Prescott’s POV
“Piece by piece; that’s how I’ll send her to you,”
My eyes went wide and my breath caught in my throat as I read the words on the paper. I could feel my heart racing as I grasped the bottle in my trembling hands. With shaking fingers, I slowly unscrewed the lid and held my breath as I peered inside.
I felt a knot of dread forming in my stomach as I saw what was inside the bottle. I held the bottle in my palm, my hands were trembling and I feared the bottle might end up slipping out of my hand as I stared into the bottle with my marring with tears.
“What is it? What is there in the bottle?” they all asked, their faces filled with confusion and curiosity. They stood in a huddle, their eyes fixed on me as they waited for an explanation. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in my throat. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of what I had found.
“Is that not… A toe?” Wharton gasped behind me, I gasped, throwing the bottle on the table, moving back a bit with my heart racing in my chest.
“Fuck! Heavens!”
“That… That must be the Queen’s…”
I bolted out of the office before they could tell me what I didn’t want to know. My steps were frantic as I scrambled into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. I hunched over the sink, my head spinning as I struggled to catch my breath. My stomach churned, and I felt a wave of nausea rise. With a sudden heave, I emptied the contents of my stomach into the sink, my body shaking with each retch.
“Nova!” I gasped before collapsing onto the floor, trembling with my forehead drenched in sweat.
I gripped my head with both hands, my claws digging into my scalp as if I could somehow keep my brain from exploding. My head throbbed, the pain pulsing in time with my heartbeat. I felt dizzy and disoriented, the room spinning around me.
‘Aargh!’
“Noval,” I howled, my breath catching in my throat. I imagined her pain, the agony she must have felt when they tried to take her toe. I pictured her screams, her cries of anguish, and I felt my heart break for her. I clutched at my hair, yanking it in an attempt to feel the pain she must be in. Tears flowed down my cheeks, and I felt utterly useless that I couldn’t go to where she was and cut the people who were inflicting pain on her open.
My head hurt, and my legs were trembling as I snuggled on the floor, my head was filled with the imagination of what my wife, my Queen was going through at that moment.
‘Ahhhhh!’
I could hear her screams in my mind, over and over again. I felt a searing pain in my chest, my heart aching with every beat. I groaned, the sound low and guttural. My eyes stung with tears, but I couldn’t stop them from falling. I was drowning in pain, unable to escape the agony that tore through me.
“I have to do something, anything,” I rasped, my voice hoarse, my heart thumping hard against my chest. “I need to help her, to get her out of this nightmare.” I felt desperation welling up inside me, the need to act clawing at my chest. But the thought of not knowing what to do made my heart bleed in grief.
‘Piece by piece; that’s how I will send her to you.’
I could hear my inner voice, yelling out what was written in the paper at me. I wrapped my fingers into a fist of a ball, hitting my chest with my fist as I tried to think of what to do, but nothing was coming to my mind.
“I’m the King, I am the fucking King! But what good is that if I can’t help my people… My wife?” I yelled at myself, my voice cracking with frustration. I pounded my head against the wall, the pain a welcome distraction from the agony in my heart. “I should be able to do something, anything, to save her. Why am I so powerless?”
‘He wants you dead! You can only save the Queen with your death!’
My subconscious yelled at me, I stopped pounding my head against the wall at once, it was as if the only worthy thing I could do was to die, to end the pain Nova might be going through. But, how am I so sure they would let her go even if I was to die?
“Just yesterday, everything was going so well. How could it have gone so wrong so quickly?” I pulled at the chain around my wrist, my fingers closing around the pendant my mother had given me. It was a small source of comfort, but it couldn’t make up for the deep sense of loss I felt.
I shut my eyes, the tears spilling over my cheeks as I cried out at the thought of one person who had always been my strength. “Mom, what do I do?” I whispered into the empty air. Throwing my head back, letting my tears fall without bordering to wipe it. “How can I fix this, Mom?”
I heard footsteps coming closer, and I froze on my spot, not wanting to be seen in such a vulnerable state. I didn’t want them to disturb my thoughts either. I held my breath, praying that the footsteps would pass me by.
A soft knock sounded on the door, followed by Aunt Velvena’s voice, soft and gentle. “My King, are you okay? Is everything all right?” she asked, her voice came out so low that I could barely hear her clearly.
Another knock came on the door, this one a little louder. “Are you okay? Prescott, are you okay in there?” Ulrica’s voice was filled with concern.
A third knock, that one was more insistent. “Come on, brother, open up!” Everest’s voice was gruff, but I could hear the worry beneath the tough exterior.
Finally, a heavy thud as a boot hit the door. “Damn it, open the door!” Wharton yelled, his voice rising in anger.
“Prescott, if you don’t open this door, I’m going to break it down and drag you out myself!” Wharton’s voice was loud and angry, his frustration at my silence clear.
Fresh tears pricked in my eyes as I heard his threat. I knew he was only trying to help, but I didn’t want them to worry about me, Nova was in danger because of me. I didn’t deserve their pity for me.
I couldn’t understand why they were so concerned about me when Nova was the one who was suffering. She was the one who was going through something terrible, not me. Why were they all so worried about me?
“Get out!” I roared, my voice harsh and commanding. “Get out of my office, all of you!” I was trembling with outrage, my fists clenched at my sides.
I could hear them moving away from the door, their footsteps echoing in the hallway. But even as they left, I felt a deep sense of hurt and despair.