Page 10 of Veil of Shadows

“Only because you deserve to know and agreed to a bargain.”

I nibbled on my lip, then asked, “Doanysiltenites outside of these walls know of the king’s outlawed child?”

Her expression turned grim. “Only a trusted few, and again, all of them are bound by bargains. The king has ensured the news didn’t travel.” She twisted her hands together. “If the public learned that the king had coupled with a wildling, conceived an illegitimate half-breed child, and in doing so had broken a unified kingdom law—” She shuddered. “The council would have grounds for removing him from the throne. And once he was removed, the ten Houses would likely all be vyingto take his place, which would result in an uprising among the nobles, perhaps even among the general public, leading to chaos in our kingdom.”

“But despite the reason for secrecy, why did Jax needme? Bastian is still the king’s son. Surely, akingcould find him. Why did Jax need to take me when his father has unlimited resources?”

Saramel sighed again and drew her knees up. “That, Elowen, is the heart of the prince’s problems. Despite being of the king’s blood, Bastian has never been accepted or protected by him. When the king found out that the wildling he coupled with had become with child, he demanded she abort the baby, but she refused, thinking that once the king saw the child, he would undoubtedly change his mind. But once Bastian was born, the king called for Bastian to be executed, so his wildling mother took him and fled. For many summers, Bastian was in hiding, and by the time the king located him, his mother had wielded a plan. She had magical safeguards in place that would release upon Bastian’s murder if the king executed him or hired anyone to do so. Word would spread of what the king had done, and the king would lose his throne. I’m not sure of all the details, but Bastian’s mother didn’t sit idle. She ensured no matter what, the king’s secret would be revealed if any harm came to her son.”

“Then why hasn’t it been revealed if Bastian’s gone missing? Surely, that’s considered harm?”

Saramel shrugged. “There’s been no harm from the king or queen or anyone they hired. The magic would enact only if that happened. Bastian’s mother was very clever in her magic wielding. She left no loopholes for harm to come from the royal family.”

“So all they know is that Bastian is missing, but his disappearance couldn’t have had anything to do with Jax’sparents. And since it didn’t involve them, there was no way to know if Bastian was alive or dead.”

“Correct, which is ultimately why Jax decided he needed you. He tried for months to locate his brother on his own. He hired trackers, consulted seers, prayed to the gods, everything. But every avenue he tried came to a dead end until he was told ofyou. Because a lorafin could find exactly where Bastian was and tell him if his brother still lived. The prince was guaranteed answers if he sought you.”

I frowned, my eyebrows drawing together. She wasn’t wrong. Only lorafins could speak with the semelees, and the semelees were all-knowing. They would undoubtedly know where Bastian was or if he’d died. Frowning more, I thought back to what the semelees had told me of him.Something isn’t right.I still didn’t entirely understand what they’d meant by that.

Shaking that off, I asked, “But how did Jax ever learn that he had a half-brother if Bastian’s mother fled with him upon birth?”

“It was by chance, actually. The prince overheard his parents speaking of him once, when the king and queen didn’t realize he was in the same room with them. Bastian was already six summers old, and the prince sought him out, not stopping until he found him.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. “Bastian and Adarian are quite similar in some ways, entirely opposite in others, but they quickly grew close, and they care deeply for one another. The prince has been, and likely always will be, fiercely protective of his brother. I’m sure that level of loyalty is also partly due to the fact that Bastian remains his only sibling. The queen hasn’t been able to conceive again.”

I sighed and scrubbed my hands along my cheeks. “I wish Jax had just told me all of this himself.” Abducting me was an extreme measure, but if Jax felt he had no other choice... I sighed quietly. “Too bad he didn’t mind paying slave guardians, then I could have simply done a calling for him and carriedon as I’d been. Although, considering Guardian Alleron never planned to release me, perhaps that wouldn’t have been a better alternative in the long run.”

