Chapter 35
Elariya
“The Keeper of Her Soul”
We were escorted to the council chamber.
The room felt small, despite being nearly the size of the hall.
A massive oak table dominated its center. No one sat, though chairs lined both sides like silent sentinels.
The room had divided itself into two camps, with the great table serving as a battlefield between them.
On one side stood Wolfe, his Veythral circle, and the two towering figures that had materialized from legend itself.
They were judges. And not just any kind. They oversaw the laws between realms. The high elf represented the magical kingdom, and the man the mortal lands.
On the other side of the table, Prince Maelor stood rigid. Thayden remained at his right with Mattieu completing their triangle of power.
I was beside them with my family. Close enough to be claimed by their camp but far enough to feel the pull of the other side.
Fury was evident on Prince Maelor’s face. I could just imagine how he must have loathed not only being around so many from the magical realm but having to follow orders.
The judges represented the highest laws of all realms on either side of the Veil.
In their presence there were only the laws of the Accords. We were waiting for them to speak. And they seemed to be waiting for something else. Something neither of us knew.
They watched and assessed us—Thayden in particular.
The air hung thick with tension so palpable it pressed against my lungs with every breath.
I'd been stealing glances at Wolfe since we'd entered the chamber, hoping, he'd look back at me.
I willed those burning eyes to find mine across the divide and offer some sign of what was to come.
But he hadn't looked. Not once. In fact, none of them—Arielle, Bastian, Alaric, and Garrick—had looked at me.
Their attention was split between Prince Maelor and the judges.
I understood they were probably limiting contact because I was never supposed to be in the magical realm, especially recently. I’d also kept up the facade that I was shocked and had no idea who they were for Thayden’s sake. But I still wanted someone to acknowledge me.
Wolfe brought the soul vial and claimed me as his before the world. At my wedding.
We hadn’t even gotten to the part where the priest asked if anyone had objected to our union.
Of course, I was desperate to know what was going to happen now.
I was also worried about Thayden. The sentiment of Wolfe being here and bringing an army wasn’t lost on me but Thayden still held power over us.
I forced my gaze back to Thayden. He wouldn’t look at me either.
He’d avoided eye contact and on the way in here, he’d walked ahead of me, falling in line with Prince Maelor’s guards.
The bastard stood perfectly still beside Prince Maelor, but the tension set of his shoulders gave his nerves away.
And he was watching the judges with the intensity of a man who understood he was outmatched here.
Understandably so. Seeing Wolfe alive must have shattered whatever confidence he'd been clinging to.
For a heartbeat, I expected him to speak first. To try to seize control with words, the way powerful men always did when their carefully laid plans began to crumble around them.
But then I remembered something more that might work in my favor.
Thayden was the one at fault here.
Gods, I’d been so fixated on Wolfe that I didn’t think about the bigger picture.
Thayden had no proof that Wolfe had taken me from the mortal lands. None whatsoever.
Wolfe on the other hand... had proof that Thayden had tried to kill him.
The dragons outside—Pyrion and Hedion were witnesses.
They didn’t know his name but they could identify him.
Blessed mother, no wonder Thayden looked like he wanted to disappear.
Feeling the weight of my stare, he finally glanced at me. It was just for a moment but the dread I caught in his eyes gave me more satisfaction than I thought possible.
Thayden turned away and the judges moved.
All eyes were back on them.
Both towering figures stepped forward in perfect synchronization, their ageless eyes fixing on the room with the weight of eons.
"We are ready to begin," they spoke, but their voices merged together as one. A sound like rushing water through a deep gorge.
"The Veil Laws apply here," the merged voice continued. "Under the Accords between realms, you will honor them." The words settled over us like a decree from the Gods themselves.
“We swear our honor,” Wolfe declared.
“We swear our honor.” Prince Maelor followed suit, as did Mattieu and Thayden, but Thayden’s composure seemed to crack just a little bit more.
In unison, the judges turned their gaze to Wolfe.
Every movement was perfectly synchronized.
From the tilt of their heads, to the shift of their eyes, and even the way their robes flowed.
It was as if they shared the same mind and consciousness, but their bodies were split between two towering forms. It was unsettling to watch, but just as fascinating.
Man and Elf-kind were working together with no distinction or discrimination between them. In this room it was a lesson that would fall on deaf ears and blind eyes.
"Wolfe Nightblade," they began, the rushing sound in their voices rising higher. "You have summoned this council to the mortal lands under the Soul Laws of the Accords."
Wait. Soul Laws?
My eyes darted to Wolfe. His grip tightened around the vial, the glass catching the light in his gauntleted fist.
“What are these laws?” I cut in quickly.
The Judges focused on me. “The Soul Laws exist to protect the sanctity of the soul and prevent unlawful claiming, especially across realms.” They seemed to take a different tone with me.
Almost as if they sympathized with my position.
“The laws define what is permitted, what is forbidden, and who holds jurisdiction when a soul has been lawfully bound, transferred, or indebted to another.”
I dipped my head. “Thank you.” Well now I knew what the law was. But what exactly was Wolfe planning?
I did owe him the debt, but I’d assumed it was…well I guessed it was personal between us.
But from the hardened look in his eyes, I could see that this was so much more.
"Under the Soul Laws of the Accords, a debt exists between myself and Lady Elariya Grayson.
" Wolfe took control of the conversation.
His bright blue eyes flicked between Prince Maelor and Thayden, but I felt the weight of his stare, like a boulder pressing against my spine.
“By virtue of that debt, I hold rightful claim to her soul.”
He lifted the vial, and light flared from within—bright, alive, pressing against the glass as if it recognized its master. I remembered Erethis speaking of the Echo of ownership. That must have been it.
