Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
“Right. Off to our chambers then.” Phillen stood from the table once everyone had finished eating and stretched his massive frame. The salopas ceiling nearly brushed the top of his head since their heights hadn’t changed, despite their altered appearances.
“Elowen? After you.” Jax gestured for me to slide out of the booth.
“Such manners for a male who spends his time kidnapping females,” I replied dryly.
His lips lifted in a sly smile. “What can I say? My mother raised me right.”
I gave him a side-eye, not liking that on some level I believed him. He was the savior of the poor, after all. I couldn’t help but have a modicum of respect for him because of that, but he’d still taken me against my will and was holding me hostage for purely selfish motives. And he’d murdered Mushil. That murder was entirely evil—Mushil had done nothing to deserve that. So even if Jax helped the poor, killing innocent fae like that, I couldn’t forgive.
The smooth wooden bench slid against my rump as I sidled to the edge. Once all of us were up, Jax nodded toward the stairs. “Let’s get her out of here.”
My lips pressed into a tight line. I was so tired of being referred to as if I wasn’t even there. My entire life I’d been treated like that.
But I could understand Jax’s haste. More fae had entered the salopas, not all travelers either. Local fae were ambling in through the front door, calling out greetings to the wildling and siltenite staff. Yet none of them gave us a second glance, probably because Jax and his friends all acted so at ease, and we appeared like simple laboring fae.
Trivan led the way out of the salopas, a swagger in his step. He even bowed when a pretty siltenite female passed him, and got a slug to his shoulder from Phillen.
The female giggled, flashing Trivan a smile, and I wanted to scream at her to run the other way and not be fooled by their antics.
When we passed the wildling staff member at the front door, she glanced up from her book. Trivan gave her a flirtatious grin too, at which her horns turned pink, but she quickly stuck her nose back in the pages and hunched over her novel.
I chewed on my lip, wondering how I could signal to her that I was in distress. But considering she seemed more interested in reading than working, I doubted I would be able to grab her attention.
Still, I could try, and if I was subtle, maybe Jax wouldn’t notice.
I drifted closer to her table, my fingers reaching out, but as soon as I’d moved two feet from the others, a hand pressed to my back. The warmth of it, along with the intoxicating pine and spicy fragrance that accompanied it, told me immediately who the hand belonged to.
“Don’t.”
Jax’s single warning was all I got before his magic appeared again. It clouded around me, not stealing my voice, but I knew if I so much as uttered a peep, he would render me mute again.
Glaring at him, I abandoned my attempt to engage the wildling but still jerked away from him before following his friends up the stairs.
Music began in the salopas, drifting to us, and more voices carried to me as we climbed the stairs. Creaky steps groaned beneath our feet as we trudged to the second floor.
“We’ll stay here.” Jax stopped at the first door in the hallway, then threw the remaining keys to his friends. The Dark Raider unlocked the door, pressed his hand to my lower back again , and then ushered me inside before I could so much as ask why I had to share a room with him.
The lone sleeping chamber I stepped into contained a narrow bed, barely big enough for two fae, a chest of drawers, a cold fireplace, a wash basin in case a fairy preferred traditional cleansing, and a lavatory.
That was it.
Blue paint covered the walls, similar in shade to my wrinkled gown, and the window overlooked the main street below, a street much larger than the narrow back alley we’d arrived by.
It was still early, the sun hadn’t set yet, but Jax waved toward the bed. “Rest. We won’t be staying more than one night. Bowan?”
His friend stepped forward, and a rush of Bowan’s magic cascaded around me. My glamour disappeared, my gown appearing once more.
I swung toward them, a million questions on my lips, but Bowan and Jax were already in the hall, and Jax was closing the door behind them.
“Wait!”
The sound of the bolt sliding into place followed.
I rushed to the door and immediately tried to disengage the lock, but a pulse of magic flowed over my hand, and the lock froze . He’d used a spell to solidify it.
“Bastard!” I pounded on the door. “Let me out of here!”
“My name’s Jax, not Bastard. Now, rest. I mean it.” Jax’s command penetrated the door, but his voice was muffled. “This is your one and only opportunity, Elowen. Don’t make me regret this. We won’t be stopping again. ”
Faint footsteps reached my ears from the other side. I pounded on the door again. “Jax! Let me out!”
But if he heard me, he didn’t care.
Seething, I swung back around and glowered at my newest cage.
Music thumped from below, along with rowdy singing and laughing. Jax and his friends hadn’t returned, which meant they were either standing silently in the hall, were in one of their rooms, or perhaps were even back downstairs in the salopas enjoying a few more pints with the locals and other fae staying at this inn. The Goddess only knew.
Wherever they went, they weren’t here, and since it’d been hours since Jax had locked me in this chamber, I had no idea when he would be returning.
And, as I’d come to learn, the Dark Raider had not only spelled the door, but he’d also spelled the windows. He must have done that when he first retrieved the keys, and the rest of us had been waiting in the back alley. Or maybe his magic was so powerful that it flowed throughout the room on his way out, sealing every entry and exit point within this chamber. Whatever the case, he’d caged me completely.
Yet he didn’t know I knew several counterspells for such an event .
Or, that I’d been waiting for the right time to use them...
Joke’s on you, Dark Raider.
I waited until the sun set, just so it wouldn’t be entirely visible what I was doing, and I didn’t put my efforts into the door. That would be the most obvious path of escape, and I worried Jax or his friends would see me in the hall.
Instead, once the sun cast only a dim glow through the streets, I concentrated on the window.
I whispered the most universal spell my tutors had taught me as a child for such an event, and no sooner had the unlocking spell left my lips—my magic rising just enough to wield it—a shimmer appeared around the window’s seal.
