“Someone the prince found. Prince Adarian has been trying to help me.”
She glanced at her co-worker, and they shared a side-eye. “That’s very gallant of our prince, but let’s discuss the Dark Raider more. Do you know who he was looking for in the Veiled Between? Or why he needed you to find them with your lorafin magic?”
I shook my head. “I don’t. Honestly, so much of my time with the Dark Raider is a blur. He kept me unconscious for hours at a time. The only reason I remember Lemos is because he allowed me to stay awake for supper before he took me upstairs for the night.”
“And that’s when he left you alone, and your guardian was able to help you escape?”
“Yes. I don’t know where the Dark Raider was at that time, or what he was doing, but I took advantage of his absence.”
For the first time, a twinge of sympathy covered her face. “That must’ve been a very scary event.”
“It was. I’ve never been more terrified.” And while I felt anything but afraid around Jax now, I wasn’t being entirely untruthful with that response.
“Tell me about how your guardian rescued you in Lemos.”
I told her everything about that as well, not lying or holding anything back. But when I got to the part where the Dark Raider abducted both me and my guardian when we’d been on Guardian Alleron’s carpet departing Lemos, I told another lie. “The Dark Raider used his Mistvale magic on me again, and I fell unconscious.”
She stared at me for a long moment, her expression giving away nothing. “Why do you suppose he did that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but maybe he does it to protect himself. At least, that’s what I was guessing. Without me being able to recall anything, I couldn’t bear witness to anything that he did.”
Her shrewd expression didn’t abate. “And throughout all of this, you never saw what he looked like? He never removed his mask or his bandanna or changed his clothing into anything that could be easier to identify?”
“No. Both he and the males he was with appeared the same throughout the entire time I was with them.”
“And from Lemos, where did he take you?”
“The next memory I have is of arriving in Fosterton. That’s where he handed me off to the prince.” I paused, canting my head. “At least, I think that’s where we were. Those details are kind of fuzzy too.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And how did the prince come to learn that you were with the Dark Raider?”
I shrugged again. “I don’t know that either. I suppose you’d have to ask the prince that.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You never asked him?”
I offered her a trembling smile, hoping she would think I was too traumatized to fully understand and remember everything. “I think I may have, but I don’t think he told me.” I looked down, fiddling with my fingers, and fell back on my seasons of play-acting. A few tears formed in my eyes, and one even rolled down my cheek. “Honestly, a lot of that time I don’t remember. It’s all a blur, and I would rather just forget it all anyway.”
Some of the sternness around her faded. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it was very traumatic. I apologize for asking you to recount such horrific events.”
I sniffed and wiped away my tears.
She sat straighter, and her tone returned to that of no-nonsense. “And once you were under the prince’s care, did you learn anything about your guardian’s fate?”
I vigorously shook my head, recalling what Jax and I had told King Paevin when we’d been at the Match Finals. My story had to match that precisely if I didn’t want to get caught up in a lie. “No. All I know is that my guardian was still with the Dark Raider when the prince rescued me. I have no idea how my guardian got free of him or how he came to be in the palace.”
The female glanced at Junior Justice Archmae again. They shared another veiled look, and a moment of panic hit me that perhaps they knew more than they were letting on. I desperately wished I knew what they were thinking.
“May I go now?” I asked quietly.
Junior Justice Seewald held up a finger. “Not quite. One last question. Were you ever able to locate who the Dark Raider sought in the Veiled Between?”
I only had a split second to make my decision, and I shook my head. “No. I was rescued by the prince before I could. My lorafin magic was too fatigued for me to do a calling, so I never did travel to the Veiled Between on behalf of the Dark Raider.”
She cocked her head. “Yet, the Dark Raider handed you over to the prince anyway? Even though he never got what he wanted from you?”
I knew immediately that I’d made a huge mistake. I should have said that I completed his calling and then made up some vague story about who the Dark Raider had wanted me to find.
Heart thumping, I only hoped she couldn’t detect my pulse. “Maybe whatever the prince paid him made it worth it.”
