“House of Leights,” Chase said, wandering over to us. “That’s Maya’s and my land.”
House of Leights … tree people. I remembered from their explanations, but it was still hard to imagine what it all truly meant. How did a tree and a person combine? Like … how?
“And that one?” I moved on to the land of mountains and green valleys.
“House of Darken,” Lexen told me, staring out across his land.
I’d saved the best for last of course, turning my eyes to the vast stretch of water. There were no waves like in Hawaii, but it still called to me in a way that made it difficult not to just run over and throw myself at it. “House of Royale,” I whispered.
Xander made a low rumbling noise at my side. It sounded like it came from deep in his chest. “Yes, that’s our home.”
He saidourso causally. It hit me like a ton of bricks.Our home.
To stop myself from crying all the happy tears, I quickly searched for a distraction. “Where is House of Imperial? Has anyone heard from Daniel and Callie?”
“She’s fine,” Emma said immediately. “Daniel contacted Lexen a minute ago. Callie just needs a few more hours of rest—they’ll meet us at Lexen’s soon.”
Relief hit me hard. I’d been stressing about her health the entire time. “That’s such good news, but … you still didn’t tell me where their land is?”
Xander answered this time. “They’re the underworld, so it’s…” He trailed off and pointed down to the disc. “Under the main land.”
Right. Okay. Really hoping I didn’t end up going there for any reason.
“How are we getting to House of Darken?” Emma asked Lexen.
“Transporter,” he replied immediately. “It will save us time. Father wants me to hurry back. He said he has something important to discuss with us all.”
Emma lurched forward. “It’s not about Jero or Star, right? Or Ambra?”
I didn’t know who these people were, but they were clearly important to Emma. Which then, for some stupid reason, made them feel important to me.
“Or my parents?” Maya added, her voice rising in pitch.
Lexen shook his head, hands reaching out to steady Emma and Maya. “No, it’s not about my siblings or Mother. Or your parents, Maya. I’m almost certain nothing is wrong. Father said not to panic, but he might have some information to help us.”
Emma and Maya both relaxed. As did I.
“Okay, well, we should hurry, then,” Emma added. “It’s not like Roland to call us back unless it’s something important.”
Lexen didn’t say anything more.
The next transporter was shorter, taking us directly into Lexen’s home. Or … a small dark room in his home. When we entered the main part of the house, I got the whole “prince” thing. Everything was light and open, with lots of very expensive, handmade-looking furnishings. We passed so many rooms, I knew I’d be completely lost if I had to navigate this place on my own.
“Father is waiting in the main dining room,” Lexen explained as we took a set of stairs up to the next level. “It’s just through here.”
The first thing I noticed through the double set of doors was the table. It could easily seat fifty people, maybe more. Made from what looked like one long sheet of wood, it was stained dark with carved legs, the chairs all matching and high-backed with carved wood accents.
This looked like the sort of room I’d expect in the Queen of England’s home. I immediately felt intimidated, my feet slowing as we all entered. I felt out of place everywhere except the ocean, but this was mammoth out of place.
Xander, who had entered a little ahead of me, noticed me hovering in the doorway. He backtracked in my direction, his expression unreadable. “Everything okay?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s just … not my usual scene.”
Understatement of the year.
“I’m not even wearing shoes,” I added, swallowing hard.
“I can help with that!”
