Elsewhere: Aesir

Breathless

Jess's POV.

A messenger comes to us early in the morning. I was called from my room, and dressed in a haze. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I head into the counsel room. The king, my dad, is waiting for me, a piece of paper clutched in his hand. I walk to the table he's seated at, realizing how large it seems to be when it's just the two of us.

"What's going on?" I ask, pulling the chair out and sitting down, remembering to keep my posture straight like that of a future queen.

"Someone saw Cameron entering Aesir with thirty other vampires. I'm sure we don't need details to know the reason he's come back after so long. He's coming for the hybrid." My dad says.

'Hybrid', under any other circumstances, would sound like an insult. But it's not, my dad actually thinks the whole 'wolf/witch' thing is rather cool. I do, too.

But I have more things to worry about in this moment than what's an insult and what isn't. Outwardly, I show no reaction. Inside, fear settles in my stomach, feeling like I've eaten a pound of rocks.

"When is he supposed to be here?" I ask, lifting an eyebrow, trying to maintain the facade that I'm not at least a little bit worried.

"Any minute." My dad says, dropping the crumpled paper onto the floor.

"What should we do?" I ask, already knowing my answer.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." My dad says.

He's looking at me with the look he usually has in these situations. Expectant. He thinks I should take the lead, make the decision, prove that I know what I'm doing. The power is going to pass to me one, and he wants to make sure I'm ready, no matter how far away my reign is.

I lean back in my chair, deciding that posture is for people with less on their shoulders.

What should we do? On the one hand, Cameron leading a small army of vampires should be handled. On the other, I know Cameron barely poses a threat with his intentions. My favorite hybrid won't need help... Hopefully.

"I think he can handle himself against Cameron, but we can watch, keep an eye on it in case there's a need to send some of the guards to keep the peace." I answer, sitting up straight again.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I hear a commotion from outside the window. With a quickness, I'm out of my chair and practically leaning out of the hole in the mortared brick. The people of Aesir are in an uproar outside the castle walls.

"What is it?" My dad asks, his chair scraping as he goes to stand up.

"They're here." I say.

Even I don't need magic to know that. I turn to my father, straightening my spine as I come face to face with him. He's standing in front of me, still expectant.

"I'm going to scry, I'm sure he'll be able to handle Cameron without us having to interfere. We can watch, just to be sure." I trail off, not finishing my sentence out loud.

I don't say what I want to say. It wouldn't be very 'merciful heir' of me to say what I intend to do if Cameron somehow gets the upper hand. My dad would never allow that. He may be my father, but that won't stop him from admonishing me when I've done something wrong.

My magic comes to me easily, as I hold my hands out, spinning two fingers in a circle. The space in front of us begins to change, taking on the look of something like a mirror. Except it's a two way mirror, we can see out, but no one can see in.

I have to move it a little, changing the direction so I can see what happens. Once I find my desired focal point, my body tenses slightly.

I've begun to watch at the same time as the spear of ice materializes in my hybrid's hands. I keep my focus the whole time, determined not to lose the portal we're looking through. My dad would never let me hear the end of it.

Cameron says something before he disappears. I watch in anticipation, nothing really happening for a moment until Cameron reappears, shouting something from a few yards away. Cameron begins moving so quickly I feel a pang of worry, not worry that I think Cameron will be able to do anything damaging, but because someone I love is facing a god damn alpha vampire.

It happens so quickly I barely realize it's happening. One minute my hybrid hurls the spear at Cameron, and Cameron deflects it at almost the same time that something invisible, tears a hole in his chest. I impulsively move forward, trying to make sense of what happened. My body relaxes as I realize it was wind. I try to fight the smile on my face.

My hybrid is looking down at the injured Cameron, muttering a warning to him. I finally let out a breath I didn't notice I was holding.

"See, told you we wouldn't even need to step in." I grin at my dad, and he fights the smile on his lips.

"I never doubted you for a second, Jess." He calls behind him as he walks towards the table.

Just as I'm about to undo the scry, my eyes flicker to the scene still showing through it.

Even though nothing has happened to me, I feel as if all the air has been knocked out of my lungs. My hands begin to shake, and the small window begins to shimmer in the air, threatening do disconnect. No. No. No!