Bride of Ashes (Kingdom of Shadow and Ruin #1)

35. Reyla

35

REYLA

S urren cleared his throat. “Three of us will accompany you, my queen. A single guard will remain here to ensure things stay secure.”

“Of course. That's fine.”

We left, Calista walking directly in front of me while one guard strode ahead and the other two followed me, their hands on the hilts of the weapons and magic sparkling at the tips of their fingers. Our footsteps were nearly silent on the carpets strewn across the halls, and we didn't encounter anyone while making our way to the fourth floor, where the library was located.

“Why did the kitchen need to speak with Moira?” I asked Calista.

“Lord Briscalar is working on the arrangements for the dinner that will follow your coronation,” she said. “He stopped by while you were resting to seek your opinion on various dishes, but said he'd return later, my queen.”

“That doesn’t explain why the kitchen needed to speak with her.”

“It doesn’t. You’re right.” She dipped her head forward and peered around. “My queen.”

Did it really matter? I could ask Moira about it later. I liked Moira. I was less sure about Calista, though she'd given me no reason to ask for someone new to be assigned to my staff.

“You could’ve remained in my suite,” I said. And I could’ve told her to do so. Why hadn’t I?

“I need to stay with you at all times in case you have need, my queen.” I was grateful when Calista's face softened, though it didn't last long. Her lips tightened, and she gave me a curt nod. “The library is massive. A few ladies have become lost among the shelves.”

“I have a good sense of direction.”

As we approached the enormous, glass paneled doors, Surren rushed ahead, his face tight and his weapon drawn. Did he think a book would attack me? Although, these were fae books. Maybe they could. He opened the door on the right and dipped his head forward to indicate one of my guards should enter first. Calista rushed inside. She was only gone a moment before she returned and gave Surren a tight jerk of her head. With a bow, he waved to me to enter and for two guards to remain outside the doors.

I stepped into the open doorway, the place stealing my breath. A cathedral ceiling soared above the center of the room that was almost as large as the entire fortress complex back at the border. Artfully designed arches swooped around the dome high above, and the silver gilt on them gleamed in the late-day sunshine. Triangular skylights in the dome let in light that made dust flecks dance in the air like silver fairies. Broad balconies encircled the enormous open area, each with a wooden railing and lined with row after row of shelves stuffed with books. I'd never be able to count them all, let alone touch them.

“I can see how someone could get lost here,” I whispered, not wanting to break the silence. A subtle whisper reached me from one alcove or another, though I couldn’t see beyond the pillars supporting each level, into the nooks between them. But I could imagine how they’d look with stacks of books on three sides, maybe a table with a comfortable chair in the center, or a sofa where I could sit, tuck my feet beneath me, and read.

A polished wooden floor stretched across the room, gleaming in the light.

“I’ll notify the librarian that you're here, my queen.” Surren urged me forward, making me realize I still stood in the open doorway.

“My queen,” a woman fifteen or so years older than me and dressed in a deep blue gown etched through with silver threads rushed out of one of the alcoves and over to me in a flurry. Stopping in front of me, she bowed deeply. “It’s an honor to have you here in my humble library.” She held out her hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Valera Windhaven, and I welcome you.” She smacked her free hand against her chest before her fingers sought the golden ring hanging on a chain around her neck. She fingered it, and I swore something else hung with it, though I couldn’t tell what it was. “Such an honor. Such an honor!”

I shook her hand. “It's nice to meet you. I love books. Nothing could keep me away.”

“Wonderful.” She clapped her hands, her pointed features beaming, and her blue eyes sparkling. “What sort of genre can I show you? We have a complete section of mystery books. Other areas hold numerous romances. And our nonfiction selection will stun you. Do you prefer suspense? Stories about traveling through the stars? Or fantasy? We have a divine collection of mythology books. Do you enjoy reading about beasts and dangerous creatures?”

“History?” I asked, though many of the topics she’d mentioned sparked my imagination already. I did enjoy a good romance, let alone a mystery where the heroine solved the crime. “Evergorne history to be exact.”

Valera's gaze met Calista's and the older woman's head subtly jerked in a nod.

“As you probably know,” I said, “I wasn't born in this area. I'm new to Evergorne Court, and I feel it's important that I learn all I can about my new people.”

“Wonderful,” Valera said. “So unusual.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “Why unusual?”

“I believe you're one of the first brides to consider delving into this court's past.”

“The past forms the future.”

“You're right.” Frowning, she nibbled on her lower lip. “Evergorne, you say?” She turned slightly away from me, and her gaze stabbed an area on the second floor, on my left, before her hand swept toward the right. “This way, my queen. If you'll follow me.” She led me to a low row of bookshelves on the right filled with tomes covered with dark leather, continuing to a huge, smooth wooden table nestled between the shelves. “Please, my queen, sit. I’ll gather the best books on Evergorne history for you promptly.”

Nodding, I settled in the chair, the cool wood seeping through my skirt. Subtle whispers echoed around me, but when I looked, I didn't see anyone nearby.

