Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
I stayed in the Wood, hidden from view on the enchanted carpet. Hours had passed since I’d killed my guardian, but I didn’t feel one speck of regret or sadness. I felt nothing but firm resolve.
Only one thing mattered now.
So I waited until the time was right. Waited for the sun to set and the moons to rise.
My stomach howled with hunger, and my lips were dry from thirst. I’d had nothing since the tea and pastry in the morning, but my hunger and parched throat would have to wait because I had nothing other than the carpet beneath my feet.
It was only after I’d flung my guardian to his death that I wished I’d emptied his pockets first. But I hadn’t. My rage had taken over me, so I was now entirely dependent upon Saramel.
Once the three moons were shining brightly, I whispered a command to the carpet, and I took off. I sailed through the Wood, around the curves, back onto the road until the billowing night lights of Jaggedston appeared like twinkling jewels.
I kept the carpet at an even pace, and as I grew closer to the city, other fae became present. Some also traveled on the road, and others tended to the yards of their small homes. I rode the carpet, doing my best to remain inconspicuous.
The navy gown I still wore flew around me, the long skirt fluttering in the wind, but my focus was fierce, my goal set.
My heart thrummed in a steady rhythm on the ride to the palace, but I didn’t slow. I coasted toward its onyx spires until I reached the streets surrounding it.
I only stopped when I glided into the alleyway where I would meet Saramel. I commanded the carpet to settle on the ground, and then...I waited.
My teeth were chattering, and the carpet was rolled up beside me by the time I heard Saramel’s pattering feet. Ten bells had rung a few minutes ago, the last bells of the night, and the palace guards had done a shift swap. It was amazing how much one could see and learn about the palace’s going-ons simply by lurking in the shadows.
“Elowen?” Saramel whispered from the mouth of the alley. A shawl covered her hair, hiding part of her face.
“I’m here.” I rushed forward, her doing the same, and we collided in a hug halfway down the narrow lane.
“Oh, thank the stars, I didn’t know if you’d still be free.” She pulled back and quickly unstrapped a pack from her back. “I have your bag, clothes, rulibs, and a few portal keys as you requested. I also swiped some food and drink from the kitchens. I thought you may be hungry.”
As though to confirm her suspicions, my stomach let out a loud grumble. “Thank you, you’ve done so much for me. Thank you, Saramel.”
She shoved the pack in my hands, her eyes as sharp as the moonlight. “Have you heard what happened today?”
“I know they’ve been charged, but that’s all I know.” I tensed. “What do you know?”
Tears formed in her eyes, shimmering like pearls in the dim light. “Exactly that. They’ve all been officially charged. It was announced today in the Jaggedston Herald. It said they have irrefutable proof, and the whole city now knows.” A tear fell onto her cheek. “The prince, my husband, and all of our friends will be going to trial in the coming weeks before a King or Queen Justice.”
The ground swayed beneath me, and I reached a hand to the alley’s wall to steady myself. Just as fast, I pulled myself up straight. No, I wouldn’t allow that to happen. I would save them.
I swallowed the dryness in my throat and gripped Saramel’s hands in an iron-tight hold. All day I’d been able to think of what I needed to do, and now the time was finally upon me.
“Saramel, this is very important. Do you know what scholar Jax consulted about lorafins? He always knew so much about my kind, yet I never asked him how he’d acquired his knowledge.”
Her eyes turned to saucers, and she nodded vigorously. “Yes, of course. Nellip accompanied him on that journey. The prince went to the Isle of Song to ask what the great scholars there knew of how to locate someone who couldn’t be found.”
The Isle of Song. Of course. The island off the east coast of our continent held the most prestigious university and library of our land. Our continent’s greatest scholars lived there.
