Chapter 21
Azure was gone from my balcony when I returned to my rooms. I checked in with her through my amber stone, and her talon was healing nicely. She was spending the night behind the stables, as usual.
My relief was short-lived as I once again thought about my argument with Varius, and the true reason behind his contract with my kingdom.
I paced the length of my room, hands balled into fists while I muttered to myself all the hateful things I should have said to his face. By the time Ramia arrived to dress me for bed, my temper had abated, but not by much.
Earlier, I had been hesitant to move forward with my plan to track down the enchanted rose and kill Varius. But now that I knew how many secrets he’d been keeping, and that he had no regard whatsoever for me and my kingdom, I felt differently.
He should have been honest from the beginning. He should have given my people a choice . Instead, he used the threat of his shadow magic to coerce them into sacrificing a royal daughter. Every generation.
For hours, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts racing. It was too much to comprehend. There were too many details I didn’t know .
I slept restlessly, tossing and turning and dreaming of the Necro Shadows coming for me, suffocating me in my sleep.
I woke before dawn and dressed myself in a simple burgundy gown, tied my hair in a loose braid, and made my way down the hall.
Though I wasn’t sure where I was headed, I only knew I couldn’t keep to my rooms any longer.
I couldn’t breathe in there. Not with Varius and his secrets residing next door.
Out of curiosity, I opened the first door I passed in the hall, just to see where the castle wished for me to go.
On the other side was the vast library where I’d first seen Varius’s true form.
I faltered, frozen in place, my gaze sweeping over the large space before me. Was Varius sitting by the fire, like he had been that night? I waited for any sound of movement, any sign that the library was occupied.
Nothing but silence awaited me.
With a deep breath, I stepped over the threshold and let the door shut behind me.
I stood next to the pair of wing-backed chairs, expecting Varius to appear from the shadows.
A fire crackled in the hearth, indicating a servant had been tending to this room recently.
I drew closer, warming my hands by the flames and letting the heat wash over my cold skin.
The constant presence of shadows made this place far cooler than my home, and I hadn’t yet adjusted to the temperature change.
After my fingers were nice and toasty, I turned to face the bookshelves, remembering how the library had magically provided me with the books I’d asked for. It had been days, and Varius hadn’t once mentioned Azure or questioned me about her. Was it possible the castle could keep my secrets?
Perhaps I could start small. Surely there was nothing damning about researching gardening tips.
“Um, castle?” I asked hesitantly. “Could you give me a book on roses?”
The shelves trembled, rattling against the walls. I waited for a book to fall from the ceiling like it had before, but instead, it spontaneously appeared on the table in front of me.
I almost laughed. Clearly, the castle liked to play games. I wondered what other ways it liked to present its books to me. Drawing closer to the table, I fingered the forest green cover of the book labeled, A Gardener’s Guide to Rosebushes .
I smiled. “Thank you,” I murmured before bringing the book to one of the chairs by the fire and settling in for a long read.
An hour later, I knew the best soil properties and sunlight-to-water ratio to produce the most lush roses.
I made a mental note to ask Enzira if there were any gardens in the castle.
At least I would know the area in which to look for them.
A section of the garden that got the most sunlight in the morning would be ideal.
And any rosebushes would be planted in the richest loam.
I looked around for a piece of parchment to write on but found nothing. A small pop drew my attention to the table where the book had appeared.
There sat a scroll, a quill, and an inkwell. I smiled again. “Thank you for providing for my needs,” I said to the castle before dipping the quill in ink and jotting down my notes for later.
I spent most of my day in the library. After the first book, I asked the castle for books on spells, curses, and enchantments, particularly regarding the magic of the Shadow Fae.
But I couldn’t tie any of the information to an enchanted rose.
If anything, the magic of the Shadow Fae seemed more tethered to mist and darkness, not flora.
I grew frustrated the more and more I read.
Truth be told, it would make more sense for enchanted roses to exist in my kingdom. I had heard of magical gardens throughout the kingdom. The Terrona Castle had a magnificent garden, although since we lived in caves, it wasn’t quite as grand as others I’d been to over the years .
