I ran a hand over my face, removing the dampness from my cheeks and wiping my swollen skin. “The king would be wise to follow through with Draemor’s proposal.”
“My father is not a wise man,” Sebastian tried to joke, but I wasn't in the mood.
I met his eyes with my own, finally accepting the ease he offered me. I absorbed the qualities of his face, soaking in every detail of his skin, my own body calming in response. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but Iso badly wanted to be rash and put my lips on his. By the way he was looking at me, I wondered if he wanted the same thing.
He squeezed my arm gently. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You have my word.”
I nodded, and he took his hand off of me, leaving an unsuspected emptiness where it had laid.
Why washethe catalyst that caused a full body reaction inside of me? I didn't think I'd ever understand it, so I brushed the feeling off, reminding myself why we would never work.
Something told me that I'd be reminding myself of that until the day I died.
Once I collected myself,Sebastian and I grabbed a quick bite to eat from the kitchen before parting ways. I would be accompanying Pia to the archives, and he would meet us there when he finished his meeting.
Picking at my muffin, Pia and I wandered through the corridors of the castle. I didn't have much to say after the news I’d received this morning, and she noticed. “You okay?” she asked.
“Mhm,” I muttered through a mouthful of my pastry. I wasn't too hungry, either, but knew that I’d regret not eating tonight at wielding practice.
“You're awfully quiet this morning.”
“I'm just really tired from all of the extra training.” I hated lying to her, but I promised Sebastian that I wouldn't tell anyone what he told me until the king made it known to the rest of the kingdom.
“Yeah. Okay,” she scoffed, but dropped the subject.
We arrived amongst a set of towering golden doors. Pia pulled one towards her, and I entered the archives for surprisinglythe first time since I arrived at the castle. My mouth fell slack as I took in the thousands of books before me.
The room was cylindrical, manuscripts lining essentially every inch of the walls. Any space that didn't have a bookshelf was filled with glass panes that overlooked Caelestis. In the center, past the oversized wooden desk, was a staircase that led up to four more floors, each one just as open as the first. There was absolutely no privacy in the room.
“This place must give Sebastian wet dreams,” I quipped. I’d never met someone who admired books as much as he did.
“Ew.” Pia grimaced, then laughed. “But yeah, you’re probably right.”
We climbed all the way to the fourth floor. I threw my bag down in an armchair then explored the archives for a while, roaming aimlessly through the floors and studying the curved walls of books that seemed to have no end.
Back on the fourth floor, I came across a small section with manuscripts about the gods and goddesses. A row of narrow-binded books caught my eye. There were eight of them in total, each a different color. Sliding the green book off the shelf, I read the title,The History of the Goddess of Nature.I flipped through a few pages, then pushed the book about Sloane back into its slot.
I ran my finger along the other bindings, stopping at a pale blue book and plucking it from the shelf before returning to Pia.
Aimlessly flipping through the pages about Blythe, I tried to distract myself from thinking about Sebastian's meeting. Just like writing, reading helped to clear my mind of the worries that took up too much space.
Blythe was known as the strongest of the gods and goddesses. She was granted this title from her ability to compel the brain matter of all things living. Blythe’s power is the most advanced of all the gods, and thus her gift of a constellastone is unheard of in a mortal.
They’d have to update that.
I glanced up and at Pia, who was hunched over and smiling while she scribbled on a piece of parchment. She giggled to herself, then looked up at the sound of my book slamming shut.
“What in the gods’ names are you writing over there?” I asked, my tone accusatory.
“I'm writing to Kohen.”
“What's so funny about writing to Kohen?”
Pia passed me the parchment, her cheeks flushing as she did. My eyes widened at the incredibly provocative words she had written.
“Pia!” I whisper-yelled.
She giggled and held a finger to her mouth. “Shh.”
