24. Messy Carrots
Chapter 24
Messy Carrots
THALIA
A few days had passed since building the cot, my skin blazing at the reminder of his thigh brushing my leg. At least a hard morning of shuffling wooden beams from one side to another had helped to chill my flushed skin as I sat down for lunch. Everything smelled amazing as I stuffed my face with bits of beef and rice.
“Didn’t your parents ever teach you proper manners?” a man asked as he sat across from me, a cane resting next to his legs.
Guzzling the cup of water, I burped loudly. “Nope.”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “I can see.” Clearing his throat, his eyes raked over me. “Chiron. You must be Thalia.”
Stuffing another carrot into my mouth, I took a few more seconds to chew before swallowing. This was Chiron. The man Ivan had warned me about, and I’d burped in his face.
Chiron wiped his hands against white linen before folding them under his chin. “Tell me,” he said, “how did you find yourself in Ivan’s accompaniment?”
I copied his movements, my back straightening as I leaned forward. Heat crept into my neck at the embarrassment I’d already caused.
Do your best to be cordial with him.
Ivan’s warning rattled in my head as I stared at the man. “Why do you want to know?” I could play it cool— be cordial.
“I do not understand how”—he gestured between the tray and me—“someone as interesting as you decided to follow him.”
“Correction,” I said, taking a swig of water. “He rescued me from the prison.”
Chiron leaned forward. “Interesting.”
“You use that word a lot.”
“Apologies,” he stated. “I assumed you’d searched for Ivan on your own… for his unique qualifications.”
“He found me,” I repeated. “Asked me to help out your city.”
Chiron stiffened. “What did he ask your help with?”
I rolled a carrot around on the tray. “He wanted me to be bait for the rebels to protect the city, but it seems we were too late.”
“Bait? And you agreed to this?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
My eyes lifted to his. Was this an interrogation? Was this how I was supposed to play cordial? It was beginning to grate on my nerves, but if I lashed out, what would be the consequences for me or Ivan?
“I have a deal with him,” I said as I broke silence, my fork slicing through the carrot. “His help for mine.”
He leaned back, his arms resting on the table. “Then why are you still here? If you can’t complete your task for him, what does Laias have left to offer you—a woman with elemental casting? ”
He knew, too. Had Ivan told him about my casting? Why I was still here at Laias?
Brushing hair from my face, I squared my shoulders. “You have a library here I’m interested in. I want to learn more about my casting and why I’ve had it since birth. Ivan mentioned there might be books containing information about me… about this casting I have.”
Chiron scratched his jaw, his beard shifting in the faelight. “We did have such a library, but the rebels burned it in their attack. I can’t guarantee anything is left standing, but you’re free to roam the grounds.”
“You’re… okay with me going?” I’d expected to lay all my cards on the table before he’d agreed. After all, I was a stranger in his city.
Chiron grinned, his eyes brightening. “Ivan made a very convincing testimony for you during our meeting this morning.”
Ivan… Ivan had mentioned me? He’d convinced Chiron to let me go to the library before I’d even spoken to him? Heat crept into my cheeks at the thought.
“Naturally, I wished to speak with you in person to confirm his statements.”
I silently thanked the Mother for keeping my tongue silent. If I would have lashed out, who knows if I’d been given the opportunity to search the library?
“It seems he was correct. You’re quite spirited for someone who’s been imprisoned for years.”
“He said I was spirited?” What a dumb question to ask back, but I wanted to know what else he had said about me in that meeting.
“More than a fire sprite.” His eyes roamed over my face and I knew he’d spotted the slight pink hue to my cheeks, but he mentioned nothing of the sort as he continued. “Whatever you’ve done, that boy trusts you enough to plead in your stead.”
Chiron lifted his staff as he pointed it east. “The library is that way, past the med tents near the sea cliffs. I hope you find what you are searching for, either by books or with someone else.” He grinned, his eyes flicking left as they landed on Ivan. “I must get going, but it was a pleasure to put a face to the name.”
