Page 27 of Veil of Shadows

I gasped, my lips parting as I took in the vast view. Pastel clouds drifted above us, the wharf now in a straight line only miles away. Wind continued to blow across my cheeks, sharper and fiercer, but I was glad the prince didn’t enact his elemental magic. This high up, I felt alive and free, and it was marveling that we were allowed to travel above the roads.

My gaze collided again with Jax’s. He was watching me, his stone-like expression cracking. For the briefest moment, the intensity of his focus was so consuming that my breath was trapped in my throat.

He looked positively . . . hungry.

Eyes hooded, the prince’s attention dipped as he took in my flushed cheeks. A small smile curved his lips, but then Alec leaned closer to me, and the prince’s smile disappeared.

Alec pointed north. “And that section of the city is where the ten Houses reside. You can see it much more clearly from up here. Each estate has nearly as much land as the prince’s residence.”

I tried to focus on what Alec was telling me, but my attention wanted to drift to Jax. “Where did you say it was?”

“Just there.” Alec pointed again. “It’s hard to miss.”

I finally spotted the large section of the city that revealed ten monstrous estates, and my eyebrows shot up. Alec hadn’t been jesting. Itwashard to miss.

Each estate had manicured gardens, fountains, and pristine landscaping. All of the ten noble Houses sat on sprawling parcels of land, spreading northward toward the Wood, and some only stopped when they reached the coast.

Each residence held a stone castle, although all of the castles were slightly different colors and had unique architecture, but each residence had opulent spires and elegant towers. One even had a moat.

None of them were as grand as the palace, or had quite as much land, nor were as forbidding with black exteriors, but the ten Houses were nothing to scoff at.

“They’re all so beautiful,” I whispered. While Emerson Estate was also magnificent in its own way, it was nothing compared to these.

Alec inclined his head. “Most of the House castles are centuries old, some even dating back to just after the Elvish wars. My House has been in existence for nearly eight hundred summers, and we’ve managed to hold onto it that entire time.”

“Truly? But House heads change so frequently.”

“Exactly. It’s a matter of pride in my family that we’ve maintained our status for so long. In fact, my grandfather built that residence after demolishing the previous, stating it was too small for our great name.”

“So much history,” I murmured.

Nodding, Alec settled back, propping his arms behind him. “As you know, the Houses were established in most of the kingdoms as soon as we regained control of our lands followingthe wars. It was a time of great celebration and strategic power struggles. I wasn’t alive back then, obviously, so I just consider myself lucky to have been born into a line that has such fortuitous roots.”

Alec kept up his commentary for the rest of the carpet ride to the wharf, pointing out the ship we were to travel on as we grew nearer. It was the grandest of those docked. Navy sails billowed from its great mast, and pristine planks scoured its deck. Each sail displayed the king’s crest: a shield with stag antlers, wintercrisp ferns surrounding it, and blazing gold borders.

“That’s quite a ship.” I glanced at Jax again, but he remained facing forward. He hadn’t once looked at me since Alec had begun telling me of the Houses.

Alec nodded in agreement. “The royal family often travels by sea when venturing to Faewood, so of course, they like to travel in style. They also travel around the northern coast, through the Brashier Sea, when going to Mistvale, so it needs to be a strong ship to survive the northern ocean.” Alec shrugged. “Since it’s easier to pass distance over water versus land, ships often make for a faster journey to the various kingdoms even though brommel stag shifters can travel faster than a boat.” He waggled his eyebrows. “But alas, it’s considered of poor taste for the royal family to present to another kingdom in their animal form. The king’s demanded we all travel by ship, enchanted carpet, or carriage when doing so in a royal capacity.”

My stomach clenched when I pictured Jax and his friends running as stags throughout the kingdoms when they did their raids. I couldn’t help but wonder what the king would do if he knew his son spent a considerable amount of time in his animal form while in the other kingdoms.

I glanced at Jax again. I’d never seen him in his shifted form even though I’d seen everyone else in their animal shapes. I couldn’t help but wonder how large he would be and what colorhis stag fur was. Black, was my best guess, but I didn’t know for certain.

We reached the ship only minutes later, gliding down at a steep angle, the enchantment holding us in place like phantom steel bands. The carpet stopped just above the ship’s deck, hovering a finger’s length above it.

A sharp, cold wind from the north billowed the sails, and I finally stepped off the carpet and stood on the ship. The others did the same, and then the carpet lifted and cruised away, flying high in the sky on its way back to the palace.

“Your Highness.” One of the crew members rushed forward, dressed in attire similar to what the staff wore at the palace. He held out a tray of flutes filled with champagne.

Jax offered the servant a polite nod, then took one of the flutes. Once Jax was served, the crew member brought the tray to everyone else.

I took one as well, and the second I took a sip, cool liquid flooded my mouth. My nose scrunched up as the fizzy bubbles made me want to sneeze.

Alec grinned as he watched me, then drank from his glass too.

I eyed the prince again, wondering anew if he would remain this distant throughout the entire trip to Faewood, but before I could ask Alec if this was Jax’s normal behavior when he was in his princely role, a male’s shout cut through the wind from across the deck.

“Your Highness!” On the other side of the ship, a male sauntered toward us. Given his opulent uniform, I assumed he was the captain.

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