"I understand Lord Liam is still missing…?"
Owain's question landed precisely where he intended it to, in the soft place between Loghlan's composure and his fear. But Loghlan had been preparing for this moment since Maeril, and he met it with the steady, tired expression of a father who had rehearsed his grief until it felt almost genuine.
"Still searching," Loghlan said heavily. "I've left men behind to continue combing the western frontier. Good trackers, men who know the wilderness. They'll carry on while we attend to the ceremonies, and once the Grand Ceremony is concluded, they'll head back to the search."
"The frontier," Owain repeated, and the word carried an edge that the lords around them wouldn't have missed. "The same frontier where demons raided my Summer Villa and murdered my wife."
