Separate Crowns of One Heart

Ėlėvėn

I'm only reading for a few moments when the comm buzzes atop the other books. My heart fluttering in my chest, I grab it and see a reply from Micah scroll across the screen:

ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴍᴇ?

I quickly type out a response, giving him a brief explanation (embedded with lies) about how I got the communicator. Then I wait and stare at the screen until another string of texts appears.

ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀɴʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

Oh. That is not the reaction I expected and I admit, it stings a little. I'm thinking of what to say when another response comes through.

ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰᴜʟ.

Right. This time I type exactly what I'm thinking and what I want.

ɪ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛᴏᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʜᴇᴄᴛɪᴄ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏᴏɴ.

I've just barely sent the text when the Prince walks out of the museum. His face is a mixture of emotions when he looks at me. "We're leaving."

Confused, I frown, glancing behind him. "Where is—"

I don't get a chance to get the engine question out when Camille comes storming out of the building behind him. Her face is streamed with tears and makeup making her angry scowl look much scarier than usual. All too familiar with that look, I gather my books and stand, ready to leave with the Prince.

"Kenyøn," she whines behind us. "Why are you doing this?"

"I've already explained." The Prince stops walking to look at her. "Camille—"

"No." Her green eyes cut to me with iciness that could compete with winter snow. "This is all because of you, you tikiweka." I suppress an eye roll. I am seriously getting tired of being blamed for something that was completely out of my control. "You just had to take the one thing I wanted—"

Addressing me, the Prince simply says "Go. I will join you shortly."

Glad to be away from Camille and her explosivity, I turn and head in the direction of where the carriage waits. I'm only a few feet away when I hear the Prince yell my name. A crack echoes through the air and a rumbling begins beneath my feet as a crack forms in the ground, traveling towards me.

Paralyzed by fear and shock, I don't move, frozen to the spot. The Prince sprints to me and pushes me just as the earth splits in two, forming a canyon that I just barely am saved from falling into. My skin is painfully scraped against the pavement and my items are sent scattering.

"No!" Camille yells, beyond angered now. Using her Arcana, she hurls rocks at me. Having come out of my initial shock, I redirect the stones away from me but stop when I hear a pained grunt.

I look over to find the Prince hanging on the edge of the canyon between the two halves of earth. "Your Highness!"

"You need to get out of here," he tells me between labored breaths as he pulls himself up and out. "Go."

A large stone hits me in the stomach, reminding me that Camille is still attacking us— me. I protect myself from the shower of rocks. Seeing that she will not be successful in her advances, she diverts her attention to the Prince, raining a pelt of earth on him.