Chapter 13 #2
He opened a large, solid oak door, and I followed behind the scholar into a room, bright and airy from two large windows.
In the center was a long table with chairs, and the walls were lined with bookshelves.
I turned to the doorway and gasped as Acrion, with a sneer, flung the door in Darragh’s face as he was stepping through the threshold.
Darragh shot out a hand and stopped the wood from making contact with his head, swinging it open with a thud as it hit the inside wall.
“Oops! Silly me. In my old age, I forgot you were behind us,” Acrion spat, dripping with sarcasm and vitriol.
Darragh’s eyes narrowed, and he slowly stalked toward the old scholar, stopping a foot from him. Acrion was far less frightened than I was at this moment. I stilled, waiting for Darragh to turn into the monster Gabriel claimed to be.
The deep crease between Darragh’s eyebrows smoothed before pulling out a chair from the table, gesturing for me to sit. He pushed my chair in as I lowered myself into the seat. No monster in sight.
I didn’t blame Darragh for being pissed.
The old scholar was causing strife where it wasn’t warranted.
The fire I kept buried inside me briefly lapped its flames against the mask I was holding to my face.
I took a cleansing breath, and my anger at the scholar pushed back down.
Darragh sat beside me, keeping a respectful amount of air between us.
Acrion took a seat across from me. “Lady Aurora, I would like to ask you some questions and record them for posterity's sake. Interaction with humans is supremely rare, so I would like to have a record of our conversation so that we may learn more about Edenalee. Humans are fascinating creatures, and I need to know more about your culture, customs, politics, and the like.”
“I—I suppose,” I replied. I wasn’t aware that he would be asking me questions instead of the other way around. My priority was finding out how to get back through the barrier.
Acrion lightly clapped. “Excellent! Now, Lady Aurora, what—”
“My lady,” Darragh said, turning to me, “you do not have to answer his questions if you are not comfortable.” He searched my face and gave me the slightest nod.
“See here, youngling,” Acrion practically spat out. “She agreed to it, and we have to record this for the betterment of seraphs.”
“You,” Darragh pointed his finger at the scholar, “are to help her. She wants to know how to get back to Edenalee, and the king and queen sent her here to get answers. Do not waste her time on your selfish pursuits.”
Acrion’s fists clenched, and he shook through narrowed eyes.
“Also,” Darragh said coolly as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms, “do not mistake me for a youngling, old man. I am nearing forty and have lived more life than you could imagine. I don’t take kindly to condescension.
But by all means, continue to do so. See where it gets you.
” He gave a one-sided smirk at the scholar’s trembling anger.
The unspoken threat lingered in the air, but Darragh’s words hit their mark, and the seraph scholar stuck his chin in the air with a sniff, unclenched his fists, and folded his hands on the table in front of him.
“Yes. Well, Aurora, I suppose we will start with you. The scholarly brotherhood searched the library for any mention of seraphs or humans breaching the threshing wall when we first received word of your arrival. There was only one mention of a human who arrived here nearly two centuries ago.”
I sat up straight, my interest piqued. Just as Gabriel had said, a human had been in Tironaill. “And how did they get here?”
Acrion shrugged. “We aren’t entirely sure.
Literature states that he arrived, stumbling out of the forest, and couldn’t even recall the last twelve hours of his day.
He was a farmer in Edenalee and stated he woke in the forest feeling awful but was able to get his bearings and started walking, looking for help.
He didn’t realize he crossed the wall until a seraph soldier intercepted him and held him in a cell at the castle until King Suntik, Themis rest his soul, deemed him nonthreatening.
The only other mention of him in our texts is that he ended up employed on a farm owned by one of the noble families of the time.
He lived a productive life there until his death fifteen years later. ”
I sighed, and my shoulders sagged. “There are no other tales or stories about this man? Do you know his name?”
“His name was Psilas. Unless the noble family that employed him has any more recorded stories of him, I am sorry, but we have exhausted all the resources we have here.” He gave me a sad grin and patted my hand.
“Which noble family employed him?” Darragh asked.
Acrion glared at him, lowering his brow and squinting his eyes. “The Noble house of Toolock,” he practically growled.
My eyes volleyed between the two seraphs as they glowered at each other. I stood, smoothing the front of my dress. “Thank you, Acrion. I greatly appreciate all your help. The captain and I would like to browse your library now if you’re agreeable to that.”
Darragh stood and moved to the door.
The old scholar looked positively deflated. “Oh, but I was hoping to ask you a few questions before you left.”
My confidence in turning him down was heightened with Darragh standing behind my decision. I smiled placatingly, “I am sorry, but for now, I would just like to look for some books. Maybe I can come back another time and sit down with you and have a talk?”
Acrion stood and walked to my side, taking my hand in his. “Yes. Please come back. I need to capture your story and learn more about humans.”
“I will try.” I inclined my head and hastily moved to Darragh, holding open the door. His eyes tracked me as I walked out of the room, and he followed behind, slamming the door in Acrion’s face. Angry, muffled shouts came from behind the solid oak. A deserving case of karma. I choked back a laugh.
We moved, side-by-side, down a flight of stairs. Darragh cast his eyes downward. “I apologize for my behavior, my lady. That was not proper of me.”
“Rory,” I stated.
He drew his dark eyebrows together. “What?”
“Please call me Rory.”
Way to keep it formal.
We wound through narrow paths lined with shelves of particularly ancient-looking books bound in cracked leather with withered pages.
Without thinking, I stopped abruptly and turned to face him.
We almost collided, but he stopped short an inch from me, grabbing onto the closest bookshelf.
He smelled of something familiar. Warm and spicy with a touch of sweetness. Cloves.
I raised my hands between us. “Oh, I am sorry!” I said as I tipped my head back to look at him.
“I just wanted to say that I am happy you didn’t allow that man to get away with disrespecting you.
I would hardly call what you did improper.
Standing up for yourself is always the best option, in my opinion. ”
He blinked. Darragh’s usual tensed jaw slackened. The harshness he held in his features softened.
“And thank you for noticing I was uncomfortable with answering his questions.”
He gave a brief nod. “You’re welcome, my lady.”
We stared at each other for a moment before I took a step back and turned to look at the titles next to me on the shelves. “I probably should search for a book on seraph culture and history, as boring as that sounds.”
“I know the section you can find that in.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Could you recommend any of the books that you like to read?”
His eyes searched me, and a corner of his mouth upturned. “I can help you pick something out.”