Page 99 of By the Flames of Her Fury

“We’re a bit short staffed at the moment.” She averted her eyes. “I’ll be back with freshly laundered clothes and sheets later this afternoon.”

Sloane flitted out of the room. I stared after her for a second, brows pinching at something I couldn’t place, then shook off the feeling. I pulled on the fitted black pants and loose white tunic she left for me, then slipped my arms into my leather jacket. It still reeked of seawater, but I felt more comfortable with it on.

The hallways were nearly pitch black. Perhaps the servants weren’t used to tending this wing of the palace. They were short staffed, as Sloane had said. I crept farther down the corridor, surprised I hadn’t heard any movement yet—surely it wasn’t that early, but it was impossible to tell without the sun. I retraced my steps back to the main hall, listening for any familiar sounds to guide my path. The silence made the hair on the back of my neck rise, until footsteps finally penetrated the halls.

“Ah, Vera! Good morning,” Arcadia said with a clap of his hands. “I was just coming to fetch you. The other High Elders and I have something we would like to show you in our collection of archives.”

Sounds echoed farther down—more footsteps, plus the clinking of dishes, coming from a nearby kitchen, I presumed. A maid appeared around the corner and dipped her head into a low bow as she passed me.

I flicked my eyes back to the hallway I’d come from, wondering if I should wake the others, then decided whatever the Elders told me, I could pass on to them. We didn’t have time to wait.

“I’m ready,” I said. Arcadia led me down several more winding corridors, where palace life finally began to wake. The staff greeted us with smiles, and everywhere I looked, shadows and light magic manifested in physical forms, lighting lamps and carrying supplies like extra hands. I still couldn’t get over how free their use of magic was. It made my own power stir. I hadn’t even been here a full day, but I already felt a connection to these people.

Arcadia stopped before two enormous, gold-trimmed doors. They creaked as he opened them, sending dust flying into the air. He brandished an arm to the room. “This is the Hall of Archives.”

The word room didn’t do it justice. Shelves rose in endless tiers, climbing high into the vaulted, gold-plated ceiling. Dozens of lanterns were already lit and hanging around the open space. Along the walls were rickety ladders reaching to the books held far above our heads. The air smelled like dust and papyrus and smoky incense, and I could’ve sworn I heard whispers rustling in the weathered pages of so many books.

My first thought was of Everett. He loved books—in the few months I lived at the Keep, I learned how studious he’d become, single-handedly building the Ashen Order’s library over the years. I started to search for him, eager to see the look on his face, then remembered he wasn’t here.

I shook off the disappointment. It was probably better that way. After the things we said to each other last night, we needed time apart.

Maeve and Julius waited for us on the other side of the circular room, next to a smaller door. “Good morning, Lightbringer,” Maeve said, dipping her head.

I shifted uncomfortably. “What do I have to do to get you to call me Vera?”

Julius smirked. “Point taken, Vera. Are you ready to begin your search for the final amulet?”

“Yes, but I don’t even know where to start.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Maeve said. She pulled open the solid iron door, revealing another room within the Hall of Archives. “Welcome to the Inner Sanctum.”

The first thing I saw when the Elders led me through the door was the huge phoenix on the wall. It looked just like the crest on the amulet I’d found, but a hundred times bigger. Its wings were spread out wide, with shelves built into the feathers and body. There was a single shelf inlaid in the fiery crown atop the bird’s head, and with a wave of his hand, Arcadia sent shadows soaring to the top and plucked a scroll from the center.

“The last written record of the original demithes,” he said in a reverent tone as the worn papyrus floated down to us. “Everything we know about the Sacred Three. Hopefully, there is something that can assist you.”

“Your people have been in this kingdom for centuries,” I said. “How has nobody found the third one yet?”

“I assure you, our ancestors have searched high and low. This is why we need you.” He moved his hands, and his shadows carefully unrolled the scroll in midair.

I shook my head. “How are you so sure it’s me that can find it?”

“You said you opened the portal, didn’t you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Only the one destined to raise Pyraeth would be able to accomplish such a feat.”

My gaze snagged on the scroll levitating in midair. It reminded me of the star chart Odessa and I found in our records. Incredibly old and thick, almost like animal skin. It drew me forward until I could make out the faded scrawl.

So it is written,

When our kingdom lies silent beneath ash

and the sun is forgotten,

a bringer of light shall rise from ruin.

They shall walk the lost paths

in the heart of the eternal flame

to deliver the Sacred Three,