Chapter 73

Chapter 73
Leia's POV.

Six hours have passed since Randolph and I left Calix's chamber. I couldn't shake off the feeling something was amiss.

"Relax, my love. Calix has it all figured out," Randolph soothed, taking another scoop of his pottage.

We were in our chamber. We were eating-was it lunch or breakfast? It's difficult to tell with all the storm still raging outside.

"I can't shake off the feeling something is off," I muttered, twirling my spoon between my fingers.

"You've barely touched your food,"

Randolph reminded, his gaze flickering to the untouched bowl of pottage sitting in front of me.

"I will eat. But I need to be sure Calix and Emily are okay."

Randolph sighed and lowered his cutlery to the table. "If I go to their chamber and confirm that all is well. You will eat your food, promise?"

I nodded, a slight relief surging through me. "Yes."

I watched the father of my unborn child step away from the table and strode out of the room.

Time stretched, seconds turning into minutes, and then it was almost an hour.

A wave of anxiety swept through me, prompting me to rise to my feet and pace the room.

Occasionally, I glanced at the door hoping to see Randolph walk into the room. But that wasn't happening.

My palms dampened with nervousness, the hairs at the back of my neck prickling. What could be keeping Randolph this long?

Maybe Calix sent him on an errand-to fetch something or maybe watch over Emily while he (Calix) gets one or two things done.

Suddenly, the door flung open and Randolph walked into the room. "What happened?" I asked, and my eyes suddenly landed on his wet coat. "Have you been outside in the storm?"

Randolph crossed over to me and held my arms. "Promise me you'll not freak out after I tell you."

Now, that was freaking me out!

I shrugged away from his grasp and stepped back. "What's going on, Randolph? Why are you acting strange?"

He straightened and awkwardly raked his fingers through his hair. "I can't find him," he muttered.

My gaze narrowed. "You can't find who? Calix?"

Randolph nodded. "I've scouted the entire castle-his chamber, the throne room, his office, the living and dining rooms. I've checked every nook and cranny of the castle, even the courtyard. He's nowhere to be found."

I stared at him as though he'd grown a second head. Calix? Nowhere to be found?

I strode past Randolph and stepped into the hallway. Steering for the top floor, I yanked open the door to Calix's chamber and Randolph was right. There was no sign of Calix. Instead, my gaze settled on the three handmaidens-Brielle, Adalyn, and Laura.

"Where's His Majesty?" I whispered, crossing the room to the maidens. Princess Emily was still asleep on bed. "I don't remember the three of you being here the last time I was here."

The maidens stood and exchanged anxious glances. "We were in our quarters when one of the guards came to us. He said King Calix mind-linked them to fetch us so we could watch over the Luna," Brielle explained in a hushed tone.

I stared at the maiden. "You didn't answer my first question. Where's His Majesty?"

"He was gone before we arrived here."

Gone. My breath hitched. "Han!" I gasped, turning to the door.

Randolph trailed after me as I made my way to Han's chamber and rammed my fist on the door. Han answered almost immediately-he was bare torso, his eyes red and dull.

Had he been sleeping?

"Leia?"

"Have you seen Calix?" I asked.

Han's gaze widened, flickering between Randolph and I. "He's in his chamber, isn't he?"

"No, he's not," I rasped, frustration gnawing at my fingers. "Randolph and I are just coming from there-Calix is not in his chamber."

"I've scouted the entire castle, he's nowhere to be found," Randolph chipped in..

Uttering profanity, Han retreated inside his chamber, stepped into a tunic, and hurried back to the hallway. His eyes fogged. Without being told, I knew he was reaching the rest of the guards via the mind link.

We made our way back to Calix's chamber. Han threw the door open and, just like me, took in the sight of the maidens seated on the couch and Princess Emily still sleeping on the bed.

Han marched to the room and searched the washroom, every nook and cranny, yet there was no sign of Calix.

"When did he leave?" He turned to the maidens.

The maidens lurched to their feet, trembling slightly. "We have no idea. Like we told Lady Leia, he was already gone before we arrived here," Brielle replied.

Han sighed and turned to us. "The guards at the gates, via mind link, report not seeing him leave the castle. Neither did the guards at the entrance of this room see him leave."