“That makes sense.” Hands trembling, I released her and grabbed some food and drink from the pack. I quickly ate a few bites and took a few drinks. “And what about Bastian? Did you know he’s staying in the enchanted chambers? Has anyone?—”
“He’s fine.” She laid a hand on my arm, and some of my trembling stopped. “Nellip told me you brought him back, before the kingsfae came and took him.” She looked down, and her aura fluttered with grief. “I checked on Bastian this morning, and he asked for a looking glass, so I brought him one. Obviously, he’s as worried as us, but at least he has Anna now to talk to, even if he can’t reveal any details about the prince to her.”
“Thank the stars.” I sagged in relief. “I was concerned he’d be trapped and alone in the palace forever.”
“No, he won’t be, but Nellip said it’s not safe for him to return home yet. Do you know when it will be?”
“No, I don’t, but Nellip’s right. It’s not safe for him right now. He needs to stay in the chambers for the time being.” I took another bite of the cold ham she’d brought as I mulled over the other looming problem that had been in the back of my mind—King Paevin. He was still capturing half-breeds and planning to build an army. He needed to be stopped, but for the life of me, I didn’t know how I could stop a king while also trying to free my mate, unless I...
I nearly dropped the ham I was chewing.
“Of course! I can do both !” I quickly chewed another bite of food. “Oh stars, Saramel. I just had the biggest revelation.” I quickly stuffed the rest of the ham into my mouth and chewed vigorously. “But I have to go. I have so much to do. But are you able to look after Bastian? I know you’re already dealing with so much, and I hate to ask that but?—”
“Yes.” She squeezed me. “It’s all right, Elowen. I’ll take care of him. Please don’t worry about the prince’s brother.”
I nodded curtly and finished consuming the food and drink, then fished a portal key from the pack. “I have to go.”
Saramel canted her head. “Where are you going?”
I slung the bag over my shoulder, then grabbed the rolled-up carpet. “I’m going to the Isle of Song so I can learn how to fully use my magic, and then I’m going to save our mates and friends and stop the king.”
“The king?”
“King Paevin.”
When her confused expression grew, I realized Nellip hadn’t told her everything we’d discovered before the kingsfae had apprehended him. But at least Nellip had told her of Bastian, and Saramel had looked after Jax’s brother since their arrest.
I finished securing my pack. “I’m sorry. It’s a long story, so I don’t have time to fully explain, but the Faewood king was behind Bastian’s abduction. And he’s doing many atrocious things. He’s trying to build a half-breed army, and he wants to march on the kingdoms and start a war, and?—”
“ What ?” Her shocked whisper rang through the alleyway.
I nodded vigorously. “It’s true. The semelees revealed it to me, so I need to stop him and save our mates and our friends. And I just realized that I can do all of that by twisting fate. It’s the only way to stop everything.”
Her jaw dropped. “You mean...you’re going to...” Her hands flew to her mouth. “But if the courts find out that you?—”
“I know, and if that happens, I’ll deal with it. But right now, too much is at stake. I have to do it. It’s the only way.”
She dropped her hands, and for the briefest moment, a flare of hope shone upon her face. “Okay, but please be careful, and don’t worry about anything here. I’ll take care of Bastian, Cassim, and myself. We’ll all be fine.”
A breath of relief left me, and Saramel’s lips lifted in a quivering smile. And in that moment, I realized I wasn’t alone. I might not have much, but I had Saramel. I did have a friend in this realm.
I sighed in relief. “Deal. You look after the three of you, and I’ll save our mates.”
She pulled me into a fierce hug. “May the stars, moons, galaxy, and all the gods and goddesses bless you, Elowen.”
“And you.”
She squeezed me one last time. “And, Elowen? Good luck.”
I forced a smile, then gripped the portal key tighter. “Open key for thou I ask, I need a door for this new task.”
The realm swirled around me, and the ground dropped out from beneath me. But I kept my concentration steady, my mind clear.
The Isle of Song. Take me to the university on the Isle of Song.
The portal key dropped me off at the bottom of the university’s steps on the large island.
