Chapter Thirty-One #3
Both studied the faint crack in the door, the stone carved so perfectly they hadn’t been able to see the seam before now.
Arianna rubbed her arm, trying to push the sensation of the runes away.
Thankfully, they hadn’t permanently branded her.
Her skin was as smooth and flawless as it had been before, save for the scars inflicted by Rion and the slavers.
They would always be there, a constant reminder of the hell she’d endured.
“Are you okay?” Saoirse was the first to ask. She stared at her little brother a moment before reaching for his arm. Saoirse turned his palm over, examining the skin.
“I’m fine,” he assured, then gently pulled away. Arianna noted the sadness on Saoirse’s face, though the female was quick to hide it.
Rion’s eyes scanned Arianna from head to toe, lingering on that same arm. She wondered if he wanted to touch her just as Saoirse had done him.
“I’m not hurt,” she declared before anyone could ask.
And she wasn’t. But the sheen of sweat covering Rion’s face mirrored her own.
Both were slightly ashen as well. He looked just as drained as she felt.
It was as if the door had taken all but a drop of her magic, leaving just enough for her to defend herself should the need arise.
The creature, Laoirse, who had been so active the last few weeks, had finally fallen silent, resting.
Liam stepped forward first with three warriors at his side. They drew their weapons.
“Wait,” Arianna called. “I have to be the one to go first, right?”
Liam grimaced then stepped back. Rion took his place beside Arianna and together they reached for the door, slowly letting it swing open. Despite his exhaustion, Rion’s magic still rose to surround them.
Talon, Raevina, and Liam followed just behind, ready to pull them back. Everyone had their weapons drawn. Everyone aside from Arianna. For some reason, the darkness beyond didn’t scare her. It beckoned her closer. Whispering like an old friend.
The door moved aside easily. Silently. And inside, that same bluish light illuminated the entire space. It raced across the walls and ceilings and even the floors. The light moved like water, filling floral patterns like leaves unfurling in spring.
Swirling crevices filled with blue light as well, reminding her so much of Levea that her heart ached.
Fires roared to life in the corners, catching Raevina’s attention.
Jewels reflected the flames, casting a rainbow of colors across the stone.
Arianna wondered if it reminded the female of her home.
Perhaps Raevina longed for the mountain as much as Arianna craved Levea’s waterfalls.
A library surrounded them. It was exactly what they’d been promised, yet so much more. A large foyer sat before them, decorated with soft chairs, plush carpets, glass vases full of flowers, and delicate lace beneath trinkets and decorative statues.
Arianna stepped forward, mouth slightly agape as she took in the perfection. This place hadn’t been touched in thousands of years, and yet it looked freshly polished, like attendants saw to the care of everything surrounding them.
“I—I don’t understand,” she said, turning toward Sive. “How?”
Sive placed a hand on one of the white tables before tracing the petals of a pink peony.
“It’s not a glamour,” she said, as if speaking to herself.
“It’s,” her brow furrowed, “the magic here is old. So very, very old.” Her gaze lifted and Arianna’s followed.
Above them, the domed ceiling was covered in glittering gold with that same blue light lining the artwork.
Even Raevina, who was usually stoic about such things, had her mouth slightly agape, eyes nearly sparkling with admiration. Talon seemed to be taking note.
Just like in Ruadhán, statues sat at the end of the bookcases, glass cases held relics from their past. Trailing floral greenery covered the shelves, caressing the volumes with a gentle touch.
A large circular staircase led to the levels below. Arianna stepped toward it carefully, glancing down into the darkness that stretched beyond her line of sight. Fear curled in the back of her mind before being washed away.
Liam and his warriors began fanning out, scanning the space with equal amounts of caution and intrigue.
“Be sure not to leave this room without everyone following,” Róisín cautioned. “Just in case.” Right, because she didn’t want anyone trapped down here. Arianna half wondered if the magic that had preserved everything came from those who’d tried to infiltrate over the years. She shivered.
“All right,” Saoirse stated. “Where do we start?”
“From the bottom.” Arianna didn’t know why she said it, but something in the darkness was tugging her down.
“Stay in groups,” Liam cautioned.
Raevina clicked her tongue, then started down the stairs. Talon and another Móirín guard followed close behind.
“I’ll head back in a bit,” Róisín said, “and discuss things with Eimear and the child, but I’d like to see what’s at the bottom first.” Arianna raised a questioning brow. “Whelan, I believe is his name. The High Lady guards him like a mother hen.”
“Watch your tone,” Liam hissed.
Róisín lifted her hands. “Apologies. It’s difficult when we need information, but she’s unwilling to allow the youngling to help.”
“Don’t demand things you know nothing about,” Sive warned. “Sometimes the risks aren’t worth taking.”
“I’d say every risk is worth it right now,” Róisín countered. Sive didn’t answer. Eimear sometimes had to restrain her visions with iron for her own safety. Arianna didn’t want to imagine how they might affect a youngling.
Arianna followed Raevina and Talon. The stairs were sturdy despite the years. They didn’t so much as creak as their group moved down, down, down, taking one step at a time. Rion followed directly behind. Sive and Liam’s warriors followed, too.
Many branched off floor by floor, all in pairs at Liam’s command. Her father’s warriors joined them, inspecting each area. They’d need so many more people if they hoped to comb through even a portion of the information.
Her eyes scanned the shelves. Hundreds upon hundreds of books sat there, each perfectly preserved. Their history. Their real history. She desperately wanted to comb through the volumes and learn the truth, an oddity given her aversion to the subject.
Artifacts caught her attention in passing too, and Arianna couldn’t help but wonder if any had belonged to the original Divine.
Perhaps the female’s legacy was stored somewhere in the pages.
