Queen of Fate (Fae of Woodlands & Wild #3)

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The Solis fae guards flew toward us, weapons aimed to shoot. A huge rush of magic shot from Jax, exploding into the air around us.

Jax’s magic hit the Solis fairy closest to us first. He shrieked, his movements suddenly turning erratic and uncoordinated.

“I’m blind!” the male yelled.

Jax’s magic continued its outward ascent, and each Solis fairy stopped their forward momentum. Their wings held them aloft, but their limbs began to thrash, and more than one scrubbed at their eyes.

“They’ve blinded all of us!” a female shouted. “Call for reinforcements!”

Jax cursed beneath his breath, then issued a command to the carpet that had us flying upward at an accelerated rate.

Cold wind rushed over my cheeks, and Phillen and Lars both crouched and placed their hands on Bastian to keep him from rolling to the side.

When the carpet was close enough for the Solis fae to hear us more clearly, Jax shouted, “My name is Prince Adarian Willip Jackson Stagthorn, crown prince of Stonewild Kingdom and heir to one of the mighty four thrones on the Silten continent. I gained permission from the Solis royal family to venture here today with my friends. Your royal family, specifically Norivun Deema Melustral Achul, has sent a message to your commander that grants us permission to visit here today.”

A few of the fae nearest us swung their heads from side to side, as though trying to see. Snow began to fly in the air, swirling around everyone, making it even harder to read facial expressions.

Heart beating erratically, I stood stiffly, but one fleeting thought registered. Jax’s full name was Adarian Willip Jackson Stagthorn. I was guessing Jax’s nickname had come from his second middle name, but as soon as that epiphany struck me, I returned my attention to our surroundings.

The first fairy who had flown at us, likely the leader of their group, huffed. “We’ll have to verify that information before you can proceed farther.” His nostrils flared. “Is it you who’s blinded us?”

“Yes, it was me, and I apologize, but I couldn’t have you harming us.” Jax sighed heavily, his hands fisting. “I will return your eyesight to you, but if you threaten me, my mate, or my friends again, I will take it again just as fast.”

The Solis male seethed but dipped his head. “Understood. If you’re indeed who you say you are, I apologize for our aggression today. Had we known a foreign royal was visiting with permission from the Solis royal family, this wouldn’t have occurred.”

“Thank you.” Jax dipped his head even though none of them could see it. “I shall return your sight now, and we’ll wait here until you grant us permission to go farther.”

In a blink, Jax’s suffocating Ironcrest magic disappeared, and the dozen fae who hovered near us released collective sighs of relief. All of them stayed put, their wings continuing to flap and hold them aloft, but the first swirled around and raced back to where he’d come from. The rest stayed, circling us, weapons still in hand.

Lander growled low in his throat, probably because one of the weapons was trained right at him, but there was less fury in the Solis guards’ auras. It was as if they kept their weapons up out of the training instilled in them versus wanting to actually use them.

Their close proximity, however, did give me a moment to study them, and everything I’d ever heard about the Solis fae proved to be true. All of them had silvery or white hair, and each had blue eyes. Their uniform tops were a light yellow, and black breeches covered their legs. If I remembered right, the territory color of Harrivee was yellow, so that wasn’t surprising.

In addition to the uniform tops, all of them wore gloves, and thick scarves encircled their necks. It was obvious they were equipped to fly in freezing temperatures, yet I couldn’t help but wonder if their clothes were enchanted to keep them warm or if their bodies had simply adapted to the cold, and they didn’t feel it like I did.

Shivers continually wracked my frame, the cold atmospheric wind not helping, and I had to keep my jaw locked so as not to tremble with cold.

Thankfully, we didn’t have to hover in the freezing temperature for long. A shout came from above, and the initial fairy who had confronted us zoomed back our way, dipping and weaving around the smaller floating meadows.

He stopped a short distance away and made a gesture with his hands. All of the fae surrounding us lowered their weapons.

“Prince Adarian is right. This foreign royal and his friends have been granted permission to visit the meadows. We’re to take them to Hartivul Mine.” The guard inclined his head. “Apologies, my prince. Follow me.”

Jax commanded the carpet to keep pace with our fae escort. We glided in the center, the guards surrounding us, and everyone dipped and wove up and around the floating meadows.

We flew higher, the solid land below now distant. Cities on the ground’s surface became visible too, but they were just specks, too far away to clearly see.

