Free Shard Knight (Echoes Across Time Book 1) by Matthew Ballard

Truly sorry.”
    His chest tightened. “Thank you, but I didn’t mean to interrupt. Please continue.”
    She let out a deep breath and nodded. “When we arrived in Freehold, my father went to the palace to request a meeting with your mother. A secretary of some sort told him he needed to meet with the archbishop first.”
    Ronan’s brow furrowed. “Who told him that? My mother would never turn away an Ayralen emissary.”
    “He didn’t say, I’m afraid. My father refused to meet with Pride. He said the information was sensitive and meant for the queen’s ears alone.”
    Ronan nodded. “Did he ever meet with my mother?”
    “No. He never did. He tried for weeks to secure a meeting with the queen, but the same secretary denied him every time. Months went by, and he decided to take the meeting with the archbishop. He thought he could persuade the archbishop to arrange a meeting with the queen.”
    “I never heard a word of this. As the first person in line for the throne, Sir Alcott kept me well informed on matters of state. He would’ve told me.”
    “It’s not your fault. I know that. Anyway, the morning he left for the meeting was the last time I saw him.” Her voice trembled over the last few words and tears rolled down her cheeks.
    “I’m sorry about your father Rika. Have you told anyone in Ayralen?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t know who to tell. The Prime Guardian might be able to help. Even if I could get him to listen to me, I can’t leave him here alone. It’d take months to travel to Ayralen and back.” She wiped the tears from her face. “Despite the months I’ve spent searching for him, I can’t find him anywhere. I’ve followed the archbishop, but I didn’t learn anything. I even followed the queen looking for the right time to approach her for help.”
    “You’re lucky to be alive. I’m surprised one of the knights didn’t have you arrested,” Ronan said.
    “I followed you too when I couldn’t find her.”
    “Why didn’t you approach me?” Ronan said.
    “You’re always surrounded by guards. I was afraid.” She held his gaze for a moment before continuing. “The morning you found me in the alley wasn’t by accident.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
    Rika stood and opened the dish cabinet, grabbed two mugs, a bag of tea, and a shiny porcelain teapot. She filled the teapot with hot water from the iron kettle, loaded the tray, and placed it atop the long table. “I was following you when those boys attacked me. I was there at the palace the night your mother died, and I saw the man jump out the window. You were with him. He saved you didn’t he?”
    “That was Master Tyrell. Yes. He saved me, and he tried to save my mother. The story Pride’s telling isn’t true,” Ronan said.
    “I tracked you back to the old townhouse, and watched the guards set it on fire. After they left, I tried to find a way into the house to save you. It surprised me when I saw you come out of the house next door.”
    “The guards didn’t know about a cellar passage connecting the houses. When I came across you in the alley that morning, I was on my way to meet Master Tyrell. He wanted to flee to Ayralen. He said he had contacts there.”
    Rika’s eyes widened. “Did he say who? Was it my father?”
    “He didn’t say.”
    Rika sagged. “Can we reach him somehow?”
    “He thinks I died in that fire, and he’s a wanted man. He has no reason to stay in Meranthia. Even if he didn’t leave, I don’t know how to find him.”
    Rika poured the tea, sat on the bed, and handed Ronan a mug.
    Ronan took the mug. “How did you manage to follow the archbishop, the queen, and me without getting caught?” He sipped at the tea.
    “I had some training in Ayralen. I’m good at tracking,” Rika said.
    “If you managed to avoid detection by the queen’s personal guard then you are a little more than good.”
    Rika shrugged. “I suppose.”
    “I’m glad you didn’t approach