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

Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

I was exhausted by the time I found the inn Saramel had recommended by the wharf, and while she wasn’t kidding about the less-than-luxurious accommodations, I didn’t care. I fell asleep on the thin mattress, a scratchy blanket over me. Drunk siltenites lumbered by on the street, slurring and singing loudly, but I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

In the morning, the sound of the bells woke me with a start. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. I gazed around the small chambers with only a single cot and lone table in it. A bowl sat on top to use as a latrine. There wasn’t even a washroom.

The navy gown I still wore had ridden up, and my legs were chilled. Wrinkles covered the beautiful flowing material, but a quick burst of magic cleansed my body and gown. With my collar gone, I now had enough access to my magic to do so, not like last time, when I’d needed Jax to clean my clothing.

My heart twisted the second I thought of my mate. Perhaps he was being beaten, punished, or interrogated. Or, for all I knew, they’d released him, and he was looking for me at this very moment.

But my hope dimmed the second I thought that. If he was free, he would have come here. Saramel would have told him where to find me, or the bond would have led him.

But at least I knew he was alive. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the feel of our bond. Hot and bright, the strands linking our souls together still burned inside me, like a candle flame flickering in the wind. Jax was very much alive, and from how strongly I felt him, he was still in Jaggedston. They hadn’t transported him elsewhere.

Taking comfort in that, I got up and grabbed the lone quarter-rulib I had left from Saramel’s stash. It would be enough for a cup of tea and a pastry. I would literally be coinless after finding something to eat, and I could only pray to the gods that Saramel would be able to retrieve my bag and pile of rulibs tonight. Without them, I would soon be a vagrant on the streets.

Outside, the cool morning air swirled around me. I quickly checked out of the inn, then grabbed some meager food at a corner stall. The tea was bitter but hot, and the pastry dry, but it calmed some of my hunger pains.

Around me, sounds of the wharf filled the air. Banging, shouting, and more than a few curses flowed through the wind. Down the port, at the last dock, the royal ship that I’d taken with Jax to Faewood was docked. Its beautiful navy sails were tied, its exterior gleaming from a fresh wash. Another twist of regret tore at my heart and nearly brought me to my knees.

No, stay calm. You’ll find Jax. You’ll help free him. This isn’t your new reality. All hope isn’t lost.

I was contemplating how to go about doing that when a dillemsill popped into existence at my feet. I jumped, nearly stepping on the poor thing.

“So sorry,” I mumbled.

Its purple chest puffed up indignantly, and it swished its long furry yellow tail. “Elowen Emerson, you have a message,” it chirped.

Heart pounding, I scooped it up and brought it to my ear. “Yes? I’m ready.” Holding my breath, I waited and prayed that it was a message from Jax.

The small yellow bird tweeted into my ear, “The supernatural courts have summoned you. Please return promptly.”

My shoulders fell, and with trembling hands, I set the little bird back on the street. It whirled in tiny little circles, spinning and spinning like a mini tornado, until it exploded out of existence and returned, most likely, to the dreaded courts.

Curling my fingers into my palms, I took off down the street in the direction of the authorities. My hair flew around me, and a few sailors whistled when I ran past them.

But it was all noise to me. Meaningless noise. The courts wanted me to return, and that meant one of two things. They wanted further information from me, or Jax had asked for me so I could venture back to the palace with him at my side.

I vaguely remembered where the court building was in this huge city, but I still had to ask for directions multiple times, and it took me an hour of frantic walking and jogging to get there.

The air had warmed slightly by the time I reached the wide stone steps. In front of me, the imposing building waited, as though beckoning me into its mouth so it could devour me for breakfast. Behind me, the fountain shot water into the sky, its mist streaming down around it.

A sheen of sweat coated my entire body, and on shaky legs, I climbed the stairs and went to the door the kingsfae had shown me yesterday. Thick, prickly magic coasted over me, growing stronger with every step I took.

Struggling to breathe, I stopped at the door’s threshold, and the same magic that had assessed me yesterday took root. Frozen to the spot, I was held. Its cold magic felt like an ice bath. It sucked all breath from my lungs, but at least it didn’t take nearly as long as yesterday. I was on the other side within seconds. It’d obviously remembered me.