Calista sat across from me while Surren moved around me to place his back near a tall stack of books on my right, his alert gaze scanning the room. A second guard had remained on the inside of the library doors. I dared anyone to try to hurt me here.

Valera returned moments later; her arms loaded with thick books. She lowered them onto the table with a satisfying thud. “Here we are.” Beaming, she arranged them in front of me, eventually stacking them high enough to cut off my view of Calista. Not a bad thing right there. Finally, she stopped bringing me books. I stared at the thirty or so volumes, their spines etched with tantalizing titles, and wondered if I should stay in the library for the next week.

“These are the most informative texts we have,” Valera said. “You’ll learn about the foundations of Evergorne, its high lords and ladies, plus other wonderful tidbits about our court's past.”

“Thank you.” I lifted a book off the top of the pile and laid it in front of me on the table.

Valera clasped her hands together in front of her chest. “Is there anything else I can help you with, my queen? ”

“No, this will do for now.”

“Do call out if you have need.” The moment Valera left, Calista coughed. She rose and came around the table to sit on my left where she could keep me in view.

After flipping open the book I'd selected, I began skimming through it. Each page might offer little gems about Evergorne's past, and I leaned in closer, trying to absorb everything as quickly as I could.

The eldest sons of the high lords of the three courts, Evergorne, Halendor, and Irridain, had once been best friends. Almost exactly the same age, they were nearly inseparable. I read about their adventures when they were young, how they grew up like brothers, alternating spending their summers first in one court, then another. Their parents doted on them, and the book suggested, though it didn't outright state it, that they were rather spoiled. “Indulged,” it said.

Then something happened. At a party held to honor on their combined seventeenth birthdays, they argued. The book didn’t indicate what they fought about, but whatever it was, it drove a wedge between them that continued for many generations after that. Was this the source of the ongoing feud?

When their fathers died, each ascended their thrones with hatred in their hearts for the others. The three courts had warred ever since and despite attempts to broker peace, even through marriages, it never happened. Any woman who married a man from one of the other courts died not long after the wedding, which only made things worse.

This book didn’t lay out their complete history. It had been written hundreds of years ago, but it seemed that nothing had changed other than the players. New high lords had taken their thrones and the feud between the three courts had continued to this day.

I looked through the other books, but most contained random details about Evergorne itself, such as its swirling family crest topped by splayed silver raven wings. The symbol matched the pattern on the hilt of my sword as I’d speculated. I also discovered why they'd chosen red and silver for their livery—after a mated pair of dragons in those colors that one of the prior high lords had adored. And that dragons had once been a vital part of Evergorne's defense, though the book didn’t say exactly how. Perhaps to defend against the creatures before they built the wall.

Closing the last book, I leaned back in my chair and stared forward. Only the snort of Calista from my left tugged me back to the room. She'd rested her chin on her palm, her elbow propped on the table, and she kept nodding off, her head slumping forward only to be followed by the start of a snore that roused her. My gaze met Surren's and though his lips twitched, he remained otherwise stoic.

Valera came over to stand beside me, speaking softly. “Did you find anything interesting?” Her sparkling eyes took in the books. “You've made great progress, my queen.”

“I've learned a lot.” I kept my voice low, though I doubted there was anyone else in the library except us. I hadn't heard anything other than the subtle whispers that could come from tiny creatures creeping across the upper lofts. “Do you have other books about Evergorne's past? I'm looking specifically for anything that might show the . . . I suppose you could call it gossip . . . of the family itself. The kings, to be specific.”

“Oh.” She blinked a moment before her gaze flicked to Calista who continued to drop off and rouse, before sweeping across the room again, landing on the same loft area she’d glanced at earlier. “I don't believe we do.”

I eased back my chair and rose. “Is there a bathing area within the library itself?”

“Oh, yes, of course, my queen. It's inside my own private quarters, and while it’s not as fine as what you're no doubt used to, I'll gladly lend you the space.”

“I don’t need anything fancy.”

I followed her across the big room, our footsteps echoing around us, and below a stretch of loft. A door in the back led to her own space. Did she ever get out or did she spend day after day sitting at her desk, waiting for someone to enter the library and beg for a book before returning to her suite at the end of the day?

She opened a door beyond the sofa. “Through here, my queen. Truly, I'm embarrassed yet honored to share my quarters with you.”

An air of loneliness hung around her, and it made me want to come back each day if only to give her someone to talk with.

“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

She bowed as I passed her.

“You don't need to wait for me,” I called out through the closed door. “I'll find you in the library when I'm done. Could you locate some romances for me to take to my suite when I leave? ”

“Oh! I’ll go collect a few right away. We have some wonderful ones here. I’ll gather my favorites.”

Perfect.

I waited five ticks of the fingers of both hands before easing out of the bathing area I didn’t need. After tiptoeing to the door leading to the main part of the library, I eased it open and peered out. Valera was hurrying along a loft two levels up on the opposite side of the room, her heels clicking on the floor, an intent expression on her face.

Calista had given up on her palm and had laid her head on her arms on the table and was fast asleep.

Surren had gone over to speak with the guard beside the door.

I slipped from the room and took the stairs on the left to the second level.