Here's part two, as promised. Don't be shy, kiddies - you can talk, you know. I don't bite...often.

I built Kai's throne. Not even figuratively. I literally collected twisted chunks of driftwood from the beach and helped hammer them together. It was a rough chair, not sanded or smooth, but it worked.

"Do you think he was right about Rhodric?" I asked. After our second hike to the beach and back, I was taking a long break on a fallen tree. The others had gladly stopped with me.

"I don't know," Nate admitted roughly. "It could be that he hasn't got any messages. It could be that he doesn't care. I guess we'll just have to find out."

"And how exactly are we going to do that? If the last messages haven't reached him, there's no reason why ours should."

He shrugged. "Kaeden asked to go to the mainland — you heard him. He must have some ideas."

I frowned, stood up and started walking again.

The Silveryn land was beautiful. They owned the rocky, mountainous terrain in the north-west. I loved every inch of ash woodland, quiet and secluded and peaceful. Ben had a permanent smile on his face. Alex wouldn't stop throwing acorns at us. Even Becky's vile mood receded in the sunlight. In short, we were all happier than we'd been in days.

Except Kai. He thought he was being sneaky, but no one had failed to notice when he slipped away from the group. Just like no one hadn't seen where he was now sat, leaning against a tree trunk. Isolated and miserable. I, personally, thought it was remarkable he had buried his grief this long.

"Should we ... do anything?" Becky asked hesitantly, with a nod at his distant silhouette.

I stared at him before shaking my head. "No. Sometimes people need to be left alone. Kai will let us know when he wants company again."

Her shoulders rose and fell. "If you say so. But I feel a tiny bit guilty for having a go at him earlier. Think I should maybe apologise?"

"Believe me," I said wearily, "he couldn't care less about that at the moment. Just ... leave him."

So we did. But when Ben disappeared, I knew he had stayed to wait for Kai, however long it took. Good. Now he would know we hadn't forgotten him. Those two had known each other most of their lives. If anyone could comfort him, it was Ben.

I remembered all too well the months following Seb's death. I had cried and cried, and only Alex had been able to get through to me. Sometimes, I caught him looking at me too long and wondered if he was thinking of those same months.

Entering the woodland hall for the third time didn't diminish its beauty. I began to wonder if I would ever tire of those interlocking branches, interspersed by rays of sunlight. Isaiah Silveryn seemed to have waved the formalities — he was wielding a hammer himself.

Natalia was waiting beside the door, and she immediately offered to take my load of driftwood. I refused as politely as I could. I didn't want to like her. It would be harder if I liked her. And I think she guessed that decision.

"Bring it over," Isaiah commanded. He scanned our group sharply. "Where's Kaeden?"

No mention of Ben. I doubt he remembered him, let alone cared. I sighed.

Nate was the one to bother answering, with that carefully honed boredom of his. "He will catch up in a minute."

"Fool," his father hissed. "Damned fool. You know better than to leave the prince unguarded, Nathan."

Interesting — how quickly Isaiah's relationship with his son froze over when Kai wasn't here to witness it. I wondered just how many of today's events had been staged for his benefit, and what I might learn while I was dismissed as just a guard.

He waved a hand and two young Shadowcats who had been dithering with no clear purpose left the hall. No doubt to fetch Kai whether he wanted to come or not. I didn't see why it was necessary. There wasn't any wolf stupid enough to tread on Shadowcat land during the day, so he wasn't in any danger.

Nate didn't bother defending himself, even though Kai wasn't unguarded and it wasn't his job to ensure that anyway. No — it was mine. So why wasn't I doing it? I asked myself. When had I started being Kai's friend before his guard? How did Ben always manage to fill both roles?

I cast an appreciative eye over the driftwood chair. There was a simplicity to it which imprinted on the memory more than any golden throne ever could. And it was nearly finished. One of Isaiah's men nailed the last piece into place even as I watched.

"Not bad, is it?" someone asked from beside me.

