Well, Chapter 8 ends with Valoria in custody though Lord Itchner doesn't realize she's the karmic warrior. Only her mother knows and she's elsewhere at the moment since there's no need for her to be involved at this point. Even if she knew, she'd have to travel by foot and there's no guarantee that she could find Rayal even if she knew he was Valoria's trusted companion.

Valoria and Rayal are married, but they haven't consummated the marriage. Valoria was in the room preparing and Rayal was elsewhere. I didn't feel it was necessary to explain what he was doing. He could have been bringing up some food and drinks since room service would probably be non-existent. However, I didn't show any of that though it could be added later if an explanation is needed for why he wasn't in the room when Itchner and his men appeared and broke in to catch Valoria off guard. As well, I don't explain why Valoria doesn't sense their nearness. I may have to get into that since it may be important to the reader. Of course, the reader might conclude she was anxious about her marriage and missed catching the sense.

When the chapter concludes, Rayal manages to get loose and re-arm himself to take up the pursuit. However, he's on foot and has no chance of catching up.