TO FIND, the answer to any question, you must start from the beginning. Sometimes you have to ask other questions. You may get answers you don't like. Sometimes you get answers you do like. Regardless, they are answers nonetheless. The simplest answer to a loaded question could be just the answer you needed to complete your task.

At this moment in time, that was all I wanted. Answers. Aislin was kidnapped for a reason, and we had to find out what it was. To do that, we needed to start from the beginning.

I grabbed my dagger, stashed it in my boot, collected my sword, sliding it into its sheath hurriedly.

"Leland? Where do you think you're going?" A voice said. I looked over to the entryway to Aislin's old office, where I had been staying, to see Kingsley. Her face was pinched together in frustration, which was totally understandable given the current situation. The poison was fully out of my system now and I needed to get started, we had wasted enough time already.

"I am going back to the cliff. I need to look for clues." I explained, shoving my arm through my coat sleeve.

"I will come with you and I'll let Mèabh and Blakely-Rose know where we're going," she stated, giving me no other option. I was planning on brushing her off, but she continued, "I have no limits when it comes to getting what I want. Aislin is important to us too and we will not leave her behind." And with that, she left the room to get her teammates.

I sighed. I can't stop them. It's not even worth trying.

I didn't want to wait for the carriage. That would just be a nuisance and a waste of time, so I set out for the royal stables and selected four horses, walking them out of their stalls and collecting tack. By the time I had picked the horses, Blakely-Rose, Mèabh, and Kingsley were turning the corner into the stables. They each grabbed a horse and saddled up.

Kingsley's horse was a clydesdale. The horse itself was white with spots of brown spattered across its shoulders and rump and a brown stripe. The contrast between the heavy horse and Kingsley's slender frame fit well. The emblem on his chest strap read Abuccus.

Mèabh's horse was a massive shire; sleek, chocolate brown gelding with a black mane and white socks. The nameplate read Cajun. His name matched his fiery personality, but Mèabh didn't let his size intimidate her.

Blakely-Rose's was a Percheron mare: completely white with an attitude a mile wide. Blakely-Rose looked at the engraved plate on her bridle. "Lennox, " She whispered.

My horse was a Friesian; sleek and jet black from head to hoof. She stood tall and proud, exuding confidence that only made me like her more. I look at the pendent held under her neck by the chest strap. Her name was Adella.

I placed my foot inside the stirrup and pulled myself up, throwing my leg over the saddle. Once comfortable, I gathered up the reins and guided Adella around to face the girls who were not so patiently waiting for me.

We took off, leaving the castle fading into our dust. We rode until we reached the well-known cliff that brought memories; some I hoped to forget, and some I hope never faded.

I pulled Adella to a halt and slid down to the ground. I heard three sets of feet drop to the ground behind me.

I turned to Adella dropping the reins to the ground, "Thank you. I'll be back."

In the daylight, the cliff looked majestic. The wild grass coated the earth with a thick carpet of green dotted with small yellow and pink wildflowers. There were only a handful of trees in at this elevation and they seemed to touch the sky. Fog coated the landscape beneath the cliff, concealing the town in its wake.

I turned toward the three women behind me. "This is where Aislin was taken. Look for any clues that could help us find her or her captors."

"Okay." Blake-Rose nodded hesitantly.

"The Kavan Guard already surveyed the scene when you were found. I don't know what you think you're going to find." Mèabh speculated. They went their separate ways. I sighed and began to scour the ground for anything that might be helpful.

It had been a long time since I'd had to track someone from so little evidence. Most of my tracking in recent years had been of large groups of people or animals for hunting. Finding a small, highly mobile group that doesn't want to be found takes a skill set that I had let get rusty.

When I became Commander of the Kavan Guard, I learned to redirect my skills to be used in a military setting, but the tracking skills had fallen to the side. Working as an assassin, you have to be good at finding people who are trained to avoid you. In the army, you are tracking other armies. Armies leave tracks, no matter how well trained they are.

This was no army though. This was a specialized team that was small enough to effectively cover their tracks. There seemed to be nothing here. No tracks disturbed the carpet of greenery and nobody had been careless enough to drop anything... except... maybe...

I rushed over to the tree we had sat under that night, frantically searching. Aislin had dropped her letter. Maybe its contents held clues. I scanned the ground for the page, knowing this was my last chance to find something useful.

"Look for paper!" I called out.

"Did you say paper?" Blakely-Rose asked, turning to stare at me in disbelief.

"The letter from her house. When we went back to Calflalm, she found a letter on her father's desk with her name on it. And it shouldn't have been there. She had it with her that night. She opened it and then she went missing. Maybe this has something to do with whoever wrote it." I rambled desperately.

"You've been to Calflalm?" Kingsley stated in disbelief.

"And you were in Aislin's house..." Blakely-Rose trailed off doubtful.

"And Arley let you come back alive?" Mèabh blurted. We all turned to stare at her.

"Yes, yes, and why wouldn't he?" I exclaimed impatiently.

"Because he's Arley, and you touched her," Mèabh said as if that explained everything.

"Is that really important right now?" I demanded. "The point is, there was a letter there, and now it should be here somewhere. We need to find it."

I scanned the earth around me, turning in a slow circle. The white paper should have been a bold contrast against the green grass.

"Would you please stop spinning?" Kingsley's voice broke through my concentration. "You're making me dizzy."

"I don't understand. It should be right here." I muttered in frustration.

I heard a soft nicker behind me. The horses, who had been ground tied had wandered over to the tree, reaching up to nibble on the apples that were starting to grow there. They were all congregated around Lennox, who had something in her mouth.

Blakely-Rose approached the horse slowly, following my gaze. "What do you have there, sweetness?" she cooed.

She reached up and pulled an apple from the tree, trading it with the mare for the single piece of paper that she held between her lips. I felt the concern emanating from Kinglsey and Mèabh as the blood completely drained from Blakely-Rose's face.

"What is it?" Kingsley's voice was strong, but there was a tinge of fear behind it.

"It's from June." Blakely-Rose breathed.

Wind blew past me as the other two rushed over to see what was written on the page.

"June is alive," Kingsley stated as a fact, but her face showed disbelief.

"Who is June?" I asked, confused.

"Evander is her BROTHER!" Mèabh shouted in shock.

"What in the name of everything holy is going on here? Somebody needs to explain what is going on right now!" I demanded.

×××××××××××××

Author Note!

Hello, My Mickey Mouse Club House Members!!❤️

I have been slacking on the updates and i apologize. it's gonna take me a minute to get back into the routine.

Thoughts >

Random >

How is your day today? Was it bad? Good? In between?

QOTD: from 1-10, how much do you like this book? Be Honest please :)

Love you all thank you for reading! Xoxox 💋💋

- Mickey ✨