Jax’s sealing spell evaporated.
“Not so powerful now, are you?” I whispered, gloating inwardly that it’d been so easy.
I couldn’t take all the credit, though. Guardian Alleron had hired multiple tutors when I’d been young, not scrimping on my education since he sought to impress the wealthy in the realm, who were always supremely educated.
I’d been taught well as a child, and since Guardian Alleron was always on the lookout for someone trying to steal his things, I’d also been instructed from a young age on how to wield the intricate spells to disarm locking mechanisms. And now, that training had come in handy.
I grinned, then grabbed the fireplace poker and wedged it under the window, cracking the paint in the process. I didn’t stop, not even when the old wooden frame creaked in protest at being breached. Paint flecked off its rim, but after putting more of my weight into it, the pane squeaked up half an arm’s length.
I swallowed my squeal of glee. “Thank you, tutors.”
Fresh air swirled around me, and another hoot of laughter came from the salopas below. On the street outside, several fae ambled into the inn’s salopas or wandered by on an evening stroll.
I carefully laid the poker on the floor, then focused my attention on the shop across the lane.
By some miracle or gift from the stars and galaxy, the shop across the street was exactly what I needed.
I peered behind me again, but the door remained closed. Even so, I knew if Jax had any inkling what I was attempting, he would return and use his horrid Ironcrest magic on me once more, robbing me of speech entirely and probably for the full night.
A tremor ran through me. To not have the ability to speak had been terrifying. I usually never felt that kind of vulnerability, even when my guardian was selling me off to the highest bidder.
“Bastard. I hope he rots in the underworld.” I seethed quietly under my breath, then pulled my gown down my chest more, so all one could see was bare skin, before squeezing my upper body through the window. It was narrow enough that it was a tight fit, but I managed to get one bare arm out, which was all I needed.
“Pardon!” I called quietly and waved in a friendly manner to a passing wildling.
He glanced upward, his beady eyes narrowing when he saw me. “Armarus Above, what are you doing? And undressed nonetheless,” he added with a sneer.
I forced a sheepish grin. “Sorry, sir, but could I trouble you to fetch me a dillemsill ?” I nodded toward the shop across the street.
He frowned, his whiskers twitching and shimmering in the moonlight. “Why don’t you get it yourself?”
I brought a hand to my mouth, feigning embarrassment. “I haven’t got any clothes on at the moment. I gave them to the inn staff to launder, and well...” I shrugged sheepishly.
The wildling rolled his eyes. “Dillemsills aren’t free, you know.”
“Oh, I know! I have a half rulib to pay for it.” Before he could protest, I dropped it to the ground, thankful that I always kept a few coins in my gown’s inner pocket. “That should cover it.”
He snatched it off the ground, muttering that he didn’t have time for this, then stalked to the shop across the lane that had a bright blue sign in its window advertising dillemsills.
I glanced nervously over my shoulder again, certain that at any moment, Jax would burst through the door .
But the door stayed closed, and the music below remained as rowdy as ever.
The wildling returned a few minutes later, carrying the small bird in his cupped hands. He whispered into its ear, then released it.
The small creature, covered in purple feathers with a long yellow furry tail that trailed along the ground when it walked, flew up to me, then hopped onto the sill beside me.
“Thank you!” I called to the wildling.
But he was already halfway down the street and didn’t bother replying.
Several other wildlings and siltenites walking by glanced up at me curiously, but nobody interfered or paid me much attention.
I took a deep breath, working to calm my breathing as I carefully held out my palm for the dillemsill to hop onto.
It came readily, then cocked its head, its sharp and intelligent eyes regarding me impatiently. “What’s your message?” it asked in a shrill voice.
I brought it closer to my lips and whispered, “I need you to venture to Emerson Estate near the palace, ask for Guardian Alleron, then tell him that the Dark Raider has taken his lorafin, and I’m currently being held captive on the second floor of the Lemosilly Inn in Lemos. And if he’s already left Emerson Estate, then you need to find him on the road and warn him. Tell him to bring all of his guards or the kingsfae. He’ll need them. ”
The dillemsill’s eyes grew rounder with every word I spoke. “The Dark Raider?” it finally said with a squeak.
“You’ve been commissioned and accepted my fee,” I reminded it sternly. I knew it also understood why I wasn’t asking it to go to the local kingsfae. In all likelihood, there was only one or two kingsfae patrolling this small town. And given Jax’s strength, dozens would be needed to take him down.
But Guardian Alleron had many trained guards at his disposal, and he could bring more if needed. They would be able to save me if they were prepared for what waited. Sheer numbers alone would do it. My brow furrowed, but I reassured myself that they wouldn’t end up like Mushil if they arrived on high alert.
The bird’s small eyes narrowed, and it ruffled its feathers. Finally, it nodded. “Very well, my lady.”
I sagged in relief against the window as the dillemsill began to spin. Its wings flapped. With every movement of its feathers and twirl of its body, the small creature’s magic grew. The bird whirled and spun, moving like a mini tornado, and then...it disappeared in a wink of magic.
The second it was gone, a small smile formed on my lips. It would take only minutes for the little bird to arrive back at my guardian’s estate, and if Guardian Alleron wasn’t there, a servant would tell the bird where to venture next.
With any luck, I’d bought enough time for my guardian and his hired hands to get here by tomorrow, and if they traveled through the night, they would make it .
Smiling, I closed the window, made sure I put everything back to where it’d initially been, and then re-engaged the locking spell.
Once certain there were no signs of anything being amiss, I sat down on the bed and waited.