Mother’s eyes hit me first. I looked at her and also found the very wide eyes of my grandmother and Emabelle staring back at me.
Great. It turned out that all the parts I’d left out from my recent trip to Galaythia were catching up with me. I could see the accusation in their eyes—you should have told us.
I couldn’t agree more, but that was the least of our worries right now. I turned away, focusing back on Wolfe and the soul vial with more eagerness than before.
Gods. It was still glowing just as vibrantly. Like it had when Erethis filled it with my soul.
"The debt was entered freely and sealed under binding law,” Wolfe continued. “The echo we see in the vial is proof of that. And of claim. The vial will only glow in my hands.”
“And how did you, in the magical realm come by Elariya’s soul?” Thayden spat, eyes blazing.
The scathing look Wolfe gave him could have burned stone to ash. All this time he’d only spared Thayden a few glances. Now he held him in his gaze with undivided, merciless contempt and I didn’t know how Thayden was still standing beneath it.
The room held its breath with me, waiting for Wolfe’s answer.
What would he say?
Would he tell them about my father?
Would he tell them about the ring, and that he took me to locate it?
Would he tell them about Thayden, and what he’d done?
We’d kept all of that secret for good reasons.
Would he spill our secrets today?”
“The matter of how I came by Elariya’s soul is none of your concern.” Wolfe’s dark gaze swept over Thayden with a calmness that didn’t match his expression.
“I was expecting more of an answer.” Prince Maelor cut in.
My nerves spiked. Of course, Wolfe’s answer wasn’t enough to please the likes of Maelor and Thayden. But Wolfe Nightblade was no fool. He wouldn’t have given that answer if he couldn’t.
A glance at the judges and I realized I was right. They looked like they didn’t need any more than what was said.
“Well, what say ye, Prince of Shadows?” Prince Maelor prodded, glaring at Wolfe. “You brought an army into my castle, and dragons sit on my doorstep. You owe me the courtesy of an answer.”
“Matters of lawful soul acquisition are private under the Accords,” the Judges answered for him. “Without evidence of foul play, we may not compel disclosure. The wielder may speak, or remain silent. Lord Nightblade has chosen silence.”
Holy hells. No way.
They weren’t going to make him explain. Anything.
Wow. Wolfe had found a door in the law and walked straight through it.
Wolfe cleared his throat and continued speaking. "As the Soul Laws grant the holder of the debt full claim over the debtor and all attachments recognized under inheritance and bloodline, I have come to claim what’s rightfully mine."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. My mouth fell open at the same time the color drained from Thayden’s skin.
“What!” Thayden snapped, throwing a fist into the table.
“Let me explain it to you in smaller words. Elariya, her inheritance and claims, and her family and all that is bound to her name belong to me." His lips curved into something that might have been a smile on a less dangerous face.
Thayden was about to respond but Prince Maelor stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"You stand in mortal lands. You cannot override our crown,” he balked.
“There is no clause within the Soul Laws that restricts jurisdiction by realm, soil, or crown," Wolfe informed him, revealing another door. A loophole. “And as I am heir to Galaythia’s throne. I can seize whatever I desire.”
“And is this what you desire, Prince Nightblade?” Mattieu spoke for the first time. “The girl and her lands and her family?”
“Yes,” Wolfe replied, and then he finally looked at me.
Those eyes found mine and the world faded, narrowing to this moment between us.
Gods. The girl and her lands and her family.
He found a way. He found a way to protect us all.
“Why?” Prince Maelor demanded. “What interest do you have in our lands and a half human, half mage girl?”
“The lands of the South are highly coveted. It has always been in my blood to conquer. Why wouldn’t I want land in the mortal realm?
” He smirked. “I will appoint Elariya’s family as overseers of the land.
The land and her family will fall under my jurisdiction.
And the girl… my business with the girl is still my own. ”
If we fell under his jurisdiction, no other law could touch us. So, Thayden’s threats were…
Empty.
He couldn’t do a godsdamn thing to us.
Prince Maelor’s face darkened, the fury in him sharpening into calculation. “The laws of the mortal lands must still be respected,” he said,
The judges’ merged gaze swept the table. “A lawful soul-claim supersedes all competing claims across realms,” they intoned. “It is for Prince Nightblade to state his resolution.”
“But Elariya Grayson was pledged to be wed this day,” Prince Maelor contended.
I wasn’t sure if his efforts were for me—because of his ties to Thayden—or because he genuinely didn’t want Wolfe to have such claims over land in the mortal realm.
Either way, he was thoroughly enraged. “The stipulations of her inheritance demand marriage before any transfer.”
“If your crown demands a marriage,” Wolfe spoke up, “then it will have one.” His mouth curved, slow and dangerous. “To me. Elariya will marry me. Today.”
My heart stopped.
Not fluttered. Not raced.
Stopped.
I stood there frozen.
Marriage.
Marriage to Wolfe.
Not Thayden.
Wolfe Nightblade.
I remembered when he spoke of it that night on the beach. I’d been shocked then too.
But this was different. It was real.
I looked at the faces of my family. They were surprised. Shocked even. But beneath the shock lay a spark. A spark of hope. Emabelle in particular seemed to be doing her best to hold back a smile.
“Under the Soul Laws of the Accords, the claim stands,” the Judges intoned, their merged gazes sweeping the chamber. “The marriage union will be performed today and bound under Veil Law. All other matters are closed. This council is dismissed.”
I felt Thayden’s gaze on me but I refused to look at him.
Instead, I looked at Wolfe.
And his attention stayed right on me.