Chapter 5 Rowan
Rowan
Aweek of research, and nothing.
Not a single book referenced God Magic. Not a single tome about God Runes or the skulls that supposedly held the magic of their God.
Nothing. Not a fucking thing.
I slammed the cover of another book and slid it down the table to the old vampire-demon scholar who’d been sent to help me. The great, formidable demon library, which held records and information that predated the war and rise of Avalon, had nothing so far that could help us.
And the demon king had assured us he’d opened every library, every secret and secure part of his collection. He gave me access to anything I needed, but it wasn’t enough.
That included a very small research team bound by demon deals to keep their mouths shut. Otherwise, they were going to have to deal with a really pissed off king.
The scholar aiding me specifically sighed and took the book back to the pile of duds while I ran my hands through my hair. Exhaustion weighed heavily in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t risk falling into the unwelcome hands of sleep.
Unlike the others, I didn’t have nightmares. My dreams weren’t plagued with the dark, terrible reminder of losing Ivy.
My nights were filled with memories of her; the first time I saw her, dressed in her tight pencil skirt and blouse, hair pulled back in a neat bun, with that gorgeous smile she’d only reserved for her best friend, Thea; then there was our first kiss, when we recognised the bond; the moment we completed the bond and I told her I loved her; the Nyx ball while we danced despite knowing it could be the beginning of the end.
There were the quiet moments, too. Like waking up with her in my arms, the light of the rising sun breaking through the open bedroom window back in our suite, her chocolate brown hair mused, but her smile happy.
The feeling of contentment that came with having her there, in the quiet of the morning before the children awoke.
I never took those mornings for granted, and I was so fucking glad for that now. Because I basked in those memories when I slept.
And it made me feel so damned guilty.
Adrian barely slept, too consumed with that stupid charm he built.
A small part of me blamed him. Which I knew, deep down, was ridiculous.
I knew Ivy wouldn’t blame him. But knowing Dante had complete access to his thoughts, his memories, everything and anything to do with Ivy through Adrian made my blood boil. It wasn’t his damned fault. But fuck.
Dante could have gotten to all of us without our knowledge.
I was pretty sure the only one safe was the demon king, though we couldn’t even be sure of that.
Thank fuck they were bringing Blythe Windermere, Orion’s little mind witch friend from the academy, into the fold. That witch apparently had a whole lot of untapped power if the Fae Prince was to be believed—and I had a feeling he needed to be.
She might even be able to find a way to wake him up.
It was a long shot, but we needed her to kill any chance of Dante entering our heads, stop any channels he might have to our brains, and maybe get through to Orion.
A piece of cake.
“Sir Rowan, I fear we have nothing else from the old Shadowclaw Academy,” my scholarly friend said, head bowed.
It was disarming, hearing myself referred to as Sir when I hadn’t been officially made Ivy’s mate in the eyes of the council.
Then again, we had no idea how much of the council even remained.
So many were dark, and there were a few who sided with Dante.
How many had been taken and were being held with Ivy? How many were dead and unaccounted for?
Nyx’s Domain was on fire, and the only person who could put it out was being kept in chains that only I could find a way to break.
I sighed through my nose, running a hand down my face. “Do we have anything predating Pandora?” I asked, barely looking at the male. “Anything that might touch on the Old Gods and all this…God Magic bullshit.”
Even the oldest of scholars were stumped regarding God Magic. Zero references in their books.
He shook his bald head sadly. “I’m afraid I cannot find anything.”
I frowned, glancing up at him with furrowed brows. “How is that possible?”
The scholar pressed his lips into a line, eyes flickering away from me to the stacks of books around us.
We were alone, the other researchers gone.
I didn’t know this one very well; although, I couldn’t really say I knew any of them.
They were a blur of faces. Hell, I hadn’t even bothered to learn their names, too focused on finding answers.
Did I feel a little guilty about that? Sure. Ivy would have made a point of knowing their names if she were working intimately with them. And I wanted to be better for her. I wanted her to be proud of me when we finally brought her home.
And that made me feel ten times worse.
The scholar cleared his throat, drawing me out of my thoughts. “I think someone moved the records.”
Frustration burned through me. “Are you sure?”
He gave me a single nod. “Yes. But I could not find who. There used to be a small section of scrolls, very delicate. Had to be specially charmed because they were so close to deterioration. I fear someone stole them—perhaps even destroyed them.”
A growl tore free of my lips before I could stop it. Shoving back from the table, I stood, startling the scholar. “Do you suspect who?”
The scholar took a careful step back. “Perhaps.”
He didn’t even need to finish that sentence for me to toss a crumpled piece of paper across the room. “Fucking Dante.”
“I will keep looking.” The male bowed his head, disappearing before I could even respond.
