Chapter 31 – Sera #2
“She was always a smart one,” I reply.
“She wanted to keep looking, even in other realms,” Jade says.
“She never gave up on you, but as you can imagine, figuring out where you were would not have been an easy task. I always believed that if you found a way, you’d return here.
Traipsing around countless realms meant possibly never seeing you again or becoming trapped as well. ”
I nod. “I don’t fault her. In fact, I’m grateful she is safe and that, gods willing, we will be reunited.”
Jade looks at me curiously. “You keep invoking the gods. I thought your court, like mine, primarily worshiped the Mother.”
“Force of habit,” I sigh. “The forsaken realm, where I spent the last century, doesn’t pray to the Mother. I glamoured myself to fit in and had to learn new customs, as the fae haven’t been seen in their realm for quite some time.”
Jade nods, a sad look in her eyes. “That must have been a very lonely century.”
“It’s still hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that over three centuries have passed here.
I’ve lost so much time.” The deep well of pain I’ve kept stopped up threatens to spill over, but I push it back down.
“A kind family took me in and knew my secret. Seeing them age and die was harder than I thought it would be. I’ve locked so much of myself away. ”
“While I’d never presume to know the Mother’s plans, it is fascinating to me that you would stumble upon your mate in another realm.”
I give her a pained smile. “Fascinating, yes, or perhaps just cruel.”
“Cruel?” Jade frowns. “You don’t consider it a blessing to have found him? Some fae never meet their mates.”
“Cruel because he’s human and I’m not. I will have to watch him grow old and die like almost every other human I’ve ever loved.”
“So because you might only have a few decades with the man, you’d rather sulk and reject him?” Jade quirks a brow. “I’d kill for what you have, for the possibility of it.”
I blink back tears. “What does it even matter if I’m cursed? We could never have a life, not when every night I lose more of myself. He deserves someone whole.”
Jade’s face softens, and she throws an arm around my shoulders. “I can’t pretend to understand your predicament, but I do think you have something worth fighting for.”
“What’s happening at the palace? Is Alex okay?” I finally bring myself to ask, feeling horrible that I haven’t done so until now.
“The queen took him into custody. I believe he was brought to the dungeons.”
I curse under my breath before looking up with terrified eyes. “Does she know? Did she hear about the mate bond?”
Jade grimaces. “I’m afraid she does.”
“See!” I exclaim, shoving away from her. “This. This is why I pushed him away, why I didn’t tell him about the bond. I didn’t want it to be used against him, to hurt him.”
Jade’s eyes flash with anger. “You put him in more danger by not letting him know. Mates are always stronger when bonded. Did you ever think of that?”
I lift my hands helplessly. “I’ve messed everything up. He hurt me back home and I pushed him away, but I also lied to him, hurt him as well. What if it’s too late to come back from all that?”
“The only thing we can do now is continue forward. Stop your pouting and get your ass moving. We need to rescue him somehow.”
“The dungeons were always well guarded back when my family ruled,” I say, “and the enchantments down there are powerful. I doubt much of that would have changed. Not to mention, I can’t exactly waltz back into the palace.
I’m sure the enchantress queen would take me into custody as well.
We were practically prisoners when we arrived.
I hoped we could get into her good graces by cooperating, but then she wouldn’t allow me to leave the dinner early. ”
“Hence the Lady Penelope farce she came up with,” Jade says.
“Exactly. It was a test to find out if we could play along. Clearly, we failed.”
Jade laughs. “For what it’s worth, it was the most entertaining dinner we’ve had in forever. I never thought I’d see a fire-breathing swan. You could almost challenge my dragon, but don’t tell him I said that.”
“Where is your dragon?” I ask. “I thought if you were bound to a dragon, you couldn’t be separated for that long.”
Jade rubs her chest, her brow furrowed. “There’s no way in hells I’d let the enchantress queen get her hands on him. He’s not that far, and we do sneak off every once in a while to fly. Trust me, he’s not happy about it. Neither am I.”
“You truly are a welcome ally, even though I hardly deserve it.”
“Nothing would make me happier than destroying the enchantress queen so Gabriella can return home. It’s all she’s talked about for the past centuries, other than you and your parents.”
“She’ll be a worthy queen for our people,” I say. “I never wanted to rule, still don’t. I hoped the enchantress would help find me a cure so I could live out my life away from court, but I don’t trust for one moment that she’d truly lend aid.”
“I’d be wary, that’s for sure,” Jade agrees. “She’s dug her nails in deep. It still boggles my mind how she was powerful enough to convince the entire court she deserved to reign as queen and continue to control them. She terrifies me.”
“Well that’s certainly not encouraging.” I grimace.
“The first thing we need to do is get you to a safe place where you can hide. I’d bet half my kingdom’s coffers the queen has sent her hunters after you like she did Gabriella.”
“You mean the guards?”
“No. The guards might have chased you last night, but she has special hunters she sends out for tasks like this. They’re fae but altered somehow.”
A vice tightens in my chest. “That sounds horribly ominous.”
“They won’t give up,” Jade says quietly.
I look around nervously. “Are we safe? Should we be so exposed like this?”
“We’re okay for now,” Jade replies. “My air element allows me to keep my ears open for quite a distance. It’s just us and the forest animals in this vicinity.”
I inhale a deep breath before releasing it. “That’s certainly a nice gift to have. I’m utterly depleted. I need rest and food.”
“Your swan went on quite the rampage.” Jade smirks.
“So where do I hide?” I ask. “I don’t want Alex to think I’ve abandoned him, but we need a plan.”
“Lucky for you, I have some trusted friends you can stay with while I go back to the palace to investigate.”