The Rending Cauldron - Rebecca P. Minor

Two Captives. One Detective. No Time.

Vestra, a young elf of Sarn Celevon, once lived a dream come true, but after one unthinkable afternoon, now endures a waking nightmare. Locked away in a fortress, she and a hundred other prisoners carry their captors' offspring. And when the day her delivery arrives, she'll discover what lies beyond each prisoner's disappearance into the Ninth Moon Ward.

Baron Astérien Galronden rejects his father's assumption his betrothed Vestra has vanished beyond recovery. His burning guilt compels him to find her even more. With a stalwart friend at his side, he gets closer than he knows to unearthing the secret of Vestra's whereabouts, but the ruthless dragon-kin guard their secrets with ferocity.

Only after Astérien fails to return from his search for Vestra does an agent of Celevonese law get involved, and only because Astérien's father hires a reeve for private service. Halidan undertakes the lucrative case to uncover the baron's fate. The shady dealings he discovers along the way dig roots deeper and wider than he ever expected, and he confronts the choice of preserving appearances or upholding justice, all while dodging the perils of his sleuthing.

A world of ancient magic, a cursed race, and unquenchable love catch all three elves in a maelstrom of secrets, not the least of which are those they keep from one another.