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

Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

We made love twice before getting up. Still, it was hard to leave the bed. Jax and I had enjoyed so little time together since completing our bond, and given the predatory gleam in his eyes when we finally both rose to get dressed for the day, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before his magic whisked my clothes off once more.

A delicious ache curled in my lower belly at the thought of him rutting with me again, but I reminded myself we still had so much to do.

I bathed quickly, then went to the wardrobe, which Jax insisted I now call our wardrobe, and slipped into a long-sleeved top and simple black leggings.

Jax, dressed in breeches and a tunic, then came up behind me and kissed me on the neck. Hands settling on my hips, he whispered huskily into my ear, “When this is all said and done, mate, I’m locking you in this chambers and fucking you for a week straight.”

I shivered, and he nipped at my ear. “Promise?” I whispered.

His fingers dug into me. “Oh yes, mate. That’s a promise.”

Reluctantly, we both slipped into boots, then Jax retrieved a portal key. The jar that Quinn had produced of the small magical keys was now half empty, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he could procure more since they certainly made traveling easier.

My eyebrows rose when Jax clasped my hand. “The others aren’t joining us?”

“Not yet. We’ll go to the Isle of Song first and then take Bastian home. After that, they’ll join us when we go to Faewood.”

“I’m so excited for Bastian to finally get back to Anna.” A grin bloomed across my face, and knowing that Bastian could finally return to his life made my smile widen even more.

Chuckling, Jax whispered the words to activate the key, and the realm tilted around us. The portal transfer crushed and stretched us in a discombobulating way until our feet landed on solid ground.

The great university loomed in front of us. Salt kissed the air, the sea’s breeze whipping around us. Tall swaying grasses swished by my hands, and above, the pale-green sky was filled with stars. This island’s strange way of commanding time never ceased to amaze me.

In the nighttime, the building’s exterior looked even older than I remembered. Crumbling rock infused with ancient magic waited before us. The heavy throb of it slid over my skin like a ghostly touch.

“You truly spent six weeks here?” Jax asked, gazing down at me.

“The longest six weeks of my life.”

His jaw locked, and his guilt bled into our bond. I knew he was thinking again of what we’d discussed last night—that he was no longer going to be the Dark Raider so I would never be put in a position like that again.

I still wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I didn’t want to rob him of that role, but I also knew it was pointless to argue. Jax had always put my safety first, and I knew that once his mind was made up, it wouldn’t change.

Together, we climbed the steps and headed toward the tall, imposing doors. Like the other time I’d been here, they opened automatically. Inside, the familiar pillars and torches waited. I’d spent so much time in this school, and everything looked so familiar.

“Ready?” Jax asked.

I nodded, and hand in hand, we stepped over the threshold and were swept away to Master Fistideeous’s chambers.

It all happened so fast, as though we were in the entry and then in the small chambers in a blink. Despite experiencing transfers like that for weeks on end when I’d stayed here, I still wasn’t used to it. So much magic infused this place.

I blinked and acclimated myself to our new surroundings. Pristine books and tomes graced all of the shelves, and standing near the far wall was the four-foot scholar.

“Ah, dear Elowen, you’ve returned!” The gargoyle swirled on his clawed feet to face us. Dark eyes gazed our way, and his lips lifted in a terrifying smile. “And I see you’ve brought your mate with you, which means you must have twisted fate after all.”

Jax dipped his head. “Indeed. It’s nice to see you again.”

Master Fistideeous’s smile widened. “Likewise, my prince.”

Confusion filled me, and I froze in place. “Wait, you remember me?” In our current reality, I’d never met Master Fistideeous before—unlike Jax, who met him months prior when he’d been searching for ways to locate his brother. But since I’d changed the course of our realm, I figured the gargoyle scholar wouldn’t know who I was.

Master Fistideeous’s smile dimmed. “Unfortunately, no, I don’t actually remember you, Elowen. But the ancient magic here told me that a lorafin by your name had been tutored by me and that you were returning today to share what you learned.”

Jax and I both glanced at the walls around us. Ancient magic pulsed in this land, and the rock this building was constructed of had stronger magic than I could fully comprehend. The same powerful feel filled the supernatural court’s building and other buildings of our realm forged of similar stone.

