Page 95 of Heart’s Rescue

I decide to ignore Mother.

“That’s why he’s up here, isn’t it?” I ask, daring to meet the king’s gaze. “So he could be closer to his heart in the Worlds Above?”

King Galan’s lip twitches in what’s almost a smile, and the sound of voices echoes up the staircase behind me. A moment later the woman who’d applied the flower poultice to my arm these past three days, Lythienne, enters the room, followed by a half dozen others I don’t recognize.

They all look surprisingly ordinary. I suppose I was expecting something like King Grathgore’s royal advisors or his court magicians, who are all scowls and expensive clothing and barely deigning to acknowledge anyone else’s presence, but these men and women look like they’d just been in the middle of doing other tasks around the palace. One of the men even has what appears to be flour sprinkled over his broad stomach.

“Well,” King Galan says, waving a hand at Rowan and me by way of introduction. “They’ve agreed.”

There’s a huff, and a sigh, and a few people shuffle their feet. Then Lythienne walks over to me and takes one of my hands in hers. She takes one of Rowan's hands as well.

“You’re sure about this?” she asks. “Both of you?”

I take a deep breath, ready to agree, but Rowan speaks first.

“What exactly are you going to do to us?” he asks.

Lythienne laughs. “Smart boy.” She turns to the king. “See? This is why I’ve been after him to join us. The boy knows when to ask questions.”

King Galan makes a noncommittal sort of grunt. Lythienne turns back to us.

“If you agree to this,” she says, fixing us both with her bright blue eyes, “you’ll have a connection between you that no amount of time or space could unravel. You’ll be linked.” She lets go of my hand and taps a finger to my chest, then to Rowan's chest. “There. Forever.”

I glance at Rowan. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say that it’s too late, I already am connected to Rowan and no time or distance could undo what’s been done between us, but I swallow the words. That’s something I should say in private, something I should whisper to Rowan in the dark.

“Even if one of you is in the Lands Below and one’s in the Worlds Above,” Lythienne continues, “you’ll feel each other. You’ll know when the other is happy. You’ll know if the other is hurt.”

If one is in the Lands Below? My mouth feels dry. I try to imagine what it would feel like to know Rowan was suffering and not be able to help.

“Okay,” Rowan says, nodding. “And is that what happened to Orryen? Because if so, what are the chances we’ll end up like him?”

I turn to look at the man lying on the bed. Captain Orryen, the king’s adopted son whose heart is trapped in the Worlds Above.

“That won’t happen this time,” the king says.

“Famous last words,” Rowan mutters under his breath.

Lythienne laughs again, bright and sharp.

“Last time we tried for too much,” she says. “We thought Orryen and Elanerill’s heart magic could bring the whole barrier down. The barrier was built with hatred and fear, you see? We thought love could destroy it.”

I blink at the woman standing in front of me. She tried to bring down the entire barrier? With Princess Elanerill’s heart? Great stars above, the Kingdom of the Summer would be furious if they knew. Furious and terrified.

“We’re not trying that again,” King Galan announces.

Lythienne nods. “It was too much to ask of them, the poor dears. We thought the princess would be all right if we could just get her back to her own world, to restore her magic under the stars.”

Lythienne falls silent and shakes her head.

“We didn’t have a chance to finish the spell,” King Galan continues. “Orryen brought the princess back to the Worlds Above, but—”

His voice falters. Lythienne picks up the story again.

“The connection was broken,” she continues. “Before we could complete the spell. We don’t know what happened.”

Lythienne and King Galan exchange glances. The king sighs.

“We assumed the princess had been killed in the Worlds Above,” the king says. “Orryen came back with a sword through his gut, and the hole we’d opened in the barrier slammed shut.”