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

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Norivun and his friends circled our carpet while the eight of us stepped onto the enchanted material. Bastian stayed sleeping in the center, and luckily, he remained quiet and unresponsive. Everyone crowded around him, Lars and Phillen holding him securely again. Bowan, Lander, Trivan, and Alec flanked his sides, and Jax and I stood at his front.

Even though it was crowded, we had room for more fae, but instead of joining us on our magical form of transportation, Norivun and his guards spread their massive wings.

Norivun pointed south. “It’s a short flight to get to the facility. All you need to do is follow me. My guards will keep pace behind your carpet, and I’ll keep us on an easy path so your carpet won’t have any problems keeping up.”

Jax inclined his head. “We’ll stay close.”

Norivun gave a mighty push from his legs, and he shot into the sky, his black wings flapping violently in the strong winds. His guards took off just as fast.

Jax quickly commanded the enchanted carpet to rise. Soon, we were soaring through the cold atmosphere once more. The huge floating meadow containing Hartivul Mine fell behind us. Other floating meadows filled the sky, making us dip and weave to avoid colliding with them.

Some of the fae guards who we’d seen earlier flapped in the skies near us, patrolling the floating meadows. All of them nodded respectfully to Norivun and his guards, each of them pausing their flight to hover in midair as we passed.

Thankfully, Norivun flew on a glided path downward, not too steep, which made it easy for Jax to command the carpet to follow him. The royal brought us closer to the realm’s surface, his guards flapping on the wind behind us. And while it certainly wasn’t warm even as we drifted downward, being nearer to the ground helped keep the fierce atmospheric wind at bay.

Despite that, Jax still enacted his air element. We’d been in the cold for hours now, and even though their shifter blood kept the stags from freezing, I wasn’t so lucky.

Of course, my mate seemed to sense that because he erected a solid shield of air around us, stopping the wind and warming the bubble of air that cocooned us. It made traveling over the ground pleasantly comfortable.

Our carpet stayed a few stories above the ground as we followed Norivun over hills, icy streams, and snowy valleys. Above us, the floating meadows continued to shift and sway in the sky, and I wondered how much distance they covered. The meadows seemed to go on forever.

But on the ground, everywhere I looked was crystalline snow and ice. Forests were visible, too, in the distance, and a few crops appeared as well. The entire Solis continent was a wintery wonderland, yet amazingly, life still grew here.

It didn’t take long to reach the facility that held the gemstones. The building kissed the edge of the nearest town, and the city appeared to be rather small, maybe several thousand fae in residence. Farther into the city, shops and homes were visible. Smoke curled from chimneys. Flying fae dotted the skies. And the sound of the town’s hustle whistled to us on the breeze.

The facility we traveled to wasn’t overly large either. It stood about a story tall, but it spread out over two blocks.

Norivun landed lightly at the main doors, and Jax glided our carpet to land on the snow at his side. His four guards touched down just behind us.

“Ock, weather’s brisk today,” the grumpy one—Nish—commented.

Haxil clapped him on the back, his round cheeks bright with cold. “’Tis a lovely northern day, Nishy. The Mother has blessed us. Don’t you all agree?” he asked me and Jax’s friends and guards.

I offered a polite smile while Jax’s guards all commented on the weather, chests puffing up since, as I was guessing, none of them wanted to admit they felt the cold.

As the male boasting continued, I turned my attention to the facility. My heart began to strum once more. Inside this building, answers might be waiting to questions I’d been asking my entire life.

Constructed mostly of metal, the facility blended into the landscape. It had no windows, only the entrance doors, and a sign hung over them reading Hartivul Mine Processing Facility .

I couldn’t help but wonder if the vague name was to deter any would-be thefts. While I was certain it was common knowledge to the residents in this city what occurred behind these walls, I had a feeling most fae on the Solis continent were ignorant of the precious gems locked within it.

Jax drifted closer to my side, his brow furrowing. Inhaling my scent, he dipped his head. “We’ll not stop until we find that female who forged the anklets and, hopefully, your collar too.”

I took a deep breath and nodded.

As the other males and guards turned their attention to the facility, Norivun strode toward the double doors, and when he reached them, he knocked on one sharply. Both doors were frosted, impossible to see through, but a shimmer appeared around the middle of one, and then a male’s face appeared from inside.

