25. Chapter 25
Chapter 25
W ide smiles and light steps, that’s how I’d describe the students entering the Library. I guess it’s no wonder, considering the gorgeous May afternoon outside. I myself am sitting at the Service Desk with Raven as my assistant for the day, trying to ignore the scents wafting over to me — the sun-baked soil, the freshly cut grass, the magnolias from the gardens…
“Could you go grab this one?” I ask Raven as I point at the next book on my list.
She tilts her head, blinks at the title and flies away, heading straight for the Runology section.
I keep looking at the spot where she disappeared, almost instantly zoning out. These days, I’m back to not being able to say I remember my nightmares. I only have these vague feelings of what they were about. Last night, just like it’s been for the past month, the nightmare featured Aedan, I know it in my bones.
Once again, the fact is threatening to distract me from what I’m supposed to be doing. I need to make the man’s death count for something. And we have agreed that Orpheus would take this particular task upon himself. He’ll find the man matching Aedan’s description and we’ll use the information to get in touch with the Order. And it does make the most sense, I guess, considering he can simply coordinate the efforts of a team of investigators.
Still… there’s the urge to do something, to stop feeling this useless.
Slowly snapping out of it, I watch Raven come back with the book in her beak. She drops it on the desk and comes to land on my shoulder, obviously eager to read with me.
As I open the leather-bound tome, I remind myself that my own task is just as meaningful as Orpheus’s. It doesn’t exactly help me stop feeling useless, but it does make me get to work — trying to find more ways to master my fae powers with the end goal being reawakening my Aurora powers.
It’s all quite confusing, especially considering I’d been making such great progress until a while ago. I’d managed to unlock two Runes and master the corresponding powers. Then it all stopped.
Now, not even visiting the Fae Realm helps in getting me inspired, because for the life of me, I still haven’t even the slightest idea what my next power could be.
But who knows? Maybe the Compendium of Fae Powers will get the juices flowing. Frowning, I start flipping pages with Raven perched on my shoulder, speed-reading with me in silence.
I get so immersed that the man’s voice makes me jolt in my seat. “Your Grace.”
My eyes snap to my left, landing on Joseph. “Yes?”
“Your husband would like to see you.”
My heart leaps in my chest. I give Joseph a quick nod and impatiently wait for him to leave before I crane my neck to look at Raven. “This could be it, Raven.”
*
I barge into the kitchen, finding Orpheus sitting at the table, waiting with a smile on his face and a whole stack of papers in front of him.
“Raven went to get Lorcan,” I say breathlessly. “He should be here any minute.”
“Afternoon, everyone,” I hear the old man’s grumpy voice even before I manage to take a seat.
“Afternoon,” I say as I gesture at one of the other two empty chairs. Impatiently, I wait for him to sit down and then turn to Orpheus. “Shall we?”
And it’s obvious that he’s finding my eagerness amusing, but he doesn’t comment. He clears his throat, turning serious as he motions at the papers. “This is all the information I’ve managed to gather, but it covers all the individuals matching the criteria — royals with male children who died three years ago.”
“There’s quite a lot,” I say.
“Fortunately for us,” he replies as he starts separating parts of the stack and putting them aside, “it’s mostly owing to all the turbulence around the signing of the Treaty. I’ve managed to eliminate everyone who really did die in the conflicts, which leaves us with these seven.”
He spreads the said seven on the table in front of us, making both Lorcan and myself lean forward to inspect them.
My eyebrows shoot up. “All seven of them were murdered?”
Orpheus shakes his head. “Actually, the reported causes of deaths are…” He skims the files. Without looking up, he recites, “Four terminal illnesses, one riding incident, one hunting incident and one Nature Magic misfire”
I lean back in my chair, my shoulders slumping. “Which means we’re back to square one.”
Orpheus clicks his tongue. “Note I said reported causes of deaths.”
I sit straight again, my ears pricking up.
“These are royals we’re talking about,” he explains with a somber look on his face. “When we want to get away with a murder, we usually do.”
“Speaking from experience?” I hear Lorcan ask.
My eyes snap to him, finding him staring at Orpheus with folded arms and a frown.
I shoot him a look and turn back to Orpheus. “And how is it exactly that you’d go about doing that?”
