Kingdom of Faewood (Fae of Woodlands & Wild #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

My calendar hung on the wall of my bed chambers, and I tallied the remaining days and months until I was free.

Only one full season, eight months, and eleven days until my freedom is won.

A small smile spread across my lips, and a sense of determination slid through me. The calling this afternoon would be exhausting, but I’d likely fall into a deep sleep afterward, which meant the day would pass even faster. Then, I would be one day closer to the day that marked my freedom—the day my collar was removed and the supernatural courts deemed me safe to decide my own fate, making me a slave no more.

“Look at all this fuss,” my lady’s attendant called from across the room. She stood at the window, watching the activity across the valley as the curtain swirled around her.

My grin grew as humid air and a warm breeze brushed across my cheeks. I slashed a mark through the previous day on my calendar, then joined her at the window.

Across the valley, atop the largest hill, the palace waited. The soaring white stone walls of the king’s residence shone like ivory in the sun, and beyond that, the distant buildings from the capital shimmered near the Wood’s edge.

But my attention focused on the land near the palace grounds. A huge section of the Wood had been cleared for the Centennial Matches. Fences stood half-erected. Partly constructed mazes resembled piles of firewood. Circular arena floors waited for sand to fill them. Most fae in our kingdom were eagerly anticipating the Matches.

“Have you watched any of this today, Elowen?” Claws tipped each of Lillivel’s fingers, and they flashed in the morning sunlight when she clasped her hands behind her back. “They’re nearly done with all of the construction for the Matches, from the looks of it. It’s hard to believe in only a month they’ll begin.”

“I’ve watched a bit. It’s hard not to when they wake me up each morning.” I gazed out the window at her side. “Looks like the stadium is finally complete, but those buckets of sand look heavy.”

“The poor dears.” Lillivel sighed. “Such a struggle.”

I winced. “I have to say I agree.” The monstrous stadium being erected was constructed of wood and stone, and it would be a miracle if the wildling fae hauled all of the sand inside before the Centennial Matches’ Final selection process began next week. “That looks near impossible to finish.”

Lillivel released another sigh. “If only King Paevin would call in a siltenite from Mistvale Kingdom, then all of the work could be done so quickly with telekinetic magic.” Lillivel frowned, her furry brows drawing together.

I snorted quietly. “I doubt King Paevin’s ego would allow him to request help from another kingdom.”

The king had hired wildling fae to construct all of the equipment and buildings needed for the Centennial Matches, but their kind only harbored Old Wood magic, which was primitive at best and varied in strength depending upon their wildling subspecies. But no wildling fae were like siltenite fae—my kind—which were entirely magical.

I gave the far-away wildlings a sympathetic look, and unconsciously, my fingers strayed to the collar encircling my throat. Like the wildlings, I was also in a position of service. I ran a fingertip along the cool metal, and a hum of magic washed along my skin before I dropped my wandering hands to my sides. “I hear the competitors are all arriving in the coming week for the Finals.” I angled my head toward Lillivel, having to look down since she barely came to my elbows.

She hummed low in her throat. “I heard the same. It would be most rewarding to watch the Finals. They’re not nearly as crowded as the actual Matches once the true competitions begin, and from what I remember of the last Centennial Matches a hundred summers ago, the strongest fae in our kingdom came to compete. How magnificent to be a spectator.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You got to watch the last Matches?”

“Oh, no, no. Nothing like that. Even though I was alive at the last one, it was in Ironcrest, and the journey was too great. I missed the traditional Ironcrest Ball as well.” When I cocked my head at her, she added, “The Ironcrest Ball is held after the Centennial Matches conclude. All fae throughout the kingdoms are invited to the grand party. It’s a huge outdoor event and lasts for three days. But I missed that in addition to the Matches. Such a pity.” Her expression turned wistful. “But attending a Match this time around would be an entertaining sight to behold. That is for certain.”

“Then you should go. This one is so close. You can’t pass up the opportunity, even if we don’t make it to the ball afterward. Surely, Guardian Alleron will be fine with it.”

Her lips curved, parting her snout. “I suppose I should, and you should too. There’s no reason we both can’t venture to a Match on a day off. But enough of that. We best get to work. Come, Elowen, your hair needs to be done before you leave.” Lillivel bustled to my vanity and patted the stool. “Have a seat. Guardian Alleron wants to leave within the hour since the king’s expecting you by high noon. We best stop procrastinating.”