Stumbling, I hurried to the processing desk and stopped before a petite siltenite wearing a red dress. “I was summoned by a dillemsill this morning. My name is Elowen Emerson.”

The female looked up from behind her desk, her lips pursed. “Ah, yes. You were summoned over an hour ago.”

“I came as quickly as I could.”

She glanced down and shuffled through a few pieces of parchment. “I see that Junior Justice Seewald requested your presence again.” With a flick of her fingers, she summoned one of the kingsfae near the wall. He lumbered forward, his armor clinking.

My throat rolled in a swallow when he ground to a halt at my side.

The female nodded toward the hall, the same one I’d been escorted down yesterday. “Junior Justice Seewald wants to see her. Room thirteen.”

“This way.” The kingsfae lumbered in front of me, and with each step that I took, nerves fired through my limbs, making me tremble like a leaf in the wind.

I followed him to the room and stepped inside. Junior Justice Seewald was already seated behind the table. She waved toward the chair across from her. “I’ve been waiting for quite some time.”

“I’m so sorry.” I fell onto the seat and quickly smoothed my skirt around me. The kingsfae went to the corner and stood stoically. “Unfortunately, I have no way of traveling, so I had to walk. I left the second the dillemsill told me I’d been summoned.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Walk? Do you not have any rulibs to hire a carpet or carriage?”

Shame fired through me, but I slowly shook my head.

Frowning, she assessed my clothing. A brief look of pity filled her face, and it wasn’t lost on me that she was probably making note of the fact that I wore the same clothes as yesterday. “Did you sleep on the street?”

“No, I stayed at an inn.”

“But you couldn’t hire a carpet or carriage this morning?”

I swallowed the dryness in my throat. “My coins ran out.”

She hmmed and pulled out one of her pieces of parchment. “In that case, especially if you have no rulibs or means to take care of yourself, it’s probably for the best that you return to your guardian.”

“ What ?”

Footsteps came in the hall, and she nodded toward the door. A sickening feeling coasted through me, and as though a phantom hand turned my head, I glanced at the door. Every line in my body went rigid. Guardian Alleron stood there, a smug look on his face, with a kingsfae just behind him.

I shot to standing. “You want me to go with him ?”

The junior justice sighed. “You’re still under the care of a guardian. You’re not allowed to be free.”

“But Prince Adarian is my new guardian.”

Her look turned glacial. “No, he’s not. The prince will not be anyone’s guardian anytime soon.”

“But...why not? Where is he?” A ball of worry tied my stomach in knots.

She straightened her pieces of parchment, not meeting my eye. “Still detained, as he will be for the foreseeable future. Now, you’re to go with your guardian, and if anything further is needed from either of you, you’ll be summoned.”

“Come, Elowen,” Guardian Alleron called. “Don’t make a scene.”

Just hearing his voice not only made my skin crawl, but it also caused fear to cascade through me because his voice was back . Somehow, the courts had either broken through Jax’s Ironcrest magic, or Jax had been forced to remove it.

Not moving, I glued my feet to the floor, and my mind raced.

Breathing heavily, I finally said, “I would like to submit a plea to the courts for my freedom. I will not go with this male again. I’m now twenty-eight summers old, I’ve mastered my magic, and I’m no longer a danger to the public. I can prove that.”

A soft huff came from my guardian, but Junior Justice Seewald sighed. “Very well, but such things take time. You may fill out a form to have your case brought before a King or Queen Justice.” She gave the kingsfae in the corner a wave of her hand. “Please escort her to the necessary desk to fill out the requirements.”

My guardian watched me with narrowed eyes. Annoyance emanated from him, like a swarm of stinging nettle insects, ready to descend upon me and sting every inch of my skin until my lungs seized and my heart stopped. But I ignored him. I had to. I couldn’t fathom a life with him again. I could barely look at him without wanting to claw his eyes out.

Following the kingsfae, I strode past my guardian without saying a word.

With another huff, he followed.

But with each step I took, all I could think about was Jax. He was still being detained. My heart hammered as I contemplated why my guardian was free, but Jax wasn’t.

