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

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Saroly’s throat bobbed, and her gaze darted to me, widening slightly when she saw my collar, and I was just as speechless.

Because it was her .

The female who matched the image the semelees had shown me stood right before me. The forger of Bastian’s anklet had been found.

With wild eyes, I glanced at Jax and nodded, then mouthed, She’s the one .

Darkness gathered in Norivun’s aura, the royal’s gaze cutting to the female while a vicious smile curved my mate’s lips.

Saroly glanced at the door again, but before she could bolt, Jax’s command cut like a whip. “ Sit .”

Potent magic speared the Solis fairy, and on stiff limbs, she moved to the chair beside me and sat.

Up close, I was better able to see her. She appeared middle-aged, not as advanced in seasons as Angim, and fear wafted from her. Pure, genuine fear.

My heart began to race.

“We have a few questions for you.” Norivun leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “We have reason to believe that someone in this facility has been stealing gems from Hartivul Mine and selling them to fae on the Silten continent who are using them for nefarious purposes.” He nodded to me. “This female has also suffered her entire life because of that collar upon her neck, and there’s a male in the entryway whose mind is currently being controlled by another due to a piece of jewelry around his ankle.”

Saroly’s nostrils flared, and since I was sitting so close to her, I was able to see her chest rise in short, shallow breaths. “I assure you,” she said quickly. “I know nothing about this.”

Norivun arched an eyebrow, then glanced at Jax. “Prince Adarian, question her at will.”

An angry clash of energy rose in Jax’s aura, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d also reached the same conclusion that I had, that Saroly’s fear and rapidly rising chest when she saw my collar meant it was possible she was not only the anklet’s creator but my collar’s as well.

“ Have you ever seen her collar before ?” Jax pointed at me, his potent Mistvale magic lacing his question.

Saroly’s jaw worked, her teeth clenching together, but one word hissed through her lips. “Yes.”

It felt as though my heart stopped.

I fell back in my seat, my mouth going slack. She’d said yes. Yes!

Jax’s jaw muscle pumped, and his eyes blazed. “ Are you that collar’s creator ?”

Saroly’s nostrils flared sharply, and her thigh muscles clenched as though she was trying to rise so she could run from her chair, but Jax’s earlier command to sit held firm. “Yes,” she replied, her answer no more than a whisper.

The entire room fell silent.

Hope surged in me, so strongly that I had to squeeze my hands into fists, using my sharp nails digging into my skin to keep myself grounded. I wanted to rise and shout in elation, then dance around the room. We found her . After so many seasons of torture and abuse because of my collar, its creator sat before me, and she might have the power to remove it.

“ And what about anklets that are currently being used on the Silten continent to control fae? Did you create those too ?” Jax’s expression turned lethal.

Saroly hissed, her lip curling, but Jax’s magic forced her response. “Possibly.”

“ Explain .”

Fury flooded Saroly’s expression, and her jaw worked, but Jax’s command held firm. “I recently created many anklets with rhifilyte gems, but I don’t know who they were put on.”

The air around Norivun dropped to freezing temperatures, and frost licked the table in front of him. “You stole gems from our floating meadows and sold them to other continents? Even crafting rhifilyte gems into jewelry knowing how dangerous that is?”

Saroly flashed him a look of contempt.

“ Answer his questions ,” Jax commanded in a deadly low voice. Malicious energy rose in his aura, clouding around him until it filled the room.

“I did exactly that.” Saroly lifted her chin.

Norivun’s breath sucked in, and his aura rose even higher, pounding through the room until the magic from the two royal males was so strong that my head began to spin.

Sharp zings of magic abruptly emitted from my collar. Gasping, I reached over and grabbed Saroly’s hand. “Take this off me. Now.”

Saroly whipped her hand out from under mine, her gaze darting around the room. Heightened energy strummed from her sovereign, Jax, and all of his friends. But at the moment, I didn’t feel rage toward this female. I only felt a desperate need to have her undo all of the hurt that her magic had caused me.

Jax rose from his chair, his tall and imposing form filling the room. A wave of potent magic radiated from him, directed entirely at Saroly. “ Can you remove her collar?”

