Now she lowered her eyes again, and this time, there was shame and sorrow in the movement. "You've not returned to... to us, Prince. Not yet. A year ago, I was contacted by Surreal. She'd found you. I went to Terreille by a shadow." Moisture shimmered in her eyes. "I wanted to go myself, but Papa... Lucivar... I wasn't strong enough. They wouldn't let me go to you. So I sent a shadow. The chalice was nearly mended, and I set you on the path. I marked the way for you to travel back. Surreal kept you safe. But you haven't returned yet, Daemon."
One of her hands moved, trembling lightly. Jaenelle had wanted to go to him so badly. Draw him out of the Twisted Kingdom with her love as a beacon to guide him. But after the encounter with the Jhinka, and the harsh toll her body had taken with the safframate and the brutal healing so soon after, there was no strength to go. Even using the shadow had nearly killed her when the power had consumed her body.
Her hand brushed delicately at the hair falling across his brow. She could feel it against her skin. He was real. He was alive.