Free Web NovelChapter 389: Chapter 389
Yet the proof of it pulsed steadily inside his chest. The bond between them burned bright and undeniable, a living connection tying their souls together in a way neither of them had expected.
***
The carriage ride back to their manor was long and largely uneventful, nothing like the final day they had spent at the cottage. Nothing compared to the quiet, persistent awareness of him that now lived within her.
The carriage rolled to a gentle stop before the wide stone steps of their manor. The horses stamped softly against the frost-touched ground, their breaths puffing in the cool afternoon air.
Ragnar stepped down from the carriage first before he turned and extended a hand toward her. Circe placed her hand in his without hesitation, allowing him to help her down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, a gust of cold wind brushed against her face and stirred loose strands of her hair.
She drew in a quiet breath and lifted her gaze to the manor. The sight of it should have brought comfort as she finally returned to a place she had come to call home. Yet something about it felt different now.
The last time she returned from a trip, Rowen had been the first to greet her. He had rushed outside before she even stepped fully out of the carriage. Now the front of the manor was empty. There was no excited voice calling out to her.
It didn’t mean anything, she told herself.
Rowen could easily be inside with one of his tutors. Or perhaps he had grown tired from playing and taken an afternoon nap.
There were countless harmless explanations. Yet none of them stopped the quiet dread that slowly pooled in her gut.
Nothing is wrong. She repeated the thought firmly to herself as she stepped away from the carriage. Ragnar remained behind for a moment, speaking quietly with the footman, but Circe had already begun making her way toward the entrance.
Nothing is wrong. She tried to believe the words for her own sake.
Inside, the manor felt warm and silent.
"Rowen," Circe called as she moved through the entry hall, her voice carrying lightly across the open space. She wandered deeper into the house, glancing into the familiar corners as she passed.
"Rowen," she called again, gentler this time, hoping to coax him out from wherever he was hiding. She only needed to see him once. Just once. That would be enough to quiet the sudden worry blooming inside her chest.
Yet the deeper she moved through the manor, the more a strange unease settled over her. There had been something wrong in the air outside. A subtle wrongness that only she seemed able to sense. Here inside the house, it was stronger. It lingered faintly along the edges of her senses, the unmistakable crackle of magic mixed with something else she could not quite grasp.
"Rowen?" Her voice rose as she approached his bedroom.
The door still had no lock. She pushed it open without hesitation but no one was inside. Empty as though no one had been inside it for some time. The bed remained neatly made. His practice bow rested where he usually left it against the wall.
"Rowen?" she called again. No answer came.
Circe stepped back into the hallway and continued searching the manor, moving quickly, checking all the opened rooms. Each place she checked yielded the same result. Nothing.No sign of him anywhere.
She turned a corner too quickly and nearly collided with someone.
"Welcome back, your highness." Nieah stepped aside with a polite bow.
"I’m just coming from outside. His highness was wondering why you ran off so quickly—"
"Have you seen Rowen?" Circe interrupted.
Nieah blinked in mild surprise.
"He came down for breakfast this morning," she replied. "That was the last time I saw him. He could be in his room."
Circe was already shaking her head. "He isn’t there. I already checked."
The dread curling around her heart tightened further.
Nieah hesitated before offering a small reassuring smile. "Then he must be outside in the fields practicing with Kostia. I’m sure there is no reason to worry."
As she spoke, Circe felt something ripple faintly in the air. It brushed against her senses like the faintest echo and it made her breath hitch.
The essence of it was familiar, so painfully familiar that it sent a chill racing through her veins. It reminded her of the way Dena’s magic felt whenever she summoned her to that cave.
It was not strong. Only a lingering trace, as though whatever had caused it had already passed.
Circe’s blood turned to ice. Whatever Dena had been doing here... it could not be good.
From down the hall, heavy footsteps approached. Circe lifted her head just as Ragnar came into view, striding toward them with long purposeful steps. His brow was drawn tight with concern. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"What happened?" he asked as he reached her. "You suddenly ran off and I felt—" He stopped himself, exhaling slowly.
"I was worried."
With the mating bond between them now fully settled, Ragnar could sense pieces of what she felt. Which meant he could feel the deep pit of dread twisting in her stomach.
"I’m fine," she said quickly. "But Rowen seems to be nowhere to be found."
She turned back to Nieah.
"Gather as many guards and servants as you can. Search the manor and the grounds for him."
Nieah bowed immediately. "Yes, your highness."
She hurried off without another word.
The search began at once. Servants moved through the halls calling out to Rowen. Guards spread out across the fields and stables. Every room, every corridor, every corner of the manor was checked. But Rowen was nowhere to be found.
Hours passed.
The pale afternoon light faded slowly into dusk, and then into the deep darkness of night. Still nothing.
With every passing moment, the dread inside Circe grew heavier.
Until at last one terrible truth became impossible to ignore. Rowen was missing and she had no idea where to begin looking for him.
The realization left her standing in the middle of the manor’s great hall, feeling utterly helpless.
