A final tear dropped down her cheek and landed on the stone.
“You don’t deserve the freedom of it,” she managed.
Her sword clattered to the ground. The noise of it reverberated off the walls as her senses paused at the scene.
Iron chains clanked behind her.
A sharp pain pulsed through her core, and she nearly fell to her knees.
The phoenix cried out.
Arms grabbed her from behind.
Leave me!she shouted to the beast.
The phoenix screamed, black fire filling the chamber.
Now!
Her eyes met its amber gaze over her shoulder, and the great bird gave her a slow blink.
I will see you again, she whispered to it.
The phoenix’s wings flapped violently as it rose off the ground. Shadow pulsed through the chamber, and the bird disappeared into nothing more than whisps of black fire.
Aydra sank to her knees as the fill of her core evacuated once more.
And the arms of Belwarks beneath her dragged her out of the room.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
IT HAD BEEN three weeks since Draven had heard from Aydra.
Three weeks since she’d left to take care of her brother.
Draven knew she didn’t want him checking in. He would give her the independence she needed to take her throne back, to take back her kingdom. If she had died, he would have heard. He worried for her, but he knew she could take care of herself.
However, it was the letter he’d received from Dorian the day he and Balandria had set out for Magnice that made his stomach turn.
Aydra was sick.
He’d never ridden so quickly across the land to his enemy kingdom before.
At the castle gates, he pulled his sword on the Belwarks that tried to stop him from going in, barging through the doors and bounding up the stairs and hallways to her room.
“She’s not there,” came Dorian’s voice upon Draven’s reaching her floor.
Draven froze and turned to face the young prince, but did not get a word out upon first seeing him.
Dorian’s round eyes had darkened bags beneath them. His cheeks looked sullen, his usual sun-kissed face now paled. Draven’s fist tightened in on itself, and he started to step towards him.
“Little prince,” he acknowledged. “You look terrible,” he said as he gave him a hug.
Dorian clapped him on his back, and then pulled away, shaking his head. “It’s been a long month.”
“What happened?”
Dorian rubbed his neck, staring past Draven towards the other end of the hall. “After Aydra attacked Rhaif, the guards took her. She was locked in her room, only myself and Nyssa able to go in and see her. Lex has not been able to see her until earlier today. Rhaif… he’s scared. The castle has been a fortress—”