Whatever the gods and goddesses, who had once walked our realm, had done to these rocks and parcels of land had left a lasting impression that stood the test of time. Their magic was so complex I doubted few could fully comprehend it. If any could.

Shaking off that mesmerizing thought, I rolled my shoulders and approached my former tutor. “You’re right. Even though you don’t remember me, I certainly remember you, and I’m here to share what I learned by twisting fate.”

“Very good. This way.” He led me to a low bench at the end of the room and opened a scroll, then nodded toward a crystal sphere. “Place your hand on the sphere. The magic will siphon the knowledge from you.”

I did as he said, but unlike the spheres used at the inns and the courts that simply cataloged identifying information, the feel of the magic in his sphere encompassed my thoughts. Power swirled through my mind and took whatever it wished.

Words flowed across the page, and my eyes widened as detail upon detail of my time with the semelees appeared before me. Every single second I’d commanded the fates was documented. It didn’t name me, and there was nothing identifying, but in the centuries to come, if a new lorafin was born and walked the land, if she came to the Isle of Song, she too could learn from the history books.

By the time the magic finished, it left me with an unsettled feeling. My mind had literally just been plundered, but it had only taken from my time with the semelees. No more. It was a small price to pay for all that Master Fistideeous had done for me.

Still, I shook the feeling off. It was definitely strange.

“Thank you,” I said, when the knowledge-sharing was complete. “If not for you, the prince and I would not be together right now, and a horrible plan that had been brewing on the continent would be taking form.”

The scholar’s smile stretched wide once more, and he twisted the scroll up and secured it with a leather strap. “I’m glad to hear that I tutored you well and that you were mindful of whatever you changed. And might I say, the pleasure was all mine, even if I can’t remember you, and I do thank you for what you’ve done.” He tapped the scroll with one of his claws. “The day may come when another lorafin will need our help, and what you’ve shared today may be exactly what she seeks.”

I leaned down and gave him a kiss, his skin cool and rough like stone, and I could have sworn a blush rose in him when I pulled back.

“We can’t thank you enough, Master Fistideeous.” Jax bowed toward him.

The gargoyle cleared his throat, hopping from foot to foot, then bowed as well. “I wish you both many moons and stars of happiness to come.”

We said our goodbyes, and then magic swirled around us, taking us back to the university’s front steps. Both Jax and I gazed upward at the ancient building that had changed both of our lives.

Silently, we said goodbye to it and then used a portal key to whisk us back to the continent.

We returned to Jaggedston to find the others. It wasn’t hard. A dillemsill was waiting for us on the windowsill of Jax’s suite, letting us know everyone was waiting for us in Bastian’s enchanted chambers.

“I can only imagine what they’re all up to,” Jax said, a smile in his voice as the dillemsill began to spin with magic.

We headed to the third floor of Jax’s tower, using the magical lift he’d created within the walls. He let me operate it, so I closed the painting that covered the creation and then told the lift to descend. On the third floor, I tapped the button shining green, which indicated that the coast was clear. The portrait swung open, and the familiar third floor greeted us.

Out of the lift, the carpet made our steps silent as we strode toward the enchanted suite. Jax knocked briskly on the door once, then let himself in.

Bastian looked up from where he was sitting in the seating area. Everyone else was either lounging on the furniture around him or casually standing.

A huge tray of food sat before them, and from the looks of it, all of them were enjoying it.

“I hope those goblets aren’t filled with leminai.” Jax put his hands on his hips, his voice stern, but a smile tugged at his lips.

“Of course not. What do you take us for?” Trivan replied, lifting his glass. “Drunkards?”

“Bro, I can’t get enough of this cheese. Seriously, it’s the best.” Bastian picked up a thick wedge of it and placed it on a slice of bread before shoving the entire thing into his mouth. Beside him, on the couch, lay a looking glass.

I laughed lightly at the sheer joy emitting from him and had a feeling it was due to the males’ company and the fact that he could speak with Anna whenever he wanted. That, and he’d only been in this room for a day. He hadn’t been imprisoned for weeks in this reality, with Saramel caring for him while I studied furiously at the Isle of Song.

Chuckling, Jax joined Bastian and the others.