Saroly bared her teeth but hissed, “Yes.”

My breaths turned so rapid that I grew lightheaded, yet I didn’t want to hope too desperately that my collar could be removed. If something went wrong, and Saroly couldn’t...

It would destroy me.

Jax’s attention cut to me, and the ruthlessness of the Dark Raider shone upon his face, but it fractured for a split second when he saw me, and his features softened.

“Do what she said. Remove that collar from her immediately, and ensure she is not hurt in the process .”

Daggers shot from Saroly’s eyes, but she turned in her chair, and even though I’d done nothing to this female and in no way deserved her wrath, she looked ready to spit in my face.

But Jax’s magic had also commanded her not to hurt me, so even if she did want to rake her nails down my cheeks, she couldn’t. Just like she couldn’t resist his command to remove my collar.

My heart pounded painfully.

Lifting her hands, Saroly settled cupped palms around my throat. Her magic heated my skin so much that it felt as though I should be burning, but no pain came, only potent magic that had its own feel and fragrance. Sharp scents of gold wafted up to greet me, then magical tangs of silver and iron followed. Saroly closed her eyes, her jaw muscles pumping in rage while her body begrudgingly followed Jax’s command.

Not even a second later, a click came from the back of my neck.

A new texture on my collar rubbed against my skin, right by my mating mark. My fingers flew toward it of their own accord. A locking mechanism, which had magically appeared under its maker’s instruction, brushed against my fingertips.

Still scowling, Saroly swatted my fingers away and pinched the mechanism. A click followed, and my collar sprang open.

Just like that . . . it opened .

Eyes wide with shock, I watched as Saroly pulled back, bringing my unlocked collar with her.

Cool air rushed around my throat. Air that I couldn’t remember ever having felt upon my skin bathed me in freshness. I ran my fingers over my neck, around my throat, and against my mating mark just beneath my hairline. Naked skin greeted me. Naked skin. My collar was gone.

As soon as that realization hit me, a rush of cold energy blazed from the depths of my stomach, soaring upward through my frame as all of my lorafin magic coasted free. Shadows unfurled within me. My magic sang. My power surged. The sense that I’d had previously, that there was a missing piece to the puzzle of my magic, disappeared. The last final essence of my power clicked into place, and the second it did, for the first time in my life, I felt whole .

Magnificent, heady power barreled through me. I jumped up and shouted, glee filling me so completely that I raised my arms and began to twirl in place.

Magic cascaded through me, around me, in me. So much magic. So much power. And I had access to all of it now, because I was free .

Finally, blessedly free .

Shadows blazed around me as tears filled my eyes, streaming down my cheeks. Thickness coated my throat. I cried in relief and joy, so overcome that I couldn’t see through the pool of moisture flooding my eyes.

But then the hazy image of Jax was there, standing before me. He wrapped me in his embrace. Strong arms held me, crushing me to his chest, and I hugged him back just as fiercely.

“My love.” His voice was husky and thick with emotion.

I held him just as fast. “I’m free.” My words came out choked as disbelief still filled me. I’d wanted this for so long. Full seasons of hope had been leading to this single moment, and at last, it was here. Finally, the suffocating magic that had caged me my entire life was gone. Blessedly and completely gone .

Tears of amazement continued to pour from me. I couldn’t hold them back. Couldn’t stop my reaction to the reality that had just occurred. For so many summers, I’d dreamed of this. But it’d always seemed to be just that—a dream. My entire life I’d hoped that one day, what had just happened, would finally be true. And now it was.

Sobbing, I clung to my mate.

Jax gripped me hard, his face buried in my neck as I cried and cried in happiness. Finally, finally I was allowed to say goodbye to the slave life that I’d always known. I was a caged lorafin no more.

My potent magic continued to cascade through me as Jax held me, but I didn’t explode. I didn’t grow out of control. I had mastered my magic long ago, and I knew I was no longer a threat to others.

Another sob shook my chest, and Jax pulled back, just enough to cup my cheeks and kiss me.

