Isolde paused. "I think I forgot something at my house at the boundary," she said. "I will go pick it up." She angled her face toward the road.
"I can send someone to do it. You do not have to go through the stress."
"I'm the only one who knows what I am looking for."
"Let someone drive you then."
Isolde turned to the small, eager woman. "I need the exercise," she said, an almost languid shrug that disguised adrenaline. "Listen, Natasha. I have to do this alone. I need to ensure the king wins this war. Because if he dies, I and my child are done for. Now that the queen is labelled a traitor, I am next in line."
Natasha nodded in understanding.
Isolde, satisfied with her explanation, swept into the car. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel as she pulled out of Blood Castles.
The road to the boundary was long. Isolde's mind ran in circles as she drove. She hoped Williams had seen the mark she left him.
*****