Leaning forward, I asked quietly to the kingsfae, “Is Prince Adarian being charged with something?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Indeed. He’s been charged with the crimes of the Dark Raider.”

My heart stopped.

My feet froze in place.

No, no, no. I’d misunderstood. That couldn’t possibly be true.

The kingsfae turned to face me when he realized I’d stopped. Standing a few paces away, he crossed his arms and eyed me skeptically. “Did you know he was the Dark Raider?”

“No, because he’s not!” The shout slipped past my lips before I could stop myself.

The kingsfae grumbled. “Watch your tone.”

“He’ll be hanged for what he did, Elowen,” my guardian said from behind me, and the smug tone of his voice was like needles along my skin. “It’s best you accept that now and remember your place in this realm.”

I swung around to face him as heat blasted through my cheeks, and my hands curled into fists. “But he’s not the Dark Raider.”

A look of pity filled the kingsfae’s face who stood behind my guardian. “It’s best to forget all about him,” he said gently. “All of the prince’s crimes are being uncovered as we speak. Now, carry on to the entryway. You’ll be with your true guardian until the courts deem otherwise.”

His words penetrated the panic coasting through me like a burn. Stinging and scorching fear coated every inch of my skin. This couldn’t be happening. None of this could be real.

Yet when they all looked at me expectantly, reality crashed upon me like a hammer.

I didn’t know how I turned or walked. But somehow, I began to move as if invisible hands prodded me. But it felt as though a haze drifted around me, lifting me of its own accord. I no longer felt attached to my body. My legs moved automatically, one step in front of the other, but inside, my heart was shattering.

They were charging Jax with crimes as the Dark Raider. He would be hanged. Executed. And if he’d been identified as the Dark Raider, then all of his friends had likely also been accused of being his accomplices.

“And what of the others?” My voice sounded small. Broken. “What’s to happen to his friends?”

We reached the main entrance, and the kingsfae gave me an irritated look. “They’ve all been charged. Court records have shown that all of them were gone during the Dark Raider’s raids, so unless their magistrates are able to prove otherwise, every single one of them will be hanged.”

I ground to a stop, my breath seizing in my chest.

Guardian Alleron grabbed my elbow from behind, his fingers digging into my flesh. “Enough of this, Elowen. You’re coming home with me, where you belong.”

I whipped my arm free, my lorafin magic crackling inside me. “Don’t touch me!”

The kingsfae quickly moved in. “If you cause a scene here, it won’t end well for you. Do what your guardian says and go home.”

His expression remained hard, completely unforgiving. The kingsfae behind my guardian looked the same.

They were all working against me. I had no allies. No friends. No family. I had no one except for the horrific male who had murdered my mother and taken me from her in cold blood.

“And what of him?” I jerked my chin toward my guardian. “He murdered my mother when I was an infant so he could take me as his own. What charges are being brought against him ?”

My guardian laughed. Actually laughed . “Elowen, enough with the hysterics. I never murdered your mother, as you well know. You’re just lucky you’re not in more trouble for lying since you knew the prince was the Dark Raider.”

“I didn’t know that because he’s not.”

The kingsfae grumbled again. “All right, I’ve had enough. Take her and get out,” he said gruffly to my guardian.

“Gladly. I do apologize for her behavior.” Guardian Alleron gripped me again, then hauled me to the processing desk. I tried to fight him, tried to work free of him, but his grip only strengthened, and I knew the only way he would release me was if I used my magic.

But if I did that here and now, they’d arrest me too.

I wanted to fall to the floor. To cry. Wail. Sob. I wanted to do all of those things, but I couldn’t.

My mate was being tried as the Dark Raider. He would likely hang, and if I got arrested and shoved into a jail cell, then I couldn’t do anything to help him.

I had to get myself together and think. There had to be a way out of this.

And as the female sitting at the processing desk handed me the parchment form to fill out, the form that I would submit to request freedom from my guardian, it hit me like lightning what I needed to do.

I glanced down at the parchment, at the questions and articles that would ensure my freedom now that I had complete control of my magic, but I knew as I held it, that if the courts found out what I was planning...

No. That didn’t matter. Only Jax’s freedom did.