I jumped, the door’s magic and security guard taking me by surprise, but Norivun calmly stated, “Good afternoon, my guests and I would like admittance, and I’ll also need to speak with the archon in charge here.”

The guard’s eyes widened when he beheld Norivun’s imposing figure. Through the door, he uttered, “Of...of course.” He bowed quickly, and then another shimmer appeared around the door’s handle.

The lock holding it in place disengaged, and all of us strode inside, save Bastian, who Phillen had to carry.

We entered a simple reception area. Several metal chairs, and a small fire burning in a hearth waited before us. In addition to the woodsmoke, metallic scents permeated the air. Phillen shuffled to the nearest chair and set Bastian down. The half-breed slumped to the side, barely maintaining a sitting position.

The security guard twisted his hands and bowed at Norivun. At his back, his wings stayed closely locked together. “I’ll, um, still need you to pass clearance. I do apologize for the formality.” He waved toward a crystal ball at the metallic reception desk.

Behind the desk, another wide-eyed male was watching all of us with a slackened jaw. Like all Solis fae, both the receptionist and security guard had white hair, blue eyes, and black wings.

“No need for apologies. I would expect nothing less,” Norivun replied as he strode to the crystal ball. “Appearances can be deceiving, especially if one has an illusion affinity or is skilled at glamours.”

“Yes, precisely.” The guard bowed again. “If you would.” He waved toward the crystal ball. “Your guards and guests will need to do so as well.”

One by one, we all placed a hand on the crystal ball while the receptionist watched on.

With each new palm that was placed on the sphere, the ball warmed, then our names and addresses were scrawled across the reception ledger. The only fairy who wasn’t scanned was Bastian. Both the guard and receptionist eyed Jax’s brother curiously as the ball’s magic accurately identified each of us, cataloging our identities and residences.

“As you can see, I’m who I appear to be.” Norivun smirked slightly.

“Indeed. It’s truly an honor.” The receptionist brought a fist to his chest and bowed, then glanced at the security guard. “Those that have been cleared may go back. I can take them to Archon Oniville.”

The security guard grunted and nodded toward Bastian. “This one will have to stay here since he hasn’t been identified.”

“Bowan and Lars, would you stay with Bastian?” Jax asked them.

“My guards can stay with him too,” Norivun added. “For extra security.”

Bowan, Lars, Nish, Sandus, Haxil, and Ryder all moved to stand around the sleeping half-breed, effectively caging him in. Bastian, unbeknownst to the fact that he was surrounded by six large males, still slumped unconscious on the chair.

The facility’s security guard frowned, and I could only imagine what he was thinking. I would have bet rulibs that the last thing he expected on his shift today was for a group of foreigners, multiple guards, and two royals to show up with an enchanted carpet and an unconscious half-breed stag.

The receptionist cleared his throat. “The rest of you may come with me.”

We followed the receptionist through the back door into a hallway. Gray shiny flooring spread out before us, along with cream metallic walls. The sharp scent of metal grew the farther we wove into the facility.

At the end of another long hall, the receptionist rapped sharply on a closed door, and a shimmer of magic appeared around it. Similar to the front door, another face appeared through a circular hole in the frosted pane, and given the male’s uniform, I figured it was another security guard.

The receptionist drew himself up taller. “Our sovereign and his guests would like to speak with Archon Oniville.”

The guard’s eyes widened when he saw all of us hovering behind the receptionist, and he quickly disappeared from view. Only a few seconds passed before the door opened, and a female fairy emerged.

She had pure silver hair and blazing blue eyes. Small wings graced her back, and she brought a fist to her chest and bowed deeply at Norivun. “It’s an honor, truly.” She slowly straightened. “I had no idea you planned to visit us today, but I’m at your service for whatever you may need.”

I studied the archon’s silvery hair pulled back in a severe bun. Her astute blue eyes traveled over the rest of us before returning to her royal.

Norivun waved toward Jax. “My friend, the crown prince of Stonewild Kingdom on the Silten continent, is in need of our help. Prince Adarian’s mate and another male—still in the front reception area—are both wearing jewelry that we believe may have been crafted in this facility. Rhifilyte gems, mined from Hartivul Mine, are encased in both.”

The archon’s eyes widened, and a surprised huff escaped her. “ Our jewelry with gems from our mine are on Silten fae?” Her wings ruffled behind her, and she cast her narrowed eyes my way.

“Indeed,” Norivun continued. “Archon Severell’s wand has confirmed it.”

