The King's Queen

Chapter 33

The unfamiliar dizziness that came with travelling through Garrett’s portal quickly enveloped me. I closed my eyes against a rising headache. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. When I felt my feet on solid ground again, I cracked an eye open, letting out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“You shouldn’t. I’m not public transportation, you know.”

I looked around the room I’d grown so accustomed to these past few days—my room at the palace. I could almost imagine Ashton sitting on my bed with a smile, or his trademark smirk. My heart hammered in my chest as Ashton reached a hand out to me and I took a step forward, not daring to breathe. Ashton was here in my room?! He was here!

“Ash!” I gasped, running over to the bed, but Garrett yanked me back.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Ash is here!” I pulled away from him. “He’s right there. Can’t you see him?”

A frown line puckered in his forehead as he glanced at the bed. “There’s no one here. His scent is here so he must have been here recently, but… he’s not here, angel eyes.”

I looked back towards the bed, and sure enough Ashton wasn’t there. What I’d seen had looked so real. What was that?

“I think you’re hallucinating,” Garrett said, worry starting to seep into his voice. “Maybe we should back.”

“We can’t.” I shook my head. “We’ve already come so far.”

I sighed and glanced through the windows at the starry night outside. Just a minute ago we were in the Spade Kingdom and it was morning, but the time zone was different in Crysauralia.

“I’ll use telepathy to contact him,” I murmured.

I opened the mind-link and focused on sending a message to Ashton. I needed to let him know that I was safe and he needed to stop CaVaughn from going to Gregoria ASAP. A dull throb started in the back of my head but I ignored it.

“I know you lovebirds haven’t talked in a while and all but it’s not exactly the opportune time for chit-chat,” Garrett grumbled. “We don’t have forever to stay here.”

“I’m trying.” I bit back a groan.

“It’s been three minutes.” He narrowed his eyes. “You can’t contact him?”

Three minutes? It only felt like a few seconds to me… I focused again on sending a message, but my mind felt hazy. Foggy was more like it—as if my brain had entered a sauna and was surrounded by condensing heat and vapor. I undid the top button of my shirt, suddenly feeling like I’d been stuffed in a microwave,

“You’re sweating,” Garrett said, gently touching his fingers to my temple. “That’s not supposed to happen.” He was over to me in a second. “Stop using the mind-link.” His voice was low, but urgent.

“But Ash-”

“Turn it off,” he whisper-shouted. “It’s hurting you.”

I slowly broke the mind-link connection, wondering if Ashton could feel that I was trying to communicate with him.

“I’ll give it a try, okay?” He led me over to the couch and sat me down. “You just rest there for the time being.”

He was silent for a moment but then shook his head with a sigh. “He’s probably not in the kingdom at the moment. They’re probably searching for you somewhere else.”

“You’re right,” I muttered. I picked up a note that I only just now realized was sitting on top of my desk.

Elizabeth, I don’t know if you’ll see this. I’m really hoping you do. If you're reading this, then that means you're back. I’ve gone to Cothe in search of you. I’ll be returning on the eleventh at eleven p.m. Please wait for me. No matter what happens, I love you.