She laughs again. “Callum told me that you would ask that. He also told me that he promised you last night that he would tell you himself today.”
I frown and cross my arms over my chest. “He’s good, I’ll give him that,” I grumble.
“He also spoke very highly of you,” she hums.
“Eh,” I shrug, “It’s only been a couple days. Ask him again in a week.”
Claudia finishes with my hair, wrangling my long locks into a simple braid down my back. I’ll have to ask her about having someone cut it; it’s too impractical at this length. She helps me into my dress, not because I need it, but because I know I would’ve regretted shooing her away after her kindness.
The dress hits mid-calf and moves easily, and upon further inspection, I notice there are flowers embroidered along the bodice in a darker yellow. It’s easily the most beautiful piece of clothing I’ve worn. I twirl around, laughing giddily at how light and freeing it is. Why do people choose to wear pants over this? I’m not sure I can ever go back.
“You look lovely in that color, mis–Elia.” She corrects herself at the last minute.
“I give you all the credit,” I drawl. “Guess I shouldn’t leave Callum waiting longer than I have. The library?”
Claudia leaves me at the double doors of the library with the promise that she’d see me later that evening to draw me a bath. I didn’t have the heart to try and tell her I could get ready and unready without her, especially since it was nice to have someone besides Callum to talk to. Honestly, it was nice to have anyone to talk to, especially someone who could actually talk back.
I push the doors open and gasp at the endless shelves of books. The shelves are ceiling high and with every turn of my head I notice another stack of toppling books. A stained-glass window depicting the Ashven crest, the same etched in my room’s door, takes up much of the back wall, and the light shining through the glass panes creates rainbows on every surface.
I walk slowly though the stacks, leisurely brushing my fingers along the spines of dusty books, enjoying the cozy space. I reach the far wall with the stained-glass and strain my neck to gaze at it in its entirety.
“Did you sleep well?”
Callum’s voice startles me, and I turn and see him at a large oak table in the corner. Books are piled on the desk and on the floor near him, and a map is spread across the table. His hair is particularly golden in the sunlight, and I’m reminded again of how handsome he is.
“Very well, in fact. The sleeping arrangement is definitely an improvement on what I’ve been used to.” Callum eyes me as I join him in the corner and take the empty seat across from him at the table.
“I met Claudia this morning, too,” I continue. “She said you told her not to tell me anything.”
He laughs. “I knew you would ask her instead of waiting until you saw me. She’s good people, though. Anything you need, ask her. As long as it’s not about the relic,” he adds.
“She did bring me the best coffee I’ve ever had this morning. I can get used to waking up to that every day.” I wave dismissively, tossing my braid behind my shoulder. “It’s not a tall, dreamy man in the morning, but it’s a close second.”
“Well, are you ready to start working for that coffee?” I notice Callum doesn’t comment on the other part of what I said as he starts to shuffle around some loose papers in front of him and restacks some books.
I nod and lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. “Finally! What is this oh-so mysterious, once-in-a-lifetime rare relic that we are searching for?”
Callum slides a journal towards me. The pages are spotted with age and can tell by the way Callum is handling the book that it’s delicate. He taps at a hand drawn image on one of the open pages, and I peer closer. It’s a rough sketch of a stone with a hole carved out of the center. I don’t recognize it, and I try to read the words written underneath but it’s not in a language Iunderstand.
“What is it?” I ask Callum, furrowing my eyebrows. “It’s nothing I’ve seen before.”
“That is the Eternity Stone,” Callum reveals. “And we need to find it.”
I don’t interject, using my silence to prompt Callum to fill in the details.
Callum stands up and moves to stare out the window, as if he doesn’t want to tell me directly.
“King Corvin has been searching for the Stone for almost fifteen years. The relic is supposed to do what its name implies – give the holder immortality and life eternal. It’s also rumored that the owner of the Stone can heal any ailment or injury with one touch.”
He turns around. “There were rumors that the Stone was buried in a chest centuries ago, the owner having lost the map to the treasure over the years.”
I take a second to comprehend his expression before I connect what he’s implying. “The Golden Hunt. It was created as a way to try and find the Stone for the King.”
Callum nods. “The hope was that with more people involved, the search would be easier and could be found faster. The relic is unassuming, so even if someone did find the chest he hoped that the Stone would be turned into the king, even if some pieces of gold or other flashier relics were missing.”
He waves his hand in dismissal. “Of course, as you know, the chest was never found, and the search was called off. The trail went cold, and consequences were faced.”
“Consequences?”