My eyes widened more as the meadows grew closer. Impossibly, on the tops of most of them were plants and grasses, growing and blooming on the flat surfaces. Some even had flowers. Yet, it was still freezing . Snow dotted all of the meadows, but the vegetation didn’t seem to mind. Miraculously, the plants grew through it.

“How is that possible?” I gaped when we sped by an entire field of budding roses emerging from crisp white snow.

“Magic,” Jax replied. “This land is blessed with immense magic that allows plants to grow in their frozen climate. They call it orem .”

“Look at that.” Phillen nodded toward a cascading waterfall on one of the floating meadows. Ice coated the waterfall’s sides, but the pond it fell into was mostly open water. From there, the pool wove into a small river that snaked along the meadow’s surface. The river swept all the way to the edge of the meadow, where it dripped off, falling in a perpetual waterfall to the ground. It was one of the largest meadows that we’d passed. Rolling hills and a small mountain on its surface graced its landscape.

“This is so beautiful,” I whispered.

Jax inched closer to my side, his pine and spicy scent filling the breeze. “We’re very lucky to witness this today. Most fae in our realm are never granted this privilege.”

“Are you friends with the royal family here? Is that why they were so welcoming?”

Jax shrugged. “Norivun and I are of similar age. I grew up seeing him at sporadic royal events held among the four continents. I suppose you could say we’re friends, although we don’t frequently see each other, and we don’t talk often, but we’ve always gotten along.”

“Our destination is straight ahead,” the fairy guard leading the way called over his shoulder, his flapping wings obstructing my view of his face.

Jax’s and my conversation halted, and my jaw dropped when I beheld the huge floating meadow we glided toward. It was the largest one I’d seen so far. The depth of the floating meadow had to plunge at least a thousand feet below its surface, and the width of it stretched several miles.

Despite its massive weight and the rocky sides that tapered into a cone shape beneath it, the enormous meadow hung suspended in the air as though it was as light as a feather.

Fae working on the meadow’s surface could be seen as we drifted closer to the center. All of them had silver hair and black wings. Some stayed put, calling out orders to those around them. Others emerged from what looked like the entrance to a cave, which I guessed was the mine, as they walked to a large winged creature that lay docilely on the meadow’s surface.

The creature was an animal I wasn’t familiar with, but it appeared to be asleep since its eyes were closed and its scaled head rested on the snowy ground. Its body was covered in furry white feathers, and I couldn’t tell if it was a bird or reptile, but it had wings folded at its side, and strapped to the animal’s large frame was a harness with several large buckets attached to it.

The fae who approached the sleeping animal did so readily, as though not scared of it. When they reached it, they placed whatever they were carrying into the large containers harnessed to the animal and then secured the bucket’s top flap.

“What is that flying behemoth?” Trivan called to the Solis around us, pointing to the animal.

“A ligersail ,” one answered. “We use them to bring the mine’s harvest back to the ground. It’s easier than the mineworkers carrying heavy sacks. More secure too. Ligersails can be trained to detect deceit. If anyone working in the mines attempts to steal the harvested stones, the ligersail makes its displeasure known.”

Bowan laughed. “I bet that makes catching criminals easier.”

The guard grinned slyly. “Indeed.”

We flew closer to the cave, and the fairy guard pointed to a flat area near the mine’s entrance. “Land there.”

Jax followed his command and settled the carpet on the meadow’s snowy surface. Back on solid ground, my body still swayed. The floating meadow dipped and moved beneath us. It was an entirely disorienting feeling.

“Wait here.” The fairy guard folded his black wings behind his back, lifting them so they didn’t drag on the ground, then strode toward the mine’s entrance.

A fairy who was standing resolutely by the mine and issuing orders inclined his head to the fairy guard when he reached him. Behind them, banging and groaning sounds came from deep within the mine shaft, and I couldn’t be certain, but I could’ve sworn that small puffs of magic emitted from the entrance as well.

The two males spoke to one another quietly, and I couldn’t hear what they said, but they both glanced our way a few times.

The fairy at the mine’s entrance, who I could only assume was the male in charge, lifted his hand and beckoned us closer.

Trivan huffed and grumbled under his breath. “Is that any way to treat a crown prince?”

But Jax just shrugged. “We’ll do as they request. Come.”

All of us stepped off the carpet, save Bastian. Jax’s brother was none the wiser that we were currently standing miles above the realm’s surface on a gigantic floating meadow.

