Bowan caught a piece and popped it into his mouth. Lander wasn’t so lucky. The tray landed on his head.
Grumbling, he knocked it to the side.
I laughed, unable to help it as Bastian pulled his brother into a fierce hug.
“I take it nobody told you?” Jax said, laughing.
Lander shook his head. “We figured we’d let you surprise him with that.”
Bastian was still cheering. “I’m going home? Today? Does Anna know?” He pulled his brother into another hug.
Jax snorted and hugged his brother back just as fast. “Not yet, so you can surprise her if you want.”
“Ooh, good idea. I’ll surprise her at home.” He finally released his brother and glanced around. “When do we go?”
Jax pulled a portal key from his pocket. “Now, if you want.”
Bastian grinned, the look so similar to Jax when he was in a good mood that my heart swelled. “Now sounds good.”
Jax tookBastian back to the north alone. Even though I wanted to see where he lived and meet Anna, and even though I knew Jax would have loved to spend time with his brother there, too, the fact remained that nobody knew Bastian was the crown prince’s brother. Not even the female that Bastian wanted to marry.
Even though Jax and Bastian had been meeting secretly for full seasons, almost nobody knew that. And the more members from the palace’s court who showed up in Bastian’s town, the more illusions that Jax had to weave to conceal their arrival. Because of that, Jax oftentimes visited his brother alone.
Until the time came when Jax could declare to the realm that his brother was a half-breed, they would continue the ruse, and I had a feeling that once Jax became king, that would be the first thing he did.
My mate returned less than an hour later, but none of us had been sitting idly in his absence. We’d packed bags of healing potions, food, and saggerwire plants for the half-breeds who we anticipated rescuing.
Jax nodded approvingly at our quick work, and while I knew that he would have loved to spend more time with his brother, the clock was still ticking.
It’d already been a day since the king’s death, and who knew what was happening in Leafton or what the guards were doing to the half-breeds. With the chaos of the Centennial Matches beginning—ifthe Matches were still scheduled—Faewood’s capital was likely the prime place for nefarious individuals to take whatever enslaved half-breeds they wanted.
We needed to move. Now.
We all stood in the enchanted suite, and Jax pulled out another portal key, then held out his hand to me. The others also stepped forward until we were all locked together.
None of the males wore their black masks or raider clothing. As several of them had explained to me while Jax had been gone, their days as the Dark Raider’s band had officially come to an end. As Jax had suspected, they hadn’t put up too much of a fight about it. Phillen had even looked relieved, and seeing that had quelled any remaining guilt I’d been harboring at their raider roles coming to an end.
Jax squeezed the portal key between our linked palms and whispered the words to activate it.
In a swirl of magic and potent power, the floor dropped from beneath my feet, and then we were spiraling through the realm in a blink of magic.
We reappearedoutside of the capital, near the wildling trail that would lead us to the caverns. A somber feeling coated the air, and the activity I would have normally expected to see around the distant stadiums and fields was absent.
“Have the Matches been called off?” I smoothed out the top I wore and tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear.
Phillen shook his head. “No, but the Jaggedston Herald reported this morning that they’ve been delayed for two weeks, and the Ironcrest Ball has been delayed as well. Everything will still carry on as usual after the king’s funeral has concluded and the new monarch takes Faewood’s throne. But it’s now all running behind.”
Trivan grunted and nodded toward one of the stadiums in the distance. A banner hung from it, highlighting which competitions would be taking place on each day. “In all honesty, I’m surprised the palace is still allowing the Centennial Matches at all given the king’s death.”
“That probably has something to do with his daughter,” Lander replied. “They announced this morning that the princess of Faewood will take the throne, and she’s known for not giving way to her emotions. In all likelihood, she insisted the Matches continue since the fae of her kingdom have been looking forward to them, and so many competitors have arrived to take part in it.”
“Do you think the traditional funeral customs will be upheld, despite the Matches?” I asked.
“From what the Herald said, yes,” Phillen replied. “The official mourning period will start tomorrow. It’ll last for a week as usual, prior to a monarch’s burial. But not all of us will observe that.” His jaw locked. “That scum got exactly what he deserved.”
“Agreed,” Lars remarked.
I nodded, my lips pursing. Death happened, it was inevitable, but siltenites had long lifespans, so when a king or queen died, it usually shook the entire continent, even if we were glad to be rid of Faewood’s king.
