Chapter 12
“Can we have just one day of peace?” Oak asks from his place at the long table, voice muffled as he holds his head in his hands.
Maines pats his broad shoulder. “Oh, Oak. You should be used to this by now.”
“I fled the mainland with the head healer of the House of Hedro, the Queen of Daramveer, and the Prince of the Forgotten. I’m in Andorwood to win over the king and his armies, and the Great Wiitch of Darkness possesses my best friend.
No, darling, I’m not used to this yet.” He lifts his head from his hands.
“Oh, and I should add that this best friend is now hearing our other possessed friend’s voice. ”
Maines huffs indignantly. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“Can you two be fucking serious for once?” Silas grumbles from the head of the table, placing his head in his hands in turn.
Oak winks at Maines, and they try to hide their amused faces.
“Briar, tell us again what happened.” Silas urges Oak and Maines to quiet and gives me the floor.
“Well, I was asleep and heard someone—Rohhit—asking for help, and then I woke up,” I say with a shrug. “I think I heard him when I was in the castle when we first arrived, too.”
“Do you think you can speak back to him?” Oak asks.
I shake my head. “I’m not sure how to do that. I haven’t tried, though. What if it isn’t him, and instead it’s Carobon trying to trick us?”
Silas rubs his temples. “It would make sense that you two are connected, seeing as you are both vessels for the Great Wiitches. Maybe that links you in a way.”
Maines stands, pacing around the table for a moment—lost in thought. I watch her and can only imagine what her brilliant mind is coming up with right now.
“He’s right. You are likely connected somehow. Although I’ve never read about this exact thing, I do believe that people can communicate on a spiritual level. If Carobon has fully possessed Rohhit’s body, Rohhit could be somewhere else.”
“Think of how helpful this could be. We could learn what they are planning if Briar can communicate with Rohhit,” Oak chimes in.
“There’s some positivity,” Maines cheers, as Oak winks.
“It’s true,” Silas mutters. “But, I don’t think we should mess with this until we know what we are dealing with. I’m not putting Briar in danger until we know how to control this.”
They all nod.
I watch them continue their conversation as if I’m not here—coming up with plans, thoughts, and wild accusations about me and my dark magic as well as Rohhit. My mind drifts back to the library—to the scrolls, ancient books, and Kalix written on one of the faded pages.
“Well, maybe we could control the situation if we were with her. Silas, you can pull her out of any nightmare, right? And Maines will be there to help if anyone needs healing,” Oak suggests.
Their plans begin to unfold, and I can’t stand it anymore.
“Stop,” I shout, louder than intended.
They all snap their heads in my direction, eyes wide at the sudden outburst.
“Stop talking as if I’m not here. Stop coming up with plans about what I will do with my magic.”
Silas, Oak, and Maines halt.
“If you insufferable people decide to ever let me talk, I need to tell you something,” I admit.
“Oh, Gods. What now?” Oak throws his hands.
“When I didn’t immediately come to Silas’s house last night, I went for a walk around the castle.” I pause, waiting for Silas to lose his mind.
“You what?” Silas’s nostrils flare.
I glance at him, making a pained face. “The creature that haunts me showed itself, and I followed it.”
“Yeah, I’m not prepared for this.” Oak places his forehead on the table. “Is there any ale around?”
Maines punches his arm, shushing with her finger, and ushers me to continue with a weary grin.
“I found something at the end of a long hallway, but thinking back, I have no idea which way I even went.”
“What…” Silas sits straight up, and I can practically smell the anger leaking from his body. “What did you find?”
The memories of the books, snakes, and the undeniable darkness that slithers around that clearly forgotten library cause me to nearly shiver in my chair.
“I found a…”
A strong voice rises from the bottom of the staircase, interrupting me.
“She found the library, Silas. The Forgotten Archives.”
Larkin stands on the last step with his hands tucked into his pockets. His face is stern, his hair messy, and purple circles rest under his intensely dark eyes—like he hasn’t slept at all.
Silas stands, abruptly. “And you would know this how, Captain?”
He shifts inches from Larkin’s face, seething with anger from the withheld information.
Larkin jolts at the sudden appearance, raising his hands in defense. “Fuck.”
“Silas.” I jump up, nearly knocking my chair backward. “Calm down.”
“Speak. Now,” Silas snaps, eyes still trained on his captain.
