I startled. “That’s the book you were looking for.”
Arthur gave a small nod. “His work. Nearly all copies were destroyed. One lost in a printing house fire. Two seized during political unrest in Europe. One vanished in America.”
Percy’s mouth tightened. “Yes. That’s why I asked to meet you here. My ancestor was the last human allowed into the archives of dragon knowledge. I have no idea why he was granted permission, but it’s documented in fragments. I’ve been working to compile it most of my adult life.”
Arthur glanced at me, quickly, but I could not read his eyes.
Percy continued. “There’s a gap in my genealogy as well. Not the same number of years as yours, but there’s still a gap.”
I turned to Arthur, a quiet thrill thrumming through me. His expression changed into something like vindication. Relief and confirmation rolled into one.
My eyebrows shot up. “Wait. Dragons? A genealogy of dragons?” I looked between them. “That… I mean… that’s folklore. Mythology. You two are talking about this like it’s an actual academic discipline.”
Percy blinked at me with open confusion. You’d have sworn I’d asked him why books existed.
“Of course it is important. You would know that if Arthur had explained things to you properly.”
“Oh. Right.” I nodded, even though I understood none of what was being implied. “Naturally. I missed the chapter in my training manual about dragon family trees.”
Percy’s expression shifted from confusion to mild surprise. “You truly don't know.”
“Know what?” I asked.
He looked at Arthur. “You brought your mate here without telling her anything?”
My brain stuttered.Mate? Oh wait, that meant friend. As in, the English phrasebest mate. I had never heard the term used in everyday language in the United States.
Arthur closed his eyes for a second. “She’s not…this isn’t the moment.”
Percy shook his head in disbelief. “She should at least?—”
Arthur stepped slightly in front of me. “I will explain everything. Soon.”
I swallowed hard. My thoughts spun in rapid, uneven loops. Mate? Dragon archives? Gaps in genealogies? Why was this so important? Why did Arthur’s lineage matter so much? Why didPercy’smatter?
Percy continued talking, as if he hadn’t just detonated a bomb in my brain. “The last known place that held records written by my ancestor was the Writers’ Museum in Edinburgh. They may hold the papers, but they have ignoredevery request I have sent, so I can’t tell if they no longer have them or if they’re trying to give me the brush-off because they don’t want me to access them.”
Percy handed Arthur a folder. Arthur’s gaze moved across the pages, and even without seeing much of his face, I could sense something settling inside him.
He had been right. Something had been hidden. Something large. Something dangerous. The confidence I could see spreading through him made me feel warm down to my toes. I just wished I knew what they were talking about. I still knew nothing, but my heart was racing like it understood more than my mind did.
Arthur turned toward me, meeting my gaze and holding it with a depth that made me shiver. “Something happened in that missing time. It’s vital that I find out what.”
Percy rubbed his temples. “Then we need to work quickly. If someone removed that history once, they may try again. And that would explain the death threats.”
“Where do you think these death threats originated??”
Percy shrugged. “No clue. Whoever it was, they were good. No trace.”
Arthur inhaled slowly. His shoulders sagged. And he looked at me again. “So. Edinburgh.”
Warmth bloomed inside me. A new destination. A deeper mystery. And Arthur beside me.
Adventure Artie stirred again, more enthusiastically this time.
She was terrified.
She was thrilled.
