“Alliances were broken, Skadinia. Time to be off. Your husband will soon read your reasons for leaving.” He cast a quick look at the missive he’d left on the bed.
The power of the iron boiled the back of my throat in a harsh bile. It was nauseating and suffocating to be touched by the blade. The force of it spun the room, deadened the mind, even with shallow cuts as these.
Arion widened his new fire ring. I tried to scream—perhaps I did—but my head lolled to the side when the prince aimed the white iron blade at my cheek. “Fight me any longer, and the next strike takes a finger. I don’t want to rot more of your affinity, Skadinia. It is too valuable to me.”
Arion took me into his arms.
Panic choked my breath from my lungs. Heat and light flashed overhead, and he stepped into his fiery wall.
A tear fell onto my cheek.
I love you, Nightmare.
Chapter 49
The Nightmare Prince
Ylva must’ve thoughtwe were leaving for the whole of a turn. I approved half her supplies, and was not allowed to leave the cooking room before I vowed to bring her a bushel of white plums that grew in Mira’s kingdom.
I was halfway back to the stairs leading to my wing when Sander’s frantic voice called down to me.
“Jonas! Someone bleeding go get him. Why is this damn door locked? Jonas!”
Skadi. I sprinted up the staircase.
My heart was on the outside of my chest, my head empty save for instinct. Voice, screams, pleas, they clashed in my ears.
“I hear nothing,” someone shouted.
“She cried out! Hurry. Break the damn lock!” Mira sobbed. I rounded the corner to find her pounding on my bedchamber door, tears on her face, screaming Skadi’s name.
Sander was frantically working his set of picks, hands trembling. Von, Aleksi, and Tait were kicking, using their shoulders, trying to break down the damn door.
“Jonas, thank the gods.” Frigg, pale and terrified, reached for me, but retreated when I shoved past.
“What the hells happened?”
“I don’t know.” Mira shook her hands. “We were walking past the stairs and heard . . . I heard her scream. We ran up here, but the bleeding door is locked.”
No, no, no. Darkness shrouded my gaze. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, not until I had eyes on her. I slammed my shoulder against the locked door. “Skadi! Answer me. Work faster!”
Sander didn’t waste time shouting back at me, merely added a thinner pick to the hole.
“Stop.” He held up a hand. “Don’t shake the door.”
Von had to hook an arm around my shoulders to peel me back for a breath, two, five. My skin burned and prickled, like it was peeling off my damn bones.
The lock clicked.
I shoved into the room, coughing against the harsh stench of smoke.
The room was hardly disturbed, but no Skadi.
I drew my blade. “Skadi!”
“Jonas.” Frigg lifted a folded parchment, eyes wide. “For you.”
I snatched the parchment out of her hand. It was a short note, but each word sliced across my chest.
