A retelling of first meeting Evie and Gwen in Chapter Five of Sleeping Dragon, as told from Beckett’s perspective.

Beckett hadn’t been sure what to expect when the search for the missing prince began. After Velia cursed into a stone statue at the Battle of Alcys, Caleb disappeared when mercenaries attacked the wagon transporting him to the Glicien capital.

No one knew who had taken him. Or why.

A lifetime of experience, however, had taught Beckett to prepare for the worst.

So catching sight of the quaint cottage after tracking Caleb’s trail through the dense forest for days made him more suspicious than relieved.

At the tree line, Beckett silently held up his fist, halting Jelverck and Kaile behind him. While they remained concealed in shadows, he took a moment to assess the terrain they were about to walk into.

Stretching out senses enhanced by the wolf inside of him, he thoroughly tested every scent and every sound for any hint of danger.

Beckett had led his friends into a trap once before. He would never do it again.

Despite his misgivings, though, he sensed nothing out of place.

A handful of woodland creatures scampered through the trees and underbrush.

A white horse grazed in the meadow, meandering as it stretched for each new clump of grass.

And two women whispered quietly in the doorway of the cottage. One with golden hair pulled up in a braid. The second, a few years older, with darker hair and eyes.

Beyond the fragrance of trees and animals and smoke from the chimney, Beckett caught thought he caught the faint scent of Prince Caleb.

There was only one way to know for sure, though. Lowering his hand, Beckett stepped beyond the last trees.

Jelverck and Kaile followed only a step behind, flanking Beckett as he walked confidently out into the meadow, praying he wasn’t wrong.

Then Caleb slipped past the women in the doorway and strode eagerly out of the cottage to greet them. The prince moved stiffly, obviously still recovering from the curse.

But he was alive and made of flesh and blood once again.

Beckett exhaled slowly, letting relief trickle through the tension and worry.

Impatient as always, Kaile moved past Becket with a grin and broke into a jog, meeting Caleb halfway with a relieved hug.

Beckett followed on his heels, embracing the prince as soon as Kaile let him go.

Jelverck caught up a moment later, his limp still holding him back. That he was on his feet at all was a miracle, considering the injuries he’d sustained.

There was no embrace between Jelverck and the prince. Just a quick nod of acknowledgment before Caleb asked about his brothers and sister.

Beckett had no idea how long they talked and shared news. Eventually the conversation drifted from family to the complicated politics of having so many different drake clans in one place outside Alcys.

Eventually, one of the women cleared her throat politely.

Abashed, all four of them looked up at her.

That’s when Beckett realized the younger woman must be the third of the Glicien triplets. There was no mistaking the features she shared with Bea and Pip.

“Ah, sorry,” Caleb apologized with a sheepish smile. “May I introduce Kaile, Beckett, and Master Hunter Jelverck. “

Caleb waved to each of the men in turn as he spoke

The princess shivered in surprise at Jelverck’s name and Caleb added,

“Yes, that Jelverck. Yes, he’s changed sides.”

A hint of the prince’s own reservation was obvious in the stilted reassurance.

Jelverck’s expression remained stoic but the ever-present still haunted his eyes.

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Caleb turned to back to the women and continued the formality of introductions.

“Princess Evangeline, daughter of Conrey. Sister to the Crown Princess Beatrix and Princess Penelope.”

He paused, looking at the older woman beside her, questions obvious in his eyes, “And her companion Gwendolyn…”

Caleb drew out the last syllable of her name expectantly, but Gwendolyn simply smiled with sly amusement and offered her hand to Kaile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you-OH!”

Gwen jolted with shock when Kaile took her hand in return and her words stuttered to a stop. Then she blinked away her surprise and whispered, “You’re wolfkin.”

Wariness replaced Kaile’s easy grin, and Beckett drew himself up to his full height, every sense stretching out once again, prepared for anything.

“Well, I haven’t heard it put that way before,” Kaile drawled, keeping his tone light despite the tension straining the air. “Did Caleb tell you about our other form?”

“No… I-I have a sixth sense, sometimes.”

It was obvious that there was more to the woman’s knowledge. And just as obvious there was no point in calling her on it. But Beckett filed away his curiosity, certain there would come a time when he could question her more closely to find out what she knew about wolfkin.

“Come inside, please. I think we have enough breakfast left to feed everyone, “Evie suggested, leading the men into the cottage.

Behind her back, Beckett and Kaile shared a concerned glance, uncomfortable with the way their long-held secret was becoming common knowledge.

Fitting four grown men into the small parlor of the cozy cottage made for a tight fit, but they all managed to squeeze in.

Evie hovered by the hearth while Gwen ladled out the last of the stew and passed out bowls. Breakfast in hand, Beckett and Kaile settled on the rough bench tucked against the wall.

Despite Caleb and Jelverck’s attempts to demure, Gwen sternly insisted the injured men take the actual chairs by the small table.

Once everyone was settled, a strained hum filled the silence between bits of stilted conversation.

“How did you find us?” Evie eventually asked into the uncomfortable quiet. “We’re well off the beaten path, I mean. No one’s stumbled over us, before this.”

“Wasn’t easy,” Beckett answered. Then, since there was no reason to hide what they were, he added, “We followed your spoor from the ambush to the abandoned wagon. Caleb’s scent suddenly appeared there. A few feet away, both trails disappeared, though, and we were stumped.”

“Jelverck had to argue his way out of his convalescent bed to help us,” Kaile added, lifting his spoon in salute to the huntsman. “He found the partial indent of a hoof print on a fallen leaf. We had to shift into full wolf form, but eventually, we managed to pick up a faint scent trail. For a while.”