Bowan leaned forward on the chair across from Bastian and picked up a piece of cheese too, but Bastian swatted his fingers away. “That’s my breakfast you’re taking.”

Bowan grinned and popped the cheese in his mouth. “Yes, it is, and it’s quite delicious.”

Trivan snickered and also snagged a few pieces from the tray while Lars and Phillen stood near the door. Both held beverages.

Lander and Alec lounged near the wall, and Quinn was nowhere to be seen. One thing I was quickly learning about the crowfy shifter, he came and went readily within the group, and nobody seemed to think anything of it.

Jax dropped down beside his brother and clapped him on the shoulder. “Are you ready to go home?”

Bastian’s eyes widened, and his antler rack swung so quickly when he turned his head, that if anyone had been standing closer, they’d likely been knocked over. “Seriously?”

Jax nodded. “King Paevin’s dead. He can’t hurt you again.”

“I get to go home today?” Bastian leaped from the couch, a whoop of joy emitting from him. He did it so quickly that the tray knocked over in front of him, and cheese flew everywhere.

Bowan caught a piece and popped it into his mouth. Lander wasn’t so lucky. The tray landed on his head.

Grumbling, he knocked it to the side.

I laughed, unable to help it as Bastian pulled his brother into a fierce hug.

“I take it nobody told you?” Jax said, laughing.

Lander shook his head. “We figured we’d let you surprise him with that.”

Bastian was still cheering. “I’m going home? Today? Does Anna know?” He pulled his brother into another hug.

Jax snorted and hugged his brother back just as fast. “Not yet, so you can surprise her if you want.”

“Ooh, good idea. I’ll surprise her at home.” He finally released his brother and glanced around. “When do we go?”

Jax pulled a portal key from his pocket. “Now, if you want.”

Bastian grinned, the look so similar to Jax when he was in a good mood that my heart swelled. “Now sounds good.”

Jax took Bastian back to the north alone. Even though I wanted to see where he lived and meet Anna, and even though I knew Jax would have loved to spend time with his brother there, too, the fact remained that nobody knew Bastian was the crown prince’s brother. Not even the female that Bastian wanted to marry.

Even though Jax and Bastian had been meeting secretly for full seasons, almost nobody knew that. And the more members from the palace’s court who showed up in Bastian’s town, the more illusions that Jax had to weave to conceal their arrival. Because of that, Jax oftentimes visited his brother alone.

Until the time came when Jax could declare to the realm that his brother was a half-breed, they would continue the ruse, and I had a feeling that once Jax became king, that would be the first thing he did.

My mate returned less than an hour later, but none of us had been sitting idly in his absence. We’d packed bags of healing potions, food, and saggerwire plants for the half-breeds who we anticipated rescuing.

Jax nodded approvingly at our quick work, and while I knew that he would have loved to spend more time with his brother, the clock was still ticking.

It’d already been a day since the king’s death, and who knew what was happening in Leafton or what the guards were doing to the half-breeds. With the chaos of the Centennial Matches beginning— if the Matches were still scheduled—Faewood’s capital was likely the prime place for nefarious individuals to take whatever enslaved half-breeds they wanted.

We needed to move. Now.

We all stood in the enchanted suite, and Jax pulled out another portal key, then held out his hand to me. The others also stepped forward until we were all locked together.

None of the males wore their black masks or raider clothing. As several of them had explained to me while Jax had been gone, their days as the Dark Raider’s band had officially come to an end. As Jax had suspected, they hadn’t put up too much of a fight about it. Phillen had even looked relieved, and seeing that had quelled any remaining guilt I’d been harboring at their raider roles coming to an end.

Jax squeezed the portal key between our linked palms and whispered the words to activate it.

In a swirl of magic and potent power, the floor dropped from beneath my feet, and then we were spiraling through the realm in a blink of magic.

We reappeared outside of the capital, near the wildling trail that would lead us to the caverns. A somber feeling coated the air, and the activity I would have normally expected to see around the distant stadiums and fields was absent.

“Have the Matches been called off?” I smoothed out the top I wore and tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear.

Phillen shook his head. “No, but the Jaggedston Herald reported this morning that they’ve been delayed for two weeks, and the Ironcrest Ball has been delayed as well. Everything will still carry on as usual after the king’s funeral has concluded and the new monarch takes Faewood’s throne. But it’s now all running behind.”