At the mention of my upcoming calling, a stirring of my lorafin magic roiled within me, cooling my blood. But just as fast, a hum along my collar rushed over my skin, dousing the internal shadows that wanted to rise. The momentary war of power between my inner magic and wrestling collar halted my steps.

“Elowen?” Lillivel called again.

I lurched forward. “Sorry. Coming.” I went to the stool and hastily sat.

Lillivel’s face scrunched up in concentration while she worked through my long chestnut-brown hair with a barrage of pins and clips.

Sunshine streamed through the windows lining my chamber’s eastern wall and shone on the hard scales covering the backs of her hands. Her scales shimmered in color, changing from rustic beige to burnt orange and then pearly white, depending upon which angle the light hit them.

Unlike Lillivel, I hadn’t been born with scaled skin, a snout, or furry eyebrows, not as all grundles were. Nor did I sport horns, a tail, talons, or any other feature the wildling fae species had.

But a part of me yearned to know the realm as the wildlings did. Despite their animalistic traits, they had higher rates of fertility. Lillivel had a dozen children and just as many siblings.

But I only had my guardian. My blood family was long gone.

My heart squeezed, the feel of an arrow striking it. I’d never learned who my blood family was or why they’d left me, and a fresh rush of hurt washed through me, just as it always did every time I thought of them.

Maybe they had a good reason for abandoning you, Elowen. Maybe they died, and that’s why you were found alone as a babe in the Wood.

Frowning, I gazed at my reflection, not for the first time wondering if my mother had looked like me.

Pale skin, bright-green eyes, and siltenite fae-tipped ears stared back at me in the mirror. Already half of my sun-kissed brown hair was pinned up.

I ran a hand over my lower stomach, right where I bore my shadow mark—the mark that signified I was a lorafin. According to Guardian Alleron, that was the reason my family had abandoned me.

I sighed with impatience. If only I could ask the semelees, then I would know the truth. I took a deep breath. You can soon. In one full season, eight months, and eleven days, you can ask them after you’ve gained your freedom and your collar’s removed. Everything you’ve ever wanted to know will be revealed.

My fingers curled into my palms as I thought of that day. Without my collar, I would be able to access all of my magic and perform a calling for me since the collar would no longer be suppressing my lorafin abilities. But before being allowed to do that, I would have to prove to the courts that I wouldn’t be a danger to others .

Stars Above, I hope I can do that.

“There we are.” Lillivel patted my shoulders. “All done.”

I angled my head to take in the design. All of my hair was artfully coiled around my head, leaving my throat exposed and drawing one’s attention to the gold collar locked upon my neck. At its center, a purple stone—a gem mined in a foreign land—sparkled in the sunlight.

A long, sleeveless cobalt-blue ball gown hugged my frame. It was one of my finer gowns, with its endless silk and tiny stitching barely visible, yet nothing less was expected when meeting with the king. Guardian Alleron had it crafted for such an occasion, and the Goddess knew he always strived to impress royalty.

I angled my head more. “You make me look much more beautiful than I ought to.” And I meant every word of that. Lillivel had learned in school how to arrange hair and apply makeup, which ultimately had landed her the position as my attendant.

Lillivel dipped her head. “You do flatter me, Elowen, but it’s easy when you’ve been blessed with such beauty.”

“Hardly. Any beauty I have is due to my lorafin magic and you being very good at your job.” I stood, then spared one last glance out the window.

Banners now hung from the stadium spires, proudly displaying our kingdom’s colors. Flashes of turquoise, brilliant white, and deep brown waved in the sun as the wildlings scurried around the structure. Trees, vines, and colorful fluttering leaves of the Wood filled the rolling hillside just beyond it.

“Good luck, Elowen,” Lillivel added as I reached my chamber’s door. “I’ll see you tonight when you return. I’ll have your bath ready.”

“Thank you.” I bobbed my head before heading into the hall. “Bye, Lil.”

The two guards who Guardian Alleron insisted accompany me wherever I went followed me down the stone corridor of my guardian’s massive estate. Even though we were inside, my guardian still didn’t let me wander freely. Guardian Alleron always prepared for the worst, and considering many lordlings would love to steal me away and claim ownership of me, I couldn’t blame him.

