Only the magic born and queen could access mecca like this. But there was no way any of the magic born were throwing secret raves. They were far too busy for one thing. So who was this old wolf Calista had trusted enough to lead us into their magical lair?
“Mine,” a voice said, and everyone but Violet jumped. Ben was in front of me in an instant, both fists raised, blade held at the ready.
For a second I wondered if somehow I’d managed to drink a few of the pink drinks in Violet’s hand and was already drunk. Is he for real? Standing before me was a handsome older wolf who looked like he could be Violet’s uncle or father. He was pale white, definitely a magic born. He stood about my height, short for a male shifter, but that didn’t diminish his visible power one bit. He wore an old-school tux, with skinny purple bowtie, and a half bowler top hat. His eyes were the usual white-blue, but there were shimmery streaks across them, almost like silver lightning bolts. This was one eccentric, powerful, weird shifter, and he had been under the Red Queen’s nose this entire time. How was this possible? We had only four magic born and he wasn’t one of them. I inhaled deeply. He was definitely a wolf. A wolf magic born who lived in hiding?
“You think I invite people into my home to harm them?” he casually asked Ben.
Violet stepped forward, shoving Ben to the side. “Queen Arianna, this is Sir Baladar.”
A bemused smirk crossed my lips. My best friend wasn’t usually so formal. And what was with the “sir” thing? We didn’t have knights in the shifter world.
He moved closer and I offered my hand. He took it, kissing the top before gracing me with a warm smile. “It’s my pleasure, Your Highness. Would you walk with me?”
Blaine and the others were quick to sound their disapproval to this idea, but before things could get out of control, Baladar put his hand up. “If I wanted to harm the queen, I would have already, and the likes of you would not be able to stop me.”
“That sounds an awful lot like a threat,” Ben said through gritted teeth.
The man smiled, warmth oozing from him again. “I’m much too old for threats. I simply speak the truth. It’s easier.”
For some reason I was inclined to believe him, and I appreciated his honesty. If I was being honest myself, I was dying to have a chat with this man and know more about him.
“I’ll be fine,” I said to my dominants as I began to walk with Baladar. There were no more objections, but my guards did remain close behind us, Violet following as well.
As we walked further into this weird indoors-outdoors garden, I surveyed everything closely. It was hard to remember, when standing within an area so natural, that we were still in the city. My wolf loved it though; she was howling with joy, trying to get me to shift and run.
Shifters were everywhere. Some were dancing, others lying in the grass looking at the sky; some were kissing. This place was definitely magical. Baladar walked silently beside me, content to wait until I was ready to speak.
“So, you’re a magic born.”
It was a question-statement of sorts. This close I could feel his power, and instinct told me that his would match my own. I trusted that Calista wouldn’t put me in danger, but I also wondered if maybe she had trusted too easily. Here was a very powerful magic born that I had not known of. What if the fae didn’t kill my queen? What if this man did?
“I’m magic born, yes,” he said. I noticed the music was muffled now so that we could speak without shouting. When he said no more, I figured I was going to have to do all the talking, so I opened my mouth, but then he surprised me.
“Do you smell the fae?” he asked as he scanned the group before us.
I hid my worry as best I could. “Yes, from the moment I walked in.”
He nodded as if he wasn’t surprised by this. “I wonder what they want.”
This man was very intriguing. “Well, you must have given them a key, right?”
He gave me a sidelong glance and a half smile. “No, I would never invite a fae and my queen on the same night.”
So that meant other nights he did invite fae?
“Who are you? I mean, I know you’re a magic born, but… why does no one know of you?” I might love some secrets, but definitely not ones which could threaten my people. And something told me Baladar could be a huge threat if he chose to go against me.
He seemed to consider my questions. “I’m the keeper of knowledge. The oldest wolf alive, I suspect. A living library of our magical history, some would say.”
I stopped walking and faced him. “Why haven’t I ever heard of you?”
The oldest wolf alive. A magic born. Surely this was a fact every queen should be told. Did the Red Queen know? She’d certainly never mentioned it to any of her heirs.
His eyes twinkled. “Your Red Queen preferred that I not be public knowledge. She banished me here in her first year of ruling. She and Sabina made it so that I couldn’t leave this place, so I spent my days making it beautiful and inviting people to come spend time with me so that the pangs of loneliness wouldn’t overtake me.”
My heart clenched at that very honest confession. I was also surprised by his answer. Clearly the former queen had known about him, and she had feared him. I wondered if she had true reasons to be so cruel. Was he a hidden threat?
If the Red Queen magically banished him here in her first year, that meant…
“You’ve been here a hundred years,” I noted as we continued walking.