Page 24 of Kingdom of Faewood

But a growl from Jax had his nonchalance evaporating. “No, Triv...itisa big deal. She’s of no use to me like this. This will prolong my calling even more, and she’ll be evenworse off when we get there if she doesn’t heal completely. I doubt that intense travel will make her better. She needs to be fully healthy to venture to the Veiled Between for me. We can’t keep going like this.”

A flare of hope fired through me, and I said in a stuttering tone, “I just need some rest. Usually, when this happens, I...” I sniffed and took a shuddering breath.Goddess, the damsel-in-distress act was embarrassing, but if it worked, I’d do it to all three moons and back if needed. “I...I need a few days of sleep and recovery. That’s all. Then I’ll be able to ride again.”

“Days?” Bowan—the male with light-brown skin, the earring, and a jovial-sounding voice—raised his eyebrows. “But we’re supposed to be in?—”

“I know.” Jax cut him off. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the Dark Raider shot me an accusing glare. “How in the realm did this happen anyway?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes, it just does.”

But Jax didn’t look away, and his eyes narrowed. For a brief moment, I thought he was going to call me on my bluff, but then he began pacing anew. “How far is Lemos?”

Lemos?I tried to keep my eyes from bugging out. If we were near Lemos, we were traveling much faster than I would have thought possible. And that also meant we were heading north, in the direction of Stonewild Kingdom.

Is that where he’s taking me?I supposed it made sense if most of them were shifters.

“It’s not far off.” Lars nodded toward the road.

Trivan crossed his arms. “It’s likely where that group was coming from. If we stick to the trail, we can probably be there within the hour.”

“How are we gonna move her?” Bowan leaned against a tree, regarding me, and with a start, I realized he had green eyes, like me.

I twisted my hands in my lap. “My guardian usually uses an enchanted carpet.”

Phillen snorted. “I’m afraid we don’t have one of those, lovely.”

“We can get one.” Jax turned to the redhead. “Lars, shift and head to Lemos. Buy a carpet and bring it back.”

Lars’s eyebrows rose clear to his bandana.

“Go,” Jax growled.

Another thrill ran through me. Venturing to Lemos to find an enchanted carpet would take at least an hour. Dealers of the magical forms of transportation could be hard to find.

I leaned my head against the tree, not even having to feign fatigue, but I made sure to wince again and act as though every breath pained me.

“What are we going to do in Lemos?” Trivan asked shrewdly. The lean blond cast me an annoyed glare.

Jax paced again in the grass. “I guess we’ll find an inn, get a room, and let her rest for a day. But that’s it. After that, we’re getting out of Faewood.”

CHAPTER 7

The fact that I’d managed to truly delay us caused me to feel wonderfully giddy. I’d actually beaten the Dark Raider at his own game, and that realization made a swell of triumph fill my soul. Suppressing that response, I forced my lips to stay pressed into a tight line as we glided on an enchanted carpet to Lemos.

Jax sat beside me, Phillen and Lander behind him. Bowan, Lars, and Trivan had all shifted back into stag form and pranced behind us. We were traveling much slower than we had while all of them had been running at full speed, and since Jax planned to let me rest for an entire night, with any luck, Guardian Alleron would now have a chance to reach me.

Wind flowed over my cheeks as I contemplated the night ahead. I knew that my situation was still precarious, and that at any moment, Jax could change his mind and insist that we move despite my state, but I didn’t think he would.

If I wasn’t such a rare creature, Jax probably would have carried on even if I’d been bleeding and all of my limbs had been broken. But the fact that he was changing his plans to ensure I returned to full health solidified how much he was counting on me to find whomever he was seeking. Even if I never could with my collar in place...

I peered up at Jax, curiosity filling me. He stood over me, staring ahead. His all-black attire hid his identity completely. From his actions, it was obvious he was desperate to find whomever he sought, so much so that he was going to great lengths to secure my power. And I couldn’t help but wonder who it was. A lover perhaps. Or maybe it wasn’t someone he cared for at all. Maybe vengeance was what drove him. Perhaps he was seeking a fairy who had wronged him, and the moment he found them, he would send them on a brutal journey to the afterlife, just as he’d done to poor Mushil, who’d never done anything untoward nor deserved that kind of punishment from anyone.

Closing my eyes, I glanced away. Wind blew over my cheeks, and fresh pain twisted my heart. The Dark Raider might care for whomever he desired to find, but he hadn’t cared one bit for my dutiful guard.

Heart hardening, that reminder reaffirmed that escaping him was the smartest option. One way or another, I would find a way to free myself tonight. I wouldn’t be another victim of the ruthless Dark Raider too.

Rooftops in Lemos soon appeared.They rose from the Wood, above the tree line, and hinted at a blend of stone, beamed siding, and slanted peaks. From what I could see, the small city was a bustling blend of the Wood, modern roads, and creative architecture. Gnarled branches wove through many of the homes and shops. Leaves sprouted from siding. Moss-covered bark climbed over roofs. The city’s constructors had obviously welcomed the Wood versus deterring it when they’d built this town.

I’d heard of Lemos over the seasons. It was mostly known as a laboring city and produced some of our kingdom’s finest wheat, but it wasn’t until we crested a large hill that I finally saw the crops sprawling north of the city. Acres and acres of rolling hillside were covered in swaying stalks that shimmered in a rainbow of colors.

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