"So, how could he have left?" I asked. Tears threatened to fill my eyes, but I fought them back.

"We know his gift of teleportation doesn't involve moving through walls." Han glanced at the window. "The only way out of this room is through the windows."

I gasped. "The rooftop! He must have left the castle through the rooftop."

"Exactly!" Han concurred, snapping his fingers. "Now that we'e found out how he left, we need to figure out where he went."

A whimper suddenly cut through the room. We tilted our heads in that direction just as Emily sat up on the bed and her fingers clutched at the sheets. Slowly, her lips parted, and another whimper escaped her. Her eyes fluttered open, but they looked distant and lost, like she wasn't seeing any of us.

I froze. "Emily?

Tears seeped from her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. No, those weren't tears, tears aren't red.

"Are those blood?" Han asked.

A gasp slipped from my lips. I slapped my hand over my mouth. "This-this isn't normal. Something's wrong!".

A thin stream of blood trickled from her nose, staining her lips, and then her ears-scarlet rivulets trailing down her pale skin.

"Good grief! She's bleeding!" Randolph darted to her on the bed. "Emily! Can you hear me?" he called, gripping her shoulders and shaking her slightly.

Instead, her head lolled to the side, and she broke into a laugh. But it wasn't her voice. It was deeper, older-layered with malice.

I cried.

Han cursed under his breath, turning to the handmaidens. "Get the physician. Now!" he commanded, and they hurried out of the room. "It's the witch...she's trying to distract us," he added.

All of a sudden, Emily stopped bleeding and fell back into bed. But her breath remained shallow.

I turned to the men. "Does anyone have any idea where Calix might have gone?"

"Definitely to the witch's lair," Han replied.

"Any idea about how to find it?" I asked. Han straightened his stance and paced the room.

"According to Elara, the witch's lair is beyond the town's reach, where the earth rises to whisper to the sky. An unseen mouth yawns wide, swallowing all who enter. A place untouched by light, where echoes have no end and the air is thick with the whispers of the lost."

My brows knitted together at the riddle.

Where the earth rises to meet the sky, an unseen mouth yawns open.'

I gasped. "A cave! The riddle is describing a cave, I said,

Han stared at me, bewildered. "That's very smart of you, Leia," he praised, and my head swelled with little pride.

"That's my mate!" Randolph purred and my cheeks flushed.

"Now we have to figure out which of Tyr's caves is the witch's lair," I muttered.

"According to the riddle, the lair is beyond the town's reach." Han growled and lightly snapped his fingers. "I think I know which cave it is!"

My brows shot up in question and excitement. "You do?"

"Yes," Han replied, nodding. "The witch's lair is definitely the cave near the port of Tyr. Something tells me she's the woman Calix and I saw the first night we arrived Tyr."

The woman you saw?" I asked. "Could you describe her?"

"She was wearing a black dress and had long gray hair that was braided into two like a bull's horn. That night, the moment her gaze met Calix's, she startled and hurried inside the cave."

"Then that's her!" I blurted, snapping my fingers as fresh panic settled in my chest. "Now, Han! You need to act fast. Take some soldiers with you up the mountain."

Han gave a firm nod and turned on his heel. But as he reached the door, the portal swung open, revealing Mr. Petecin accompanied by the handmaidens. Han barely spared them a glance, brushing past as he disappeared into the hallway.

"What happened?" Mr. Petecin asked, setting down his medical bag at the foot of the bed.

She just started bleeding out of nowhere," Randolph explained, worry deepening the lines on his face. "Her nose, her ears-she was hemorrhaging. Then she laughed, but it wasn't her voice."

Mr. Petecin's brows furrowed. He pressed his fingers to Emily's wrist, checking her pulse then examined her eyes.Her pupils were dilated, unfocused. He carefully lifted her arm, watching as it dropped lifelessly back onto the bed. His lips pressed into a thin line.

"This is beyond me," he murmured.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Mr. Petecin straightened, glancing at Randolph and me. "Her body is here, but her spirit... it's being pulled elsewhere. This isn't a sickness of the flesh." He sighed, rubbing his temple. "This is beyond science. She needs spiritual help-before it's too late," he added.

An ache pushed my heart, a lump forming in my throat. This just confirmed my fears...we're at the mercy of the witch!