As a group, we ambled toward the male in charge, and when we reached him, Lars and Phillen moved to guard Jax’s flank, their attention continually swiveling around.

The fairy guard bowed. “Prince Adarian, may I present the Hartivul Mine’s lead archon, Khristian Severell. He may assist you further.”

The rest of the Solis guards who’d accompanied us all took flight, leaving us alone in the archon’s company.

The archon drew himself up taller, and the tips of his black wings shone like obsidian in the sun. He glanced behind us, his gaze alighting on Bastian’s still form. Eyes narrowing, he shifted his attention back to the prince.

“Prince Adarian.” The archon bowed. “I’ve received word that you’re to be allowed information regarding our mines.”

“Thank you.” Jax inclined his head. “We’re here today because we have reason to believe at least one stone, and possibly many more, were taken from these mines either illegally or were sold legitimately to someone on the Silten continent?—”

“The Silten continent?” Khristian’s chest puffed up indignantly. “We don’t sell our gems to Silten fae.”

Jax paused. “In that case, we’ll assume they were taken illegally. Whatever the case, the gems that we believe came from here were crafted into jewelry that have been used for nefarious purposes and are currently being worn by Silten fae. We believe the gems are controlling their minds, and we would appreciate any help you can give us in locating the fairy who forged the jewelry.”

Khristian’s forehead furrowed over his snowy eyebrows. “Gems from our mines? Forged for Silten fae? Truly?”

“That is what the prince said,” Bowan all but growled.

The archon huffed. “But we don’t allow gems from our floating meadows to leave the continent.”

Annoyance flared in Jax’s aura. “Nevertheless, we believe that’s what’s occurred, so I would appreciate your help in locating the forger.” Jax glanced back at his brother. “One gem is on the male there. We believe many more are on other fae on our continent, and there’s also a possibility that one’s on my mate, and in a device that we own.” Jax turned toward me, his eyes softening. “Elowen? If you would please show him.”

I stepped forward and angled my head. “The purple stone at my throat is magical.”

The second the archon caught sight of my collar, his eyes widened. He stepped forward, his movement swift until he stood right in front of me. He lifted a finger to touch my collar.

Jax growled and shifted closer to my side. “No touching.” A flash of light appeared in Jax’s eyes, the same territorial gleam that he’d portrayed in the Wood, the morning we’d been searching for Bastian and Alec had held my hand.

Khristian’s wings ruffled, and he dropped his curious fingers, but his gaze sharpened. “Where did she get that stone?”

I bristled. “ She didn’t get it anywhere. This was placed on me.”

Khristian’s gaze swept across all of us, and his wings rippled again. He jerked his chin toward Bastian’s sleeping form. “Is the same stone on that male?”

“We believe so. Both jewels look similar, but of course, we have no way to confirm that.” Jax waved toward the floating carpet. “And his was forged into an anklet, not a collar.”

The archon’s nostrils flared. “And you say there are more stones like this on the Silten continent and in a device?” His voice was so sharp that it cracked like a whip.

“Yes, we believe there are many more,” Jax replied evenly.

Huffing, Khristian strode to the carpet, his strides fast and agitated. He stopped when he reached the carpet’s edge and planted his hands on his hips as he assessed Bastian.

We followed him, and Jax crouched and lifted the hem of Bastian’s pants, revealing the anklet secured above his brother’s foot. The metal flashed in the sunlight, the jewel at its center gleaming.

Khristian’s breath sucked in. “ Where did you get that stone? I must insist that you tell me.”

Jax took a deep breath. “We don’t know. That’s why we’re here. We need to find who forged them so they can hopefully be removed.”

Khristian’s fingers, still wrapped around his hips, began tapping against his waistband in quick succession. “Upon looking at them, it does, in fact, appear that they came from our mines, but I will need to test them to affirm that.” He glanced toward the mine’s entrance and beckoned someone with two fingers. “Penneveer, bring the wand.”

My spine snapped upright. Wand? My guardian’s adaptor was also like a wand.

A female wearing a uniform similar to Khristian disappeared into the mine shaft. She emerged a minute later. In her hand, a slim wand flashed in the sunlight.

My heartbeat increased erratically. Another wand. Another device. I could only pray to the gods that their wand couldn’t control me.

Jax stepped in front of me and growled low in his throat. “What is that device?”

“It’s used to test the potency and identity of the stones that are harvested from our mines.” Khristian glanced at Jax, as if only registering the energy that soared around him. His tone turned haughtier. “It won’t hurt anyone. It’s merely a testing device.”