“I found her outside your bedroom, slumped against the wall after you ran away. I went looking for her because she had been gone for hours.” He pushes Silas back. “You wouldn’t know any of this, though, would you? Leaving me to babysit. That’s not my job, Prince.”
“Ran away?” Silas barks back. “That’s the wording we are going with? Are you serious?”
Larkin’s tone is challenging, and I can’t believe he’s standing up for me right now, even though babysitting doesn’t sit well with me. His eyes narrow, and he leans toward Silas, not away.
“Am I wrong?”
“I left you to do nothing, Spiridon,” Silas rages.
“Stop it,” I say, trying to get their attention.
“And, had I done nothing,” Larkin tries to push past Silas, but his shoulders hold firm, “she would have been in an entirely different situation—no thanks to you.”
Silas tightens his brow, wrapping his hand around Larkin’s throat. “You have three seconds to continue speaking, or those will be the last words you speak—in this house or otherwise.”
“Then release your hand… from my fucking throat,” Larkin mumbles.
Silas’s grip tightens.
Larkin coughs under his hold. “Hard…to speak…with you choking me.”
“Silas!” I shout, “He did nothing wrong.”
“What were you thinking?” He peels his eyes away from Larkin—dropping his hand—and turns his rage on me. “You are going to get yourself fucking killed, make me kill someone, or both.”
“I was thinking that I had just screamed at you, you had left, and I needed to clear my head. I am trying to figure out what’s happening here and what I can do to save you all.
” I walk to Silas and grab his hand, forcing his gaze to mine.
“I was thinking that if I can stop all of this, it will save your life—all of your lives—and I will happily risk my own to ensure that happens.”
His eyes soften, but his tone doesn’t. “You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
“I know.”
“But how did you know she was missing?” Silas returns his gaze to Larkin.
“I went to ask him if he knew where you went. He told me your house, so Maines and Oak came to speak with you first,” I interject. “That’s it.”
I glance at Larkin, who mouths, “Thank you.” I chose to keep the part about him slamming the door in my face and leaving me alone in a dark, haunted castle to myself.
“Very well.” Silas returns to the table and sits down with a new weight pressing down upon him. “Larkin, sit.”
“Is someone going to explain this library?” Maines cuts in, hesitant to speak. “It sounds like it could have the answers we need.”
Silas nods. “It’s likely, but we can’t go inside. The library doesn’t welcome just anyone. It has to invite you in.” He sighs, letting memories flood his mind. “Many have searched for the Forgotten Archives for centuries and never found it. My grandfather nearly drove himself mad searching for it.”
“Well, Briar found it.” Larkin joins Oak, Maines, and Silas around the table.
“She’s great at creepy, ancient things finding her,” Oak says, chuckling.
Silas flashes a warning look.
I pull my chair out and sit down next to him.
“Silas is right. We can’t go into the library.”
They wait for me to keep going, but Silas’s expression reveals that he knows more than he’s letting on.
“I was led to the library by the creature that’s been haunting me, and as I entered the room, I had no idea what I was about to discover.
Something dark lives in the depths of the shadows.
I’ve never experienced such a negative darkness oozing from anything in my life.
” I glance at each of them. “We can’t go back in there, because we don’t know what we’re up against.”
They all stare at me, and Silas gives me a soft smile. “And, who knows if it will ever appear again.”
“So, that’s it?” Maines stands, planting her hands on the hard wooden table. “Once again, we won’t even try. At this point, we should pack up and fucking leave. Since we got here, all you have done is act defeated.”
We watch, listening to her outburst.
“Do I really need to remind you of what we accomplished in Daramveer? We worked together, faced danger, and fucking succeeded—at least at saving ourselves. We can do it again, here.”
Oak stands, “We just need to find someone who knows more about this library.”
Silas glances at Larkin, a silent conversation moving between them, before he says, “We do know someone. Someone who has been inside the library, and someone who has found it more than once.”
Larkin nods.
“My mother.”
“Well then, we need to set up a meeting with her. Immediately.” Maines claps her hands together. “Where is she now?”
Larkin stands, “She is with Fen and Warrick. I met with them this morning. They are going to discuss with Malachi the possibility of meeting with Briar—a formal meeting in his office. No dinner party, no distractions. Just a king and queen discussing the safety and future of our lands.”
