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I crept towards the table, my eyes peeled and my ears open for any indication of his return.
My eyes honed in on one of the open books. Words jumped out at me.
Child, blood, spring, kingdom.
I read the passage, then read it again.
By the time I finished my third reading, my hands were trembling.
I picked up the second book Fenyx had been looking at. The same text was written here with slightly different wording. The language was more archaic, but with much the same meaning, as far as I could tell.
I read it carefully, all the while telling myself I must be misinterpreting.
But just in case, I pulled a piece of parchment from my pocket and hastily scribbled copies of the lines.
I was just folding the parchment and tucking it back into my pocket when I heard the pounding of soldier’s boots.
Cursing silently, I jumped away from the table and ducked into one of the stacks.
But no one materialized.
I heard the boots fading back down the hall and let out a breath of relief.
After a few more minutes of quiet, I stepped carefully out from between the rows.
The library was still empty.
Stopping for a moment, I put the books on the table back into exactly the same arrangement in which I had found them.
Then I made my way out the opposite side of the library and into the corridor.
Where I ran straight into Lord General Fenyx.
As if he had been waiting for me.
He stood by an arrow-slit window with his arms crossed over his chest. “Going somewhere?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Yes. Back to my room. Is there a problem?”
“What were you doing in there?” His voice was hard and suspicious.
“If you wanted to know, you could have entered at any time,” I said calmly. “The library, as you know, is open to all.” I pointed to the book I had tucked under one arm. “But I should think the answer was obvious. I went to get a book.”
He scowled. “I’m told you have many books in your room.”
“I’ve read all of those,” I said sweetly.
Abruptly, he leaned forward and smacked the book out from under my arm. It fell with a thud to the floor, and he glanced at the title with a bored expression.“Extinct Beasts of Eskira. Animals? You wish to read about animals?”
“Why not? I’m surrounded by them after all.” I could feel my blood rising. “It’s been a long day. Do you always harass women as to their reading tastes?”
“Why don’t you pick it up?” It was more of a command than a suggestion.
I narrowed my eyes. But I wasn’t about to leave a library book on the floor.
Candle wax, I told myself, willing my body into tranquility. He’s candle wax.
It didn’t work. My blood was still boiling as I leaned over to pick up the book, making sure to keep my back to the wall.
