The journey to Etherevalis should have taken two months.
With the dimensional gate network—
It still should have taken two months.
Jax had not built a gate anywhere near the elven kingdom.
Etherevalis had remained intentionally isolated for centuries. Its borders were protected. Its roads were obscured. Its trade routes were carefully controlled.
The closest Darquebane Gate was still nearly two months away by normal carriage.
Jax intended to change that eventually.
But today?
It created a logistical problem.
Fortunately, Jax was becoming very good at logistical problems.
Grim and Steed could maintain speeds no normal horse could match.
They did not tire.
They did not require food.
They did not require sleep.
The dimensional caravan allowed everyone inside to rest while the Grimsteeds continued moving.
Combined with the gate network—
Two months became two weeks.
Vaelrith had done the calculations three times.
He disliked the answer every time.
"This changes military logistics entirely," he said.
Jax looked up from the map.
"Probably."
"An army could cross distances in weeks that previously required months."
"Yes."
"Supply lines could be bypassed."
"Yes."
"Reinforcements could move between kingdoms nearly instantly."
"Eventually."
Vaelrith stared at him.
Jax continued marking the map.
"You say these things very casually."
Jax shrugged.
"I've had a lot going on."
Vaelrith believed him.
That was somehow worse.
They had delayed their departure from Solmere by three days.
Vaelrith had initially assumed Jax was preparing politically.
Perhaps meeting with Kaelor.
Reviewing Imperial movements.
Coordinating the Chronicle.
Instead—
Jax spent most of the three days with Brannic and Merriweather.
Vaelrith attempted to determine why.
He failed.
Crates were delivered to the Complex.
Several were immediately placed into Jax's storage.
Merriweather personally enchanted two containers.
Brannic threatened to break Bunny's fingers when she attempted to open one.
Bunny tried again twelve minutes later.
Brannic threatened to break them twice.
Jax refused to explain.
"Gifts," he said.
"For whom?"
"People."
"Which people?"
"The ones receiving the gifts."
Vaelrith stared at him.
Jax smiled.
Vaelrith was beginning to understand why Dawn occasionally looked like she wanted to strangle the man.
Then they departed.
And the questions began multiplying.
Life on the Road
The Royal Veil had traveled extensively.
They had crossed deserts.
Scaled mountains.
Navigated hostile forests.
Infiltrated enemy territories.
Slept beneath wagons.
Inside trees.
Under bridges.
Once, Vaelrith had spent nine consecutive nights inside an abandoned well.
Travel was not supposed to be comfortable.
The dimensional caravan disagreed.
On the third day, one of the Veil operatives entered the kitchen.
He opened the cold storage.
Removed a drink.
Sat on the couch.
And stared into the distance.
Dawn noticed.
"Are you well?"
The elf nodded.
"I don't want to leave."
Dawn blinked.
"What?"
"I've spent twenty-three years in the Royal Veil."
"Yes."
"I have slept on stone."
"Yes."
"In snow."
"Yes."
"While injured."
"Yes."
He lifted his drink.
"This was cold when I removed it."
Dawn stared at him.
"That is how the cold storage works."
"I know."
He took another drink.
"I don't want to leave."
By the end of the first week, discipline had begun to deteriorate.
Not badly.
The Royal Veil remained the Royal Veil.
Weapons were maintained.
Rotating watches continued.
Reports were documented.
But the caravan was safe.
Grim and Steed never tired.
Shadow soldiers moved around the exterior perimeter.
Fang occasionally traveled beneath the caravan.
Gryph monitored from above.
There was almost nothing for the Veil to do.
Bunny introduced games.
That was the beginning of the end.
The first was cards.
Then dice.
Then something Jax called charades.
The Veil hated charades.
Until they started winning.
Then the Royal Veil became terrifyingly competitive.
Nyxian introduced drinking games.
Vaelrith banned drinking games.
Nyxian introduced "social exercises involving alcohol."
Vaelrith stared at her.
"That is a drinking game."
"No. This has a completely different name."
"The rules are identical."
"I changed one."
"Which one?"
"The name."
Vaelrith banned social exercises involving alcohol.
Dawn participated anyway.
Vaelrith discovered this on the seventh night.
His daughter sat beside Nyxian.
Too close.
Nyxian whispered something.
Dawn laughed.
Not her polite laugh.
Not her professional laugh.
Her real laugh.
Vaelrith narrowed his eyes.
Nyxian noticed.
She smiled at him.