Trivan grunted and nodded toward one of the stadiums in the distance. A banner hung from it, highlighting which competitions would be taking place on each day. “In all honesty, I’m surprised the palace is still allowing the Centennial Matches at all given the king’s death.”

“That probably has something to do with his daughter,” Lander replied. “They announced this morning that the princess of Faewood will take the throne, and she’s known for not giving way to her emotions. In all likelihood, she insisted the Matches continue since the fae of her kingdom have been looking forward to them, and so many competitors have arrived to take part in it.”

“Do you think the traditional funeral customs will be upheld, despite the Matches?” I asked.

“From what the Herald said, yes,” Phillen replied. “The official mourning period will start tomorrow. It’ll last for a week as usual, prior to a monarch’s burial. But not all of us will observe that.” His jaw locked. “That scum got exactly what he deserved.”

“Agreed,” Lars remarked.

I nodded, my lips pursing. Death happened, it was inevitable, but siltenites had long lifespans, so when a king or queen died, it usually shook the entire continent, even if we were glad to be rid of Faewood’s king.

“This may work to our advantage,” Alec remarked. “Everyone will be readying themselves for the king’s funeral, then the princess’s succession to the throne, and then the Matches. Nobody’s going to be paying any attention to what’s going on in the Wood.”

Jax nodded. “It will give us more time to document everything too. We won’t be rushed.” Jax pulled several looking glasses from his pocket.

Last night while I’d been sleeping and the group had been discussing the best way to free the half-breeds, it’d been agreed that it was important to document everything that King Paevin had done.

On the rare chance that anyone tried to further hurt the half-breeds or accuse them of being a part of the king’s devious plan—should it ever come to light—documentation would prove that the half-breeds had all been innocent. Especially if anyone tried to accuse them of breeding since such an act was punishable by death.

“Let’s get to work.” Jax took off down the wildling trail, the rest of us following.

The scent of the Wood wrapped around me, and the familiarity of it breathed life into my soul. A few of my old wildling friends made appearances in the trees and shrubs, and I called greetings to them, but try as I might to find Esopeel, she wasn’t one of them.

When we reached the clearing that held the trap door to the caverns below, a pulse of sickly, dark magic tingled against my skin.

“The repulsion spell surrounding this place is obviously still intact.” I shuddered. Everything about this part of the Wood made me want to run.

“Push through it,” Jax instructed everyone. “Hold your breath if you need to.”

We all stepped through the slimy spell that screamed at one’s instincts to flee. Once free of it, I breathed easier, but the pulse of its repelling magic still beat against my skin.

Not wasting any time, Phillen dropped to one knee and pushed colorful leaves that had fallen over the trap door out of the way. When the door’s small blue handle appeared, he slipped his hand around it and yanked it open.

A stairwell cut into the rock appeared, but despite all of the males being ready to jump into action should any guards be present, the stairway was empty. The fusterill guards who had previously been at the bottom of the staircase were nowhere to be seen.

“Follow me.” Magic shimmered around my mate as he descended below. He held a looking glass in front of him, recording everything as he plunged into the caverns.

One by one, we joined him, moving in a single-file line down the stairs, then through the tunnels cut into the damp rock.

Nerves clenched my stomach, but the tunnels were eerily quiet. The only sound that greeted us was the steady drip drip of water dropping from the tunnel’s ceiling.

We went single file down the winding dark walkways, and I called upon what the semelees had shown me of these caverns, remembering the way. But unlike the first time we’d ventured here, there weren’t any illusions covering any tunnels or turns.

“Is the magic already starting to wear off in here?” Bowan asked, cocking his head.

“It’s hard to say,” Jax replied, still moving forward. “It’s possible it needs to be activated each day, and nobody’s done that yet this morning.”

We finally reached the cavern that Bastian had been kept in. The circular room opened up before us. Eerie silence filled the space. Only a single torch remained lit high above. Like before, chamber doors cut into the rock were all closed and locked. But the dead bodies that we’d left in our wake last time we’d been here had all been removed. Not even blood stains remained. Someone had thoroughly removed all evidence of Bastian’s rescue.