My hands went to my hair, scraping through it with frustration, nails digging into my scalp.
“Fuck,” I muttered, searching the space.
Not another soul was here, and yet I couldn’t stop the small shiver that rolled down my spine as I thought about that fucking bastard.
Goddess above, how had he known to come here and take the scrolls?
How was he even that many steps ahead of us?
It didn’t make any fucking sense. There had to be someone here working for him, otherwise I had no idea how he could have gotten access to the library—to any of this.
I leaned back as my stomach soured from the realisation that I might not be able to find anything on the runes. I’d been at this for long enough now that surely, I would have found something. A reference, even if brief.
But there was not a single thing amongst these books.
Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place, I thought, shaking my head. Hadn’t Asael, Pandora’s own mate, said they’d removed any mention of it? Well, he said they’d destroyed references to the skull, but maybe they’d also ensured anything that could lead to it was gone, too.
Which was a great fucking help now.
But then, how did Dante find it? A chill rolled down my spine as I grabbed the meagre research I already had. We couldn’t exactly be certain what he told Adrian and Rhadamanthus was true. That he learned about the skull through a letter to…
My eyes narrowed as I took in my books. “Hey!” I shouted, getting the attention of the scholar.
In a flash, he was in front of me. You’d think growing up around vampires would mean you’d get used to how damned fast they were, and yet I still flinched at his reappearance.
The male bowed at the waist. “Yes, Sir Rowan?”
I grimaced, my skin puckering. “Do we have anything on Queen Titania’s brother? The one who gave up her power for Pandora? I know it’s a long shot, but—”
“We have extensive records about the end of the High Queen’s rule, which should include information about Emris and Oberon, her brothers,” the scholar interjected, bowing his head.
Something about the name Emris made my stomach twist uncomfortably. “What do you know about the first one?”
“Emris was the youngest of three siblings, which included Titania and Oberon, the last true High Fae rulers. Emris was a general for the Fae army but transitioned into politics at the turn of Titania’s health and the curse being placed upon him and her children.
Emris had no heirs, and to our knowledge, no mates. ”
I nodded slowly, reaching for a pen and paper. “That makes sense. Sounded like he was a bit of a whore.”
“He was,” the scholar confirmed with a wry smile. The simple answer almost made me laugh. “Of course, once the curse was placed, he would not have fathered any heirs regardless. To our knowledge, he had old ties to the Luna Court, where he—”
“Wait.” I looked up, taking in the demon-vampire’s dark eyes. “What do you mean, he had ties to Luna?”
The scholar cleared his throat, taking a seat at the table that’d basically been a rotation of researchers attempting to help me.
“Well, upon the death of Queen Titania, the High Palace closed. The magic locked it, and none—not even Sir Eryx—could enter. One could only step foot on the shores of the island, but they could go no further than the beach, for the palace wanted to mourn.”
I shifted carefully, confused on how I didn’t know any of this. Because you didn’t care enough to pay attention in your political studies and Fae History classes, idiot, I reminded myself. “What does that have to do with Luna?”
“They share shores. The Luna High Lady felt sorry for Emris and offered him a piece of land deep in the mountains. Only he took three brides and hid them away within the walls of his fortress and claimed the land as his own.” The scholar shook his head, disgusted.
“From there, his…legacy grew. Some say his followers started the war that destroyed the Old World based on his writings. On the night of the blood moon, they cut down the dragons and threatened to ruin us all.”
Blood. Blood. Blood.
“Fuck,” I breathed, standing. “Get me whatever you have on him. I’ll be back.”
I was grateful for all the fucking running I’d done in training, because I barely felt anything as I dashed from the library through the palace towards the dungeons. I bypassed the elevator entirely, going to the stairs, almost flying down them. Not a single soul stood in my way.
The stairs opened to the main floor of cells. In the distance, I heard the sleeping growls of hellhounds, the quiet whimpers of our prisoners. My breaths were harsh as I pushed my way towards Hyperion’s cell where I knew Maeve would be.
The two guards stepped aside as I approached, so I pushed my way in, barely flinching at the sight.
Blood was everywhere, and Maeve looked about ready to tear the chained male apart.
“What?” she seethed, looking up at me with red eyes.
“Blood. He said Dante needed blood, and I know why,” I gasped, resting my hands on my knees. “Fucking hell. Blood moon. Lunar eclipse. The Luna Court isn’t due for one of those in months.”
Maeve stepped back from Hyperion, though her eyes shifted from me to him. “Is that so?”
“Yep.” With great relief, the male squirmed. “Avalon has the next lunar eclipse. In three weeks.”
Which meant Ivy could be anywhere across two fucking realms with a timeline for her execution hanging right over our heads.