Then deliberately leaned closer to Dawn.
Vaelrith looked away.
He had fought Imperial assassins with less patience required.
Nightly Training
The Complex had possessed sound-dampening construction.
The caravan did not.
Jax made a note to correct that.
The Royal Veil wished he had made that correction before the journey.
The first night was uncomfortable.
The second was educational.
By the fourth—
Vaelrith had questions.
He did not want answers.
But he had questions.
The Vixens did not appear embarrassed.
That was the first problem.
The second problem was that Vaelrith had known Llandra since she was a child.
He remembered her first bow.
Her first diplomatic lesson.
The first time she fell from a tree and insisted she had intended to descend that way.
He remembered carrying her back to the palace after she twisted her ankle during training.
Now—
She was a grown woman.
Vaelrith understood this.
Intellectually.
He supported this.
Philosophically.
He did not need nightly evidence.
Audible evidence.
Repeated evidence.
No uncle should endure this.
One night, Vaelrith sat in the main living area.
Dawn sat across from him.
Three other members of the Veil occupied various seats.
No one spoke.
A muffled sound traveled from the rear chambers.
Everyone stared forward.
Silence returned.
Then another.
One operative closed his eyes.
"This is impossible."
Vaelrith did not respond.
The elf continued.
"No one has that much stamina."
Another sound.
A second operative nodded.
"I agree."
Dawn covered her face.
"Can we please discuss something else?"
The first operative leaned forward.
"I am serious."
"So am I."
"I have been documenting the times."
Everyone slowly looked at him.
Vaelrith's voice became very quiet.
"You have been doing what?"
The elf hesitated.
"For intelligence purposes."
Dawn lowered her hands.
"You have been documenting their nightly activities?"
"Only duration."
Dawn stared.
"That does not make it better."
"It establishes a pattern."
Vaelrith hated that he agreed.
Because there was a pattern.
Every night.
Sometimes multiple times.
And there was something else.
Vaelrith had noticed it.
He wished he had not.
Jax was rarely the loudest.
But whenever his voice carried through the caravan—
The Vixens reacted.
Multiple voices.
Almost immediately.
Vaelrith stared at the wall.
He had interrogated enemy agents.
He had survived magical torture.
He had once remained awake for six days while being hunted through the Blackthorn Forest.
This was worse.
Then a word traveled through the caravan.
"Training."
Vaelrith's eyes narrowed.
Dawn looked toward the rear chambers.
One of the operatives slowly sat forward.
"Did she say training?"
No one answered.
Another muffled conversation.
Impossible to understand.
Then—
"More points."
Vaelrith froze.
Dawn looked at him.
He looked at her.
The Royal Veil became silent.
Completely silent.
Vaelrith's mind moved.
Llandra.
Unnatural progression.
Bunny.
Unnatural progression.
Zephrial.
Unnatural progression.
Nyxian.
Unnatural progression.
Four women.
Four different races.
Four different combat disciplines.
All experiencing impossible growth.
One common variable.
Jax Darquebane.
Vaelrith slowly looked toward the rear chambers.
No.
Absolutely not.
His mind attempted to reject the conclusion.
Then another sound traveled through the caravan.
Vaelrith stood.
"I am going outside."
Dawn blinked.
"We are moving."
"I am aware."
"Grim and Steed are traveling at nearly sixty miles an hour."
"I will find a solution."
Vaelrith walked toward the rear exit.
Dawn watched him.
"Father."
He stopped.
"Do you think their..."
She hesitated.
"...activities are connected to their progression?"
Vaelrith remained completely still.
The other operatives looked at him.
He slowly turned.
"No."
Dawn raised an eyebrow.
Vaelrith considered the evidence.
"Probably not."
Dawn continued staring.
Vaelrith's jaw tightened.
"I sincerely hope not."
Another sound.
Vaelrith opened the rear door.
Wind exploded through the caravan.
He closed it.
He sat back down.
No one spoke.
The journey was producing more questions than answers.
Vaelrith was no longer certain he wanted either.
Dawn
Something changed during the second week.
Dawn stopped resisting Nyxian.
Not completely.
Nyxian still flirted constantly.
With everyone.
Dawn had learned that quickly.
Nyxian flirted with bartenders.
Merchants.
Guards.
Women.
Men.
Statues, if the sculptor had been sufficiently talented.
Dawn had rejected her advances repeatedly.
Nyxian interpreted every rejection the same way.
Not yet.
