Chapter 325

Spinning, Elain stumbled as she prepared to take off back toward the palace. She couldn't hear Lucien's heartbeat and that scared the shit out of her. Ashk's surprised face met her, and Elain forced herself to pause.

"What is the matter, Elain?"

"Something's wrong." She sounded terrified, even to her own ears. "I can't hear him…" she sidestepped Ashk and quickened her step, hiking her dress up as she prepared to run. She had to get back to the palace and she had to find Lucien. If she couldn't hear his heart, then did that mean that it had stopped? What could have happened to him in the palace? He was meant to be with Helion. What could have possibly happened to him with his father who was such a powerful High Lord.

Elain began to panic, thinking that perhaps it had been possible that someone had attempted to hurt the High Lord and Lucien had gotten in the way. That would definitely be something that Lucien would do. She could easily see him getting between a threat and his father. He would absolutely put himself in harm's way to protect someone that he cared for. She had seen him do it time and time again, and the thought sent her own heart thundering. If something had happened to Lucien and she wasn't there…

Elain broke into a run just as someone stepped out of an adjoining street. She barely had time to try to change her trajectory to try and step around them when reached out and lifted her off the ground. She shrieked in surprise, kicking as she tried to get free, and behind her she heard similar sounds of distress. Elain's heart was thumping so painfully in her chest that she thought it might actually break out of her ribs and she struggled against the bruising grip that someone had on her. "NO!" she yelled, "NO! Put me down!" She didn't have time for this; whatever this was. She needed to get back to the palace and find out what had happened to Lucien.

Pushing back from the table, Lucien got to his feet. He had spent the morning with Helion, drafting updates to send to the other High Lords. Once they'd had the basic outline down, Helion had left him to write the letters while he had gone off to do other High Lord things and it had taken about an hour but Lucien had finally finished.

As he strode down the hall, Lucien thought about asking Helion if he might deliver the letters himself, with Elain. He rather missed traveling with her, and he knew that she would like to see some of the other Courts again. They needed to talk to Tamlin, he thought. Elain still thought she might need his help to get that cutting growing in her garden. He didn't know how that would look though, wanting to keep leaving the Day Court to visit the others when he was so recently named heir. He wondered if Helion would view it as a lack of commitment, but he hoped not.

Pausing when he came to a part of the hallway with two options, he had to think about where Helion had said he would be. Figuring then that it was nearly lunchtime, but the call hadn't been made to the dining room, Lucien headed for his father's favourite garden. Walking quickly, he hoped that he would be correct. If he wasn't going to be able to take the letters to the other Courts himself, he would need to send them that evening.

Just as he entered the garden, and saw his father sitting under one of the largest trees, the bell sounded indicating that lunch was being served. Helion got to his feet, walking gracefully across the garden.

"That didn't take you long." His father said and Lucien smiled.

"Used to it." He said, giving a smile which Helion returned. "Are you ready for lunch."

"Of course." Helion headed for the hallway with him. "Did you know that lunch is my favourite meal of the day?"

"Is it?"

"It's the most versatile." Helion replied, his voice sounding easy and relaxed, and Lucien found himself wondering just what 'High Lord' things his father had been doing under that tree all morning. "It can be either hot or cold, casual or more formal. It depends on what you prefer."

"That's true." Lucien smiled again, eager to ask Elain how her trip into the city with the Courtiers had been. He thought that it was a nice tradition, as he had spoken to Helion about it while they had been working on the updates earlier, and his father had told him that his mother had gone as well. He hoped that the both of them had made progress with the Courtiers. He was sure that they would have, and he was eager to hear all about it.