Jax nodded toward the door closest to us. “We’ll likely have to break through them to make sure nobody’s being chained inside. We’ll have to check each room and each cell in every tunnel and cavern down here.”

Bowan sighed. “This is going to take a while.”

Bowan and Trivan broke through the first door while Phillen and Lars set about getting into the second.

I called upon my knowledge of unlocking spells and quickly undid the locking mechanisms upon the rest of the doors. One by one, we opened them and peered inside.

And behind each door, we found half-breeds either lying despondently on the ground or slumped against the walls. Most of them had their eyes open, dazed looks upon their faces, while others appeared to be sleeping.

Rage thrummed from Jax’s aura. “It’s exactly as we feared. They left them here to die.”

“And even worse, the anklets’ power is still caging them.” I waved toward the rhifilyte gemstones. Just seeing that stone made me want to recoil. For so many summers, I’d been caged too.

Phillen’s nostrils flared. “Cowards ran this place. It’s appalling that all of the guards have fled.”

Jax’s lips thinned, and his fury coasted toward me along our bond. “Everyone activate your looking glasses. All of this needs to be documented.”

One by one, we did as he said. Looking glass in hand, I crouched by a female’s side. Her lips were dry, her skin covered in dust.

And when we checked on the others in this large cavern, just to ensure each still lived, none of the half-breeds moved or even seemed to know we were there.

“We’ll need to move everyone out of the cells and place them in the open areas,” Jax said. “Once that’s done, we count every single half-breed here.”

We all set to work, lifting the half-breeds and grunting under their weight. Similar to how Bastian had been when we’d rescued him, they all remained unresponsive. None of them even blinked when we laid them down on the ground outside their cells.

By the time we were done in this cavern, two dozen half-breeds lay unmoving before us. We used saggerwire plants to hydrate all of them. The water held in the leaf’s inner surface allowed us to rehydrate each one with only a drop. Some looked so parched that I had a feeling it’d likely been days since they’d drunk at all.

Panting heavily, I glanced back toward the winding tunnels in the cavern. “There are dozens of other half-breeds down here, along with children. We have to find all of them.”

Jax nodded. “We don’t finish until we’ve got everyone.”

It took us over a week to free all of the half-breeds within the caverns. There were so many of them, and not enough of us to make their rescue go any faster.

During that time, none of the half-breeds roused, and no guards returned. It soon became apparent they’d truly been left here to die. Even the children.

My heart broke when the kids remained just as catatonic as their parents. Like the adults, the children also wore anklets.

I had no idea which child had found Jax in Possyrose Forest. All of them had glazed eyes that stared up at us, entirely unseeing, and it took everything in me not to begin sobbing every time I saw them.

These children had known nothing but slavery and abuse in their short lives. But I couldn’t help but notice that none of them had antlers. None of those already born could have come from Bastian, but we discovered that three of the adult females were pregnant, their bellies round and swollen. I cringed to think what would happen to their infants.

The only comfort I took was knowing that none of these children or adults would remember any of this. Bastian still couldn’t recall any of his time locked away under the king’s spell, which meant these tiny, innocent souls and the adults who’d bred them would likely not remember anything either.

Still, it didn’t make their abuse any less horrific.

The only saving grace about all of it was that Alec had been right about the court’s and kingsfae’s attention being distracted. So much activity was occurring in Faewood with the king’s funeral, the princess’s succession, and then the Centennial Matches set to begin, that nobody was paying any attention to the Wood.

It allowed us to come and go each day, only stopping long enough to rest and eat when our aching muscles demanded it.

Dust perpetually coated my skin each night when we left the tunnels, but by the end of the eighth day, we’d discovered every tunnel and cavern, and after I did a quick venture to the Veiled Between, the semelees confirmed that we’d found every enslaved half-breed.

“How long do you think it’ll take Saroly to correct all of this?” I asked Jax as we gazed at the tunnel lined with dozens of unconscious half-breeds.

His lips thinned. “As long as it takes.” He pulled a portal key from his pocket. “Speaking of which, I think it’s time we let Norivun know about all that’s gone on. We’ll let him decide how this should be handled from here.” He turned to his friends. “Stay here and keep feeding and hydrating them. Elowen and I are heading back to the Solis continent.”