Page 26 of Veil of Shadows (Fae of Woodlands & Wild #2)

CHAPTER 26

Since I didn’t feel at death’s door, and I knew time was of the essence, I insisted that we all get moving now .

Evening had arrived, and what the semelees had shown me of where Bastian was being held meant we couldn’t delay. Every minute counted, considering what was happening in the Wood.

Consequently, Jax and his friends all dressed in their black raider attire, masks in place, while I slipped into my ebony clothing. I didn’t know who we would encounter in the Wood when we attempted to rescue Bastian, and it was wisest if nobody could identify us, because we still didn’t know who was behind it all.

Once dressed, we all gathered in the living area.

“Are you sure you’re strong enough?” Jax’s intent gaze wouldn’t relent.

I grabbed a ribbon to tie my hair with. “Yes. Besides, you need me. I have to show you how we enter the underground tunnel in the Wood. I can’t stay behind.”

A groove appeared between his eyes, but he nodded.

“Thought you could use this, Little Lorafin.” Bowan handed me a black mask. “Best to keep all of our identities concealed, yours too.”

Smiling tentatively, I took it and put it on. The silky material draped over my face, hiding my nose and mouth. Surprisingly, it was easy to breathe through.

The entire time I was securing it, Jax watched me, and I could have sworn that the worry that’d been emanating from him only moments ago turned to pride.

“Shall we use a portal key to get there?” Phillen dipped several short swords into sheaths at his waist. And Lars, Bowan, Trivan, Lander, and Alec were all busy clipping daggers and knives to straps hidden beneath their clothing.

“We’ll have to.” Jax grabbed the jar off the table. “Nobody can see us leaving here or returning dressed as this. I could weave an illusion over us, but it would still take time to travel back to the Wood, and since Quinn brought back so many keys, we should use them when it’s truly needed.”

I eyed the jar. Someone had placed all of the keys back into it following the night I’d spilled them everywhere. They were now sealed with a lid, but I was reminded of the last time I’d used one—when Jax and the others had been so close to being caught in Possyrose Forest—a capture that the king had supposedly initiated.

My brow furrowed, and I wondered again how the king had known that was where they would be. The semelees would of course know, but only a lorafin queen could demand that answer of them.

I brushed that thought off because at the moment, rescuing Bastian was all that mattered.

“Has anyone heard from Quinn?” Mask and braid secured, I bent down to tighten the laces on my boots.

Alec shook his head. “No, although that’s not unusual. Our crowfy friend typically stays in the shadows until he has something worthwhile to report.”

I straightened, and Jax held out his hand to me. “Back to the clearing then?”

“No, we’re not going back to the clearing.”

“We’re not?” Phillen asked in a gruff voice.

I shook my head. “It’s a decoy. That’s not how we can reach Bastian.” I took the portal key from Jax, then threaded my fingers through his as everyone began to link up. “I’ll show you where we need to go.”

We reappeared in the Wood, over a half mile from the clearing we’d searched earlier today. I’d taken us to the exact location the semelees had shown me, and the second the realm stopped turning, the portal key fizzled out of existence, crumbling in my hand.

Around us, the nighttime insects and birds, chirping and singing, grew quiet in the growing twilight.

In the surrounding Wood, wildling eyes peered at us from inside dens, logs, or from their perches on the branches in the trees. I searched in the foliage, wondering if anyone was about that I knew, but the wildlings all withdrew from sight, and it struck me that none of them were near us. All of them were stationed at least fifteen paces away. In the area I’d taken us to, no creatures were about.

Jax grumbled quietly. “Do you feel that?”

A few of the males nodded, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose when I sensed it. Magic crackled in the air around us. Strong magic. Potent power.

Everyone spun in a slow circle, a few reaching their hands outward.

I did the same, and near the tree to my right, I encountered something heavy. “There’s a spell cloaking this area.”

“It’s a repulsion spell,” Jax replied. “I can sense it with my Mistvale magic.”

Phillen placed his hands on his hips. “No wonder the creatures are staying away.”

I pulled my hand back, recoiling when my fingers brushed it more. Similar to what Esopeel had shared, it felt... wrong .

“They’re using dark magic here, just like Esopeel told us, and it’s hiding what’s underground.” I surveyed the forest floor and searched for the door. My eyes alighted on the small blue marker barely visible amidst the colorful leaves coating the soil. “There.”

I hurried to it and crouched. Vines and dirt covered the small latch that stood only a finger’s distance above the ground, and I began to brush the foliage around it away. The handle was small, easily hidden, and as I swept more plants and dirt to the side, what it was attached to was finally revealed.

A trap door appeared.

“Galaxy and stars.” Bowan whistled. “We never would have found that.”

The door was large, easily able to accommodate full-grown siltenites, and according to the semelees, a staircase was hidden beneath it, and at the stairs’ base, two guards waited.

“Is anyone picking up any scents?” Jax asked.

All of the males inhaled sharply, but when they all shook their heads, I knew they hadn’t scented Bastian or anyone else in this area.

I brushed more of the soil away until the door was fully exposed. “The semelees said it’s the only entrance to what’s been created underground. The clearing we found earlier is a decoy. All of the half-breeds that Bowan followed were whisked here to enter the tunnels and caverns beneath. They never entered at the clearing.”

“But how did they get here?” Lander asked, his eyes narrowing to slits.

“They rode malingees . Whatever’s happening here has also extended to some of the local animals.”

“Malingees?” Lars’s eyebrows shot up. “No wonder we couldn’t track them past the clearing. Those beasts carry no scent.”

I nodded. “Yet they’re big enough and strong enough to easily carry two to three half-breeds each, not to mention they’re gentle creatures, probably doing whatever is being demanded of them by whoever created this place.”

Jax’s jaw locked. “If there’s only one way in and one way out, and it’s right here, we must keep that in mind when we search below.”

“Do you still have the escape portal key?” Lander asked shrewdly.

Jax patted his pocket. “Right here.”

Phillen leaned down and wrapped his massive fist around the trap door’s handle. “Only two guards, correct, Elowen?”

I nodded. “There are two fusterills at the bottom of the stairs. Be prepared.”

Trivan grinned and withdrew two blades. “Fusterills. Excellent. They’re always worthy opponents.”

“Put your blades away, Triv. There’ll be no fighting if we can prevent it,” Jax said in a low tone. “I’ll be removing their eyesight and ability to speak the second that door opens. We knock them unconscious and move. This rescue is going to be fast and efficient. No one is to make a sound.”

Trivan sighed but sheathed his weapons. “You’re always ruining my fun.”

Bowan laughed lightly, and Lars slugged him in the arm.

“Behave,” the redhead hissed.

Phillen rolled his eyes, and it once again struck me how they all seemed to thrive off this type of danger.

“Elowen?” Jax said quietly. He gripped my arm gently and pulled me away from the door. “You’re not trained, my love. You need to stay behind me.”

My heart squeezed at how easily he called me my love . “I know. I’m not stupid. I’ll stay out of the way if any fighting occurs. I’ll stay safe.”

His hand traveled down my forearm to clasp my hand. Heat from his palm wrapped around me. After giving me a single squeeze, he let go.

“Ready?” he asked everyone.

Everyone’s heads bobbed, hands on their weapons just in case.

Jax nodded at Phillen. “Go.”