He shrugs. “Untraceable curses, mind magic, illusion magic…”
I give him an incredulous look. “So we’d have to investigate each of these with all of that in mind?”
His lips curl into a smirk that makes hope bloom in my chest. “Actually, I already have a leading suspect.” He points at one of the files. “The death of Count Adelberg was reported as the result of blood poisoning, but it was much more sudden than these things usually go, which makes me believe it’s his son who might be the current Head of the Order.”
By the time he’s done, I’m already picturing myself in the Order’s Headquarters. I smile. “Perfect. Maybe you and I could pay him a visit.”
He shakes his head, the smile sliding off his face. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s one thing to go talk directly to Master Ruvyn. This is a very powerful royal we’re talking about.”
Great. “What should we do then?”
“We have the ball tomorrow. I’ve been told Countess Faust will be in attendance, and the woman is the greatest gossip this region has ever seen.”
For a second, I just look at him, an unexpected flood of jealousy making my insides twist. “Not to mention your former lover who’s still drooling over you,” I say flatly.
To this, he only shrugs, making the whole thing even more insufferable. “It could be a sort of leverage, yes.”
We keep looking at each other in tense silence. It’s Lorcan’s scoff that breaks it. “So the solution to this situation is to twirl some posh lady around the dance floor?” he asks with mockery in his voice.
I turn to glare at him. But at least his behavior makes me snap out of my own little childish episode. I take a deep breath and put on a smile. “Let’s go with your suggestion, Orpheus. Are we done?”
He nods and we all start getting up, my eyes fixing on Lorcan. “Lorcan, could I speak to you for a minute?”
*
I lead Lorcan out of the house and gesture for him to take a seat. Now, what I really want is to demand he tell me what his goddamn problem is, because I’ve just about had enough of his pouty behavior.
Instead, I force myself to keep in mind how difficult all this must be for him, I take a seat next to him and I give him a smile. “Remember the time we went to the Seven Dwarves?”
He squints at me. “I do.”
“Remember what you asked Master Ruvyn?”
“I can’t say that I do.”
“You asked why he didn’t let that missing girl’s father help her. Then you got mad when he said she was running away from him as well.”
He lets out a sigh. “What’s this all about, Anna?”
I don’t hesitate. “What really happened between you and your daughter, Lorcan?”
There’s a flash of surprise in his eyes. “I already told you,” he replies defensively. “My daughter was too ungrateful of a child to stay in touch with her own father.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him. “So, one day, she just stopped returning your calls and that was it?”
Color rises to his cheeks. “Alright, you want to know what happened?” he grits out. “One day, my daughter came to tell me she was getting married. I went to the trouble of meeting her insufferable human fiance, I bought a wedding present and I showed up to give her away, only for her to accuse me of being the worst father ever and getting me thrown out on the street.”
By the time he’s done, his breathing is heavy and his fists are clenching.
But I’m not buying it. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. It was that cowardly fiance of hers, turning her against me.”
I let out a sigh. “Alright,” I ask with patience in my voice. “What did she tell you exactly?”
“I told you, didn’t I?” he snaps.
I have to stop myself from laughing in his face. “You’re telling me she gave you no actual reason whatsoever?”
“No,” he grits out and gets out of the chair. “Why are you pestering me like this?”
I get up as well. “I just wanted to understand you and your behavior a little better, Lorcan.”
“My behavior?” he drawls.
“Yes, Lorcan,” I say with a sigh, “your prickliness, your childishness, your neediness… Want me to go on?”
“No need, Miss Novak,” he spits out, poison in his voice. “I think I’ve heard enough. Have fun at the ball tomorrow.”
With that, he turns on his heel and marches away.
Letting out a pent-up breath, I drop into my chair again and lean back, running my hands down my face.
It’s the feeling of being watched that makes me turn to my right, where I find Nymeria sitting an arm-length away, staring at me with a dead mouse hanging from her mouth.
My eyebrows shoot up. “A nice little plaything you got for yourself?”
I swear she looks at me as if I’m simple-minded. She gets up, saunters over to me and drops the mouse in front of my feet.
“Thank you, I guess?”
Almost instantly, she turns her butt to me and walks away.
Still, it’s the nicest thing that’s happened to me all day.