A Court of Heritance and Destiny

Chapter 7 Ikarad

He was the worst mate to ever walk this earth.

The moment Amaya showed him how bad it had become over the last few weeks, he knew that he had failed Etera. His mate, the one he loved more than anything.

He knew that she had been slipping, that ever since that night she had struggled more than normally. But never this badly, never to the point where she was completely destroyed. But then again, this last year... He had been spending far too much time in the mountains, and Etera had been out on missions. The time apart had made it easier to miss, to not see how sick she had become... Especially this last month.

He came down over Velaris, aiming towards the River Estate.

Adding Elain to the mixture was a recipe for disaster, one he was sure Etera could not handle right now. And he, as her mate, had not been there to help her, or support her. The moment his feet hit the ground, Ikarad did his best to not look nervous when he walked inside. Letting out a breath, dropping his shoulders, trying to act normal.

He heard laughing voices once he entered the house, Elains stood out among them, loud and cheerful, almost like an annoying bird that woke up way too early in the morning to start their singing.

No, that is an insult to the birds. He entered the salon and did his best to not completely freeze once he saw Etera.

His mate stood near the door, swaying from side to side. Her eyes unfocused, completely shut down from the rest of the people in the room. He took a few steps towards her, hoping to get her out of this situation. But before he got to close Cassian took a hold on his arm, dragging him back into the larger group. Voices mix in and out of one another, but he heard no words, the commotion grew larger around him, making it harder to get out to Etera.

"Good seeing you!" it was Lucien who spoke.

"Yea... yea, good seeing you too." Ikarad tried to get away again, only to flinch when the change of smell hit his nose. "Elain." Amaya made herself known in his head again.

She came here to tell us. Ikarad nodded, and after a quick, stiff, and forced round of greetings he finally got out. Walking over to Etera.

"Hi..." He whispered hoping to see a small reaction. "Love..." Still nothing. I am here. He took her hand in his. Her fingers trembled against his skin, and he heard how her heartbeat changed. Come, we are leaving. He tried to lift her hand, getting her to move. But Etera remained in her spot.

"Are you leaving so soon?"

Fuck. Elain spoke up, turning all attention towards them.

"Etera needs to prepare for her mission." His father spoke up.

She is not going on a mission. Ikarad faced his father. Dad.

She accepted it. Ikarad took a deep breath, doing his best to not explode. I can understand that this is a bit of a shock, but life moves forward.

She is sick. No reaction came from his father. "Yes, we need to get going." Ikarad did his best to pull Etera along, and this time she followed, or more collapsed against his arm. "Thank you all for today, congratulations." He didn't mean a word he said.

The moment the winter air came around him Ikarad wrapped his arms around his mate, holding her trembling body close as he took off into the sky.

Tell dad that Etera will not be out on a mission for a few months. He told his mother, Velaris grew smaller under them. And don't disturb us.

What is going on? Her voice was worried.

She is relapsing. Saying it hurt more than Ikarad could have imagined. The moment he said the words, it became true, and he had not been there to stop it, to stop it before she ended up here. He tightened his grip around her. I am so sorry for not being there. He said down the bond. She was there on the other side, but nothing showed that she had heard him. With a deep breath Ikarad gathered his powers and winnowed.