Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
It felt as though a thousand dancing butterflies were flapping in my stomach. The carriage we rode in had all of the windows open, and music from the outdoor Ironcrest Ball carried to us on the country lane.
Ahead of us, many fae were also arriving, since it was the first official day of the ball. A whole line of carriages traveled on the narrow road as fae from all of the kingdoms ventured here for the huge Ironcrest Ball that took place every hundred summers after the Centennial Matches.
The supreme winner of the Matches, a fairy from Mistvale, would also be in attendance. She was to be awarded a noble title on the last day of the celebrations, and all of the other Match competitors would likely be wearing their medals and posing for many portraits in the coming days.
A part of me mourned that I hadn’t been able to see any of the actual Matches since I’d been on the Isle of Song in my first reality and then imprisoned and under the effect of potions in my second, but I figured in another hundred summers, I could actually attend the next one.
Jax slipped an arm around my waist as we drew closer to the ball. Our carriage rolled along, slowing as the area to depart from one’s ride grew closer. This far south, the heat pressed in on all sides, making my gown stick to my lower back. A burst of cool air abruptly filled the carriage, and I shot a grateful look at my mate. His air element chilled the breeze, soothing my heated frame, while a small smile curved his lips.
“You look as though you’re about to jump out of your skin,” Jax said with a smile in his voice.
Bowan laughed. He sat beside the prince and wore Stonewild colors, just like all of us did.
“Don’t worry, El.” Trivan clapped me on the back. “Surely tonight will go fine. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? Your sister or father tells you that they want nothing to do with you? Totally won’t occur.”
Jax cut our friend a sharp glare, and Phillen rolled his eyes. Even Saramel made a face at Trivan while Cassim jostled on her knee.
“Subtle. Real subtle,” Lander said in a bland voice.
“I’m joking. She knows I’m joking, right, El?” A moment of guilt stole over Trivan’s face, and I didn’t have the heart to chastise him.
“Even if they don’t want me in their lives, at least we’ll have met.” I smoothed my cobalt-blue gown and tried not to think about that or the fact that the king and queen of Stonewild Kingdom followed in the carriage behind us.
It was only Jax threatening to reveal Bastian’s lineage to all of Stonewild that had made his parents finally back off on their attempts to get rid of me. Still, the past week had been tense, to say the least.
My relationship with his parents probably also hadn’t been helped by the fact that Jax had paraded me before all of the kingdom as often as he could—at every meal, at every outing, at every noble event in the past week. He’d told anyone who would listen that I was not only his mate but his upcoming bride, and he’d further declared that if his parents didn’t like it, then he would choose abdication versus taking the crown.
I sighed. It’d definitely been a tense week.
Of course, while I shared in his sentiments, my presence in the palace was so strained now that it was a miracle his parents hadn’t hired an assassin to execute me in the night.
I took a deep breath and put those worries to the side. Tonight, it was about my family. Not Jax’s. Tonight, I would finally learn where I truly came from.
“What time’s Bastian arriving tomorrow?” I asked Jax.
He cocked his head. “His last dillemsill message said he and Anna will be arriving mid-morning.”
“But they’re staying with us, right?”
Jax grinned. “Yes, he finally told Anna who he really is, since he proposed, and she said yes.”
I laughed. Like Jax, I still hadn’t met Anna, so we were both looking forward to tomorrow, and I was dying to meet my future sister-in-law.
“Are you going to let Bastian pick out what glamour he wears this time?” Alec asked Bowan.
Bowan shrugged, his devious smile getting a sly smirk from Quinn. “I haven’t decided yet. Depends on if he lets me beat him in storggers or not.”
Alec chuckled, and even Lars sported a smile.
I’d never been to the infamous Ironcrest Ball before, but all week, the males had been talking about how many games were played at the huge outdoor event. Apparently, it was what most of them were looking forward to in the coming days. Well, that and the leminai tent.
The carriage finally pulled to a stop outside of a huge pavilion. The ball was in full swing outside, on the palace grounds of the king and queen of Ironcrest. The capital, Metalwick, gleamed in the distance, but here it was only rolling countryside, with the palace perched on the top of the highest hill.
The palace’s opulent structure was pure silver that gleamed in the sunlight. Magenta and burnt orange banners hung from every window. Flags flew, highlighting this kingdom’s colors, and at each flag’s center sat a six-pointed star, highlighting the six senses—sight, touch, taste, scent, sound, and magic. We’d truly arrived in the sensory kingdom, and the magic that wafted up from the land at the border had pulsed through me.
