Chapter 48 - Kor

Never have my wings ached as much as they do right now. I can't stop though because Lilas needs me. Emmy needs me. Not even when I first started flying did my wings ache like this nor when I started flying long distances and carrying others on my back. As small as my mates are in comparison to my dragon form I can still feel their added weight or maybe it's just my awareness of them being there and my need to keep them safe. Luckily Hadlau is not far away from us now and then I can rest for a bit while finding out what's happened.

Bel is clinging tightly to my back keeping himself low to my body so that he doesn't fall off at this break neck speed. We've never flown this fast for so long usually this speed is something that I'll only keep up for a few minutes often accompanied by loops and spins for his amusement. Once this is all over I'm taking all of my mates, and our children, to our castle where I can keep them all safe and get some rest myself.

Hadlau soon comes into view and I let out a roar to alert the guards to our arrival as if the sight of a large dragon in the sky isn't enough. But someone was able to take my most vulnerable mate out from under their noses so they deserve the little bit of fear that the roar likely instilled in them. Over the city I'm soon hovering over the palace gardens not caring for what plants I crush under my claws, they can all be replaced and I don't want to waste the time it would take to land outside the city and travel in.

As soon as I land Bel jumps down from my back waiting nearby as I shift back to human form while Lilas comes running out of the palace to meet us. It's been five days since we last spoke to him and it's clear that little has changed since then as it looks like he hasn't slept at all. Seeing the effect this has on him I stride over quickly pulling him into a hug, stretching out an arm Bel joins us, taking what comfort we can in each other.

For so long all we had was each other and while we were always away that there should be four of us not knowing the fourth made the absence easier to bear. Now we know and love Emmy so her not being here upon our return makes her kidnapping real and all the more terrifying. This was in no way how we imagined the reunion we'd be having after the war ended, not that it's truly over until Rhistel is dead. He's made that clear.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Lilas begins muttering only just loud enough for us to hear.

"Not your fault." I tell him firmly holding his face in my hands and making him look at me so he can see how serious I am that nothing that's happened is his fault.

"Kor's right Li. Now lets get inside and you can tell us everything. The introduce us to our son, that'll cheer us up a little bit before we set to work getting his mother back home." Bel states giving us some direction. It doesn't take us long to get inside and make ourselves comfortable in the drawing room, all of us sitting on the same settee not wanting to be far from each other.

"Not long after I spoke with you two the guards I sent to Erika's house reported back. They found half-burnt letters in her room from Rhistel, all along she was a spy for him and abducted Emmy on his orders." Lilas tells us, he's sitting in the middle of both of us holding our hands.

"And her sister Victoria, she didn't know anything?" Bel asks knowing more about the families here in Hadlau than I do. It wouldn't surprise me if he knows all the relations of Emmy's ladies-in-waiting even though we haven't been here.

"Before she left Erika destroyed the rune that allowed Victoria to walk in the day, leaving her own sister to burn. The guards found her alive but badly burned and since then she's been under the care of the best healers in Hadlau. It's only the last two days that she's woken up and been able to tell us what she knows. Which is very little to be honest. Just that in the days leading up to the kidnapping that Erika was different, becoming more secretive and standoffish. She doesn't know how long Erika was in contact with Rhistel for."

"So there's been no sign of her at all?" I ask hoping that they at least found some signs of where she might have gone.

"No, we'd locked down the city but she had anticipated that. This must have been planned long ago because in the cellar of the house we found a tunnel that leads outside the city borders. While we don't know how fast Erika can run it seems that she managed to take Emmy, run back home and get out of the city in just over an hour. Ever since we've been sending out search groups to try and find them, with no luck."

"Rhistel must have pulled this as a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the war. We've retaken Nerkise and it's being turned over to a new Council which will be continuing the hunt for him throughout all parts of the kingdom. We'll find him though and make him regret the day that he thought to take our mate." I state my fury renewed after learning that all of this was because of him.

"Well, we can plan Rhistel's gruesome death tomorrow. For now I want to meet our son and have a proper dinner together then in the morning we can start searching." Bel says looking at Lilas expectantly who smiles sadly before leading upstairs to where they've set the nursery up. As we get outside the door though we're greeted by the sound of crying.

"He's been crying all the time since Emmy disappeared. Always asking for his 'Ma' until he eventually he cries himself to sleep. The short times that we manage to get him settled we try to get him to eat but he's still eating less than we'd like." Lilas informs us before opening the door making the crying louder.

