The Twilight Lord by Bertrice Small Page A

stepson into his dayroom. “Thank you, Jason,” he called as he shut the door behind them. “What has happened? Is your mother all right? I have been restless the past few nights.”
    “My mother has gone missing, my lord,” Dillon said quietly. Seeing the look of concern in his stepfather’s eyes Dillon liked him better than he ever had.
    “What do you mean gone missing? ” he asked in a tight voice. He was suddenly terrified at the thought he might lose Lara, but he couldn’t let the boy know that. Dillon had obviously come to him for help and for reassurance.
    “We had been out on the hillside—Mother, Anoush and me—watching the Night of the Flying Stars. Zagiri is too little to stay up so late,” he explained lest his stepfather think they were unfairly excluding his daughter. “We returned and went to bed, but when I awoke in the morning, Mother was gone. At first I was not concerned, for more often than not she arises early to watch the sunrise. But she was not outside and no one had seen her that morning. Dasras and I searched for several hours, but we could not find her. I wanted to come to you that night, but Liam insisted upon wasting another day searching with all the men of Camdene. Then last night in the hall I discovered Anoush wearing Mother’s star and chain. She said she found it in Mother’s bed. I have never known Mother not to wear that star, my lord, have you?” He drew it from his pocket and held it out to Magnus Hauk.
    “Nay, I have not,” the Dominus said. His chest felt suddenly tight.
    “My lord,” Dillon started to continue, but Magnus Hauk held up his hand.
    “We have discussed this before,” he said quietly. “When we are in private you are to address me by my given name. I am your stepfather, but I know you cannot call me Father, for you knew Vartan. Still, ‘my lord’ seems so formal and your mother had written me that you and Anoush would be coming to live with us after the Gathering. Now, Dillon, my stepson, continue.” He put a comforting arm about the boy.
    “My lord stepfather, there is magic here. I know there is. You must come to the New Outlands and you must call for Prince Kaliq to come, as well. My mother is gone, I know it. I feel it! Further searching will not find her there.”
    Magnus Hauk knew that Dillon favored his mother for she had often enough marveled that he did. “What do you know?” he asked his stepson.
    “I can only speak before Prince Kaliq,” Dillon replied. “I tried to tell Liam and the others but they would not listen to me. They do not understand!”
    Magnus Hauk nodded. “No,” he said quietly. “They would not.” He did not argue with Dillon. Instead he called out in a firm voice, “Kaliq of the Shadows, I need your aid. Please come to me.”
    And then suddenly Prince Kaliq stepped from a hazy corner of the chamber. He bowed to the Dominus; an eyebrow raised curiously as he saw Dillon. “How may I help you, Magnus Hauk?” he asked. “Good morning, Dillon.”
    “Lara has disappeared from the New Outlands,” Magnus Hauk said without any preamble. He then quickly explained what Dillon had told him. “There is more, but Dillon will only speak of it to you.”
    “Let us sit down,” the Shadow Prince said. “I can feel your fear, your concern and your exhaustion, Dillon. Sit by me and tell me what you could not tell the others.”
    The three sat together upon a silken couch that had been placed before a large hearth. The prince raised a hand and snapped his fingers; a fire sprang up in the fireplace, crackling and snapping, its warmth spreading out to touch the boy’s thin, chilled frame. Almost immediately, a goblet appeared in the prince’s hand and he offered it to Dillon who sipped thirstily. “Now, tell me,” Kaliq said gently.
    Dillon explained how they had watched the flying stars and then gone to bed. “I awoke because I thought I heard a noise,” he said. “I opened my eyes and saw filmy creatures hovering