Ralph stood at the center of the ruined chamber, the torn curtains fluttering in the damn wind.

Her scent was gone.

Vanished.

Silence gripped the guards as they bowed, fear written in every rigid line of their bodies.

“Tell me,” Ralph said “how the hell a pregnant witch slipped past two dozens of guards and an enchanted perimeter”

The captain of the palace guard, a seasoned warrior named Orren, swallowed hard. “There was… no forced entry or exit, my king. No scents or spells were discovered. We are still searching..”

“Time is not a luxury we have, start searching the borders of the nearest packs.” Ralph snarled.

Glass shards bit...