Page 41 of A Legacy of the Light

- How does the barrier work? Why does it only allow certain human technology through? Why is it failing? Why does the barrier stop humans remembering Elfayne?

I pause, twirling the pen in my fingers, and consider everything that Reyne and Tavish have shared with me since yesterday morning.

Shit, has it only been a day?

It feels much longer than that. So much has happened. If I’m being honest, this whole situation is unnerving. Yes, the palace is magnificent. Yes, Tavish and Reyne have been kind and could be my friends. Yes, the city is wonderful and I feel a connection to it that I can’t explain.

But underneath all that, I’m scared. I’m scared I won’t be able to get home and I’ll never see Grandpa and Rach again. I’m scared that another incident like the one in the alley will happen and there won’t be anyone around to step in and I’ll get hurt or killed.

I just want to go home.

When I was a little girl, turning the lights off at bedtime terrified me. Granny would tell me that we have control over our fear. That being scared is okay, but what we choose to do in the face of it is what matters.

I never understood the significance of what she meant until now. I cast my gaze upward to the intricately decorated ceiling and consider what she might say to me if she were with me.

She would tell me it’s going to be okay, to use what I can to my advantage, and to take no bullshit. I smile softly and close my eyes, allowing the usual feeling of grief to wash over me.

With a renewed determination, I return to my list and mull over everything I’ve been told.

- When did the rebellion start? Why do they want to invade the human realm? What’s their end goal?

- Who was Princess Màiri?

Deciding this is a good starting place for now, I return to Finneus.

“What have you got for me?” he asks smiling as I hand him my list. I cast another glance around the magnificent space while he reviews my questions.

“How many books are in this library?” I ask to fill the silence.

“Close to three hundred thousand,” Finneus states, matter-of-factly.

My jaw drops. He looks up at me over the rim of the glasses perched on the end of his long nose and smirks.

“And you know what they all are?”

“Mostly. I’ve been here for a very long time, but there are books in this library that even I have never seen,” he says.

“Why not?”

“They’re keyed to the magic of the royal family, only they can enter those chambers,” he replies.

“Sorry, that was rude,” I mumble.

“Not at all, dear. I like your thirst for knowledge. It reminds me of my daughter.” Finneus rises from the desk and heads to a part of the library I’ve not been to yet. I jog to catch up with him.

“Where is your daughter now?” I ask as he leads me through section after section.

“She lives in Claver, a town about four days’ ride from here, with her wife and children. That reminds me: we need to add a map to your list.”

We enter a large space with ten heavy looking wooden desks neatly lined together. Each one has a leather chair tucked underneath and a lamp in the corner. There are couple of Seelie sat at the desks toward the back, copying notes from the stacks of books in front of them.

Finneus gestures for me to take a seat at a desk near the front. “Would you like some tea before we get started?”

“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Finneus.”

With a snap of his fingers, a tray appears with a steaming pot of tea, two cups, and a plate of cookies. His easy use of magic shocks me.

Finneus pours each of us a cup and tells me more about the library. “It’s almost as old as the palace. Some of the chambers in the back are built into the mountain. That’s where we keep the tomes that need extra protection. I wouldn’t advise you to get too close since those rooms are magically sealed.”