I frowned, rubbing my eyes as I returned my sixth book to the table. Stifling a yawn, I asked, “Castle, can you send me a book about relations between the Shadow Court and the Earthen Court?”
I waited for the shelves to rattle like they always did, but nothing happened. Only silence met my request.
My pulse quickened. “Castle?” I called, uncertain.
Still nothing.
Perhaps the magic was spent for the day. Did the library have a limit to how many books it could provide in one day?
“Can you give me a book just about the Earthen Court?” I amended.
The shelves rattled again, and a thick crimson volume appeared on the table.
Strange. So, either this enormous library had no information about relations between my court and Varius’s, or the castle was somehow forbidden from providing it.
Interesting.
I gathered up the hefty tome in my hands, wiping dust from the leather-bound cover as I made my way back to the chair. It was clear no one had perused this book in years, but that wasn’t all that surprising. Why would anyone from the Shadow Court need to know about the despicable human court?
The thought instantly soured my mood as I thought of Varius and his blatant disregard for my people.
Sure, sacrifice as many human brides as was necessary, as long as the precious unseelie remained unharmed.
The humans were too stupid to trust with this information anyway.
What would they know about breaking curses?
My hands tightened, gripping the book so tightly the edges of the cover dug small grooves into my palms.
“Damn you, Varius,” I whispered. He always accused me of harboring prejudices against his people, but he was doing the exact same thing with mine .
I forced myself back to the task at hand, thinking it might be useful to study whatever information the Shadow Court had about my own people. Perhaps that would help me puzzle this all out.
My stomach growled as I read, but I ignored it, my brow furrowing when I came across something about Earthen witches.
Witches ? I knew of no witch clans in our lands. I had heard of them in others, though.
The most powerful witch enchantments were anchored to an object or person, which fueled its power, allowing it to survive as long as the object or person remained healthy and intact.
Trinkets, coins, heirlooms, and gemstones were commonly used.
The rarest of spells were able to harness the power of a witch’s lineage in order to fuel the magic.
My eyes snagged on the word gemstones , and a chill raced down my spine.
Was it possible that some of the gems I’d collected were anchored to a powerful spell?
I shook my head. This had nothing to do with shadow magic, so I moved on, continuing to read.
The Earthen royals emerged from a bloodline of witches who mated with humans, mingling their blood until nearly all magic was erased from the populous.
I snorted. Well, that was untrue. Father would have been horrified to find out this was what other courts thought of us. To have our bloodline tainted by witch magic would have been the worst offense, second only to being tainted by unseelie blood.
But… if the Shadow Fae believed this about my kind, perhaps it could help me understand their magic better.
Another two hours passed, and I had to rise to stretch my legs and roll my shoulders back, my body tense from remaining in the same spot for too long. My stomach continued to growl angrily at me, and when a brief bout of dizziness swept over me, I acknowledged it was time for me to eat something.
I no sooner had the thought than the door opened. I tensed, expecting to see Varius.
Instead, I found Ramia approaching, holding a tray of sliced meat, buttered bread, and fresh fruit.
My mouth watered at the sight, and I smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you, Ramia.”
“I figured you might be in here,” she said with a wink before easing the tray onto the table next to me. “You never could stay away from the books.”
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” I bit into a slice of bread, barely restraining a moan of delight at how soft and warm it was.
Ramia’s gaze swept over the endless sea of books. “It certainly is.” She sat in the chair across from me as I devoured the food she’d brought.
When I was finished, she handed me a handkerchief, which I used to dab at my mouth and fingers.
“I have something for you,” she said, and I didn’t like the gleam in her eye.
“What?” I eyed her with suspicion as she dug through the pockets of her dress until she withdrew a small envelope. She handed it to me with a smirk.
Frowning, I turned the envelope over, finding my name written in familiar ink.
“Shit,” I hissed.
“Language,” Ramia snapped. “There’s no need for that.”
I felt my face drain of color as I looked at her in horror. “Why do you have this?”
“I’ve been in correspondence with Kendra,” Ramia said shortly, although her pink cheeks betrayed her embarrassment.