I had never been afraid of an enemy I could see. Give me an army or battlefield or put blade at my throat. I knew how to deal with those things.
But the thought of someone hiding within my territory, watching Iris and waiting for an opportunity to hurt her, made something inside me feel dangerously close to panic.
I stood in the training yard long after the warriors had dispersed, staring toward the outer gates. The black piece of cloth Cassian had found was still in my hand. Someone had entered Iron Claw. If it was the hunters, they might have been watching Iris.
And I had no idea how close they had gotten. That was unacceptable.
"Cassian." He approached immediately.
"We searched the western boundary again."
"And?"
"Nothing." My jaw tightened.
"Nothing? Not even a track?" He shook his head.
"No tracks. No weapons. No sign of where the stranger went." I looked toward the walls.
"He didn't simply disappear."
"I know."
