Chapter One
Skylar Cathal
Time was never an ally.
After healing the wounded and lending aid where I could, I retreated to the library in desperate need of solitude and rest.
The second I opened the doors leading to Daxton’s personal collection, my rage morphed into a hollowed depth of sorrow that swallowed me whole.
My footsteps heaved as I mustered my remaining threads of strength to scale the familiar steps I once cherished, seeking the chaise on the second floor, tucked away near the corner window.
The others tried to follow me, but Idris wisely stood in their path, telling them to give me a minute alone.
The warning glare I caught from Castor before I disappeared served as a stark reminder of the true cost of these fleeting moments.
His expression silently relayed what we dared not speak aloud.
Daxton was gone.
Imprisoned in a living state of his nightmares, held hostage under Queen Minaeve until I retrieved the third key and unlocked the location of the Heart of Valdor. Daxton was a pawn in her scheme to ensure my return, but this was all part of his plan.
I collapsed onto the chaise, burying my face in the pillows, desperate to hide my falling tears. I knew I had to pull myself together, but for a moment, I allowed myself to feel the chasm of pain ripping through my chest.
I would never have enough time with Daxton.
“I will find you,” I vowed to the cherished books adorning the library’s collection, refusing to acknowledge an alternative fate.
A wave of stubborn determination settled in my chest as my animal sparked to life.
I had to be strong. Crying about losing Daxton would not bring him back.
I lifted my face from the pillow and closed my eyes, inhaling a deep breath of pine and mountain air, recognizing the scent of my mate that lingered in every corner of this palace, with the strongest essence of him emanating from this spot.
I recalled the nights we shared here. Before he confessed our bond, before I mustered the courage to tell him I loved him. He held me through my restless nights after the labyrinth, reassuring me with silent gestures of strength and comfort that I was safe and never alone.
“Skylar.” Castor’s voice crept through the outskirts of my thoughts. “Do you—”
“Tell me again,” I said quickly. “Tell me the plan again. I… I... need you to tell me.” I couldn’t bear to look at him, keeping my eyes shut and clinging to the vivid memories of Daxton that grounded me like a lifeline.
Castor sighed, unhappy with my request. Even though he didn’t admit it aloud, I knew his own guilt about allowing Daxton to be captured by Minaeve was eating him alive. “From the beginning, I assume?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t listen carefully enough the first time?”
I grunted but otherwise disregarded his annoyance. I didn’t have it in me to care, not now.
“Tell her again.” Zola’s brooding voice echoed from the shadows in the corner of the corridor near our hideaway.
“Oh joy, the shadow stalker is here. Why am I not surprised?” Castor muttered. “I thought Idris told you to stay out.”
“I recall her telling you the same thing,” Zola countered. “Idris is a respectable ruler and my closest friend. But I don’t answer to Crimson City,” Zola said before turning her gaze to me. “Daxton asked me to look after his mate, if and when he was absent.”
My eyes darted to the shadows along the corner where Zola dwelled, finding only the faint outline of her face and arms.
“When did he ask this?” Castor asked.
“In Crimson City, after his mate healed Nyssa,” Zola answered as she leaned against the bookcase, more of her torso coming into view.
The shadows at her command recoiled farther.
“She needs to hear it again, Castor. So, tell her. You’re wasting valuable time.
Don’t get angry at the shifter for the delay when you’re only adding to it yourself. ”
“Fine,” Castor grunted, stuffing his hands into his pockets and scowling at the Spymaster. “It is a rare occasion when you make it difficult to argue with your logic. I’ll make sure to put this to memory.”
Zola bared her teeth and hissed. “Your insults were cute when you were no taller than my knee. But now, I’d be cautious, Prince.”
Castor flashed Zola a cocky grin, folding his arms and leaning against a nearby chair.
Even though Castor was now first in command of Silver Meadows with Daxton’s absence, the orders of their high prince lived on.
Zola was looking after me. I didn’t know if it was comforting or unnerving to have her watching me so closely.
“Daxton knew, when he first felt your bond, that either he or you could be used as leverage in some way in the queen’s favor,” Castor said. “And if it came to a decision between you or him, he made it very clear that you would remain unharmed.”
I nodded, understanding this part. “So, Dax created a contingency plan.”
“Yes. He prepared himself for the possibility of this happening. When you were chosen as the champion and defeated the first trial, the reality of this outcome became more likely. We were given strict orders to allow this and not interfere with his capture if what he feared came to fruition.”
“Fucking Daxton,” I cursed under my breath.
“Minaeve’s attack against Silver Meadows was predictable, but Daxton’s actions added fuel to her already burning fires,” Zola said.
“Which is why you were so furious at Daxton for taking Anjani’s hand,” I said.