But a small smile tilted my lips because I also suspected his protectiveness was due to the fact that he loved me and couldn’t bear to part with me...even if he never admitted to that.

My slippers barely made a sound as I glided down the halls. Paintings and tapestries hung on the walls, and open windows allowed the summer’s warmth to flow through the multitude of corridors.

“Did you hear the Dark Raider was sighted in Faewood yesterday?” Zale called over my head to Mushil, the guard on my other side.

“I heard.” The older guard shrugged, looking unimpressed. “Our wards won’t allow him in. Let him come.”

“I heard whisperings yesterday as well that the Dark Raider had been spotted,” I chimed in.

Zale scoffed, then curled his lip. “It’s the first time anyone’s seen him in months. I thought perhaps the bastard finally met the end he deserves.”

I made a noncommittal noise, but secretly, I hoped the Dark Raider was able to bypass whatever wards he encountered. Taking from the rich and giving to the poor seemed like a noble action to me, especially if he only took from the rich lordlings rumored in our kingdoms to be the most despicable and abhorrent of them all.

“Did you get enough rest last night, Elowen?” Mushil asked as I mentally counted the halls, looking for the one I needed. “Sounds like you’re going to have a busy afternoon.”

Busy afternoon? I eyed him curiously, only to find the older guard frowning. Uneasiness slithered through me, but I replied, “I got enough. I’ll be fine.”

Zale smirked. “If you say so.”

I glared at him, the usual annoyance I felt around my younger guard surfacing, but I entwined my fingers together and forced myself to ignore the coiling in my stomach.

Returning my focus to the hallways, I swerved tightly when I finally reached the correct one, which caused me to inadvertently bump into Mushil.

“Sheesh, Elowen. You nearly knocked me to the ground,” he grumbled, but a teasing smile lifted his lips.

“Sorry.” I laid a hand on his forearm. Unlike Zale, Mushil never exerted his strength over me or seemed to take enjoyment in exacting his control.

He patted my hand. “’Tis all right.”

I smiled brightly at him. “One of these days, I’ll know my way around entirely and will stop bumping into you.”

He chuckled. “As we all will.”

Zale puffed his chest up. “I already know every hall and chamber, unlike you slow-learning lot.”

Mushil sighed, not commenting, but I didn’t even bother trying to hide my eye roll. Guardian Alleron had only moved all of us into Emerson Estate two weeks ago, after we’d been living in a temporary home the months prior to his estate being constructed. All of us were still getting used to the monstrosity of this place, even if Zale was too prideful to admit it.

“Ah, there it is!” I finally spotted my destination ahead and proceeded down the stairs to the large and grand entryway. On the first floor, just off the foyer, my guardian’s study door was open.

I heard him before I saw him, and I hastily checked my hair and smoothed my gown before I presented myself to the male I considered my father.

Head held high, I followed the sound of Guardian Alleron’s silky tone. It carried from his private quarters into the massive foyer. “Yes, we shall be there shortly, Your Majesty.”

“And she can do three callings today? You’re sure of it?” King Paevin asked in a demanding tone.

My footsteps froze.

Zale chuckled and leaned down. “Told you that you’d need to be rested,” he whisper-hissed into my ear.

I flared my nostrils at him but stayed rooted to the spot and listened. Three callings? Goddess Above. I hoped I’d misheard my guardian. Surely, he wouldn’t ask that of me. He knew how impossible that was.

“She’s never done that many at once before,” Guardian Alleron replied, and some of the nerves in my stomach calmed until he added, “but I have no doubt she’ll be able to.”

Stars! He’s serious. He actually just promised that.

“Hmm, so this shall be an experiment in a way?” the king replied in an unimpressed tone. “I do hope she’ll be able to perform. Lordlings Messepire and Himil both agreed to my terms on the Osterland Exchange with the understanding they’d each be given a calling. They’re counting on your lorafin being able to venture to the Veiled Between for them. Not to mention, I would like my own calling as well, now that the necessary time has passed since the last one.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Elowen will be able to perform. I’ll make sure of it.”

My magic swelled, but a sting of warning from my collar rushed over my body like a coating of armor, quelling whatever power tried to rise from my emotional response. Apparently, I was to do three callings today after all—I hadn’t misheard—and for two lordlings I’d never met before on top of that.