It was infuriating.
Then—
Dawn started flirting back.
At first, sarcastically.
Nyxian would lean close.
Dawn would lean closer.
Nyxian would make a suggestive comment.
Dawn would answer with something sharper.
It became a game.
Then the game became competitive.
Then Dawn stopped remembering which one of them was joking.
On the second-to-last day of the journey, Llandra went searching for a book.
She opened the door to one of the rear storage rooms.
Stopped.
Dawn stood against a shelving unit.
Nyxian stood considerably closer than necessary.
They were kissing.
Llandra blinked.
Dawn's eyes opened.
She saw Llandra.
Panic.
Pure panic.
Dawn shoved Nyxian backward.
Nyxian stumbled.
"What—"
"Llandra!"
Llandra looked at Dawn.
Then Nyxian.
Then Dawn again.
"Oh."
Dawn's face was crimson.
"I can explain."
Llandra shrugged.
"Okay."
Dawn waited.
Llandra waited.
Nyxian smiled.
Dawn looked between them.
"Do you want me to explain?"
"Not particularly."
Dawn stared.
Llandra stepped into the room.
She walked past them.
Found the book she wanted.
Pulled it from the shelf.
Nyxian leaned against the opposite wall.
Completely unbothered.
Dawn remained horrified.
Llandra looked at her childhood friend.
"Dawn."
"Yes?"
"Nyxian has attempted to seduce me more times than I care to count."
Nyxian raised one finger.
"Attempted implies failure."
Llandra looked at her.
Nyxian lowered the finger.
Llandra returned her attention to Dawn.
"I have resisted her more times than I can count."
Dawn swallowed.
"And?"
Llandra considered the question.
"I have succumbed more times than I care to discuss."
Nyxian smiled proudly.
"All positive outcomes."
Llandra thought about it.
"That is unfortunately accurate."
Dawn's mouth opened.
Llandra tucked the book beneath her arm.
"Enjoy your afternoon."
She walked out.
Dawn stared after her.
The door closed.
Silence.
Nyxian stepped closer.
Dawn immediately pointed at her.
"No."
Nyxian smiled.
"Not yet?"
Dawn tried not to laugh.
She failed.
Nyxian kissed her again.
Llandra never mentioned it.
Dinner
Their final evening on the road was quiet.
Comparatively.
Jax cooked.
That alone had become an event for the Royal Veil.
Jax possessed many advantages.
Owning multiple restaurants was one of them.
Personally delivering high-ranked beasts to Grathok was another.
It meant Jax often had access to cuts of meat most royal kitchens would never see.
Tonight's meal had been intentional.
Elven sensibilities were respected.
Vibrant vegetables.
Delicate fruits.
Herbs layered with restraint.
The meat was prepared lightly.
Perfectly seared.
Tender.
A fusion of techniques Vaelrith had never seen.
The table remained silent for several minutes.
Not from tension.
From concentration.
Bunny was the most dangerous eater Vaelrith had ever encountered.
One of the Veil operatives finally exhaled.
"This may be the finest meal I have ever eaten."
Another elf nodded.
The same operative who had shown the most discomfort with Jax when they first met.
"You are quite the chef..."
He hesitated.
"...for a human."
Several Vixens stopped eating.
Jax did not.
He smiled.
"Thank you."
The elf relaxed.
"And to remain undetected in Solmere for three days without suspicion?"
Jax lifted his drink.
"I'd say you're quite the spy... for an elf."
The table went silent.
The elf stared at him.
Jax smiled.
The elf slowly smiled back.
Then chuckled.
"Fair."
Vaelrith watched the exchange.
Interesting.
Jax had not become angry.
He had not lectured.
He had simply turned the statement around.
Made the elf feel it.
Then moved on.
Jax Darquebane was strange.
Vaelrith had determined that much.
"So," Vaelrith said.
Jax looked toward him.
"Where did you learn to cook?"
Jax shrugged.
"My lands."
There it was again.
Vaelrith had heard him say it before.
My lands.
Sometimes plural.
Sometimes singular.
Sometimes Jax paused before saying it.
"What lands?" Vaelrith asked.
Jax continued eating.
"Far from here."
"North?"
"Very far."
Bunny nodded enthusiastically.
"Very, very far."
Jax looked at her.
Bunny smiled.
Vaelrith folded his hands.
"Nordvall?"
Jax shook his head.
"Skarnheim?"
"No."
"The Frost Coast Territories?"