“Exactly,” Castor answered. “Daxton dismembered Anjani, knowing it would trigger Aelius’s demand for revenge, making him the target and not you.
” Castor moved to sit in a cushion-backed chair near the chaise.
“His imprisonment was even more likely, if not sealed at this point. So, we devised a plan to counter the queen’s attack and, for once, take them by surprise.
The only twist was that we didn’t foresee Seamus’s marriage to Minaeve. ”
“This is not a setback,” Zola said. “It gives Daxton an opportunity to achieve the upper hand, for once.”
“The bulk of Silver Meadows’ armies,” I spoke slowly, piecing it all together. “They aren’t patrolling different areas of Daxton’s realm, are they?”
“No, they’re marching north in preparation for war,” Castor answered, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his thighs.
It all made sense. Daxton was planning to overtake the queen, uniting with the allied forces of Crimson City.
This was why Astro and Finn, Idris and Adohan’s twin sons, didn’t join them in Aelius or Silver Meadows.
They were overseeing preparations of their own warriors.
Ready to join Silver Meadows when the Heart of Valdor healed the land to overthrow Aelius and the self-proclaimed queen, attacking from both sides.
“But why Daxton?” I asked again. “Why did he have to go?”
“You know he wouldn’t let anyone else do this in his place,” Castor said, bowing his head.
“Daxton understands the queen’s desires more than most ever will,” Zola answered. “He’s the perfect distraction. The prize she has coveted since she came to power. And now, the mate of the champion. Holding him as her captive ensures your return with what she needs to seal her reign for eternity.”
“And we need the scroll,” Castor added. “When you have the alpha’s dagger in your possession, we believe the final star will fill in. And then, when you return to the Inner Kingdom, the location of the Heart of Valdor should be unveiled once the final key comes into contact with the scroll.”
“But how will Daxton steal this scroll if he’s imprisoned?” I asked, recalling Seamus’s warning to Minaeve, validating the presence of our mate bond, saving a piece of Daxton’s soul. The taboo of the High Fae and mate bonds at least prevented her from forcing him into her bed.
“Minaeve and Seamus will want to celebrate.” Castor glanced at his clenched hands, rage for his brother’s imprisonment threatening to burst free.
“And no celebration is worth the time and energy if you can’t boast about your victory to those you deem beneath you.
They’re in a position of power, Skylar. Their false sense of security will cause them to overlook small details.
Once the idea of victory is achieved, their confidence will be their greatest downfall. ”
“Fuck!” I cursed, standing and bracing my head against my palm.
I was scared. Scared for Daxton, scared for his people, scared for all of us.
“This is all hanging in the balance based on your assumption that Minaeve is likely to brag? How is he supposed to escape?” I asked, clenching my fists so hard my knuckles turned white.
My animal roared inside my head as my thoughts wandered to where my mate was being held captive.
“I have no doubt the queen will siphon Daxton’s magic over and over again, lock him in irons, and drug him to keep him under her control.
” Not to mention the beatings and other mindfucks that Seamus and Anjani likely had planned. “How will he be safe?”
“I’m the failsafe,” Zola announced as shadows swirled around her frame with a life of their own. “The queen cannot detect my magic, and she can’t siphon it away. A special adaptation thanks to my encounter with the wilt.”
The tip of the dagger in her left hand picked at the dirt under her fingernails, such sharp, deadly weapons wielded like nothing more than mere toothpicks. A reminder that Zola had seen and endured trials in her immortal life that I didn’t comprehend.
“I’ll shadow-jump inside the palace and extract Daxton and the scroll when the time is right.”
“And how will you know when the time is right?”
“I’ll know,” Zola said with absolute clarity. Almost looking bored at contemplating any further explanation.
“Zola will be able to visit Daxton in his cell,” Castor said, sitting upright. “Waiting in the shadows just like she always does. As disturbing as her magic is at times, it comes in handy more often than not.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Zola chuckled, rolling her neck.
“Do you have an ally in the Aelius court?” I asked, hoping there was more to this plan.
Zola arched her brow with a toothless grin. “Of course I do. But their identity is unknown, even to me. They’ve requested to stay anonymous to ensure their position in the palace remains secure and their life unthreatened.”
“With the vital information we’ve received this past century, Dax and I have agreed not to push our informant for their identity,” Castor said.
“Owl… is their call sign,” Zola said as she tapped her fingers along the blade of her dagger.
“Not my favorite, but it works.” Castor scoffed. “Owl has helped us ferry groups of people out of Aelius and warned us of the queen’s unexpected visits.”
“You trust Owl?” My mate’s life was not something I would put to chance.
“We do,” Castor answered.