Yet Norivun took it all in stride, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was used to this kind of reaction from his fellow fae.
“I’ll accompany you to the facility.” Norivun glanced down at Bastian’s sleeping form, his brow furrowing. “Why does this male appear unconscious?”
“Because he is.” I glanced at Jax, wondering how much we should reveal about his brother.
Jax seemed to understand my questioning stare because he added, “We had to use my mate’s magic to subdue him. What’s locked around his ankle is nefarious. We can’t remove it, but it’s allowing another to control him.”
Norivun’s head cocked. “Control him how?”
Jax quickly summed up Bastian’s puppet-like behavior this morning and the destruction that had occurred at his residence. “Not even my Mistvale magic could stop him.”
Norivun arched an eyebrow. “Yet your mate’s magic could?” He turned his attention to me. “And may I ask what your magic is?”
“I’m a lorafin.”
His eyebrows shot up, and all of his guards’ mouths dropped.
Haxil, the jovial one, grinned. “I’ve read about your kind in the history books, but I’ve never met a lorafin before.”
I shrugged. “Now you can say that you’ve met one in the actual flesh.”
Haxil’s grin stretched, and Norivun chuckled. Even the grumpy-looking guard standing at Norivun’s back—I thought his name was Nish—cracked a smile.
But my mate’s expression quickly sobered. “I can’t guarantee how long Bastian will remain asleep.” Jax inclined his head toward his brother again. “If he awakens, it won’t be good for anybody. Whoever’s controlling him demands obedience. It’s like his body can’t deny them. We need to get that anklet off of him and the choker off my mate too, if we’re able. She’s worn hers for far too long.”
Norivun’s gaze flashed to my throat and to the collar locked upon it. “Is anyone controlling you?” His expression turned grave.
“In a way, yes, but my collar is only used to suppress my magic. Thankfully, my mind remains clear.”
Norivun cocked his head. “Why would anyone suppress your magic?”
I raised my shoulders sadly. “Apparently, they fear it.”
The royal’s eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing I hate more than suppressing a female simply because she’s powerful...” His jaw locked, and a pulse of magic, like blackness and death, wafted in his aura. It felt as though Lucifer had come from the underworld to claim my soul. His magic felt so strong, and the sheerpowerof this male made me once again realize he was just as strong as my mate.
Sucking his power back inside him, Norivun straightened. “It seems swift answers are in order. Follow me.”
CHAPTER 6
Norivun and his friends circled our carpet while the eight of us stepped onto the enchanted material. Bastian stayed sleeping in the center, and luckily, he remained quiet and unresponsive. Everyone crowded around him, Lars and Phillen holding him securely again. Bowan, Lander, Trivan, and Alec flanked his sides, and Jax and I stood at his front.
Even though it was crowded, we had room for more fae, but instead of joining us on our magical form of transportation, Norivun and his guards spread their massive wings.
Norivun pointed south. “It’s a short flight to get to the facility. All you need to do is follow me. My guards will keep pace behind your carpet, and I’ll keep us on an easy path so your carpet won’t have any problems keeping up.”
Jax inclined his head. “We’ll stay close.”
Norivun gave a mighty push from his legs, and he shot into the sky, his black wings flapping violently in the strong winds. His guards took off just as fast.
Jax quickly commanded the enchanted carpet to rise. Soon, we were soaring through the cold atmosphere once more. The huge floating meadow containing Hartivul Mine fell behind us. Other floating meadows filled the sky, making us dip and weave to avoid colliding with them.
Some of the fae guards who we’d seen earlier flapped in the skies near us, patrolling the floating meadows. All of them nodded respectfully to Norivun and his guards, each of them pausing their flight to hover in midair as we passed.
Thankfully, Norivun flew on a glided path downward, not too steep, which made it easy for Jax to command the carpet to follow him. The royal brought us closer to the realm’s surface, his guards flapping on the wind behind us. And while it certainly wasn’t warm even as we drifted downward, being nearer to the ground helped keep the fierce atmospheric wind at bay.
Despite that, Jax still enacted his air element. We’d been in the cold for hours now, and even though their shifter blood kept the stags from freezing, I wasn’t so lucky.
Of course, my mate seemed to sense that because he erected a solid shield of air around us, stopping the wind and warming the bubble of air that cocooned us. It made traveling over the ground pleasantly comfortable.