"No."
"The Highland Principalities?"
"No."
Vaelrith waited.
Bunny answered for him.
"America."
Silence.
Vaelrith searched his memory.
Nothing.
"The kingdom of America?"
"The United States of America," Bunny added.
Bunny's ears perked.
"Is that why you named us the United Kingdoms?"
Jax coughed.
"Not quite."
Everyone looked at him.
Jax took a drink.
"Let's go with that."
Vaelrith studied him.
"What races inhabit America?"
Jax blinked.
"Humans."
"Only humans?"
"Yes."
One of the elves scoffed.
"No elves?"
"No."
"Beastkin?"
"No."
"Dwarves?"
"No."
"Demons?"
"No."
"Magic?"
"No."
The elf laughed.
"We were the first beastkin that Jax had ever seen," Bunny declared.
The group looked at her and then at him in amazement.
"How did your people survive?"
Jax smiled.
"We figured things out."
Bunny leaned forward.
"They have carriages that move without animals."
The elf looked at her.
"And flying ones!"
"Bunny," Llandra said softly.
Bunny stopped.
She realized.
Jax had told them things.
Private things.
Stories.
Memories.
They belonged to him.
"I'm sorry," Bunny said.
Jax smiled.
"It's okay."
Vaelrith said nothing.
Carriages without animals.
Flying machines.
No magic.
Only humans.
Jax's inventions flashed through his mind.
Refrigeration.
Sanitation systems.
Transportation networks.
Road construction.
Economic structures.
Printing.
Mass distribution.
Jax did not invent like an inventor.
Vaelrith had met inventors.
They obsessed.
Experimented.
Failed.
Adjusted.
Jax remembered.
He would describe something that did not exist—
Then find people capable of recreating it.
Brannic.
Merriweather.
Eldrich.
He provided the concept.
Others built the mechanism.
Vaelrith's appetite disappeared.
He had heard stories.
Old ones.
Records stored beneath the Silverbough Palace.
Individuals appearing without history.
Possessing impossible knowledge.
Changing kingdoms.
Defeating threats no native warrior could defeat.
Most stories had become legends.
Some became religions.
Vaelrith had never placed much value in them.
Until now.
He looked at Jax.
No history before Solmere.
Impossible abilities.
Knowledge of technologies that did not exist.
A homeland absent from every map.
A world populated only by humans.
Four companions experiencing unnatural progression.
A Shadow Army.
Raid Bosses raised as servants.
Weapons that rivaled ancient relics.
Vaelrith's mind assembled the pieces.
One by one.
The answer formed.
Jax noticed him staring.
"Everything okay?"
Vaelrith looked at him.
For once—
The High Commander of the Royal Veil did not ask the question in his mind.
He smiled faintly.
"The meal is exceptional."
Jax smiled.
"Thank you."
Vaelrith returned to his food.
Tomorrow, they would reach Etherevalis.
Tomorrow, Jax Darquebane would stand before King Thalorien and Queen Lysara Silverthorne.
Vaelrith looked toward Llandra.
She was laughing at something Bunny said.
Nyxian sat beside Dawn.
Their legs were touching beneath the table.
Dawn noticed Vaelrith looking.
She immediately moved her leg.
Nyxian moved hers closer.
Vaelrith looked away.
More questions.
Always more questions.
But one question had finally answered itself.
Jax Darquebane was not from the north.
He was not from another continent.
He was not from any hidden human kingdom.
Vaelrith had spent two weeks studying him.
Watching him.
Listening to him.
Collecting fragments.
The conclusion was impossible.
Which was precisely why Vaelrith believed it.
Jax Darquebane was a Summoned Hero.
Vaelrith took another bite of his meal.
He did not react.
He did not confront him.
He did not inform the others.
Not yet.
Because there was still one question Vaelrith desperately needed answered.
He glanced toward Llandra.
Then toward Bunny.
Zee.
Nyxian.
Four women.
Four impossible progression curves.
One Summoned Hero.
Vaelrith slowly looked down at his plate.
The word from several nights earlier returned to him.
Training.
He closed his eyes.
No.
Some mysteries did not need to be solved.
Tomorrow, he would deliver the Princess home.
He would introduce Jax Darquebane to the Silverbough Throne.
And then—
Vaelrith Moonshadow intended to sleep somewhere far away from all of them.
Preferably in another building.
Possibly another forest.
For the first time in his life—
Two months of travel sounded considerably more appealing.