Chapter 28
With an armload of books on shapeshifters, Fae, and dragons, I meander back to my room. The hall is quiet. Flames twirl in the sconces on the wall as a chilly breeze floats in. I miss the castle in Olundy.
It was less drafty.
Thoughts of my ancestral homes stir memories of my Gran and my parents. They had walked these halls, lived in this place long before I came to be. Somehow, that thought settles me and I release the tension that had begun to raise my shoulders.
An entire kingdom depends on me leading them through this war, and now that I know how much the humans are in jeopardy, I want more than nothing to train every second of every day. But knowledge is also power, and I have much to catch up on.
A shadow moves down the hall and I freeze. Boots scuff as the person makes their way in my direction. My pulse rises and I slide my feet into a ready position. Tane materializes in the light of the sconces and a breath of relief slides through my lips.
“Lena,” his voice carries down the hall. “I was just looking for you. Can I speak to you about something?”
I shift my load of books onto my hip. “Tane, you scared the shit out of me,” I pant.
His brow is darker than usual in the torchlight, but a small smile cuts across his lips.
“Piominko has been going through some movements with me and my—” He raises the remainder of his arm. “I would like to practice as a unit again.”
I study his arm carefully. A strong bicep tapers down into his elbow joint that now ends at a blunt end. His swirling tattoo that had stretched down his entire arm abruptly cuts off right at the joint. But the skin is not irritated, no lingering scabs, or reddened scar. It looks good, healthy even.
However, the emotional toil could still be festering.
“Well, it’s only been…”
The lowering of his brow has my words trailing off.
“I need to get back into the groove with the unit.”
I’m worried that if he starts too soon, before he’s ready it will be even more detrimental to his mental health. “But—”
“Lena. I need this.” His tone is sharp, but his eyes are pleading.
I nod, biting my lip. Am I going to regret this?
I heave a sigh.
Who am I to judge when he’s ready?
“Okay fine. You can meet with us tomorrow. I’ll let everyone know.”
Relief softens his features and relaxes his posture. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell everyone for you.” He steps past me before pausing and grasping my shoulder. “Thank you.”
I stand there long after he’s gone, wondering if I have made the right call. Should I have discussed it further with him? Or with the group? The weight of the books tightens the muscles of my shoulders and I continue on to my room.
Easing open the door with an elbow, I lower the books carefully onto the desk I had brought in by the windows. Two plush chairs are placed on the other side of them and I’ve taken to lounging or reading there whenever I have the time.
Our bed is turned down. Lachlan’s spare boots rest on the floor on his side, and his towel hangs on the bathroom doorknob. All signs of life here. Warm flames dance in the sconces, elevating the coziness of the room, and peace eases my mind.
This is my sanctuary again.
A knock on the door has me flinching.
“Yes?”
“May I speak with you?” Luna’s voice carries through the door.
Striding back across the room, I pull it open to see her serious, but serene, face waiting intently. She never looks this nice. What is she up to?
“Come in.” I take a step back to allow her into the room.
Luna takes two small steps past the threshold.
“I just wanted to give you an update on the forges.” She hands me a parchment with figures drawn up, tallying the amount of swords, arrows, axes, and other battle equipment.
“And the training schedules for each district and their attendance records.” Another stack of parchment is placed into my hands.
“I would also like to check in with the healers we have on staff. Now that magic has returned, we should utilize their services elsewhere.”
If I’m being honest, I don’t know what the weapons amount or attendance records should look like. I’ll have to pass this along to Lachlan or—Evander. But her last sentence is intriguing.
“Would you like to have a seat?” I gesture to the two chairs.
She shakes her head.
“Very well.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Where should we move the healers?”
She arches a well-manicured brow. “You know of my past, yes?”
“Mhm.” Exhaustion is creeping into my bones, and I’m in no mood for guessing games.
“Most of the healers were also considered sorceresses or witches. They need to be scrying or reading cards. Anything that could give us an advantage in the coming war.”