I turned to see Natalia smiling, and shuffled in place. "I guess not."

Her eyes didn't leave me. "Let me guess — a Fairborne?"

"Born and bred. What gave me away?" I asked sarcastically. Despite myself, I was warming up to her. She was a friendlier, female version of Nate. I saw glimpses of him in everything she did.

And speak of the devil ... Nate joined us, looking almost wary of leaving us alone together. "Talia, this is Sav—"

"Savannah. Yeah, I guessed." Natalia looked at me with a new interest. "Nate told me you saved his worthless life."

"Well ... kinda."

She smiled genuinely. "I'm not sure if I should thank you or curse you."

And then her brother was smiling too and I had no idea what to make of that. Nate hadn't been this happy since, well, ever. He poked her in the stomach. "The first one, obviously. You love me."

She shoved him away. "Less and less by the second."

I waited while they had a brief tussling match, and then Natalia seemed to remember me. She stared with an unnerving sympathy. "I thought you should know, I didn't choose this any more than Kaeden did. It wasn't ... it's not what I want, but my father hasn't really given me a choice."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I forced out. "But shouldn't you be telling Kai this? It's not really any of my business."

Nate gave an exaggerated eye-roll. Natalia just chewed on her lip. "Sure. If you say so."

They left me alone after that. I can't say I minded. There was still some remote, shell-shocked part of me that wanted to retreat into itself and hide from the world until everything went back to normal.

Kai arrived after a few more minutes, Ben and the Shadowcats trailing at his heels. His eyes were redder than normal, but it was mild enough that no one else seemed to notice. Or maybe they just pretended not to. Some of the tension in the hall seemed to drain away at his appearance, as if we let out a collective breath.

"The watchdogs weren't necessary, Isaiah," he said lightly. "But both of them are good company, so thank you."

The Shadowcat youths stood slack-jawed and wide-eyed. That had made their day. A compliment from royalty in front of their boss. I knew what it would mean to me, anyway.

Nate's father blinked. "Yes, well, I take your safety seriously. Now let's get this over with so you can be on your way. Take a seat, Kaeden."

Kai shrugged, then walked over to the chair and slowly sat down. And that easily, he was king. No one said the words or acknowledged it, but we all knew what this meant. The hall knelt again, me included.

"No. Get up, all of you," he said with a grin. "That's an order. My mother always hated this, and I do too. So let that be my first decree. Kneeling is hereby outlawed."

"Shall we bow then?" Natalia teased. "Curtsey?"

There was an inaudible crack as the ice broke between them, spending me tumbling down into the frigid water beneath. Because Kai laughed then, and I knew I had lost him for good. The proposal which came with Isaiah's terms, that was one thing. But seeing that they might actually be happy together was another.

"It's done," Isaiah said wearily. "Now go and find your uncle. And don't come back here afterwards — your presence invites the Rochesters to attack. Set up camp somewhere quiet and lie low until I tell you differently."

A king, I wondered, or a puppet?

***

We took a car to the mainland. It was the first time I had used one in ... a long while. There was something relieving about getting into the vehicle, knowing that when you got out, you would be there. No running or hiding or fighting. It was just easy.

The bridge was guarded, of course. But it was Davengard land, and the men on duty waved us through without a second glance. It was a perk of travelling with royalty. And Kai told them that any mainlanders who arrived or, more specifically, Llewellyns, should be allowed onto the island. After notifying us and checking their identity, naturally. Rogues still raided over the bridge when they had a mind to. We couldn't let just anyone pass.

"Alright," Kai had said before we reached the bridge. "You can all get out now. I'm good from here."

"That had better be a joke," Ben muttered, and Alex nodded along sullenly.

Nate was the one to clarify, "We can't leave you alone. You know that. The mainlanders are savage creatures who will kill you as easily as talk to you."

"Maybe." He shrugged. "But I'm looking for rogues. They'll trust a group of us even less."

