Word of the seized families reached Logan before the sun fully rose, delivered by a breathless servant who had run the entire distance from the palace gates.
"Garrick's guards took them last night," the servant said. "All three families. Held under what he is calling protective custody, though no one has been permitted to see them since."
Logan was already moving before the servant finished speaking, anger burning through the careful control Kira's training had instilled over recent weeks. "This is my doing," he said. "Three lords swore loyalty to me, and within hours their families paid the price for it."
"This is Garrick's doing," Elena corrected, arriving quickly once word reached her as well. "You did not seize innocent families to make a political point. He did. Do not carry guilt
