Chapter 362

She could see the change in Lucien as they continued through the Palace. Since he had decided that he was claiming his role as heir in doing whatever he could in this situation and seen how some of the actual citizens of the Day Court thought of him, he seemed to stand a little higher. Elain was pleased to see it, knowing that he deserved that pride.

"Where is it that you think Helion might be?" she asked, as he had said that it was unlikely the High Lord would still be in his own rooms. Luicen made a face as he looked at her.

"Not sure on that one, Petal." He said.

"Then where are we going?"

"In that general direction," he replied "while I figure it out…"

"Ashk's rooms?" Elain mused, thinking that Helion might have gone there to collect her when he realised what was happening in the Palace.

"Thought of that." Lucien said, stopping around the next corner to look at her again. "But with what I think this is…" he made another face, "I feel like they would have gone to her room looking for her about as soon as they went for him."

A sick feeling settled in the pit of Elain's stomach. She knew that Lucien was right. Ashk and Helion would have been rather high on the priority list for whoever was behind this, and she only hoped that wherever they were, they were together and well hidden. Not so well hidden that she and Lucien wouldn't be able to locate them, however.

"So, if they were together…" Elain said, "And I'm going to assume they were because she was always in his room…" she cast a quick glance at Lucien at that but he merely nodded, "… where would he have taken her to hide?"

"If they hid…" Lucien seemed a little doubtful about that.

"You don't think his instinct would have been to protect her and keep her safe…?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yours was."

"You're my mate…"

"Yes…" She knew that there was a difference there, but Helion did seem rather a lot like his son, and Elain really did think that the High Lord would have wanted to keep Ashk safe.

"They're both experienced in running a Court…" Lucien reasoned, "They're used to that responsibility and in taking action against those who would do things like this…"

"You think they would have gone somewhere they would be able to fight back?" She hoped they hadn't been in the Throne Room after all.

"Somewhere they would have been able to avoid detection," he said, "Where they would have the time and space to come up with some kind of plan of action…"

"Alright… Elain agreed, nodding as she thought about that. It seemed reasonable and it did indeed seem like something both Helion and Ashk would have done.

"… and where is that?" Sheera asked, looking from Lucien to Elain and back again.

"I'm guessing one of Helion's private sitting rooms or libraries…" Lucien glanced up the hallway. "He has so many and quite a lot of them are out of the way, not off the main corridors. That was how he achieved some privacy and avoided people finding him with endless pointless requests at all hours of the day." He seemed to chew on the inside of his cheek for a second. "Unless whoever is doing is was a part of his personal intimate life then it's unlikely that they know the whereabouts of all of those rooms…"

"That sounds like a good enough place for me…" Elain straightened her shoulders and met her mate's gaze straight on. "Do you know where they all are?"

"I've been to most of them." He replied, "And I saw the rest of them on the maps I studied…"

Elain raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned at her, giving her a wink with his good eye. "You know where they all are, don't you…"

"I do, Petal."