Page 51 of Pining for the Prince
Hyax smirked. “I think that’s not a question Sennet would like to answer.”
“Fair enough. Do the fae portals work in here?”
“They shouldn’t,” Hyax said sounding uncertain, and Gwil got the sense he might not be sure. “But then…”
Hyax rotated his right hand and a portal started to form, he expected it to collapse but instead it grew into a full-sized portal. Hyax snapped his fingers and it closed.
Sennet gasped. “The investigation team should’ve screened for that, it’s part of the checklist.”
Gwil had seen plenty of investigations where corners had been cut but he doubted this was the case. “Who checked? How powerful are they?”
“I did feel some resistance as I opened the portal, it’s feasible that a certain frequency or power level might be needed.”
“Would that limit the number down from the seven?”
Hyax nodded. “Probably remove a couple. But I think you’ve solved how it was removed, and potentially closer to who.”
“I don’t know about the fae but I have heard of another species being able to mimic someone else’s magical signatures.”
Hyax gave him a horrific look. “You can’t possibly mean…”
“Fucking elves.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Queen Talia scowled, her wings vibrating. Hyax couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her so angry, and he suspected that even having a vampire as a prospective son-in-law was now counted as a minor concern. “Are you seriously telling me elves broke into the castle, mimicked one of the royal family’s magical signatures, and stole the Stone of Ljin?”
It wasn’t the most outlandish solution to an investigation they’d suggested in the time he and Gwil had worked together, but it might be one of the most politically explosive. “It is a possibility, Your Majesty,” said Gwil sounding more diplomatic than Hyax had ever heard him.
“I need more than a possibility, Gwil.”
Hyax stepped forwards. His mother might not like what he had to say. “I cast a reveal charm on the area. The result wasn’t one hundred percent conclusive, but it ties in with other circumstantial evidence. There was a dampening field in place and I did read a trace that, on first pass, felt like you but after a bit of probing, it became obvious it was a mimic.”
Gwil hadn’t understood the theory behind it all when he’d tried to explain and Hyax had to admit that he’d got a bitfrustrated, then he’d had to remind himself that Gwil wasn’t suddenly going to become an expert on fae magic.
“Do you know which tribe of elves and why they would have taken it?” asked Talia.
Hyax was relieved it wasn’t a flat-out dismissal.
“We couldn’t pin it down to a specific tribe. Several of the elf tribes are known to supply illegal substances to the paranormal in the human realm,” explained Gwil. “The stone’s power is transmutation. They couldn’t use it to create any drug and in large amounts, but they could change the potency so less was needed or use it to change it into something else to be one step ahead of the Met.”
Talia snorted. “You can’t think the elves would risk the upheaval at being at odds with the fae for mere money.”
“I hate to be the one to tell you, but there are people and creatures of every walk of life who’ve done a lot of shocking things for money.”
“We’re not suggesting it was sanctioned by the Elven Assembly,” Hyax added. “But we should be open to the idea that it’s a rogue elf or group of elves working with someone else.”
She levelled her stare on Gwil. “Well, there is at least one species that has a record of interfering with others for centuries.”
“Mother…” Hyax warned.
Gwil squared his shoulders. “My sister is a Dark Countess, she’s been asking me questions about drug supply. If the vamps were involved in this she wouldn’t have called my attention to it.”
“And there hasn’t been trouble between the fae and the vampires,” Hyax said. Gwil flinched as Hyax took his hand, not expecting it. “You’re only making accusations because Gwil is my partner and you don’t like it.”
“Nonsense. While we’re not happy you’ve chosen a non-fae partner, I am only pointing out that your choice’s species is oneof the most distrusted and unlikable options you could have taken.”
Hyax’s anger spiked, causing his wings to vibrate so fast he hovered off the floor. “We will leave immediately.”