I gazed around, unable to stop my curious stare. Thousands upon thousands of fae dotted the land. My jaw dropped when I saw how many fae were already here. As was tradition, all four kingdoms were invited, and it didn’t matter if you weren’t a noble or royal. Commoners were also included, even if most couldn’t afford the travel expense to attend the grand event.
Still, my heart warmed to know that the royal family in Ironcrest wasn’t nearly as snobbish as Jax’s parents.
“What do you think she’s like?” I whispered to Jax as two attendants outside opened the carriage’s door and provided a stool so we could step down. We’d decided we would find my sister first, since the semelees had told me she’d be easier to find, before I looked for my father.
“If she’s halfway as lovely as you, I’m sure she’s marvelous,” he replied.
My hands were shaking when I stepped out of the carriage, and I feared my knees would give out.
Jax was instantly there, slipping an arm around my waist and holding me close.
I surveyed the surrounding landscape. The ball was swimming with so many fae that my heart fell. “How am I going to find her?”
But Jax just swept forward, pulling me with him. “We’ll find her. We’re not leaving until we do. Where did the semelees show you meeting her?”
My brow furrowed as I recalled the details they’d revealed in the two additional callings I’d done since last week as I peppered them with more questions. I’d not only gone to learn more about my family but to also fulfill a promise to Bastian that he’d hesitantly reminded me about.
The semelees confirmed that Bastian had never sired a child when he’d been under the anklet’s spell, and after telling me that, they’d also revealed further details about my sister. “It was near a table filled with food and drink. She was standing beside a large chocolate fountain, dipping fruit into the drizzling liquid. They said she would be there the first day, close to this time.”
“That’s easy enough. There can’t be that many chocolate fountains.”
But as my gaze scoured the hillside, my excitement dimmed. There were literally tens of thousands of fae present, and from what I could see, there were dozens upon dozens of food stands and banquet tables dotting the rolling countryside.
“We better split up.” Lander crossed his arms, gazing at the landscape.
Bowan scratched his head. “I was thinking the same. So everyone needs to find a chocolate fountain, then look for a female who looks slightly like Elowen but has golden hair. Remind me again, what was she wearing?”
I replied readily. “A silver gown. It’s shiny and refracts the light, as though it’s scattered with diamonds. At her ears, she’s wearing magenta earrings.”
“It sounds like a lovely gown befitting an Ironcrest fairy.” Saramel smiled at me and held Cassim at her hip, jostling the wee boy. The toddler had three fingers stuffed in his mouth that he removed intermittently in order to point at things.
Phillen stood just behind them, grinning as he stared down at his son. During the past week, as I’d spent more time with Phillen and his family, it’d become clear Phillen was absolutely smitten with his boy.
Alec straightened his lapels when two females sauntered by us, giving him appreciating stares.
Quinn, however, had a rather intent look on his face. Even though I knew him the least of the group, I was coming to learn that he relished a challenge, and tonight would certainly be that.
I smoothed my gown as energy grew at my back. I didn’t have to turn around to know that Jax’s parents had just departed from their carriage. The cheers and greetings called to them said enough.
Bristling, Jax ushered me forward. “Is everyone ready to start looking?”
One by one, all of our friends nodded.
I took a deep breath. The butterflies were dancing so vigorously in my stomach I felt nauseous.
Lars moved silently to stand by my side. “We’ll find her, Elowen. Fear not.”
I gave him a grateful smile.
“If anyone happens to see her, signal the rest of us immediately. Does everyone have their charm?” Jax pulled his from his pocket, a small ball that looked like a marble. It’d been spelled to glow and warm if one was trying to communicate. Depending on who signaled it, the glow would change color, and a tracking spell would be triggered, pulling the others toward them.
“We all have ours.” Bowan tucked his back into his pocket. “Let’s go.”
The entire group split up, Jax’s guards not bothering to accompany us as they usually did. Given how large the outdoor field was that the ball was being held at, the numerous food stands, the plethora of entertainment venues, the multiple game areas, and the various dancing floors that had been constructed for a huge gathering, it would truly be a miracle if we found Lorasbelle before the night’s end even if the semelees had shared specific images with me.
Jax’s hand pressed to my lower back, and I could have sworn that a hiss came from behind us. I didn’t turn. I’d come to learn that disapproving sound from his father all too well.