I froze as a memory of a calling with a lordling I never wanted to see again stirred in my mind. Lordling Neeble’s calling had been thrust upon me as well, and he’d?—

“You know, I never asked you...” The king’s tone turned curious. “How long have you had her? If I’d known a lorafin had been born within my kingdom, I would have sought her out myself.”

My guardian laughed lightly. “If it appeases you, I didn’t find Elowen here. I was in Ironcrest Kingdom when I happened upon her many summers ago. She was just a babe when I found her in the Wood. She’d been abandoned, only a thin blanket covering her. My guess is as soon as her mother saw her mark, she fled, not wanting the responsibility that comes with raising such a creature.”

My entire body tensed, causing my collar to electrify again.

Zale hissed when a zap jumped to him. Rubbing his arm, he growled, “Onward, Elowen. Quit stalling. He’s waiting.” As if to make his point, he shoved me.

I lurched forward, tripping on my gown, and I would have fallen if Mushil hadn’t grabbed me in time to stop my forward movement.

“Zale,” Mushil hissed. The older guard loosened his hand and let go of me completely once my balance had righted. “Don’t push her around. You know how I feel about that.”

But instead of apologizing, my younger guard just shrugged. “She’s always trying to delay her callings. I’m sick of it.”

Trembling from my near fall, I smoothed my gown and gave Mushil a nod of thanks, but I completely ignored Zale. The bastard loved to torment me, and when I verbally reacted to his physical shoves or slaps, he seemed to delight in it, so I’d learned summers ago not to.

Holding my head high once more, I clasped my shaking hands and finally stepped into my guardian’s view.

Guardian Alleron sat at his wide desk. Rows of books lined the shelves behind him, and a globe of our realm, showing the four large continents and the multitude of islands in the seas, sat on his desk’s corner.

In his hand, my guardian held a mirror-like object, and I zeroed in on it. Guardian Alleron glanced up from the looking glass, which showed the king within its oval frame. But even though the king was miles away in his castle, his voice and image were perfectly clear, thanks to the looking glass’s magic.

“If there’s nothing else, Your Majesty, my lorafin has arrived, which means we shall be on our way.” My guardian’s eyes met mine over the mirror, and he gave me an approving nod when he took in my gown and hair.

A relieved smile bloomed across my face.

In the looking glass, the king straightened his lapels. “Yes, please do, and make haste. I have several things on my agenda this afternoon, so I can’t be running late.”

With a charming smile, my guardian replied, “Of course, Your Majesty. We’ll be there shortly.”

Wind whipped through my hair as we zoomed along the road through the Wood toward the palace. Guardian Alleron had his enchanted carpet moving at full speed, and I loved the fresh air brushing across my face.

Trees towered over us, their thick canopy blocking most of the sun. Every now and then, a set of eyes appeared at the road’s edge, through the brush as the wildling fae watched us pass. Most of the time, we were moving too quickly for me to see which creatures observed us, but when we careened around a corner, the carpet slowed enough for me to see a pair of familiar eyes.

Esopeel watched us from under the brush. The small female cerlikan waved to me in greeting, and I had just enough time to subtly wave in return before we flew past her.

Our hurried pace continued as we glided over streams and caressed the tips of low-lying shrubs that brushed the side of the Wood’s road. I tried to spot more of my wildling friends, but our speed made that difficult. It was probably for the best, though. Guardian Alleron had no idea how many wildlings I’d befriended in the time since we’d settled here, waiting for his estate to be built, and he would likely put a stop to it if he knew.

A ray of sunshine warmed my cheeks when we reached a small clearing, and just above the trees, one of the palace’s spires appeared. I quickly checked my hair, but despite our rushed flight, the hairstyle Lillivel had chosen for me kept my long locks in place. Only a few strands had slipped free from one of my braids. I tamed them as best as I could, but my fingers trembled even though I tried to steady them.

We flew past the Centennial Matches’ activity on the land bordering the palace, and finally arriving at our destination, our carpet glided to a stop right in front of the palace doors. Wide stone steps lined with blooming manicured gardens led to the opulent palace entrance.

“Wait here,” my guardian instructed the four guards who accompanied us.

