Page 30 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“How dare you!” Apricia says, finally finding her tongue. “What are you even doing in here? You’re supposed to be tending to my bonding suite!”

“What bonding?” Willow snaps, and now she might be my favorite person in the room.

“Willow,” Amya says before lifting her hands. “Actually . . . never mind. Keep going. I’m enjoying this.”

Willow smiles. “I think my point has been made.”

“Everyone stop,” Mael says, holding out his hands. “Please. We need to go after them, but we can’t do it alone.”

“I don’t know what you want from me,” I say. “I need my soldiers here. We’re in the middle of a riot, our traitor king is on the loose, and our forces were already stretched thin before all of this.”

Mael is a soldier, too, and I know he understands what I’m saying.

“Then we’re going alone,” says the brother. Thomas?

“Us against the Aurora King? He’s going to tear us apart.”

“I’m gaining better control of my magic,” he says, but Mael remains unconvinced. I don’t blame him. Rion is a formidable foe, and these four are hardly a match.

“I’m coming too,” Amya says.

“Do you think we can actually stop him?” Mael asks.

“No, but we have to try. For Nadir.”

Nadir might be a bit of an ass sometimes, but it’s obvious from Amya and Mael’s pained expressions that these two love him.

“We’ll try to pick up their trail,” Lor’s brother says. Timothy? “We have to go after them.”

Everyone looks to me again, and I want to help. I do. But my hands are tied.

“Then let’s go,” Mael says. He claps me on the shoulder and squeezes it gently in what I understand is a gesture of forgiveness.

“Good luck,” I say, meaning it.

CHAPTER 12

LOR

ALLUVION—THE CRYSTAL PALACE

After I’m returned to my room, I pace back and forth, trying to formulate a plan. The ocean roars outside, and it’s almost soothing, but too many things are happening in my head.

I think about what D’Arcy said regarding mate sickness. This has to mean Nadir’s alive, right? It’s the feeblest glimmer of hope, but I’m clinging to this mote of dust with all of my might. I felt him die. I felt his heart stop and his skin grow cold under my touch. But he’s in the Evanescence, and maybe that’s holding the sickness at bay, or maybe, just maybe, I didn’t permanently kill my mate.

Closing my eyes, I try to speak to Nadir, screaming in my head as loud as I can.

Nadir. Are you okay?

Can you hear me? I’m so sorry. Answer me!

But again, I’m met with nothing but silence.

I cry out in frustration, gripping my forehead as I pace back and forth. The image of the Coral sitting in the center of the throne room pulses in my thoughts. I can’t keep dwelling on things I can’t change. What I need to do is find the ark and save my mate. That’s what he needs from me right now, and I can’t fall apart.

So what do I do? Ask to see Cyan again? What would I give for my reason? He won’t believe me if I claim I just want to spend time with him. That would be absurd. Besides, he’s a king and probably has duties to attend to. Then a thought occurs to me. What if the Coral’s caretaker is the key? Maybe he’ll talk to me.

Storming over to the door, I fling it open. My two muscled guards wait outside, all gleaming and sun-kissed, their hands planted on their hips like they mean business.