Chapter 117

FELIX

I could not tell how long it had been since Mila had been killed. I was barely sleeping, so my days and nights blurred together in a never-ending cycle of misery, research, and anger.

I did not leave my chambers, instead choosing to sequester myself away from the world. I heard through Joseph and Isla that my parents and Esmeralda visited the castle to try to see me, but they were turned away each time.

Servants were merely told that there was an accident with Mila and that their King and Queen were asking for extreme privacy during this time. I had no idea what had been said to the people of Fresonia–truthfully, running the kingdom was the last thing on my mind right now.

More than anything, I felt guilty.

It wasn’t Mila’s fault that she had been sacrificed. I had only myself and my family to blame for all of this. If Charles hadn’t attempted a coup, my parents would not have been so distressed over losing another son. If I hadn’t allowed the curse to get this far, if I had insisted on more security around my wife, if I’d just found that damn Library of Magic sooner…

Joseph and Isla were doing their best to help me. Truthfully, the revelation that Isla’s common-born family also possessed magic was intriguing enough to be a lead in our hunt to bring my wife back.

I had always been told that only nobility had been born with magic. The idea that there were others in Fresonia who not only had powers, but who could be willing and able to help, gave me the tiniest bit of hope.

Maybe Mila was not gone forever.

That was the only thing that kept me going from day to day, the idea that I had not completely and utterly lost her.

I spent my days pouring over all the oldest texts I could find about magic in Fresonia. There had to be an answer somewhere in these pages. There just had to be.

I did not know how long I had been alone until Joseph carefully entered my chambers, holding a tray of food and looking worried. If there was any upside to this whole disaster, it was that my assistant was proving his loyalty over and over and over again.

Maybe he needed a promotion.

Joseph took one look at the clutter and chaos surrounding me and sighed. “Have you found anything useful?”

I shook my head. “When do you and Isla leave to visit her family?”

Joseph carefully set the tray down on top of my desk. “In a few hours. She’s making sure that someone can cover her maid duties while she’s gone.”

I waved a dismissive hand. “She doesn’t need to do that.”

Joseph offered me a crooked smile. “I know. That’s why she’s an excellent employee.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Do you think there’s any value in going to see her mother?”

Joseph tilted his head thoughtfully. “I’m very curious about commoners having powers. It could at least lead us to a greater understanding of magic in Fresonia, and maybe even guide us towards Mila’s origins. I’m mostly fascinated by the idea that everything we once thought about magic in this kingdom might not actually be correct.”

I nodded, looking down at my hands. “Me too.”

Joseph gestured to the tray. “You really need to eat something, Felix.”

I turned my head away. “I’m not hungry.”

“Yes you are, of course you are. You haven’t eaten anything in days.” Joseph sounded more worried than perhaps I’d ever heard him. “It doesn’t help the search for Mila if you’re not also taking care of yourself. It won’t do the rest of us any good.”

He had a point, albeit one that I did not want to acknowledge. I begrudgingly tore off a piece of toast and ate it. My stomach rumbled in response–likely in reaction to the days without food.

Joseph nodded once, looking slightly relieved.

“While you’re gone, I’m going to continue research,” I said through a mouthful of bread.

Joseph averted his gaze, as if trying to hide something from me. Before I could ask what was going on, he blurted out, “I think you should see Ignatius.”

I blinked. I hadn’t even thought about my dragon in weeks.

“I think something’s wrong with him, like he could sense when you were ill and can sense now that you’re troubled,” Joseph continued. “He’s been moping around the aviary. It might be a good use of your time to visit him and just make sure that everything’s alright.”

As Joseph and Isla headed out to her parents in the north, I made my way to that magical portal and to the royal aviary.

Joseph was right–Ignatius was moody and lethargic, draping himself over a rock pile in his stall and huffing discontentedly at the guards who watched over him.

As I approached, however, my dragon’s ears perked up.

It was oddly comforting to see my dragon again, as if being reunited with Ignatius instilled my world with the smallest sense of normalcy. He was thrilled to have me approach and pet his wings, purring like an oversized cat.

Joseph was right–Ignatius could definitely tell that something was wrong with me. His wings were droopy and his energy was low. Spending some time together, however, had us both feeling a bit better, especially once I walked over to the stable to get my saddle for riding.

I had not ridden on Ignatius since that horrible battle at Barlow a few months ago. Between the wedding, the coronation, and the curse, there simply had not been a lot of free time for me to spend with my dragon. But now, left completely and utterly alone for the first time in a long time, it felt like a good idea to go for a flight.

We soared over the mountains and out into the valley that made a bulk of the kingdom. Fresonia was the only magical kingdom that entirely straddled the Dragon’s Teeth instead of using the mountain range as a border. To the east were our fields and hills that made up our farmland, and to the west was our shining coastline.

A coastline that Mila loved so dearly.

Flying over my kingdom was almost like a meditation. It was good to be out in the fresh air, for us both to stretch our muscles and get used to flying again. Ignatius seemed particularly pleased to be in the wind again, and I did not have to coax him much to go further or faster.

As we swooped towards the southern border, my stomach twisted to see the large, visible blackened burn where Barlow had once stood, the scars from the battle visible even from the air. I was sure that that awful day would go down as one of the darkest in Fresonia’s history.

If it hadn’t been for Charles and his stupid coup…

Charles.

I halted Ignatius, a crazy, wild thought entering my head.

Only one person alive had read the book containing the details of my curse. Only one person knew exactly how Mila and I were connected.

I needed to talk to my little brother.