As she suspected, Mercedes finally got word. Someone from Drakoen's circle reached out to him. They sent a message. A messenger bird came through to her window with a note. She took it from the bird with trembling hands and unfolded it to read. On the note it was written, ' Your boy is with us. If you want to see him again, you will have to do as I say. No tricks allowed. If you do anything that I didn't tell you, then you will never see your son alive again. The next time you ever lay your eyes on him, he will be nothing but a lifeless corpse. If you don't act smart and just do as instructed, then everything will be fine. I hope you know that this is not a threat, it is a promise.' Those words were accompanied by a picture of Horace sitting in a cage. She put her hand on her mouth to mu