She smiled placatingly. “Oh, Elowen, don’t lose hope. The prince truly wants to set things right with you. If there’s a way, he’ll find it.”

I forced a nod, even though at this point, that seemed unlikely.

“Anyway.” Saramel released her knees and sat cross-legged. “Now that we all know Bastian is alive and in Faewood, we at least have peace of mind that he hasn’t passed to the afterlife.”

“Butwhyis Bastian in Faewood? And if Bastian and Jax are so close, why didn’t Bastian tell Jax that he was going there?”

Her eyes dimmed. “I was hoping you would know that.”

“I don’t. The semelees only revealed where he was, not why he’d gone there, and their response to that initial question took them so long to answer—which is entirely unlike any calling I’ve ever done—that I didn’t ask for more details.” I shuddered when I recalled how they’d dragged me deeper into the Veiled Between after telling me where Bastian was. By that point, enough time had passed that Jax’s magic had begun to take root in me. I didn’t even know if I could have asked more questions of them. The collar had pulled on too much of Jax’s power, leaving me in a perilous state.

Shaking that memory off, I focused on Bastian again. “Don’t you think it’s probable that Bastian simply decided to leave Stonewild of his own free will? Perhaps he got tired of his life here and opted for a change of scenery and wanted to explore the kingdoms?”

Saramel inclined her head. “If it were anyone but Bastian, that’s probably what I would think too. It’s what we all would have thought, but you have to understand how close Jax and Bastian are. They never go a day without speaking. Never.And they don’t keep secrets from one another. It’s entirely out of character for Bastian to up and disappear without telling anyone. Not to mention, he’d just started employment at a ship manufacturer that he was very excited about. And he’d begun courting a siltenite a few months prior who he was very enamored with, and her him, even if they could never have children. So for him to have left...” She sighed, then huffed. “It just doesn’t make sense that he would disappear like that. If you knew Bastian, you would understand why Jax is so worried.”

I mulled everything over again, then sat back, curling my legs beneath me. “So, now what? What’s to become of me? Will I also be banished now that I know this information? Or kept caged here indefinitely? If Jax knows that Bastian is at the Centennial Matches, surely he’s going to go to him, now that the emergency with House Graniteer is over. And where does that leave me? Stuck in the Stonewild palace forever?” I raised my arms, waving at the hidden chambers he’d put me in.

Saramel’s eyebrows pinched together, and her mouth puckered. “I hope not, Elowen. But if it’s any consolation, I think that’s exactly what the prince is trying to figure out. I don’t think he knows what to do with you, but I don’t believe he wants that to be your fate.”

CHAPTER 4

I paced in my chambers, alone once more now that Saramel had left. My thoughts whirled, moving as rapidly as my pacing feet. From what Saramel had told me, Jax was simply a desperate fairy trying to find the half-brother he loved so much and would do anything to locate. And after exhausting every possibility he could think of to find him, he abducted me as a last resort.

At the end of the room, I spun and walked back to the other side in hurried strides. Fragrant flowers abruptly appeared on a table I passed, filling the chamber in scents of lavender, honeysuckle, mayberry, and juniper. When anxiety coursed through me, it seemed the enchantment loved nothing more than to fill the space with calming scents.

But it did little to calm my turbulent thoughts. Because the entire reason Jax had taken me was because oflove. I’d been right when I guessed his reasoning. Love was what drove the Dark Raider, not vengeance.

Huffing, I finally stopped and sat on the couch, my foot tapping on the soft carpet. And with as noble of a reason as that, I now firmly believed Jax would have released me as soon as he’d been able to. It would have been out of character for him to keepme any longer than necessary. Essentially, it was my mistrust that had landed me in my current position.

Grumbling, I threaded my hands through my hair, then fell back on the sofa. “If only I’d waited longer for him to return.”

A pot of tea abruptly burst into existence on the table. I bolted upright, expecting to see Jax casually leaning against the wall again, but the chamber remained empty.

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