Thoughts of Elowen have my arms stiffening. Seers. But Odr and Freya’s conversation gives me pause.
“Does this have to do with the prophecy on the table?”
She nods, a frown marring her features.
“Then see to it.”
Luna’s eyes widen slightly before she recovers and relaxes her face. She obviously was not expecting my agreement.
“You have nothing to add?”
I shake my head while yawning. “Nope. This is your area. I trust you.”
The tiniest of smiles contort her stoic face. “Thank you.” Her words are nearly silent.
“Of course. Now, if that’s all? A bath is calling my name and I still have a mountain of books to go through.”
Luna glances over my shoulder at the pile of books on my desk. She nods and turns back to the door. But pauses with her hand on the nob.
“Can I ask one more thing?”
My shoulders shrug of their own volition. “Sure.”
“Why did you agree to let Tane continue on with your unit?” The sentence is carefully worded.
I pause a moment, trying to remember my reasoning.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
She places a hand on her hip. “He’s missing an arm now. Wouldn’t you want the best?”
I smile, understanding her words—and fears more clearly now.
“Even with no arms, Tane is still the best.”
Luna shakes her head. “I’m serious. He’s not just different physically. This has impacted him mentally now, too.”
“You are correct, but different doesn’t mean worse or less than.”
Luna’s eyes flare as she processes my words.
“This will be a struggle for him, but I will not abandon him in his time of need. No more than you all would have abandoned me in my grief. He’s much stronger than he gives himself credit for, and he’ll need all the support we can give. But I have no doubt he’ll overcome this.”
She studies me like I’m a mythical creature trapped in a cage. “You are—a very fair queen.”
I dip my chin, a smile lifting the corners of my mouth. “Thank you.”
Luna shakes her head, her eyes narrowing. “It wasn’t a compliment.” She slips through the door before I can retort, but I release a breath and turn back towards my desk.
Bath…or reading?
I settle on reading first, knowing that I’ll need a bath to soothe my tired neck and shoulders after I’m done.
The first book I open is about the different realms. Not just their names, but where they are.
After the first couple of pages go into detail about alternate planes of realities and the Great Tree of the World and its branches, I snap it shut. That is way too in-depth for me right now. I set it back onto my unrealistic ‘to be read’ pile and grab the next book.
It’s about alternative uses of magic. I skim through it but nothing catches my eye, except one small passage about eyes. Apparently, there’s an ancient spell that can be used to take away someone’s soul so that they can be used as a vessel. A visible sign is the blackness of their eyes.
I cringe, sliding the book away before grabbing a colorful tome.
This one is a little easier to consume and the fantastical drawings of dragons fascinate me.
They’re similar to the sea dragons of this realm, but their wings are much steadier than the gauzy water-peddling wings that ours have.
Their scales are different too. Dark black and charcoal, even a deep red, not the vibrant iridescent scales I’ve seen here.
But as my fascination dims, apprehension replaces it. How are we meant to defeat creatures such as those? Their razor-sharp teeth can be the size of my body, and they actually do breathe fire.
My heart begins to pound and I slam that book shut too before roughly tossing it to the side of my desk.
Great. Reading usually relaxes me, but this is doing the opposite.
I tug at my hair as I lean back in my chair.
Gran’s last words ring through me.
“You were meant for this world.”
My heart aches with the despair I feel when I think about her. I miss her. But she wouldn’t want to me drown in this, she would want me to press on.
To work harder.
I shift forward in my chair, heaving a deep breath, and squaring my shoulders. I dive back into the books, grabbing the next one titled Fae Magic.
Their magic is different from ours, for it comes from the very land itself and is not a blessing from the gods.
It’s elemental magic, usually consisting of the ability to manipulate water, earth, air, and fire.
Rarely is it more than one and never has it been all four.
Interesting. I flip quickly through the pages, intently reading as fast as my eyes can travel across the page.