Chapter 18 #3
‘Skye?’ Matthias cried out for his sister as the library was enveloped with darkness.
Pablo snarled, growling, and my heart hammered as I tried to make sense of what was happening.
When Matthias called for the lamps, a figure ran past from the corridor.
Probably a guard or servant summoned by the chaos.
Skye hacked, and as the first lamp was lit I looked in the direction of the coughing.
Through the flickering light, Pablo dragged a figure in a light blue gown towards the door.
I fell to the floor crawling and reaching out for her as another few lamps illuminated the library.
‘It’s killing her,’ Asher cried, drawing his blade and tearing over to Skye.
‘He’s saving her,’ I shouted, dragging Pablo away from Skye and pulling him towards me.
Asher’s sword clattered on the parquet floor as he cradled Skye. Blurry servants flung open the windows, the frosty breeze scattering my papers, and Pablo sneezed before pulling himself free from me, snapping at the pages dancing through the smoky library.
Matthias held out his hand to help me stand, but I shook my head. The heel of my boot caught on the torn hem of my dress as I rose, and the fabric split wider.
‘Are you okay?’ Matthias frowned as he scoured my face. ‘Did you fall? Do you—’
He stopped as his eyes tracked over my scowl and the hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
Pablo grabbed a sheet of paper, bounding over and dropping it at my feet.
‘I think,’ I said, ‘you should be more concerned about your sister.’
His brows rose in surprise as he spun about. Helping Skye to sit, Matthias pulled his sister into his chest where she sat wide-eyed, the realisation of what had happened settling on her. He ran his hands through her hair before placing a kiss on the top of her head.
‘How are you?’ Asher’s trembling lips paled; his hands bounced before him as though he were unsure where to place them.
‘F-fine,’ Skye said, thanking a servant who appeared with a glass of water. She pulled herself away from Matthias before surveying the library. ‘I… I wanted to analyse the maps… for Sorrow… to say… to say…’
Her voice broke, and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
I placed my hand on her shivering arm.
‘You don’t need to say sorry,’ I said, unsure why tears pricked the back of my eyes.
A troop of servants strode past us into the library, righting chairs and tutting. ‘How bad’s the damage?’
Matthias sucked his teeth. ‘Superficial. Thanks to the… mutt.’
Skye scrubbed a tear from her cheek. ‘The maps… I was studying those maps.’ Her eyes flicked across to Asher, before turning back to me. ‘I was tired. I shouldn’t…’
Asher brushed the soot from her face with his thumb. I wish I could’ve seen her expression. ‘The maps aren’t important. It could… it could have been worse.’
She peered past the gap between Matthias and myself to the still-smouldering table.
‘Thank you,’ she said as I stood.
I walked over to the table where the servants collected the burnt parchment, then placed it in a tin bucket.
‘Thank you for saving me.’
‘It’s Pab you need to thank. You’d be charcoal by now if he wasn’t such a stubborn asshole. Stop! I can still use those.’
Taking the bin from a bowing servant with long red hair, I sighed, removing a singed fragment. I cursed as the still-smouldering edges crumbled in my hand and I turned it over. My heart sank at the sight.
An oil lamp lay on its side, the patch where it had fallen a ruined black mess. Though it could have been so much worse if Pablo hadn’t been there, the stench of burnt wood and acrid oil brought tears to my eyes as I surveyed the damage, collecting anything remotely useful.
I hitched a breath as Matthias appeared behind me. He leaned in close, groaning as he took in the ruined maps we’d hoped held the answers we desperately sought. Heat radiated from him, warming me more fiercely than the flames we’d doused.
‘How badly will this hold you up?’ His breath caressed the nape of my neck, and I imagined a blush creeping across my throat.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, shuffled a step away from him, as a damned ache slammed into my temple.
‘This was weeks of work, maybe months,’ I said, flinging a useless shred of map on the table.
Matthias lay his forehead against my shoulder, and I melted into the familiarity of his touch.
If I were wiser, I’d shrug him away. But there was a comfort in the way his breath warmed my spine, his scent of wood, a hint of lavender soap.
He lifted his head, and I cursed as I craved his warmth for a heartbeat longer.
He huffed out a long sigh. ‘Weeks and months we simply don’t have.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, straightening my skirts and raising my chin.
‘What for? You’re not the one threatening to invade our kingdom.’
‘Your kingdom, Matthias, not mine. I’ve told you. But, I’m the one who can help. I know I can find the answer.’
He winced. At least I thought he had. My vision swirled and I wished I hadn’t broken the moment.
‘Call for some nut coffee,’ I said. ‘I need to see what I can salvage from this mess.’
He tilted his head, his hair flopping across those green eyes of his. ‘Don’t you mean we?’
A weak smile hooked up the corner of my mouth. ‘I’ve told you, I don’t work well with others.’
My fingers itched to push his hair back as a smile broke out on his face and he took a step closer. My skin pebbled, surely a reaction to the now open windows. ‘I’m not merely others. And you need to get some rest so you can train tomorrow.’
A flash of excitement pulsed through me. With the fire and the destruction of the maps, I’d forgotten about the crow.
‘I’ve got some news,’ I said, revelling in the way his brow furrowed. I quickly filled him in with what happened at the window. The light in his eyes brightened as I relayed each little step towards success.
When I finished, I gasped as his hands flew to my cheeks, cradling my face.
‘I knew you’d do it, Sorrow.’ He lay his forehead softly next to mine, and I closed my eyes. ‘I knew you’d beat this blight.’
His arm snaked around my waist as he tucked me in against his chest. For a moment, all that existed was the boy I adored, the pulsing of his heart against my cheek as I reached around his back. Matthias grasped me tighter, and I melted into him, into his firm warmth.
‘My wonderful Sorrow.’ I shivered as his breath whispered against my face, breathing in his scent. My heart swelled with each inhale, with how right it felt to hold my husband.
The husband in name only, I recalled. Exhaling, I stepped back, though Matthias held on for a heartbeat too long, one hand still cradling my cheek.
As one thumb slowly rubbed against me, I glanced at his lips, wondering what they’d feel like on mine. Would he kiss me slowly, savouring every touch or would he devour me? A shiver ran through me, and his eyes opened, meeting my gaze.
Would it truly be so bad to give in to this? Give in to him. My body demanded I close the distance, warring with reason that pleaded with me to break it.
I prised myself away, heading for the maps. My fingers trembled as I put on the borrowed glasses and studied the charred segments without truly seeing their contents.
A cough from the doorway grabbed my attention. I knew it was Skye from the dress. She was standing, arms crossed, and I was grateful I couldn’t see the smug look I knew she’d be wearing.
‘I really should apologise,’ she said, her voice scratching, as I focused on the words stubbornly refusing to form on the map. ‘I was clearly very, very wrong. I’d say you certainly win this argument, Sorrow.’
I bit my bottom lip, refusing to look up.