I stepped from around Jax and suppressed my irritation. I couldn’t help but think that this archon was used to issuing orders versus having to answer questions. Whatever the case, the archon’s arrogance was starting to get on my nerves. Shoulders tensing, I waited for whatever was to come.

Penneveer neared, and despite her thin form, the female carried herself as confidently as the archon. “Archon Severell, as you instructed.” She held out the wand to him.

He snatched it from her and faced me. “I’m going to set this against the gem at your throat. It will confirm whether that stone came from our mine. Hold still.”

Jax seethed and stepped closer to the archon. “Remember, that’s my mate you’re speaking to.” A puff of anger filled his aura, and his magic wafted closer to the archon.

The second Jax’s power hit him, the archon gasped. “I meant no disrespect, my prince.” He bowed, the movement awkward, as though—like having to answer questions—he was out of practice in bowing too.

I took a deep breath. Sweat lined my palms, the moisture cooling my hands in the icy breeze. But even though my entire body wanted to retreat, I held still as the wand loomed.

With slower, less rapid movements, the archon placed the wand at my neck. A tingle of magic puffed against my skin when it touched the stone. My collar heated and warmed, and the wand began to glow until several colors emitted from its base in a series of undefinable order.

The archon’s eyes widened, and he pulled the wand away. He turned stunned eyes on Penneveer.

“Impossible,” she breathed.

The archon swung back to Jax and me. “It is a gem from our mine.” He focused on me. “Who placed this on you?”

My heart began to pound with hope. My collar’s gem was from here. But I focused on his question. “My former guardian put this on me, but I have no idea who he purchased it from. This was locked upon me when I was a child. At the moment, it’s irremovable.”

“Does it suppress your magic?” the archon asked.

My heart jolted. “Yes.”

He inclined his head. “I’m not surprised. This stone is a rhifilyte gem. It’s a rare jewel that our mines only produce on rare occasion, but the potency of its magic is known for its ability to cage and control any type of magic. For many winters, we haven’t seen any of these gems produced until a few months ago, when we had a rather prolific production from one of our shafts. Over two buckets were crafted by this meadow in two days, but that explosive production was short-lived.”

“A few months ago, did you say?” Alec asked, coming up behind us. The wind ruffled his mahogany hair.

“That’s what I said,” the archon replied.

All of us gave one another a side-eye, because a few months ago was when Bastian was taken.

The archon glanced down at Bastian. “Is he unwell?” He arched an eyebrow.

I nodded. “He is. That’s also why we’re here. We believe that his current state of mind and lack of awareness are due to that anklet.”

The archon frowned heavily, his expression turning grave. “That could very well be true.” He crouched and placed the wand against Bastian’s anklet. Sure enough, the same heating and glowing appeared at the wand’s end, and the colors it emitted matched the colors it had shone when it’d been against my throat.

The archon seethed quietly. “This one is also from our mines.”

“What about this?” Jax withdrew Guardian Alleron’s adaptor from his pocket. The slim piece of metal also held a small rhifilyte gemstone.

Khristian quickly tested the adaptor’s stone too, and when his wand confirmed that three rhifilyte jewels were in his midst, he drew himself up, his nostrils flaring as indignation rose in his aura. “But this truly makes no sense. The mine hasn’t produced any more rhifilyte gems since that rare explosion a few months ago. And rhifilyte gems are considered dangerous by many. Nobody would ever sell them, especially not to your fae, so this couldn’t have come from us.”

“Can these gems be created anywhere else in the realm?” Lander asked, crossing his arms. His brown skin shone in the sunlight, his complexion looking even richer against the snowy backdrop.

“Well . . . not that I’m aware of,” the archon replied.

“Then isn’t it fair to say both of these gems did come from this mine?” Lander pushed. “Even if you can’t explain how?”

Before the archon could respond, I said, “Can I ask something? You mentioned that a few months ago, two buckets of this jewel were created here. How many pieces of jewelry could be forged from that amount of this gem?”

Still appearing flustered by Lander’s comments, Archon Severell raised his chin. “I daresay thousands, perhaps ten thousand? But like I said, we carefully stowed that production away. None of those stones have been crafted into jewelry or have left our storage facility.”

“Are you sure?” Jax asked. “When was the last time anyone officially confirmed they were still under lock and key?”

The archon’s chest puffed up again. “What are you implying?”