Jax steered us away from the carriages. “Forget about them.” He leaned down and nipped at my ear. “Tonight is about you.”
We meandered through the crowds, some people recognizing Jax, others not. A few times we were stopped so fae could pay their respects to him. I barely even heard what was said.
I couldn’t stop scanning the field, but as I took in the crowd, scents, and warm breeze, some of my anxiety faded. There were more commoners here than nobles, so surely she was here. Most were dressed finely, and I knew that many of the fae present had likely spent full seasons saving up for their gowns and tunics, my sister probably no exception.
Jax propelled me along, and our feet stepped over the colorful grass brushing against our ankles. Music rang throughout the hill, a lively and jovial sound. It called to me, igniting my senses, and my hand tapped on my thigh as I searched and searched for a golden-haired female in a silver dress.
“There’s a chocolate fountain over there.” Jax pointed toward a long table. At its center, a three-tiered fountain looked like a dripping chocolate waterfall. Surrounding it were platters of fruits and sweets that fae were spearing with long toothpicks before dunking under the cascading chocolate.
“I suppose we should wait here. This looks like what the semelees showed me.” I stopped close by the fountain, nervously turning and searching the crowd. Across the hillside, I caught sight of another chocolate fountain, so far that I could barely see it, but a flash of red hair near it alerted me to Lars. He’d stopped himself by that one and was also scanning the crowd.
I took some comfort in that. The landscape appeared so similar everywhere I looked, that even though the chocolate fountain I waited at looked identical to what the semelees had shown me, I wasn’t entirely certain I was in the right spot.
“How many fountains do you suppose there are?” I asked Jax quietly as someone brushed by my side to grab a pastry from the table.
Jax’s brow furrowed, and he assessed the numerous venues. “I count at least six banquet tables that I can easily see, so if each hillside has that many...”
My heart felt about to burst. Despite what the semelees had shown me, it would be near impossible to find her.
But Jax just leaned down and ran his hand soothingly up and down my back. “We’ll find her, my love. We will.”
We waited near the fountain, and the sun slowly set, allowing the galaxy to come alive. The music grew louder, the crowd thicker, and the laughter and conversation livelier. Drink was freely flowing, fae were dancing, and everywhere I looked were smiling and happy fae.
It was as though the entire continent was celebrating.
I twisted my fingers in my gown, but as I was about to turn away from the fountain to search the crowd again, a flash of silver caught in my peripheral vision.
I turned as though in slow motion, my body moving as though attached to a string.
Golden hair cascaded down a female’s back as a bright, glittering silver gown fell around her. It brushed against the grass, and a flash of magenta caught my eye when she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
My breath stopped.
My heart pounded.
“Jax,” I whispered.
The female grabbed a toothpick and speared a berry, then drizzled it under the chocolate. She brought it to her mouth, turning as she did so.
I was so close to her that all I would have to do was reach out, and I could touch her.
The female faced me fully, the berry popping into her mouth. Her eyes widened when we stood face-to-face.
“Lorasbelle?” I said, and it felt as though someone else said the word. My heart was beating so fast I could hear blood rushing through my ears.
Her brows puckered together as her gaze traveled over my face. She quickly swallowed her food, then her jaw slowly dropped, her eyes growing round with shock.
“Hi,” I said, my voice nearly breathless. “I’m Elowen, and I’m...I mean, I think I’m your?—”
“Lorasbelle!” someone called through the crowd, and the fae parted as though the tide had pulled them away.
My jaw dropped just as the king of Ironcrest bustled through the crowd. He stood tall, with a lean figure and blond hair. A crown of silver, studded with magenta and orange stones, graced his head. “I’ve been looking for you, Belle. We’re about to?—”
The king stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me standing near his daughter. His smile disappeared.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at him. His face paled, and he gazed at me as though he was seeing a ghost.
Time slowed. I glanced between him and Lorasbelle, the female the semelees said was my sister, and then I looked at the male who they said was my father.
“Miramim?” The king took a hesitant step toward me, his gaze skating over my face and down my frame. “Gods and Goddesses, Miramim? Is that you?”
I licked my lips, then glanced at Jax, who stood with a shocked look on his face.
Jax cleared his throat. “This is Elowen Emerson of Faewood Kingdom,” Jax finally replied, finding his voice. “And I’m her mate, Prince Adarian Willip Jackson Stagthorn, crown prince of Stonewild Kingdom.” He bowed to the king, and somehow, my legs dipped into a curtsy.