Kaile looked as irritated by the struggle as Beckett felt. It shouldn’t have been that difficult to track them.

However, from the corner of his eye, he caught the way Evie’s shoulders sagged in relief. This was definitely a woman who didn’t want to be found. The curse she shared with Bea and Pip accounted for some of that. But Beckett’s instincts told him there was more to her reluctance.

It shouldn’t surprise him, though. There had been a lot more below the surface with both of her sisters, why should the last of the Glicien princesses be any different?

“It took us more than two days of backtracking and crisscrossing to make our way here,” Beckett explained. Watching Evie closely, he added, “Shouldn’t have taken more than half a day.”

“How did you manage to disguise the trail like that?” Kaile asked.

“Uh… It’s an old bit of magic,” Evie murmured, eyes wide as she obviously strained to find a plausible explanation other than whatever the truth might be.

Beckett considered continuing to push. But they all kept secrets. And he had no interest in sharing his.

There was no need to press for hers unless it became relevant to their survival.

So instead of asking more questions, he dropped his head and focused on scraping the last of the stew from his bowl. Kaile hesitated, a considering look glittering in his eyes before he shrugged and followed Beckett’s lead.

“Why the search at all?” Evie asked, looking relieved as she hurried to change the subject. “I sent a message to Bea as soon as we had Caleb settled to let her and his family know he was safe.”

Kaile and Beckett exchanged surprised looks and shrugged.

“The message must not have arrived until we were already on the trail,” Beckett speculated. “With Tort and his men disappearing completely around the same time we found the wagon, Haddon was worried. We wanted to do everything we could to either find Caleb or figure out where Tort had gone. Now that we know Caleb is fine, finding Tort will be a priority.”

“Usslyn Manor.”

Every eye in the room fixed on Evie with surprise.

“I, uh, overheard some of the soldiers in the woods,” she explained, ducking her head slightly as she spoke. “It’s where they were supposed to rendezvous.”

“Usslyn Manor?” Beckett repeated, certain he’d heard of it before. He just couldn’t remember when or why. “That sounds familiar.”

“It should. The manor is on our list,” Kaile replied, giving the final word a significance that only Beckett noted.

“List?” Caleb asked.

“We’re treasure hunters. We keep a list of potential places to, uh,” Kaile paused furtively searching for a word that did make them sound like criminals. “To investigate. Usslyn is one of about a dozen spots we keep an eye on.”

“So what’s there that you’d be interested in investigating?” Evie asked, obviously not fooled by the prevarication, and Becket scratched at his lips to hide his grin.

Kaile frowned thoughtfully. “If I remember right, we found out about it while scoping out details on the monastery.”

Mention of the monastery chased away any lingering amusement Beckett felt. The mess there had nearly been their undoing. It cost them almost everything.

The scent of unease rose in the room, but Beckett couldn’t tell who it was coming from.

“What monastery?” Caleb asked.

“Our last excavation before we met Kyn and got caught up in your crazy family drama. The monastery was part of a crumbling, abandoned estate. The family’s long gone, and the ruins reverted to the crown ages ago,” Kaile explained.

“There was Glicien duke who collected antique artifacts. He died in a fire decades ago. Most of his collection and notes were destroyed at the same time. But rumors said he’d gotten permission from the King to mount an exploration in the ruins of that monastery just before he died. He was known for his thorough research and his attention to detail. And for always finding what he sought. It seemed like a good idea to trust his instincts and try our luck.”

“Did you find anything?” Caleb asked.

“That’s a harder question to answer than you’d think,” Kaile answered with a pained laugh.

“We uncovered something. But we never even had the chance to clean the centuries of mud and clay off it before Korgeto’s men arrived. In the chaos, whatever it was disappeared. We thought Korgeto had gotten hold of it and he thought we got away with it.”

“So you don’t know what you found there?” Gwen asked.

Kaile shifted uneasily then tried to explain.

“Kyn and Bea have been going through Korgeto’s stuff. He has a chunk of the old duke’s research. Legend has it, the monastery was built there because a fey city once stood in the same location. Locals claimed that during the Migration, the city just disappeared overnight.”

Kaile hesitated, looking slightly embarrassed and Beckett understood completely. He felt just as ridiculous hearing it as Kaile must feel saying it.

“Apparently Korgeto believed a fairy wand was buried somewhere within the footprint of where the city once stood.”

“A fairy wand?” Caleb scoffed. “They don’t exist.”

“Neither do wolf-shifters,” Kaile reminded him. “Or the fey.”

Kaile smiled at Evie and corrected himself. “Or, should I say, half-fey princesses.”

“We could start a guild. Miscellaneous nonexistent mythical incarnations.” Evie grinned back, then asked, “What does the monastery have to do with Usslyn?”

“Only that the late duke was trying to get permission from the viscount to dig there, as well. His research led him to uncover that similar runes and markings appeared at both the abandoned monastery and the Usslyn abbey. Korgeto tried for years to gain access, to no avail. The old viscount died recently from a mysterious illness, though, and his heirs are not quite as savvy or strong-willed.”

“So, Velia’s either bullied or bribed them into letting her send her henchmen there in hopes of finding some kind of powerful relic,” Evie concluded.

It was the same conclusion Beckett had come to. Whatever else they did, they couldn’t let the Enchantress get her hands on that type of weapon

“We have to stop Tort,” Caleb declared, echoing Beckett’s thoughts. “We need to contact Ash and Bea and have them send a squadron of Guardsmen. Then head for Usslyn as soon as possible.”

“NO!”

Evie’s panicked shout took them by all by surprise.

And Beckett wondered if letting her secrets go unchallenged had been the best idea, after all.