I gave him a simple nod as my eyes stared at Ivan as he walked toward the main square, his shoulders taut. He seemed uneasy at the destruction, at the people who stared at him as he passed. Silver flicked to the left as his eyes met mine.
A smile immediately illuminated his face as he headed to me, my heart racing faster than I’d like. The faelight kissed his skin and hair and after everything he’d said to Chiron?—
He plopped beside me, his hands folding on the table. A bump to the shoulder was almost too much as I flicked my eyes to the empty tray.
“I saw Chiron leaving. Did you talk to him?”
“Yeah,” I said, pushing the tray back. “He’s letting me go to the library.”
“Good. I’m sure there has to be something that can tell you more about your casting.”
“You helped me, didn’t you?” I said, my eyes afraid to glance into his.
“Maybe,” he said, a slight hum to his tone. “I’m more than an assassin you know. I can handle some negotiations,” he teased.
My eyes flicked to the silver I’d tried to avoid as I turned to face him. “Thank you.”
Ivan’s smile faltered for a second as he scratched his neck. “It was nothing. You were willing to risk entering hell. A few books mean nothing,” he countered and I could have sworn the pointed tips of his ears were pink as he shifted to face me. “Are you busy tonight?” he blurted.
I blinked, the question freezing my thoughts. “Am I busy?”
“If you’re not, meet me at the gate at sunset. I want to show you something.”
Silver pooled like starlight in his eyes as I said the only word I could muster, “Okay.”
Ivan’s face beamed as he jumped up from the table, his hand giving it a quick tap before walking backward. His hand rubbed a bit of red around his neck. “Okay, I’ll see you then.”
A smile crept across my face. A night between the two of us? It might be the reward I needed after I found the answers within the library.
Wiping a mixture of sweat and soot across my forehead, I tossed another wooden beam into the slowly growing pile. It’d taken me well into the afternoon to clear a square a little over the size of me.
My arms quivering, I tossed another beam onto the stack before sitting down, my body grateful for the rest.
I’d found a few pages. A recipe for stew, a few ways to make salve, and a page about mushrooms. Nothing relevant to what I was searching for.
Laying down in the space I’d cleared, I listened to the muffled waves crashing against the distant shoreline as I replayed the prophecy the witch had spoken to me.
When two sisters, born in winter should claim the power from Mother Nature.
This had to refer to my sister Yeva and I, both born on the Winter Solstice a few years from each other, but claiming the power from Mother Nature? Was this something with my casting?
To unlock Mother’s hold on all those who fold to higher beings, cruel and old.
What did it mean to unlock Mother’s hold? My mother? Maybe the witch had spoken nonsense. Maybe this wasn’t some grand prophecy, but the incoherent ramblings of a forgotten witch.
I straightened, bits of grass sticking to my hair as I brushed it away with my fingers. Whatever it meant, I needed to figure it out before the rebels or King Hywell discovered my location. I would not become a weapon of their choosing.
Kicking a pile of charred books, a metallic clang echoed back.
I froze.
Brushing my foot over the books, the sound didn’t repeat. Maybe I’d misheard the sound. Was I going delusional? Dragging my foot against the ground, I paused as the grass gave way to something hard. I kicked. The same sound repeated like metal reverberating in a well.
I sat up, my hands furiously brushing pages and chipped wood away. My fingers caught onto something solid.
A handle.
It was attached to a metal door surrounded by grass. Slightly rusted, my fingers flitted over the engravings. It was the Old Fae language.
My heart sputtered as I yanked on the handle, my teeth clenching as I heaved with every ounce of strength?—
It popped open, a puff of dust billowing from within.
Coughing, I waved the cloud away as I peered into the dimly lit hole. A ladder was built into the side covered in busted cobwebs and layers of rust. Did the citizens of Laias even know it was here?
Peering down, the light was swallowed by darkness. It was impossible to see the depth, but it didn’t quell my racing heart.
I needed to venture down into the catacombs. Did this place contain the answers I needed? Swallowing bits of doubt and nerves, I lowered myself onto the ladder. It held. My fingers curled around metal as I began the descent?—
The door slammed shut, sealing me in layers of night.