But the king—my father —didn’t respond. He stepped closer to me, his gaze traveling over my face so fast, his complexion still white. “My Gods, you look just like my first wife.” He glanced at Lorasbelle, who was also staring at me as though she’d seen a ghost.
“My mother,” she finally said. “That’s what my father meant to say. You look just like my dead mother.”
It felt as though a thousand volts of lightning hit me. Shock billowed through me, yet all of my senses zeroed in on the female and male who the semelees had told me was my family.
“They told me you’re my sister,” I whispered to her. “And that you’re my father,” I said to him. “I’m a lorafin who can travel to the Veiled Between, and the semelees said you’re my family.”
The king gasped, his hand flying to his mouth. “What? That can’t be.”
I forced myself to reply, even though dread was growing in my stomach that they would reject me. “It’s what they said, and the semelees know all.”
My father and sister shared a look, and the king finally said, “You’re saying that you’re my daughter, but...you died.”
“She did?” Jax cut in. “How?”
The king licked his lips. He still looked entirely pale, but he managed to get out, “A seer told my wife that we would have a daughter who would be feared by all, and Miramim grew so afraid that someone would try to kill our daughter upon her birth that she fled to Parvol to hide so no one could find her, and then she fled to the Wood to have our child alone when her contractions started.” A look of utter devastation filled his face. “I was away at the time. Her labor pains started several weeks earlier than anticipated, and when I was finally able to reach her—” Grief made his face crumple.
Lorasbelle cleared her throat and laid a hand on her father. “Nobody ever truly knew what happened to her. I was only eleven at the time, but when my mother’s body was finally found in the river, it was determined that she’d drowned, but you...” Her gaze slid my way. “Nobody ever knew what became of my sister. The healers knew that my mother had given birth as the child was no longer in her womb, but there was no sign of you. We’d all assumed a predator in the Wood had perhaps taken you. We all thought you died.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I didn’t die. I was taken.”
My throat became so clogged that I couldn’t speak more, so Jax placed his hand against my lower back and slowly explained to them what not only Guardian Alleron had told us but the semelees too.
“You’re a lorafin?” the king finally managed after Jax finished explaining. “ That’s why the seer said you would be feared by all?”
I could only nod. I was still so clogged with emotion that it was hard to speak.
My father brought a hand to his forehead. “Stars Above. I’ve heard of you during the past twenty summers. That a lorafin was traveling through the kingdoms with her guardian, her services open to any who had the coin. I’ve even had nobles in my court use your magic for their bidding.” His knees buckled, and those near us gasped.
An attendant rushed forward, bringing a seat for their sovereign.
The king of Ironcrest lifted himself just enough to seat himself upon it, and Lorasbelle crouched at his side, tears in her eyes too. “Oh, Da, are you all right?”
He just shook his head. “I can’t believe it.” He gazed up at me again, his eyes traveling over my face. “But it has to be true. You look just like her but even more beautiful in a way.”
“That’s my lorafin magic at work.” Tentatively, I crouched on his other side and looked at him and then Lorasbelle. “I never knew about the two of you either. The male who stole me, he told me that I’d been abandoned in the Wood and that my family didn’t want me because I was a lorafin.”
Ruddy indignation filled my father’s cheeks. “Where is this male?” he all but seethed.
“Gone,” Jax replied readily, his voice clipped. “He’ll never hurt Elowen again.”
Tears began to spill down my cheeks as my family and I gazed at one another in wonder, and deep in my heart, I knew that I’d found my family. The king of Ironcrest was my father, and the princess of Ironcrest was my sister. My mother had been the queen, and with a thunderstruck memory, I recalled a detail about Ironcrest that I’d learned long ago but had never even considered was related to me.
Miramim, the queen of Ironcrest Kingdom, had died a tragic death twenty-eight summers ago. She’d gone into the Wood, as she was privy to do, and had tragically drowned in a river. It’d happened so long ago, but the king had eventually married again, many summers later, giving his surviving daughter a stepmother to call her own.
More tears fell down my cheeks, and tears fell down Lorasbelle’s too as we both stared at each other in shock.
Jax slipped an arm around my waist, hope growing in his aura as he stared at the Ironcrest royal family. “King Bronwan and Princess Lorasbelle, may we go somewhere more private? Elowen and I have much to tell you.”