Chapter 22
I begin my long day of research perusing the section on elven royalty.
The shelves are packed with journals, biographies, and anything else involving them, really.
Plenty of material to skim through. One of the former elvish kings or queens had to know the whereabouts of the crown.
Part of me believes it could be a secret passed down from monarch to monarch, which means I know someone who might hold the secret.
I can’t simply ask that person though. It would raise too many suspicions. Too many questions would be asked.
As I set a few carefully selected, dusty old tomes aside, Meela eyes them, pursing her lips.
“Is there a reason you’re researching Queen Viola who’s been deceased for hundreds of years?
” Queen Viola was the elven queen directly after King Oshenar, who died about one hundred years after the curse was cast. She took over the crown after him and ruled for almost one hundred and fifty years.
She never had children, so that family line died with her about seven hundred and fifty years ago, when my great-great grandfather became king.
“What do you think I read in here every day?”
She shrugs with a look of mild disgust. “I don’t know… romance, adventure tales, something a little more interesting…”
“These are interesting. And since when have you ever questioned what I read in here?”
“I did that one time!”
“Yeah. And then you teased me for weeks over reading that romance where an elf fell in love with a syloc.”
Her face falls, and she looks away. “Oh yeah. That one. No one falls in love outside of their species. That would be ridiculous,” she mumbles.
I don’t know why, but my friend looks… sad suddenly. I’m not sure what part of that exchange upset her.
“People do all the time,” I argue. She looks at me with a pained expression that I don’t fully understand. “Just… not the elves so much,” I add.
“That’s because we think we’re better than everyone,” she shoots back with sarcasm.
I raise my eyebrows at her.
“Anyway,” she continues, avoiding my gaze as she grabs one of my books and starts flipping through it. “Quit trying to change the subject. It’s your behavior lately that has me questioning what you’re reading.”
“Oh, wow.”
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just… you sounded like my father or something just then,” I jest.
She rolls her eyes. They must hurt from always rolling so hard.
“I’m serious though.” She sets her book down and I feel her watching me. “Okay, maybe I’m not good at this, but what I’m getting at is… are you okay?”
I tilt my head, narrowing my gaze.
“You witnessed a brutal murder, you asked Adrian to train you, and then you disappeared on some random adventure with strangers and didn’t even tell me?” she questions.
I sigh, glancing down at the journal that I’ve barely read a word of. “Am I okay… no.” I shift my gaze to the wall, focusing on a warm orange orb that flickers on the inside. “But there are a lot of people out there who are way less okay than me.”
“And what are we supposed to do about it?” she asks in a quiet, timid tone.
I look at her and for a moment our eyes lock, and it’s almost like an unspoken communication passes between us. Can I trust her?
I shake my head. I can’t do it. “Nothing,” I mutter, returning to my book.
“Okay, fine. Just tell me one last thing,” she presses.
“What?” I ask with exaggerated irritation.
“Did you at least fuck one of them while you were at this inn? Or maybe even… both?”
I whip my gaze up again, my mouth hanging open. “No!” I say, too loudly for any library. Even though we’re seemingly alone.
“Ugh. You’re so boring sometimes. You went on a journey with two insanely hot dragons, and you weren’t even a little curious about those dragon dicks?”
I cover my face with my hands, rubbing at my eyes.
“I thought you hated them?”
She rolls her eyes. “I hate everyone. It doesn’t mean they’re not hot.”
I take a note from her and roll my eyes with an added dramatic flair.
“No. I did not once think about their dragon dicks.” Not a complete truth.
“What about dragon dicks?”
We both snap our heads up the aisle to find Raef strolling in with a wide smile on his face.
I can see Daegan trailing behind him, but I can’t see his face, as they’re almost the same height.
It almost makes me laugh how his walk is as uninterested as his usual expression though. I can’t explain it.
“No, you heard wrong,” Meela corrects him. “She said wagon tricks.”
He squints at her as he pulls out a chair without hesitation. “Wagon tricks…”
“Yes.” Meela’s face is unflinching. She does a good job of making people doubt themselves.
“And what exactly is a wagon trick?” Raef asks.
I glance over at Daegan as he pulls out a chair. Right next to me. Our gazes lock for a moment before I look away.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Meela says, impatient and irritated. She’s really sticking with this fabrication. “Horse-pulled wagons performing tricks. They do a show every year. In the arena.”