Moonlight illuminated the huge stone stairs, cut into natural rock, that climbed to the monstrous monolith in front of me. I’d never been here before and had only heard of this prestigious school, and for a moment, all I could do was stare. The building before me was more like a temple, and it was huge .
Tales wove through our land about the university’s imposing magic. Everything I’d ever heard about this place rang true. Heady power pulsed around the school, which was carved from the scarred rock on the side of the natural mountain that rose from this lone isle far out in the Adriastic Sea.
Waves crashed below on the distant shores beneath the mountain, so faint I could barely hear them. I searched my surroundings, gazing at the wild grasses swaying in the breeze behind me. But nobody was about. I wasn’t surprised. Other than this ginormous building holding the university and library, there was nothing else on this isle, and it was said the scholars and the handful of students here rarely left their chambers.
Pillars waited at the top of the stairs, and intricate mystical engravings decorated each one. It was rumored those engravings had come from the time of the gods and that this architectural marvel was just as old.
I had no idea who’d built this place, and no one else did either, but the magic here was thick and ancient, and it was said to have come from the stars. It caressed me on the wind, as though trying to seek the power inside me while humming through my veins.
Some said it was why the scholars here were so knowledgeable—that the land fed their minds, linking them to a time when our realm was first born and our magic was ignited by the galaxy. It was a time that no longer existed. An ancient time.
No wonder Jax knew so much about lorafins if he consulted the scholars here.
I dropped the rolled carpet at my feet. It was too heavy and cumbersome to carry with me, and I had no need for it at the moment, so I gripped my pack instead.
With deliberate footsteps, I began to climb the stairs, and with each press of my soles into the rock beneath my feet, an answering pulse—a beat of acknowledgment—vibrated through my limbs.
This land knew what I was, and perhaps I was crazy to think it, but it felt as though it welcomed me.
At the top of the stairs, torches lit rock doors that stood twenty feet high. But there were no guards. No sentries. Yet the doors opened automatically the moment I stepped toward them.
They swung inward, and a long stretch of an immense hallway appeared before me, reminding me of darkly buried tombs long forgotten. Pillars graced the halls on the inside as well, and like the outdoors, torches lit the way.
I stopped at the threshold, gazing at the cavern in front of me. Not a soul could be seen.
“Hello?” I called, my voice echoing down the vast chamber.
“Welcome, Lorafin.” The whispered words carried on the breeze, and I swung around, my heart hammering as I searched for who’d spoken.
No one was about.
“Don’t be afraid.” The whisper again came from nowhere and everywhere at once. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
I took a deep breath, reminding myself that this was the only way to save Jax and that the magic here was not to be feared. Respected, yes, but I’d never heard of this isle hurting anyone maliciously. Not yet, at least.
Tentatively, I stepped over the threshold, and a wall of magic instantly encased me. Thick, potent power swirled around me but released me just as fast on the other side.
I gasped, my eyes widening. The hall that I’d seen from the outside was no more. Instead, a large chambers stood before me, lined with books, tomes, and rolled scripts. I swung around. The twenty-foot-tall doors were gone. Only a simple arched doorway waited behind me.
Fear cascaded through me. I had no idea where I was or how to get out, and perhaps the whisperings I’d heard about this place were wrong after all.
“Do not be afraid,” a voice called. “’Tis the land’s magic. It knew what you wanted, and it transported you to where you seek within the school.”
I swung around, my breaths so short and quick that I had to consciously slow them. My eyes popped. A gargoyle waited before me, no more than four feet tall. He wore a long crimson robe, and his clawed feet poked out from beneath it.
“My name is Master Fistideeous, and I’m to be your teacher.”
I blinked. I’d heard that the universities and great libraries on the continents employed gargoyle scholars, but I’d never seen one. And I’d always thought at night they returned to stone, yet the gargoyle standing before me was very much alive.