I kissed him back just as hard, a laugh bubbling out of me. He joined in, his deep laugh joining my own. I suddenly became aware that his friends around the room were cheering and thumping the table in their excitement.

And when I finally wiped my eyes enough to clearly regard everything that was happening, it was to a sea of smiling faces.

Only Saroly wasn’t rejoicing, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find the will to care.

The gold collar, the choker that had been placed upon me, literally choking the magic out of me my entire life, sat on the table in front of us. Sitting there, it looked innocent. Harmless. Yet I knew if I slipped it around my neck and allowed that deadly lock to engage once more, its magic could affect me all over again.

Jax seemed to realize the same thing. Because after our celebrations finally calmed and reality set in for what Saroly had done, he commanded her to destroy the magic she’d infused into it.

Removing its potent magic wasn’t as easy as it’d been for her to unlock it. Sweat soon lined her forehead, and magic rolled from her in continued waves. Her cupped hands remained around the collar for much longer than they’d been around my neck.

But eventually, a clash of magic shook the walls around us, and the collar evaporated. It happened in a clang of power, as though a bolt of lightning shot from the skies, and in one blinding moment, its magic was destroyed, and the collar was obliterated.

When the energy calmed, only the gemstone remained, the purple jewel bouncing along the table until the energy diffused completely. But it remained a loose rock, looking entirely harmless, even though it was one of the deadliest jewels created in our lands.

But the amount of energy it took Saroly to fulfill such a task made the magnitude of the collar’s might hit me anew. And to think I’d been wearing that thing for twenty-three summers.

Before anyone could say anything further, the door banged open, and Archon Oniville appeared. Face pale, her gaze sought Norivun’s.

She bowed quickly. “I’ve just come from our vault, and I . . . I . . .”

“Spit it out,” Trivan growled.

She bowed again. “I’m so sorry, but you were right. All of the rhifilyte gemstones in our vault that were harvested several months ago and over the seasons...” She gulped. “They’re all gone. Someone had cast a glamour over their container to make it look as though they were all present, so when routine accounting was done, it didn’t appear that anything was amiss, and”—her face paled even more—“I’m so sorry. As the archon here, I’m entirely responsible for?—”

“Are the other gems in the vaults accounted for?” Norivun cut her off. “Have more been stolen?”

The archon bowed. “We’re doing a thorough inventory right now, and I’ve called a spellcaster to come in to ensure no glamours or illusions remain. I’ll return when I know more.” She quickly fled the room.

Norivun growled low in his throat, and his cool gaze met Saroly’s.

But the fairy only faced him straight-on. The fear she first exuded when she entered this room was now entirely absent.

“We’ll get to the other missing gems in a minute,” Norivun finally said. “Adarian? Would you like to continue?”

Seething, Jax shoved a hand into his pocket. He pulled out my guardian’s adaptor. “ Destroy this too .”

Spiteful eyes met Jax’s when he tossed the adaptor her way. But Jax’s face was carved stone. Unyielding rock. There was no mercy in his expression as he gazed down at Saroly.

Hissing, Saroly grabbed the adaptor.

It took her just as long, but the same clash of magic eventually shook the room, booming like thunder. Finally, the adaptor was destroyed too, leaving only the small rhifilyte gem it’d held bouncing along the table.

Two loose gemstones now sat before us, but nobody dared touch them.

“And now Bastian,” Jax said in a cold, hard voice.

“I give my permission to have him brought back here, even though his identity hasn’t been verified.” Norivun’s wings tightened. “If the receptionist gives you any trouble, notify me.”

Jax signaled Phillen, and the guard left the room. Only minutes later, he returned with the half-breed dangled over his shoulder and Bowan, Lars, and Norivun’s four guards in tow.

I still didn’t know if Norivun knew that Bastian was Jax’s brother, and considering the bargain I made with Phillen’s wife, Saramel, I couldn’t ask him outright. I made a mental note to ask Jax to relieve me of that bargain once we were home, since he was the only one who could do so given the bargain’s conditions. We’d been so busy recently that the thought hadn’t even occurred to me.