At that point, I leant over Becky to join the conversation. We were packed like sardines in the back because the car wasn't built for six. "So just take Nate along. They don't have the first clue how to fight Shadowcats."

Kai shook his head even more insistently. "Two men looks suspicious. Especially since he doesn't have a scent."

"I'll come too," I volunteered. "They're all sexist bastards over there. They won't think you're looking for trouble if you bring a girl."

"That's only the packs, Sav. Rogues ... I have no idea," he said, beyond sceptic. "And going to the mainland changes things. It's different in ways that can't be explained, not even to mention the potential for any adult to find their mate. Nate is nineteen, so I'd rather not risk that."

"Shadowcats don't have mates," Nate retorted.

"You don't. Unless you happen to be mated to a wolf. Just trust me on this — it's far less complicated to stay here."

"Stop overthinking it," he snapped. "Three of us is fine."

Three of us went to the mainland. Becky, Ben and Alex stayed behind with the bridge guards, playing a subdued game of pontoon. I didn't envy them, but neither was I overly excited about our trip.

But things changed very quickly when the car passed the halfway point. I began to feel the full effects of the mainland, and it made me physically ill. My wolf ... she was the worst part. It was as if she had been released from a cage, and was now roaming free in my skull. The part of me which had never bothered stirring in the day seemed to have an entirely new dimension. And plenty of ideas.

She wanted to shift. She wanted to run. She wanted to hunt. It was like I was becoming less human and more wolf. Every suppressed instinct jumped to the forefront. We shouldn't be in a car. It was too confined. We should be watching out the window for danger. We should have more packmates to watch our backs.

I struggled to control it.

"Rough, huh?" Kai asked, his voice strained.

I was too tense to laugh, so I just grimaced. "You can say that again. It just feels ... wild. Wild and savage."

"I don't feel any different," Nate muttered. But every muscle in his body was tense. And he kept glancing at me, only to look away whenever I met his gaze. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach. And something that was the complete opposite.

The car stopped in a clearing. I hadn't noticed our surroundings as I should have — too busy wrestling an out-of-control wolf. But there was forest all around. Forest, and not much else.

"What now?" I forced out.

To his credit, Kai managed a smile. "Now we wait. They'll find us."

"We ... we just sit here and hope that one specific rogue will happen to be passing by?"

"We don't need a specific rogue. Any rogue will do."

Even as he said that, a shadow fell over the car window. Someone knocked on the glass sarcastically. "Well, come on, lads. Hop out. We ain't got all day."

I jumped half out of my skin. Adrenaline took over, rushing through my veins and heightening everything. I had to stop to catch my breath and even then I didn't feel like I was getting enough air. What the hell? It was probably just the mainland, shredding my control into tiny pieces. And then my stomach turned.

I hardly had time to open the car door before I threw up.

"Oof," the man called out cheerfully. "Better out than in, I guess."

The meal I had eaten was now lying in a mangled pile on the grass. Shakily, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and turned to look at the guy.

He was tawny and unshaven — light stubble covered his jaw. A torn and stained army coat and cargo jeans hung loosely off a skeletal frame. He was muscular enough, but there wasn't a spare ounce of fat on him. I didn't doubt it was from a constant lack of food.

Yet the way he was grinning, I wouldn't have known there was anything wrong. He looked happier than everyone on the island put together.

"You gonna gawk at me all day?"

"Sorry," I muttered, suddenly conscious of myself. A hand brushed my shoulder. I hadn't even seen Kai and Nate get out of the car, but they were standing on either side of me. Protectively.

A probing curiosity brushed the mind-link. And Goddess above, even that was heightened. On the island, we could just about make ourselves understood. Here, I could feel the current of Kai's emotion as clearly as my own. We didn't even need words, not really, so I conveyed my disorientation as reassuringly as I could.

"Which one of them is the father?" the rogue asked, squinting at the boys.

I blinked. "What?"

His grin widened even further. "Oh. Sorry. Just assumed, what with you throwing up and all."