“We’re not implying anything.” I dropped my tone into a less challenging one. “We’re truly just trying to figure out how these gems came to be on our continent and who forged them. All we know for certain is that the forger is a Solis female.”

Khristian’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

“The semelees told me.”

“Semelees? Who are they?”

“They’re all-knowing creatures that reside in the Veiled Between. I’m a lorafin. I’m able to communicate with them.”

The archon looked my frame up and down, and another low growl came from Jax. Drawing himself up once more, the archon stated, “Well, I know nothing about semelees, but never mind all that. Whatever the case, I can assure you all rhifilyte gems mined from here are indeed locked away. We’ve had no thefts.”

“That you know of...” Trivan muttered under his breath.

The archon’s nostrils flared. “But seeing as how two of these gems are currently placed on the both of you, and one being in that device, I will have to begin an inquiry as to how they’ve come to reside on your continent.”

Trivan snickered. “Please do. That would save all of us a lot of trouble.”

Jax gave Trivan a side-eye and addressed the archon again. “Is there anybody you know who’s capable of acquiring these gems and turning them into jewelry?”

The archon’s wings ruffled anew. “Of course, Hartivul Mine has many employees on staff who do just that. Our forgers are paid to craft our gems into jewelry, among other things, and they are the only ones on the continent with the specific training required to do so, but none of our employees would do this .”

Jax inhaled, and his annoyance strummed to me along our bond. I stepped closer to him and wrapped my hand through his.

“Would you be so kind as to give us a list of the fae employed by your mine who are capable of creating jewelry such as what me and this male are wearing?” I asked the archon.

Khristian gazed down his nose at me. “That is confidential information.”

“Even if that request comes from me ?” The mask of the crown prince descended over Jax’s face.

Khristian sputtered. “This is highly irregular. We normally do not share any information like that, even with outside royals.”

But Jax’s lips only thinned more. “I believe the Solis royal family will be quite displeased to hear that you’ve defied my wishes.”

For the second time since meeting him, the archon’s haughty expression faltered, but just as fast, he squared his shoulders. “Even so, it is quite unusual to reveal such privileged information.”

Jax stepped closer to him, and my mate’s blazing blue eyes turned into chips of ice. “And it is also quite unusual for fae I care for to have been subjected to the potent power of the gems locked around their limbs. I’m sure you can appreciate our need for such information. The sooner these devices are removed, the better, and according to the semelees, the only one who can remove that male’s anklet is the forger.” Jax pointed at Bastian.

The archon scowled. “But?—”

“I’m also more than happy to return these gems to your mine as soon as we accomplish that task,” Jax added. “We would like to be rid of them as assuredly as you would like to reclaim them.”

The second Jax revealed that he would surrender the gems to the Solis continent, the archon’s face brightened, and a small smile played upon his lips. “Ah, in that case, of course, my prince. I’m very pleased to hear that you endeavor to do the right thing and return these gems to their rightful owners.”

Behind me, Trivan muttered something under his breath, and even Lars snorted a sound of disbelief.

I stepped closer to the Solis archon. “How many fae are employed in your mines who can forge jewelry with these stones?”

Khristian canted his head. “Our metalwork affinity fae would be the ones to do so, and at last tally, I believe there were thirty-four of them on staff.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Thirty-four? In that case, will you please provide us a list of all of the females that have such an affinity?”

“Only the females?” the archon asked, his voice rising in surprise. “You’re truly certain it was a female who crafted these?”

“Yes, females only.” But while I was certain it was a female who crafted Bastian’s anklet, we didn’t know for certain that the same fairy had crafted my collar. Yet right now, we needed to get the anklet off Bastian. The way his mind was being controlled was entirely dangerous. His needs took precedence.

“What about your collar?” Jax asked me, his brow furrowing.

I lifted my shoulders, and even though I wanted desperately to get my collar off me, I also knew that right now it wasn’t our top priority. “We can always come back here if we reach a dead-end with my collar. Just knowing that the gem is indeed from here is a start to figuring out if its forger is able to remove it from me or not.”

He frowned, and I could tell he wanted my collar off as much as he wanted Bastian’s anklet removed, but this trip wasn’t about me. It was about Bastian.

“You heard my lady,” Phillen said gruffly to the archon. “Please fetch us that list, and do make haste.”

All of us glanced at Bastian. The half-breed still slept, his breaths deep and even.

But we had no idea how long his slumber would last.