“Where do you want him?” Phillen lumbered into the room.

Jax pointed to the table. “Lay him down here.”

Saroly’s lips thinned when she caught sight of the anklet around the half-breed’s ankle.

Phillen carefully lowered Bastian, and Lars and Bowan jumped in to help straighten his limbs and support his antler rack. Despite that, Bastian’s large antlers knocked against the table’s surface, creating a tinny sound that rang through the room.

Once Jax’s brother was supine and appeared relatively comfortable, Jax returned his attention to the metalwork fairy.

“ Did you create his anklet ?”

I could have sworn Jax held his breath after weaving his Mistvale magic around her.

Saroly’s nostrils flared. “Yes.”

A collective sigh of relief flowed from all of our lips.

“ Did you create all of the anklets with rhifilyte gems that were sent to the Silten continent within the last few months ?”

Her lip curled. “Yes.”

Jax closed his eyes, as though needing a minute to collect himself. When he opened them, he leveled her with an unforgiving stare, but he spoke in a normal voice when he said, “You’re going to remove this male’s anklet, and then every fairy your creations have been placed upon will be found, and you’ll be required to undo all of them.”

“And when you finish that, you’ll answer to me.” Norivun’s eyes were as cold as the Cliffs of Sarum when he stared at the female. A puff of his mighty affinity curled around her, and for the first time, true fear shown on Saroly’s face as the Solis continent’s Death Master’s might filled the room.

Jax crossed his arms, and powerful magic once again filled his tone. “ Remove his anklet and ensure he’s not hurt in the process .”

Saroly’s hands shot out, cupping Bastian’s anklet as she fell victim to Jax’s Mistvale magic once more.

Like it’d been with me, it didn’t take more than a minute before a click sounded from the anklet, and then it was falling away, clanging softly onto the metallic table.

“ Destroy that anklet now ,” Jax commanded.

Still seething, Saroly cupped the jewelry while the rest of us surged forward, eagerly peering down at Bastian. Breaths held, we waited for him to awaken.

Minutes later, a final clash of magic abruptly shook the walls, and Saroly sagged back in her chair. Like my collar, the anklet had been destroyed, its gem now loose, but in that time, Bastian hadn’t roused.

“Do you suppose his mind is injured?” I placed a hand on Jax’s forearm.

His brow furrowed, worry lining his expression. “I don’t know.”

“I can seek a healer if needed.” Norivun’s comment was calm, yet he wore a look of concern.

I began to worry that Bastian would never wake because the semelee had used too much of its power on him to make him sleep. I surmised that I might have to return to the Veiled Between to find a semelee to undo what the first had done, but just as that thought struck me, the barest moan came from Bastian’s mouth.

The half-breed’s breathing increased, his chest puffing more with each breath. And with a loud groan, he brought a hand to his head, right below one of his antlers.

Hope soared across Jax’s face. “Bastian? Can you hear me?”

Eyes cracking open, Bastian lifted his head, his antlers swaying across the table’s surface as he looked left, then right. Eyes widening more, he sat up. “Stars, my head is pounding .”

Jax’s smile turned into a grin, and he launched himself across the table, enclosing his younger brother in an embrace so fierce that Bastian fell back.

“Whoa, calm down, bro,” Bastian said, laughing softly. “I seriously have the most massive headache.”

Trivan, Lars, Phillen, Bowan, Lander, Alec, and I began to whoop in joy, everyone clapping and hugging while Bastian embraced his brother back, confusion still evident in his expression.

Bastian’s forehead furrowed even more when he assessed his surroundings. “Um...where am I?”

Jax’s laugh turned into a sob. Tears streamed down my mate’s face. I climbed onto the table beside him and wrapped him in a hug.

Bastian’s look of shock when Jax kissed me fiercely only made me grin more. Joy radiated through my mate and along our bond, and when we pulled apart, Bastian looked between the two of us, his confusion giving way to a small smile.

“Is someone going to fill me in on what’s going on?” The look on Bastian’s face grew entirely playful. “Why do I feel like I missed something?”