The creature grinned, revealing a mouthful of wickedly sharp teeth. Black solemn eyes gazed upward at me. His face was truly horrific, yet his voice was pleasant when he said, “Time moves differently on this isle. Come. I have the answers you seek.”
“You...” I licked my dry lips. “You know why I’m here?”
“Of course. The magic told me.” He hobbled to the shelves behind him, his crimson robe trailing along the floor.
Numbly, I followed, my feet making quiet tapping sounds on the stone. “Do you know who I am?”
“You are Elowen Emerson of Emerson Estate, a lorafin from Faewood, or at least, that is what you believe.”
I cocked my head at his cryptic words. “Was the crown prince of Stonewild here recently?”
The gargoyle glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, yes. He came looking for answers as well, just like you. He hoped to find the one he lost. But that answer eluded him. It was I who told him that only a lorafin could find who he sought, and that you were the only lorafin currently in our kingdoms.”
My eyes widened. “You met with the prince too? Does that mean you’re able to help me? The prince has been captured by the authorities, and I must twist fate to save him...and do some other things too, yet I don’t know how.”
The gargoyle smiled. “Yes, Lorafin. I know how you can twist fate.”
“And you’ll tell me, even though such a practice is illegal?”
The gargoyle made a motion with his hand. “Why should mere fae decide what magic can be wielded in our great universe? Especially when that magic was born of the gods.”
“Born of the gods?” I repeated.
“Oh yes, did you not know? The magic within your veins carries power from the Goddess of Time, Verasellee herself.”
I froze. “Are—” I licked my lips. “Are you serious?”
“I am. Did you not know?” He grinned again, his features even more terrifying than they’d been a second ago. “Are you also ignorant of the fact that the gods and goddesses once walked our land?”
“No, I’ve heard that before, but that was so long ago.”
“It was, but in the ancient times, some gods and goddesses bred with fae. As a result, some fae in our realm still carry traces of the gods’ blood. That magic passes at the will of the gods, not following genealogy, but instead it picks those that it believes are worthy, and it chose you.” He canted his head. “Have you never wondered how a mere fairy is able to travel through the cosmos and reach areas of our universe that only the gods can walk?”
I paused again and thought of what my magic allowed me to do. “I suppose I never really considered it.”
“Hmm, such a shame, but then I guess if you’ve spent your entire life enslaved, you probably had other things to worry about, but no matter. The gods and goddesses gave you your power for a reason. We pass no judgment here. You may twist fate all you want.”
A blast of relief nearly bowled me over. If he wasn’t going to turn me into the kingsfae, then it was possible I could save Jax and our friends. If only I learned how. “Thank you for being willing to help me.”
He bobbed his head and pulled out a scroll. “Of course. Now, to acquire such knowledge has a price. Even a goddess’s descendent must pay.”
I surged toward him, ripping off my pack and reaching inside. “I can do that. I have rulibs. How much do you need?”
He shook his head. “Not rulibs, Elowen. The library doesn’t barter in coin. We require something else, something much more powerful.”
A skittering of dread slithered through me, and I clutched my bag to my chest. “What is it you want?”
“Knowledge, Lorafin. The magic here continually seeks knowledge . If I teach you how to twist fate, you must return and report everything you learned in the Veiled Between when you do such an act. This knowledge must be recorded for the ages.”
I nodded vigorously. “Of course, whatever you want is yours.”
He tsked . “Such desperation can land one in trouble. Be mindful of that. You should be glad that our school functions in neutrality. I fear if you went to the wrong creature, begging for help, more dire consequences could result.”
I took a deep breath. He was right. I was being foolish. I was so desperate to save my mate that I was willing to do anything, but if I traveled to the underworld and made a deal with Lucifer...
I shuddered. No, that wasn’t happening. I wouldn’t allow myself to be that stupid.
Squaring my shoulders, I met his solemn gaze. “I will give you the knowledge you seek in exchange for instruction on how to twist fate.”
He grinned, his black eyes shining. “Very well, then let us begin.”