11. Murder of Crows
11
MURDER OF CROWS
*Kieran*
The library smells like binding glue and old paper. I have no idea why anyone would ever want to spend more than a few moments here. When I was younger, our governess used to herd all of us in here–Anwen, Candace, Finn, Ingrid, and me. We’d sit next to her and listen to her read from storybooks. Every once in a while, I’d see two big black eyes staring at us from the doorway. Why Blanca was so keen to join us, I never could figure out. It was just a damn book, nothing to get excited about.
As I approach the section of the library designated for books about magic and wizardry, it occurs to me for the first time that it probably wasn’t the book Blanca was so interested in. I swear under my breath. How am I so stupid? Of course, she likes books. I know that. She has a dozen of them in her room, the ones Mother will allow. But she didn’t want to listen to the story.
She wanted to be included.
She wanted to be part of the family.
I let out a breath and pull out the first book that looks like it might hold some clues as to what the hell happened during the Haze. In some regards, it seems a thousand years have passed since then, though it’s just the day after I announced Nessa as my mate. Since then, she’s barely left me alone. The only reason she’s not hanging off me now is because I sent her to town to buy a new dress.
She’s going to bleed me to death financially, I just know it. No matter that I’m the Crown Prince.
I flip through the book titled, “Powerful Magic,” looking for any mention of the Haze. Nothing jumps out at me right away, so I flip to the glossary in the back and see there’s a section about it. I find the right page, my eyes scanning quickly for anything that looks relevant.
Essentially, all this book says is that the Moon Goddess uses the Haze to help true mates find one another. Nothing is more powerful than the Haze, which should assure all participants that they’ve found their fated mate.
“Yeah, unless it ends up being your sister,” I murmur, plunking the book back onto the shelf and pulling out another one. I look through several volumes, and none of them help me in the least. All of them talk about how nothing is stronger than the Haze.
Just as I’m beginning to think this search is futile, I hear footsteps and turn to find Taner gliding across the library like he’s on cloud nine. I’ve only spoken to him briefly since yesterday, but I know he’s thrilled to be mated to my father’s Beta’s daughter. I try not to scowl at him. I may have gotten a bitter deal, but he should be allowed his happiness.
“There you are.” He grins at me. I don’t think that stupid expression has slid off his face since he woke up to find Ayla on his shoulder. “Well, this is a first. Kieran Solberg reading a book.”
I close the volume I’d pulled out a few moments earlier with a thunk that echoes around the large room. “What can I help you with, Taner?” I’m in no mood to joke around.
He chuckles. “I’ve been mind-linking you for a while. Lucias and Whyte got all the tents taken down. They found a few they can’t use for next time. Should they toss them?”
I almost let out a sigh. How incompetent are my people that they have to ask me that? “Yeah, of course. We can always buy more tents. Anything else?”
“Man, you are in a foul mood since finding out you’re mated to Nessa.”
“Don’t start,” I warn him. I don’t even want to think about Nessa.
He puts his hands up. “Sorry, sorry. No, nothing else. Why are you looking at books on magic?”
“None of your damn business.” I slide the book back onto the shelf, knowing it’s not going to help me. Nothing can. I even went to speak to my father’s magician about the Haze earlier today, and he backed up what my father had to say. Of course, Wordsworth is probably the worst magician in the universe. My father just keeps him around to say he has one. My father always says brawn trumps power. That’s why he was able to conquer so many kingdoms where the wolves have special powers.
“Did you even hear me?” Taner asks.
“No,” I admit, shaking my head. “Sorry. What?”
“I said you’re not going to find a spell in there that makes Nessa not your mate. You already marked her, right?”
I nod because I have to. If anyone finds out the truth, even Taner, I’m screwed–and I’ve already been screwed one too many times.
“Did you hear about the rats in the dungeon?” He snickers as he folds his arms and leans back on the bookshelf. “One of the guards got one of his balls chewed off.”
Now, he has my attention. “Wh-what?”
“Yeah, you know that mean old fucker they call Albatross? The night guard who likes to piss on the prisoners’ heads while they’re sleeping?”
“Gross. No, I don’t think so. What about him? He got one of his balls chewed off by a rat?” The instinct to grab the boys is real.
“Yeah, last night. Apparently, all the mice and rats went nuts and attacked the guards, crawling up their pant legs and shit. Then an owl saw all the mice through the window and swooped down to try to get them but scraped the shit out of a few guards’ faces–kind of like you with that songbird.”
“It wasn’t a fucking songbird.” I shove him hard in the shoulder, but he just laughs. “Fuck, that’s a lot going on with the animals. Does it have something to do with the Haze?”
“I don’t know. Probably not. There’s no mention of animals going crazy during the Haze. It does remind me of that kingdom that used to exist north of here, though. Escuro. Some of those people could control animals. Mostly the royalty. But your father wiped them out ages ago. Anyway, thought it was a funny story. If it’d been someone a bit nicer, maybe I would feel sorry for the guy, but not Albatross.”
Taner continues to talk for several minutes, but I’m stuck on a minor detail.
Escuro.
“Fuck,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair.
“What? Are you ignoring me again?” Taner asks.
I shake my head. “No, I mean… sort of. That bastard Blake is from Escuro, isn’t he?”
“Who?”
“That weird old guy in the dungeon? The one my father refers to as his mortal enemy? Didn’t he capture him during the war with Escuro?”
“I don’t know, man,” Taner admits. “There’s a fuck-ton of prisoners down there. I don’t know who any of them are.”
I’m already moving past my friend out of the library. He rushes to catch up to me. I need to talk to that asshole again. Is it a coincidence that I’d spoken to him just before all hell broke loose? I think not. He had to have something to do with all of this.
Including manipulating the Haze.
“I told him to leave her the fuck alone,” I mutter as I approach the stairs to the dungeon.
“Who are you talking about?”
I ignore Taner’s question and trudge down the stairs, past the guards, into the darkness. I don’t stop until I’m standing outside of Blake’s cage.
But he’s not there.
Blood splatters mark the floor and up the wall. This is worse than when I ordered him to get the lash. This looks… fatal. “What the fuck?” I whisper.
Across the cell, a murder of crows begin to caw.