“Is that so?” Archon Oniville stepped in front of me, and her gaze focused on my collar. “May I?” she asked, lifting her fingers.

“You may.” Appreciating the fact that she asked for consent first, I inclined my head, and she ran her fingers along my collar. Puffs of magic emitted from her fingertips, magic that I hadn’t felt the likes of before. With each magical emittance from her, my collar vibrated and tingled.

Eyes widening, she finally dropped her probing hands. “Unbelievable. My magic recognizes the pattern used to construct such a piece. This is indeed a collar from our facility, but how could such a thing have happened?”

My heart leaped at hearing her confirm that my collar had originated here. Voice straining with hope, I managed to get out, “This was constructed sometime in the previous twenty-three to twenty-eight summers. It was placed on me when I was five summers old.”

Her eyes widened even more. “You’ve been wearing such a device nearly your entire life?” She recoiled and brought her hand to her chest. “But that collar is brimming with suppression magic. Why, it must have felt like you were trapped underwater for all these seasons.”

My throat rolled in a swallow. “It has.”

“Can you remove it?” Norivun asked. “To cage a female like this”—his jaw pumped—“is not something I condone, and it certainly isn’t something I would like the Solis fae known for.”

“No, certainly not. I completely agree.” The archon took a step back, her lips thinning. “But from what I just felt, strong magic was used to forge that collar. Only one of our strongest fae would have been able to create that. Not very many would be capable, and I’m afraid I cannot take it off, but perhaps its wielder could.”

“Do you know who created it?” Somehow, I resisted the urge to wring my hands.

“No, but there aren’t many who could have. Maybe five of my employees over the seasons would have been capable of producing what I just felt in your necklace.”

Five? Only five? Hope pounded through me.

“Are they”—my throat suddenly felt dry—“here?”

“Three are here today.” Her wings tightened more behind her. “But two have since retired and moved away.”

“How many of those five are females?” Jax crossed his arms, his black hair flashing ebony in the lights.

“Two.” She cocked her head. “Why do you ask?”

“Because we know for certain that a female forged the anklet our friend is wearing. He’s still in the reception area,” Jax replied.

Her eyes narrowed. “How do you know that a female did such a thing?”

“The semelees told me,” I explained. “I’m able to walk the Veiled Between.”

When her brow only furrowed further, Norivun said, “Elowen’s a lorafin, a rare type of Silten fae. Her particular breed of magic isn’t common, so don’t be alarmed if you’ve never heard of the Veiled Between or the magic she harbors. But I can tell you that if a semelee told her a female forged the anklet they speak of, then it was certainly a female.”

“What about your necklace?” Her gaze pierced the collar encircling my throat. “Did a male or female forge yours?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. The semelees didn’t reveal that.”

“I see.” The archon stood straighter. “Well, regarding your friend, that will help narrow it down if you’re certain it’s a female.”

“We also have this.” I thrust the piece of parchment toward her that contained the list of names Khristian had supplied to us. “Although, if you already think you know who it may be, perhaps you don’t need it.”

She took the parchment and perused the names. “I see that someone’s done their homework.”

Jax and I shared a side-eye, while the rest of our friends shuffled their feet behind us. Anxious energy puffed in all of their auras.

My mate leveled the archon with a penetrating stare. “Of these two females you spoke of, are either here today?”

The archon nodded. “Indeed, Angim Holz and Saroly Yimmperfae are both working today.”

An explosive array of hope burst in my chest, and a cataclysmic response, just as strong as mine, came from Jax along our bond. Archon Oniville had just narrowed down our list from twenty fae to two .

Jax slipped his hand through mine. I squeezed him tightly, and my heart threatened to beat out of my chest.

A sting came from my collar, just the barest brush of magic cascading through me, but it triggered enough to whip Archon Oniville’s attention back to me. “Your necklace just activated .”

I gave her a weak smile. “It’s common for it to do that. Emotions bring it out.”

Norivun’s eyes narrowed and grew glacially cold when he said, “And where might Angim Holz and Saroly Yimmperfae be at the moment?”

“Why, they’re both working at their stations.” Archon Oniville waved to the room she’d emerged from.

Norivun inclined his head. “Excellent. In that case, please take us to a private chamber and then bring each of them to us alone. Prince Adarian has some questions he would like to ask them.”

The archon bowed. “As you wish.”