Lexel searched for Layla first, tracking through the palace grounds toward wherever a Grandmagus might retreat after overseeing a tournament that had ended in chaos. Her usual chambers sat empty, curtains still, no sign she'd passed through since the ceremony. The overseer's tower yielded nothing either, the attendant stationed there stammering something about not having seen her since the dais, clearly unsettled at the question. He tried the gardens next, the private wing near the Grandmagus quarters, even the arena itself in case she'd lingered behind to inspect the wreckage of her own labyrinth.
Nothing. No trace of her anywhere, not even the faint residual warmth her fire usually left behind wherever she'd stood too long.
Missing, Lexel thought grimly, pushing past yet another servant who could offer nothing but a helpless shrug. Of course she is. Nothing about today gets to be simple.
