Page 14 of Kingdom of Faewood

I shook my head and forced my limbs to relax.

When I didn’t say anything further, he added, “There’s food outside. You’ll eat, do whatever other business is needed before we mount, and then we go.”

I took a step toward him just as he reached the tent’s door. “But go where?”

Instead of answering, he slipped out of the tent, the early morning sun shining upon his back, and reality hit me that I wouldn’t be returning to Emerson Estate anytime soon.

If I ever did.

CHAPTER 4

The camp that the auburn-haired male had spoken of was indeed a camp, albeit a small one. There were two other tents and four other siltenite fae males in addition to Jax and Phillen, making six males total. None of the other four spoke to me, but all of them gave me side-eyes when I finally emerged to join them.

Squinting in the brightening eastern sunlight, I studied them covertly. Jax was the tallest of the six, and that was saying something since none of them appeared under six feet.

Phillen was the brawniest, with arms like logs and legs like tree trunks. He also had a pale complexion, given the slit of skin his mask revealed. As I watched him, he hefted his tent clear off the Wood’s floor and shook it out before folding the canvas and stacking its wooden poles.

Two other males worked beside Phillen. One had anearring through his left ear, and he appeared to have short brown hair and light-brown skin.

The other was the shortest of the bunch at maybe six-one. He had blond hair, tanned skin, and long legs. He looked lean and quick and could probably draw the blade in his boot faster than I could blink.

The remaining two worked behind Phillen, but since they were farther away, and they were all masked and wore identical ebony clothing, it was harder to discern their features and coloring.

But all of them wore black and were masked, concealing their identities, and all were siltenite fae. No wildling fae were among them, which wasn’t overly surprising since siltenites were more magically powerful than wildlings.

The dipping and twisting in my stomach continued, and I went in search of a bush to relieve myself.

“Don’t go far, lovely!” Phillen called from behind me. “I would hate to hunt you down in the Wood.”

I glanced warily over my shoulder. The blond male beside Phillen made a snickering sound. At least, I thought it was the blond, but since I couldn’t see his eyebrows, given the angle he stood, I wasn’t entirely sure. But he was the leanest one, so I was pretty sure it was the blond.

Heart beating rapidly, I tracked my way through the trees even though my muscles protested the quick movement. My gown caught on every branch, but I didn’t stop until I found some semblance of privacy and ducked behind a tree.

The sound of the Wood filled the air, and the constant chirps and buzzing snagged my attention as I made quick work of my needs. When finished, I let just enough magic rise to cleanse my entire body along with scrubbing my teeth and freshening my breath. Thankfully self-cleansing had never been an issue with my collar, but it wouldn’t help my clothing.

My gown was entirely wrinkled, had several dirt stains, and was ripped in multiple places. Not to mention, it was tight, constricting around the ribs, and entirely uncomfortable. This dress had been crafted to impress the king, not to garb a female who’d been abducted and was traipsing through the Wood with the Dark Raider.

A moment of hysteria hit me, and I slapped a hand over my mouth before a maniacal laugh could escape me. I was in the Wood. With the Dark Raider. And I was worried about the annoyance of my gown.

Seriously, Elowen? That should be the least of your concerns...

Trying to think more clearly, I stayed where I was. Hard bark from the tree pressed into my back, scratching my bare skin above the gown’s silk, which pulled some of my attention away from my aching muscles.

A quick glance at the sky told me it was still early morning, but even though it’d been hours since I was taken, I knew my guardian would be in pursuit of me. Or if he wasn’t yet, he would be so soon.

Thankfully, from what I’d seen of myguardian’s wound, it’d been a flesh wound, and if there was one thing I knew of my guardian, only crossing to the afterlife would stop him from finding me. He loved me, just as I loved him. I knew he did even if he never voiced it.

Nibbling on my lip, I contemplated my situation. Jax had abducted me because he wanted me to find someone for him by venturing to the Veiled Between to ask the semelees, yet Jax hadn’t known I couldn’t do a calling for him because of my collar. Yet despite telling him that, he didn’t believe this stopped his plan.

So now what?It was obvious Jax wasn’t going to let me go today, so I could either be a pliant and willing captive, and trust him to release me in a few days’ time when he finally accepted that I could never perform a calling for him with my collar in place. Or, I could take matters into my own hands and try to escape.

My brow furrowed, and I considered which was the smarter option based upon what I knew of the Dark Raider. What Ididknow was that the poor spoke of how the Dark Raider helped innocents and didn’t hurt them.

But what I’d seen was entirely different.

Jax had murdered Mushil.

And Mushil had been an innocent.

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