Bel and I pause in the doorway simply staring at our son who we've never seen before as the nurse hands him to Lilas. Slowly I step into the room gaining Nazeph's attention and he stops crying at the sight of us in favour of watching us.

"Look who's here Naz. It's father and papa, I told you they'd be here soon." Lilas tells him softly walking over towards us gently bouncing Nazeph in him arms as he points out each of us with the corresponding name.

"Fa. Pa." He babbles at us sounding slightly sad as he looks around the room clearly searching for Emmy.

"Can I hold him?" Bel asks holding out his arms for Nazeph. When Lilas passes him over Nazeph goes easily settling quietly into Bel's arms watching his face carefully. Until now all he's seen of us are drawings so it doesn't quite translate to seeing us person but it seems with Lilas in the room he's willing to be held by us.

"My turn." I state after a few minutes waiting for Bel to pass our son over to me. Except it doesn't happen as Bel stubbornly turns away from me pretending not to here. "Bel." I grunt out not letting him ignore me.

"But I only just got to hold him. A little bit longer." He whines holding Nazeph close and tickling his stomach to get a small, perfect laugh from our son. With Bel not willingly handing him over there's nothing I can do but wait with a frown for Bel to give me my turn with Nazeph.

"Bel come on. Share the baby." Lilas says with a small smile finally persuading Bel to pass him over to me. Pouting at having to give Nazeph over to me he stands behind Lilas wrapping his arms around Lilas's waist. I'm happier than I have been in nearly two years though holding my son for the first time and seeing how much he looks like me with just a hint of Emmy's colouring. His hair has a tint of her red but luckily it seems that's all of her hair that he's inherited as it's wavy like mine rather than Emmy's mess of curls that get everywhere.

Holding him just motivates me more to get Emmy back. I have to not just for our sake but Nazeph's and for his unborn sibling's sake. Right now she's around six months pregnant and none of this can be good for the baby, Gods only know if this could send her into early labour. All the more reason to end Rhistel's life as painfully as possible and I suppose that I can add Erika to that list as well for doing the actual kidnapping.

I'm pulled abruptly out of my thoughts by a slight pain as Nazeph tugs at my beard, while we'd been away it'd been difficult to keep it at its usual short length. Now its grown long enough for Naz to grab a hold of with his tiny hands which are surprisingly strong for someone so small. Laughing I support him with one arm as I reach up to remove his hand from my beard before he manages to pull some out.

"Fa." He mumbles unhappily as though I've just taken away a toy from him. Wanting our first meeting to go well I shift my hold on him so that I have a hand under each of his armpits and lift up over my head. It's enough to have him giggling again though as I lift him up and down, occasionally throwing him in the air slightly before catching him.

"Not too high." Lilas says watching me playing with Nazeph as the little thorws got slightly higher and longer. I couldn't resist though as he's adorable and having so much fun. "Don't drop him. Or let him hit the ceiling."

"Don't worry Li. I've got him." I tell him slowing down the speed and height that I throw him until he's settled in my arms again. We have enough to worry about though without me adding to Lilas's, until now he's had to deal with Emmy being gone and Naz not handling it well all on his own.

"Fa. More." Nazeph asks tapping his little hand against my chest. Gods help us when he starts learning to fly if he enjoys just this simple game so much.

"Sorry my son. No more, why don't you go back to Papa instead?" I tell him to Bel's delight as he almost runs over to me holding out his hands for Nazeph. Handing him over I walk over to Lilas taking Bel's place wrapping him in a hug. "He's perfect."

"I know, I tried my best but the drawings didn't really do him justice. And he's so well behaved normally hardly crying unless something is truly wrong. It's only been since Emmy disappeared that he's been so fussy."

"We'll get her back and everything will go back to normal. After we've found her we'll all go to the castle for a bit, the Council will just have to manage without us until we decide to come back." I tell him watching Bel soothe Nazeph and get him to sleep.

Having finally met our son the three of us venture downstairs and have some dinner before retiring to bed for the night. It's wonderful having Lilas back in my arms but without Emmy here as well it's not perfect but it will be soon. In the morning we'll make a proper plan to find out where Erika has taken her, if there is one thing I know it's war. And in taking my mate Rhistel has started a personal war with me. One that he will lose.