They all dipped their heads at Guardian Alleron and stood stoically. But two of them cast their attention to Leafton, Faewood Kingdom’s vibrant capital, visible in the distance. Most of the guards employed at Emerson Estate were quite familiar with the capital’s many salopas , and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were imagining their next night off.

Guardian Alleron jumped from the carpet, his solid frame landing lightly. He stood tall, his lithe yet powerful figure filling out his tapered jacket perfectly. White teeth flashed when he smiled, and his tanned skin looked made for the bright sun streaming upon us .

Several wildling fae employed to tend to the palace grounds stopped to watch him, and Guardian Alleron made a show of holding his hand out to assist me down.

I took his outstretched palm, knowing it would please him, and the familiar feel of his large hand closed over mine. Automatically, I fell into the role of his dutiful lorafin about to be sold off to the wealthy for a calling.

Smiling up at him, I nodded my thanks when I finally stood back on solid ground.

A flare of approval radiated from him. “You’re doing wonderfully,” he whispered so quietly that I knew only my ears had heard him.

My heart soared.

Ahead, at the massive stone entry doors, the palace staff stood at attendance, all wildlings. A male ramifin took charge, one I hadn’t dealt with before.

“Welcome!” he called. “If you would please follow me.”

In no time, my guardian and I were inside the palace and being ushered down numerous hallways and corridors.

“The king and his guests are in his favorite sitting room.” The ramifin’s hooves clopped on the stone floor with each step he took. He wore the same attire as all of the serving staff we passed—dark-brown slacks and an aqua top with pearly buttons up its center. “It’s just this way. Almost there.”

I kept my head held high as we followed, but I was thankful for my guardian’s firm grip on my elbow. I was to perform three callings today. Three . Stars and galaxy, I hoped I could.

My silky, flat shoes slipped softly over the polished flooring, barely making a sound while the wooden heels on my guardian’s shoes clicked loudly. Their footsteps were the only sound in the monstrous palace save for voices that could be heard drifting to us from farther ahead.

“Just a few more turns,” the ramifin called over his shoulder as a few snippets of conversation reached me from ahead.

“...a noble spotted him last night in the Wood. I have a feeling he’s after my shipment that’s on its way to Ampum.”

“What makes you think that? I thought you’ve kept that stash hushed? How could he possibly know about it?” another male asked.

“I have kept it quiet,” the first replied, “but anyone would crave the wealth of gold bars I acquired from the mines in Mistvale. It’s possible I have a traitor in my midst, or maybe one of my staff slipped up and spoke about it.”

A female gasped. “But how do they know it was actually the Dark Raider that’s been spotted?”

“His black mask and head scarf.” A third male replied, and the sound of his voice nearly made me stop cold, but I quickly righted myself, and my blunder only got a small, disapproving frown from my guardian. However, my skin crawled as Lordling Neeble continued. “His telltale attire gave him away, but the noble could have been wrong. When he looked again, he said nobody was there.”

“And have the kingsfae been sent to search for him?” another female asked indignantly.

Lordling Neeble replied again, and memories of what he’d done to me sprang forth in my mind, but I quickly shoved them down. “Of course, they were. What do you take us for? Fools?”

A smattering of laughs and whispered comments followed, and somehow, I managed to keep following the servant, but when we passed the large receiving room that held several nobles from the ten Houses, it took everything in me to ignore them.

Lordling Neeble was in there, and just being near him made my blood turn to ice.

My legs were shaking so badly by the time we made the final turn to the king’s sitting room that I worried I would tip right over, but I didn’t have time for any nerves. The second I appeared in the king’s line of sight, his eyes flashed with eagerness.

“Ah, here she is!” The Faewood Kingdom ruler hooked both hands on the lapels of his turquoise coat. The shimmering color flowed around his large, solid frame, highlighting his protruding belly and thick legs. He wore tan slacks and had a stark white top underneath the grand coat. All of his clothing looked spun from the finest cottonum, airy yet regal, and was suited to our warm climate. “Do come. I have some visitors who are dying to meet you.”

King Paevin’s boisterous and booming voice clouded around me. The ramifin servant bowed at the king, then closed the door behind us just after Guardian Alleron ushered me inside the sitting room. My voluminous dress swished around my legs, and I internally cursed its hindrance, but then I reminded myself that my guardian loved when I dressed so finely, and some of my annoyance dimmed.

