The Stains of the Crown

Chapter Nine

Trigger warnings: mentions of wounds, mentions of parental death.

Jovianne's POV

"Where could she be?"

"I'm not sure, Princess. We made it to the borders of the Helfi Kingdom before we lost their tracks." My mother walks over to me, resting her hands on my shoulders.

"She's going to be okay. You can still feel her, right?" I huff.

"Yeah, but all I've felt are her nerves."

"It's only been twenty-seven hours she's been missing."

"I know, but you saw the guards. What if she's hurt?"

"You'd know if she was. When your father... When he got cut by that sword, I felt his pain. You'd feel hers, too." I glance at the guard who stands awkwardly near the door. I sigh.

"You're excused." I watch him leave before turning back to my mom. "I'm only half pixie."

"You felt when she was thrown from the horses."

"Yeah, but that was from a small distance. If they made it past the borders of the Helfi kingdom, that might be too far a distance for my magic to work." She hums softly.

"Then listen to her emotions. You'll know if she's in danger." I rub my face.

"I wish I could just link her, know for sure she's safe." She sighs.

"I know. But I don't think it's safe to distract her by being in her head. I'm sure she'll reach out once she's out of danger." I lean back in my chair. I stare out the window until the sun begins to set. An intense wave of fear washes over me, but it's not my own. I turn to my mom.

"Something's wrong. She's afraid, really afraid." She pulls me into a tight hug. The fear lingers for a few minutes before it's replaced by confusion, anger, and guilt. I frown, pulling away from my mom.

"What is she feeling?"

"Guilty, confused, and angry." She says nothing. I take a deep breath, looking back out the window. Echo's emotions ebb and flow, sadness mixing in with the others for a while. Eventually, I feel nothing from her. "Mom, I don't feel anything."

"That's probably a good thing. It's late, so she's probably asleep. You should get some rest, too." I shake my head.

"I need to know what's happening." She sighs, leaning back in her armchair.

"You have to sleep eventually, Jovi."

"I know. I just... I have a bad feeling about this." I watch her play with a loose string on the arm of the chair. She looks so small compared to the piece of furniture. Even so, I felt smaller. I didn't like being helpless, and I was mildly annoyed that she wasn't able to comfort me. Though it was safe to say no one could comfort me through this aside from my mate.

Worrying about Echo reminds me of worrying about my dad. It was the same helpless feeling that made me feel way too small, like I was a kid again. That reminder brings back all the angry feelings I'd had when he died. I had been angry with my mom. She didn't know how to comfort me back then, either, despite her trying over and over. But that was the thing about danger and death. The only peace there is for something like that is the person you care for being near, being safe.

Then I remember my reaction to my dad's death. Little snippets of what I had done flip through my mind faster than I can keep up with. I rest my elbows on my knees, taking deep breaths as I attempt to push my memories away. Suddenly, my mom's standing behind me. She runs a hand up and down my back. I feel her magic taking the edge off of some of my panic. Just as I get control of my breathing, I feel an intense rush of fear. Echo's fear.