Lucian found Evelyn standing at the very edge of the rise, alone.
The others had taken up positions deeper within the second line of the ground, where Marc was making final adjustments to the watch lines and Lucy kept Althea company while Reia and Silas murmured over something only the children could hear. A tension stretched taut between the watchers, the kind that came with the knowledge that something far away was coming. It had been pressing against Lucian's senses for hours, and Marc had felt it in his bones long before that. The two of them knew without being told.
Evelyn did not turn at Lucian's approach.
"You're going to try to find him," she stated flatly.
Lucian halted a few feet from where she stood. "Yes."
"Of course you are."
Lucian exhaled slowly. "He's still missing. It doesn't exactly make things convenient."
Evelyn gave a short, bitter laugh. "Convenience is one word for it."
"He is my father."