“You certainly did make haste,” the king said to my guardian. “We couldn’t have been talking more than ten minutes ago.”

Guardian Alleron bowed. “I do aim to please, Your Majesty. When you said you had a full agenda, I wanted to ensure we didn’t impede anything.”

The king chuckled. “You always are so accommodating. I do hope you’ll stay in that new estate of yours since it makes it so easy for you to bring your lorafin by.”

My guardian’s smile grew. “Of course, Your Majesty. As always, it’s my highest honor to serve you.”

The king waved his hand, yet his lips spread even more. He always pretended not to care for flattery even though it was obvious he loved it.

My guardian and the king murmured a few more pleasantries to each other. The entire time I stood dutifully at Guardian Alleron’s side, but it was impossible to keep my gaze from sliding to the two male siltenites behind the king. They had to be lordlings. Their clothing reeked of wealth.

I forced my expression to stay serene and aloof, the portrait of a patient lorafin—the expression my guardian preferred I wore when I performed callings—but inside, my stomach was churning. Trying to distract myself, I instead focused on a map of the Solis continent above the fireplace. Encased within an intricate golden frame, it showed all of the territories of our realm’s icy northern continent.

I frowned and couldn’t help but wonder why the king would have a map of a foreign continent in his favorite room and not a map of the Silten continent. Or even to have portraits of his children, the prince and princess of Faewood, would seem more fitting versus showcasing a far geographical location that we didn’t often interact with.

“Alas, do you want to see her?” the king asked the two males behind him, which snapped my attention back to them. “Lordlings Messepire and Himil, have a look and see what your signatures bought.” The king’s expression morphed into anticipation when he waved dramatically at me. “She’s always so beautiful. Every time I’ve seen her, she’s this stunning. Look at her curves and how she fills out that gown.” He made a satisfied sound in his throat, then addressed the lordlings again. “The ancient texts always speak of the lorafins and how breathtaking they are. It seems that time hasn’t diminished that in the slightest.”

Guardian Alleron pushed me forward, his grip tightening on my elbow in a reminder to do whatever they asked before he let go.

I plastered a smile on my face, but with each step I took toward the king, the magic inside me crackled and clouded, nearly triggering my collar. Somehow, I managed to continue my deep breaths, but I had to curl my fingers into my palms and dig my nails into my skin to keep my magic from reacting more.

“Well, Lordling Messepire, what do you think?” the king asked the male to his left.

The shorter lordling with stocky thighs and midnight black hair that matched the color of his eyes grinned. “How fascinating. She’s certainly stunning and is just as ravishing as you’d claimed she’d be.” His brown skin glimmered in the sunlight when he clasped his hands behind his back, but while his posture was unthreatening, his gaze wasn’t. He turned his sharp eyes on my guardian. “How do you resist her?”

Guardian Alleron shrugged. “She’s been with me since she was a babe, so she’s like a daughter to me. I’ve grown immune to my lorafin’s supreme features and figure.”

“You’re a stronger male than I,” Lordling Himil, the other one, quipped. He was tall with rust-colored hair and a smattering of freckles across his nose. Startling blue eyes raked over my body when he assessed me, then halted momentarily on my cleavage. “Mouthwatering indeed.” Lordling Himil licked his lips .

My skin crawled just as Lordling Messepire asked my guardian, “Is it true that you have a device to control her?”

“Oh, do show them!” the king said with a booming laugh. “Its magic is absolutely fascinating. I’ve never seen the likes of it.”

“I would be happy to, Your Majesty.” My guardian withdrew the adaptor from his pocket and held it forward for them to see. The gem on its tip—matching the gem in my collar—flashed in the sunlight streaming into the room. With every wave of his arm as he showed it off to the king and lordlings, the gemstone sparkled, the light refracting from it and trying to connect with my collar.

My breath sucked in, my entire body going as still as stone.

My guardian did those movements so carelessly. He was obviously too distracted with impressing the males to consider what an involuntary trigger of his adaptor could do to me.

Sweat beaded at the small of my back as I stood ramrod straight. I kept my lips pressed together and focused on my breathing. This will all be over by tonight, then you can return home and soak in that luxurious bath that Lillivel will have waiting for you.

All three males studied the adaptor, their attention sliding from it, to my collar, then to my expression as my guardian explained how the device worked.