“Everyone has lost their minds,” Silas laughs. “Larkin, do you think he is going to agree to that?”
“I do,” he says, with a dip of his chin.
“Why?” Silas snaps.
“Because we are going to disclose some information to him that will either save or destroy Andorwood in a week’s time.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Silas’s shadows begin to ripple around him.
Larkin clears his throat. “We weren’t for certain, but a ship followed you from Daramveer. From our findings, it set sail a few days after you all left.”
The color drains from my face.
“I didn’t want to alarm anyone, so I sent a few of my men to assess the situation.
It’s not good, Silas. The people on this ship are different.
They don’t seem like normal Wielders. The men told me they were changed into creatures.
” He shudders as the words leave his lips.
“I can’t make sense of what they are, but if our findings are correct, the ship will arrive in Andorwood in a week. ”
“They used the resurrection stone,” I whisper.
“Oh, Gods.” Maines slaps her hand over her mouth, horror painting her features.
Silas storms toward the balcony, pausing to look across the sea, as if expecting to see the ship of the risen heading right for us.
“Silas,” Larkin calls to him. “Without Briar and her knowledge of these creatures, I don’t think our men can fight these things alone. Your father will agree to work with her to save Andorwood.”
I watch as Silas’s knuckles turn white from his grip on the railing.
“No,” Silas turns, his eyes blazing with a black fire, “he won’t.”
I stand, watching each of their faces pale. “Then, that is his choice.”
Silas nods and—for a moment—mourns Andorwood and the destruction to come. Even with the strength of the entire Andorwood army, they would be no match without warning.
“But not mine,” my voice echoes in response to his dejection.
“I will fight alongside Andorwood, regardless of Malachi’s decision.
I will battle to save these people, because that is what is right.
Carobon is trying to turn us against each other when we should be joining forces.
” I narrow my eyes. “I will share my knowledge with anyone willing to listen. I will inform Malachi of what we need to do to win. And when that ship arrives, I will be on the front lines, greeting those resurrected creatures as they meet their fucking demise.”
Silas looks at me, his face as hard as stone, and for a moment, I know all he sees is me. He bounds toward me, uncaring about the people around us, and his lips crash against mine—a kiss so intense that I lose track of where I am.
He pulls back, tucks a fallen piece of hair behind my ears, and cups my face. “I fucking love you, Briar Blackbyrne.”
I smile wider than I have in what feels like months before turning to the others. “We’d better get a plan in place. We are going to need a compelling story.”
Maines smiles. “Oh, so stopping Carobon isn’t compelling?”
“Apparently not,” Oak chuckles. “Silas, any pointers for speaking with your father?”
Silas shakes his head. “My whole life has been dedicated to speaking with him as little as possible. We are going to need Fen’s help with this one.”
I catch Maines rolling her eyes and flash an annoyed look in her direction.
“How quickly can she be here?” I ask.
Silas opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off.
“Talking about me behind my back?” a cheerful voice sounds from the open balcony doors.
Fen steps into the living space with Warrick close behind, per usual.
“Well, that wasn’t nearly fast enough,” Oak jokes.
Silas smiles at the sight of his sister and Warrick shifting in at the perfect time.
“Where is Hux?” Silas asks. “We will need everyone on board.”
“He stayed back to sweet-talk our father about this meeting. He knows what is going on. Don’t worry, he’s the best person for this job. Hux has a certain…pizzazz to him.” Fenmore winks.
“If that’s what you want to call it,” Warrick chimes in. “He is persuasive and cocky as fuck. That’s why Malachi likes him.”
Fen shrugs.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Warrick responds, with a grin.
“I’m trying not to be pissed off that I’m the last to hear about this plan. My right-hand men and sister are making plans without me.” Silas grabs my hand with a squeeze. “This has never happened before.”
His commanders laugh.
“How does it feel, boss?” Warrick angles his head.
“Sour,” Silas responds, stiffly.
Fen plops down at the table. “Oh? You don’t like being the last to know? Now you see how we’ve all felt for years.”
I chuckle before redirecting the conversation. “Alright, so we are all here. We will have to wait to find the library.”
Fen coughs. “Excuse me, what?”
I glance back at Warrick, and he’s as stunned at my words as Fenmore.
“When do we meet with Malachi?”
Warrick steps forward. “Tonight.”