Prey

She was here. He knows that well. Kai watched the party's lively guests as they wandered through the gardens behind the Highland.

His hand slid into the pocket of his coat, finding a small box containing Torcia Sette's portrait. Slowly, his thumb stroked the glossy surface of the enamel on the box as he continued to stare at the crowd.

After two months of searching Torcia had brought him to Hampshire, a region of heather-carpeted hills, ancient hunting forests, and unbelievable marshes.

The county to the west was quite developed, with twenty rich trading towns filled with wool, wood, dairy products, honey, and bacon. Among the famous properties of

Hampshire, Highland is considered the most beautiful. The manor house and a private lake are located in the fertile Itchen valley. "Not a bad hideout," thought Kai wryly. If his suspicions were proven correct, Torcia would have found work in the house of the earl of Wessex, serving as his mother's maid.

In the course of his hunt for Torcia,