelle thought Odette hadn't done her job very well. Ahren had stolen a horse after their parents left and tried to follow them, and Fenrys had had to chase him down. But Estelle didn't blame Odette. She was worried about her parents, and rightfully so.