I smiled serenely, pretending to be unbothered, but at least their interest in the adaptor allowed me a second to assess their auras and try to determine what their magic was going to do to me. Lordling Himil wore colors of my kingdom—dark brown, turquoise, and white—so he likely had an elemental power, and given his pounding aura, his magic was strong.

Lordling Messepire, however, wore Mistvale Kingdom colors: bright yellow, dark purple, and deep red.

My stomach churned. Mistvale magic was always a wildcard during callings. And who was to say if these two only harbored magic of their kingdoms. It was possible they’d been blessed with the unusual ability to wield magic from more than one kingdom.

But other than their kingdom colors hinting at their magic, I had no idea what was in store for me since the two lordlings appeared as all siltenite fae did. Smooth skin, fae-tipped ears, and no animalistic features. They looked like any other high fae of the realm.

Yet Lordlings Messepire and Himil undoubtedly harbored some kind of extreme magic if they were important enough to be needed for document signing. Most likely, they each led one of the ten noble Houses of their kingdoms.

I really need to learn who all the House leaders are , I thought for the umpteenth time. But House nobles changed like the wind at a king’s discretion, and we’d been so busy over the past season as Guardian Alleron clamored for funds in order to build his beloved estate that I hadn’t looked at the House lists in ages.

At least I knew what to expect from the king’s calling. King Paevin had an air elemental power. At the end of his calling, I would feel like I was floating. Air was always an easy one to deal with, but as for the other two males...

I pumped my hands into fists. Regardless, it will all be over by tonight.

Activity from outside shone through the window, and I welcomed the distraction of the wildlings working just past the palace’s land. The same scenes that had filled my windows graced the king’s sitting room as well.

But none of the males here seemed to care about the Centennial Matches. Instead, they all continued to assess me—avidly, hungrily—as they asked their rabid questions.

A shiver of dread danced down my spine, but I did my best not to let fear shine upon my face, then reminded myself that once I did my duty, my guardian would allow me to leave.

It would be the same as it’d always been.

“Right over here, girl.” The king indicated a settee by the cold fireplace.

His command startled me, and awareness hit me that in the time I’d been watching the wildlings outside, all four males had stopped talking.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” I curtsied and kicked myself into action, but irritation prickled my skin at being called girl . I’d known the king for months now, yet he still treated me like a nameless, brainless young thing even though I was highly educated and twenty-eight summers old, making me a fully matured adult.

My swirling gown brushed against the furniture on my way to the settee. Since the lounge chair was positioned right next to Lordling Himil, I had no choice but to pass closely to him.

When I did, his finger subtly reached out and ran along my skin. It left a tremor of coldness in his wake.

When the frost from his fingertip melted away, some of my anxiety calmed. So he wields a water element, not fire. Thank the stars and galaxy. At best, I would be freezing when I awoke from his calling. At worst, it would feel like I was drowning. Coldness I could live with. My upcoming hot bath would eventually cure that. As for drowning, well, the sensation was scary but would eventually pass. But fire... I shuddered. The pain from fire was always unbearable.

I lowered myself to the settee and lay back. The ridiculous gown I wore fluffed like a cloud around my legs, and the tight corset dug painfully into my ribs. My guardian gave me a sharp look, and I quickly smoothed whatever expression I’d been wearing.

The king and his two lordlings gathered closer, hovering above me. Their eyes practically glowed with anticipation.

Guardian Alleron’s handsome features carved into the expression he usually wore during my callings—patient appeasement. “She needs to be touched by whomever would like their calling done first. Who would like to start?”

Lordling Himil lifted a hand immediately. “I’ll go.”

Guardian Alleron inclined his head. “And what is it you wish Elowen to discover in the Veiled Between? ”

Lordling Himil’s throat bobbed, and for the briefest moment, his anticipation faltered. He blinked rapidly. “I’d like to contact my daughter, Serinity.”

Guardian Alleron’s voice dropped in sympathy. “Of course, please grasp Elowen’s hand.”

I closed my eyes when the lordling’s dry fingers tightened painfully around mine, then sent a silent prayer to all of the gods and goddesses that I wouldn’t be broken upon waking.

My guardian waved his adaptor and tapped the wand in a series of connected beats. A powerful well of magic vibrated around my collar, unlocking it, and then...

My magic unleashed.