No such event exists here, but it’s actually not a terrible idea. It could be entertaining.
“Is that so?” Raef asks skeptically.
“Yes.”
I hear a puff of air escape Daegan’s nostrils besides me.
Almost like a laugh. I glance over at him again, suppressing a grin.
His eyebrow lifts very subtly, and I shrug as his gaze flicks down to my mouth, then back to my eyes again.
His intense, dark eyes almost look like a mix of deep blue and green right now.
I look away, hating that my stomach feels like it’s floating away into the veil.
“Show me,” Raef challenges her. He crosses his arms, lips tight, but there’s still a smile there. There always is.
“Sure, okay. One of these days,” she replies.
“No, now,” he shoots back with a smug grin.
She stares at him. “What?”
“Show me these show wagons. There must be some lying around. Are the riders practicing for the next event?”
“I—” She glances at me, then back at him. “Okay.”
No one at the table hides their surprise at her answer.
Meela stands, huffing out a breath. “I was bored here anyway.”
Raef watches her for a moment, unmoving.
“Are you coming?” she snaps.
I have absolutely no idea where she’s going to take him.
He strides after her, catching up in a few long strides. She’s already halfway up the aisle when he turns around and winks at us.
Silence falls between us for a moment. I continue to look in the direction they’ve already disappeared through, unsure what to say next.
“That was a ridiculous lie,” I finally say. “There are no wagon tricks.”
“I know,” Daegan replies. I feel his gaze on the side of my face, but I don’t want to meet it for some reason. “So, you were talking about dragon dicks.”
My cheeks, and really my whole body, warm at the way that word falls out of his mouth so smoothly. It wasn’t a question, and there’s a hint of amusement in his voice. One I haven’t heard before. I risk a sideways glance at him.
“No,” I say.
His chest bounces once, like he’s holding back a full laugh.
“Anyway,” I breathe, “that was smooth of him. He was trying to get rid of her?”
A curt nod from Daegan. His lazy, half-lidded eyes are back. “I’m assuming she knows nothing?”
I nod. “Have you told… anyone?” I have one person in mind, but I don’t want to say her name specifically.
“No.”
“None? Not even… some of your people? I assumed that was maybe why some stayed behind.”
“Some stayed behind because they didn’t listen to orders. Their presence isn’t needed here anymore.” His eyes flick to my lips again for a flash, then back up to my eyes. “Or wanted.”
There’s a light feeling in my chest as our eyes lock. Unspoken words linger in the air. Is he telling me Yara isn’t wanted here? Didn’t Raef say she was his “plaything” or something like that? Why would that change now?
He clears his throat, glancing at the books in front of me. “Where did you start today?”
I tell him about the books I pulled, and he nods, returning to that section and grabbing a few more for himself.
We sit in silence, flipping through endless pages, our elbows occasionally bumping. He’s no stranger to research, I can tell.
Eventually, I slam my current book shut with frustration, releasing a sigh. A light dust cloud hangs in the air above it.
Daegan sits back, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I feel like… we’re looking in the wrong place.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know. Just a feeling…”
He studies me, rubbing his jaw with one hand. “Okay.” He stands to his full height, looking down at me. “Then let’s go explore.”
“I—I’ve lived in this castle my entire life. I’ve searched it so many times. I don’t know what we could possibly expect to find…”
He smirks. I’m beginning to wish he would go back to his regular grumpy self. His smiles seem to… do something to me.
He leans down, getting closer than he’s ever been, until his face is right by my ear and I breathe in the smoky, woodsy scent that emanates from him. “A crown, perhaps?” he whispers in my ear.
Chills run down my neck.
I look up at him as he stands at his full height again, studying me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he wants to see the reaction that had on me.
He looks smug.
And I’m an idiot. Because of course we would be searching for the crown.
I’m the one who suggested it may be hidden here, after all.
Yes, when I first found out how the spell was cast, I explored every inch of this castle, hoping to find any of the relics.
But then I began to give up, spending more and more time in the library, hoping for clues here instead.
But something as small as a crown could be anywhere.
Perhaps having a fresh set of eyes will be just what we need.
“The dungeons,” I say after a moment of thought. “Let’s start there. It’s the place I’ve explored the least.” I haven’t been down there in many years. It gives me the creeps.
He nods, gesturing with his hand. “Lead the way.”