Maybe even her real name. If they won the war, Arianna would comb through everything with the hope of finding something written by the female herself. Maybe she’d left a guide.
If they won.
A sacrifice. Eimear’s haunting words floated back, but what did they mean?
There were so many possibilities. Arianna had read all about it in her books.
Her first thought had been herself, but that seemed too obvious.
And what would she sacrifice herself for?
It wasn’t as if her death would lead to their redemption.
If that had been the case, then the previous Divine wouldn’t have failed.
Arianna watched one of Liam’s warriors wander toward a smaller shelf beside the stairs and pick up a book. He flipped through a few pages, then set it down and walked down another aisle.
“I never imagined the Fae of old had such a strong relationship with Weavers,” Sive commented, running her fingertips over the carvings set into the railing. “This entire place was built by both Weavers and Fae.”
Talon followed her gaze, then looked upward, taking in the domed ceiling. “I’m willing to bet the history is down here somewhere.”
Sive nodded. “I intend to find it once this is all over.”
“Do you think they moved to the northern continent because they wanted to, or because they were forced?” Arianna asked.
“I’m not sure, but given the way Vairik has reacted to everything else, I’m willing to bet we were early on his extermination list. We’re not as impressionable as the Fae or humans. Our ancestors probably broke through his glamours too easily.”
“One genocide after another,” Talon said.
Arianna clenched her fists. “He’s not going to get away with it anymore.”
“Agreed.” Arianna looked over her shoulder to Rion, noting the set in his jaw. He appeared just as determined as she felt. They could win. They just needed the right tools and strong allies that hated Vairik just as much as they did.
The sconces along the staircase grew less frequent as they continued to descend, replaced instead by the blue light from the carvings that surrounded them. The room grew colder and Arianna shivered, cradling her arms against her chest for warmth.
Silence fell over their entire group when they passed the final floor.
Arianna glanced over the railing to find a circular space with swirling blue patterns carved into the floor.
Five stone pedestals stood evenly spaced in the center of the room, forming a small circle.
Each one held a different colored square cushion with a matching silk cloth that covered a spherical object underneath.
Arianna shivered again, wondering if the hidden objects were the reason everything had grown so cold. A slight breeze rustled Arianna’s hair, and she swore she could hear … something coming from each of the spheres. She inclined her ears to listen, but the sounds were impossible to distinguish.
Talon and Raevina paused on the final step. Róisín pushed to the front. Talon moved aside, allowing her to kneel and examine the runes. She pulled out a journal and traced the patterns onto a blank page.
“What do they say?” Talon asked.
Róisín chewed on the end of her pen. “I—it’s difficult to make out.”
“It’s a warning,” Sive answered. They all turned to her. She wasn’t holding the edge of the railing any longer and Arianna swore she’d gone a shade paler.
“Another one?” Raevina asked, impatience lacing her tone. “After everything they just did to open the door?”
“Yes,” Sive confirmed. “Apparently more caution was warranted.”
“Can we approach?” Arianna asked, turning toward the pedestals again.
Something about them called to her. She noted how the pedestals themselves were carved from the very stone, one with the floor beneath them.
Almost as if they’d been raised. Arianna glanced toward Rion, noting the way his magic still moved at his feet.
“I think we should wait for Eimear,” Róisín answered, rising. “Just to be safe. She might see something.”
Raevina huffed. “I thought she couldn’t see down here.”
“A seer’s visions are ever-changing. Even a small decision can develop new threads.”
Raevina rubbed her temples. “Fine. Then let’s start at the level above. We’re wasting time.”
RóISíN VANISHED back up the stairs, then they began combing through the shelves just above the bottom floor.
There were more artifacts down here than Arianna had seen in the floors above.
Old weapons, keys, crowns, locks that couldn’t be opened no matter what runes they tried, folders full of handwritten documents, and books, books, books.
The information was … staggering. Arianna flipped through tomes, finding history that, for the first time in her life, she found interesting. There were entire volumes that contradicted everything she’d ever been taught. Their forgotten past.
After a while, Arianna moved to the floor above with Rion and a few warriors in close proximity. Talon and Raevina remained below.
Arianna paused at the top of the stairs, studying the shelves before making her way to the back. She ran her fingers over the spines, reading each title in passing, searching, waiting for something to jump out at her.
Nothing did.
She kept moving, wondering about the secrets hidden by their ancestors.
Arianna met the back wall and followed it, examining the rear part of the shelves.
She paused at another statue, this one resembling something that she’d labeled as one of the Dark Fae.
It definitely wasn’t a Guardian. The creature stared at her with a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth and claws that promised an unpleasant death.
Arianna chewed her lip. War. She had seen multiple battles already.
She’d witnessed the bloodshed firsthand.
But what they were to face next would be entirely different.
It was the last of the Fae against an army Vairik had been building for centuries.
Dread seeped through her. Could they really win?
Arianna moved onto the next statue and a shiver ran down her spine. This one walked on all fours. It had the head of a lion, massive bat-like wings, and the tail of a scorpion. She was willing to bet it was the venomous sort.
Arianna glanced down the long corridor. Statues stood at the end of each bookcase, the next appearing even more sinister than the last. Her heart sank further.
There were so many creatures with fangs and claws.
Could magic and blades emerge victorious?
Eimear claimed she only saw one way to their victory.
They only had one chance to get everything right. If they failed, if she failed—
Arianna shivered again, the cold seeping into her bones.
Something draped across her shoulders and she whirled.
Rion stood a hair’s breadth away, arms raised, eyes wide.
His jacket slipped from his fingers, then the wall …
moved. Bricks shifted, came alive, wrapped around his body, and dragged him into the stone itself.