Chapter 41

Bastian looked from Trendan back to the fae princess. “So, he may never remember?”

She clasped her hand in front of her on the table. “I’ve done all I can with the magic used, I believe his own mind is blocking it from him.”

“There’s nothing we can do?” Trendan sat down across from her.

“Have you found the woman and child? Reuniting with them could help…”

“Or lock it away forever.” Bastian squatted down and stared at the floor.

“Hopefully not,” Aireese said quietly.

Bastian glanced from one to the other. “I’m just saying if I were finally reunited with them after all this time, I wouldn’t do anything that could jeopardize that.”

“They’ll be safe in Alterealm.” Trendan gave him an odd look. Usually, it was him tossing a wrench into Bastian’s plans and not the other way around.”

“It is the safest realm for them to be in, with how your people react to porting there.”

He hadn’t thought of that. He had probably been to Alterealm more than anyone from his realm and he still wasn’t able to do it without the help of the acclimation chamber. “you think once they’re safely hidden away in a realm our kind can’t just pop to, he might give up the information we need?”

“There’s a chance.”

Getting up, he pulled out his phone and looked at the time. “Tor and I are going over to meet with Prince Michael shortly, I’ll check on the arrangements for them to go there.”

“How is your other doing in all of this?” Aireese’s expression held such concern.

Bastian heaved out a breath. “She’s gone away for a few days.” He narrowed his gaze and looked at her. “What do you know of a spelled house that only the keeper of a specific soul can enter and the caretaker that’s part fae?”

She didn’t hide her surprise. “That would be quite the magic, to detect a certain soul.” With her eyes downcast, she sat there for a moment. “There is one I can safely ask about something like that. Someone that’s part fae watches it?”

He nodded. “Information like that shouldn’t be too hard to track down.

“You’re not trying to find her to bring her back, are you?”

Bastian looked at his brother. “I thought about it at first, then it hit me if this place has been so well prepared for her.” He paused and turned back to the princess. “It’s the original home of the first keeper of that soul—if that’s the case, then this whole clusterfuck with the lawless, stealing men and souls started a long time ago and someone knew what was coming.”

Aireese gave him a steady look, “I don’t understand.”

“You think someone that could see into the future knew enough to hide the soul from you until now in this time?”

Bastian was pleased his brother was thinking outside the box for once. “Yes. Nova, all the years worth of journals—” He zeroed in on the puzzled-looking princess. “If I’d found my other a few centuries ago, the journals with the clues wouldn’t exist.”

“Oh, I see what you’re saying.” Her brows furrowed. “But then for someone to know all of that, they would have had to know…”

“Where it all began,” Bastian blurted out. He hadn’t even thought this through all the way.

“Or been part of the inner circle for the planning of it,” Trendan added.

Bastian pointed at Trendan. “Yes, but why would they give us the solution?”

“Maybe they didn’t agree with the end game.” They both looked at the princess; she suddenly looked annoyed. “My kind love to play both sides, the light and dark are so easily mixed at times.”

Bastian wasn’t sure what she was talking about but shrugged like he agreed with it.

“So, you think one of yours was in on it at the start and then had a change of heart and set all of this up?” Trendan sent Bastian a blank look, then turned back to the princess.

“Something like that.” She stood up, “I have to go, there are a few that could foresee this far into the future and it’s going to be complicated to get to them.” Nodding, she looked at Bastian. “I’ll let you know if I find out about the house.”

“There’s supposed to be a spirit—the traces of each keeper that is there as well. Is that something one of yours would do?”

Her eyebrows went up. “I don’t think so. That would be in the hands of the gods, not the fae.”

Bastian scowled. “Great, now the gods are involved.”

She smirked. “Good luck reaching their plane.” She vanished right in front of him.

“What did she mean? Reaching their plane?” Trendan got up.

Bastian shook his head slowly. “I have no idea.” He smirked. “As far as I know the gods stopped taking visitors at the dawn of time.”

Trendan rubbed the back of his neck like he could erase the tension. “I need some sleep and then I have to hunt down those dark bastards.”

Bastian looked at his phone. “Send Tor to sit with Mother and Father, you and Ulric grab a nap. I’ll go over to Alterealm to meet with Prince Michael and see if Troy has found anything out from our guests. Oh, and see if the lovely princesses have come up with a plan to get to mom and the child so we can move Glen over there.”

Trendan nodded. “And your Nova, she’s safe at this spelled house with the ghost of the keepers?

Bastian rubbed his hand over his head briskly. “She better be, because I have no way to find her.”