There was a barely perceivable growl from my left, and I knew Kai was struggling with his wolf as much as I was. A louder snarl echoed it from my right. Well, shit. Losing control here would be a death sentence. I tried desperately to change the subject. "I'm unsettled, not pregnant. Can we help you with something?"

"I live here," he said gruffly, "so I could ask y'all the same thing."

Kai finally snapped out of it. "Ah. Um. Right. We're looking for Rhodric Llewellyn."

His smile faded into a scowl. "Then you're looking in the wrong bloody direction. Try up. Or come to think of it, down is more likely."

I glanced upwards, half expecting to see someone crouching in the branches. But there was nothing except canopy and leaves. Our bemused expressions must have been enough of an answer because the rogue sighed heavily.

"Oh, for Goddess' sake. What'd you want with Rhodric?"

Our new king held out a placating hand. "We just need to get him a message. Can you help?"

"You'd have to kill me first," he muttered wearily.

"Don't be difficult," Nate said the words too softly, and I knew his patience was running out.

"I'm not! You really would have to—" Another sigh, louder this time. He wiped his hands on his coat and shuffled in place. "Don't you know nothing, pups?"

"Know about what?"

His stare was disbelieving. Indignant, even. "You really don't, huh? Every rogue in the north is howling ... and you don't even know."

"What," Nate hissed, "don't we know?"

I wondered why he was struggling. The island-mainland differences didn't affect Shadowcats, so it had to be something else. He was close to me by then. So close I could feel his body heat. I wished — and not for the first time — that we could mind-link so I might have a clue what was going on inside his head.

The rogue levelled a stare at Nate that seemed to go right through him. "Would you just chill? If I meant you harm, I'd have brought my buddies. As it is, they're sat around a campfire without a clue you're here. Keep snapping at me like you are and that'll have to change."

"Are you threatening us?" More icy curiosity than force in that question.

"I'm asking you not to make me threaten you," he said. It sounded genuine. "You're safe. The chick is safe. Can't we just talk like human beings? 'Cause Goddess knows I'm sick of fighting."

Nate nodded grudgingly, and I wondered how the rogue's words had hit a target I couldn't yet see.

"So," Kai began with impossible lightness, "will you help us?"

The man's grin was returning, albeit slowly. "Eh, I guess. There's a couple guys who owe me a favour. They're running with Last Haven these days. You ain't ever gonna reach Rhodric, but it'll get to someone who can help you. Might take a few days, mind, what with everything going on."

What Last Haven was, I had no idea, but he seemed to think it was relevant. I tried my best to smile, though it probably came out as more of a grimace. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. There ain't much I wouldn't do for a Llewellyn," he snorted, nodding at Kai. How he had guessed, I wasn't sure. Maybe it was those smiling hazel eyes. "So what's the message?"

"Come home."

I approved. Vague enough to mean nothing to most people, too short to be forgotten or garbled, yet Rhodric would understand. And maybe it would even wake his curiosity. Kai had chosen well.

The rogue rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Are you for real? That island of yours wasn't never his home."

"Is there a published autobiography we haven't read? How do you know this much? Have you even met him?" Kai asked. Frustrated, probably, that a stranger knew his family better than he did.

"Yeah, once or twice." Pride in his voice — so much pride. The rogue's expression finally settled into a grin. "Anyway, what does it matter? You found me, and got hella lucky, by the way, 'cause most of us would've killed you for asking these kinds of questions. But I'll play delivery boy, so you can get going."

I felt oddly hurt. He clearly wanted to get rid of us, and somehow, I didn't think it was as petty as dislike. No, he knew he had said too much. Crossed some invisible line.

"This ain't no social call," he reminded us sharply. "Now scat."

We didn't need any further encouragement. Nate, Kai and I got back in the car with all due haste and sped out of the clearing. The rogue diminished quickly in the rear-view mirror. He watched us leave with folded arms and a weariness which seemed to run bone-deep.

And I wondered what we might have unleashed by asking rogues for help.