Chapter 188: Lost Son

Genevieve’s POV

The morning arrived with a cool, gray fog that hung low over the grass.

It was the kind of heavy morning that made everything in the world feel muted and distant, like the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to break the quiet.

I sat on a mossy, fallen log right at the very edge of the dirt clearing, wrapping my woolen shawl tightly around my shoulders as I watched them pack.

A few yards away, Liona moved quickly between the wooden carriage and a pile of leather travel bags.

Her long black hair was pulled back into a tight, practical knot, and her movements were sharp and efficient as she swung a heavy trunk up into the storage rack.

Azura stood right beside her.

She still looked entirely too thin, her skin pale under the gray sky, but she was visibly stronger than she had been yesterday.

She reached down, lifted a smaller satchel, and handed it to Torin, who was busy tying down the straps.

Torin kept tossing out quick, playful jokes, causing Liona to roll her eyes with a faint huff, while a tiny, rare smile almost broke across Azura’s tired face.

Rhydor was nowhere to be seen.

I had not caught a single glimpse of my eldest son since the sun went down last night.

I didn’t ask the guards where he had gone, and I didn’t try to look for him.

There are simply some things a mother does not need to know about her grown son’s whereabouts.

The large travel carriage was nearly ready for the long road ahead.

The two brown horses stamped their heavy hooves into the damp dirt, shaking their thick manes until the leather harness jingled loudly in the quiet air.

High up on the wooden bench, the rider sat with the leather reins loosely resting in his hands, silently waiting for the final signal to leave.

I sat perfectly still, watching them prepare for a journey that would soon carry them far away from these castle walls.

A slow, heavy rustle of dry leaves echoed from behind my log. The footsteps were measured and completely familiar.

I didn’t turn my head around to look. I didn’t need to.

I already knew exactly who was walking up behind me.

Rhydor stopped right beside the fallen tree trunk where I sat.

Instead of sitting down, he leaned his broad shoulder against the rough bark of a tall oak tree, folding his massive arms tightly across his chest.

His sharp amber eyes instantly locked onto the carriage, tracking the slow, careful way Azura moved as she adjusted a blanket on the seat.

"Mother," he said, his voice deep and incredibly quiet.

I kept my eyes fixed on the horses, watching the steam rise from their nostrils in the morning chill.

"Mmm."

He went completely quiet for a long moment, the only sound between us being the distant chirp of a morning bird.

"Why is it that I did not inherit what you have?" he asked slowly, his voice dropping into a low, heavy tone.

I pulled my brows together, turning my head to look up at him.

"But you did," I said, a look of pure confusion crossing my face.

"You inherited my thick hair. And you have my exact nose."

Rhydor shifted his weight against the tree bark, looking down at me.

His handsome face remained completely flat, his amber eyes entirely unimpressed by my answer.

"Mother," he said, his tone dry as tinder.

A small, brief smile finally broke across my lips, softening the tight lines of my face.

"Ask your real question, son," I said softly, turning back to watch the clearing.

"Do not beat around the bush with me."

He pulled his gaze away from me, his amber eyes drifting right back to the wooden carriage.

"Why did I not inherit your power?" he asked quietly, the words slipping out with a hidden trace of old weight. "The way Torin inherited the power from Aunt Sonita?"

I looked at the sharp profile of his jaw for a long, silent moment, matching the heavy emotion hidden beneath his tough exterior.

"My power does not let people simply inherit it through blood, Rhydor," I explained carefully, choosing my words with immense softness. "It chooses who owns it."

He furrowed his dark brows, his head tilting toward me.

"Chooses?"

"Yes," I said, giving him a firm nod.

I paused, letting the cool morning wind rustle the leaves above us before I continued in an even softer voice.

"It chooses those who are... weaker. It looks for those who are completely helpless in the dark."

"I think that is the exact reason why it did not choose you."

The confusion didn’t leave his features.

I could see the lack of understanding written plainly in the tight set of his mouth and the way his eyes blinked.

"Explain," he said slowly.

I shifted my weight on the log, turning my body so I could face his massive frame fully.

"Since you were a very little boy, you have always been the man of this family," I said steadily, my eyes shining with old memories.

"I do not mean ’man’ as in being broad-shouldered and towering over everyone, or being fully grown."

"What I mean... You have always talked and acted like a grown-up protector. Even when you were just a toddler with a small, cute face."

I reached out my hand, my fingers lightly touching the rough fabric of his sleeve, feeling the hard muscle beneath.

"You were always so incredibly bossy, ordering the royal guards around and stomping your little feet into the dirt to protect your family from anything you deemed a threat," I said softly, a fond warmth entering my voice.

"The ancient power looked down at you from above... and it saw a boy who didn’t need any extra help to survive. It saw your innate strength, your iron will, and your unbreakable spirit. So... it chose your younger brother instead."

Rhydor went entirely still.

The slight sway of his shoulders stopped instantly, his amber eyes widening until they looked completely frantic.

"Wait," he whispered, his voice barely audible as he leaned down toward me.

"You mean... Nicholas is a sorcerer?"

The name landed in the middle of the quiet clearing like a massive stone dropped into perfectly still water.

I froze.

Nicholas.

The very sound of the name made my lungs lock up, my hands freezing against my woolen shawl.

My youngest son. My sweet baby boy. The little one who had gone completely missing into the dark world so many long, agonizing years ago.

The child I had not laid my eyes upon in what felt like an eternity. My entire face changed in a single second.

I could feel the physical shift happening within my own skin, all the warmth and comfort from the morning completely draining away, leaving me cold.

A massive, suffocating wave of old grief rose up from somewhere deep inside my chest, choking off my air. My vision blurred as hot tears pooled in my eyes.

Rhydor pushed off the oak tree, standing up straight as an arrow.

"Mother," he said urgently.

He took two large steps forward, dropping to his knees in the damp dirt right in front of my log.

He threw his thick, strong arms completely around my trembling shoulders, pulling my face into his broad chest, holding me so tightly I could hear the steady, rapid thumping of his heart.

"I believe he is still out there," Rhydor whispered softly against my hair, his rough hands rubbing soothing circles into my back.

"Somewhere in this vast world. We will find him, Mother. I promise you we will. I will search every corner of this earth myself."

I tried to speak, but the words were completely caught in my throat.

My throat felt incredibly tight, squeezed shut by years of built-up sorrow and unanswered prayers.

"When will we find him, Rhydor?" I muttered, my voice cracking sharply as the first hot tear finally ran down my cheek, soaking into his shirt.

"It has been so many long years. The nights keep passing, one after the other... and I do not even know if I would recognize my own baby’s face if I saw him standing right in front of me today. What if he is completely changed?"

Rhydor leaned up slightly and pressed a warm, lingering kiss against my forehead, his own chest heaving with a heavy sigh.

"We will find him, Mother," he whispered into the gray fog, his voice ringing with a fierce, stubborn certainty. "We will bring him home."

I closed my eyes tight, letting the darkness take over as the tears spilled over my lashes.

Behind us, the wooden carriage waited in the dirt clearing.

The brown horses stamped their hooves once more, the harness jingling in the cold air.

And somewhere out there, far beyond the safety of these castle walls, my lost baby boy was waiting in the shadows to be found.