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“Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s a reason this library is forbidden. Just like there is a reason you started my lessons here versus teaching me how to hold a fork.”
“You do need some training in table manners,” Vidya muses, her head tipping side to side with thought. “But you are correct. My lessons vary depending on who needs what, and when. I don’t foresee many of those girls being open or ready to understand the threats the outside world poses to our kingdom. In the wake of the ball, many of them crumbled. I watched them fall apart yet you seemed focused, as if the sight of blood and death didn’t faze you.”
I’ve killed many men in my lifetime and felt the cold breath of death whisper on my neck. I’m still bothered by the sheer number of wasted lives, and I haven’t figured out why they needed to die, but I know better than to panic in the wake of chaos. “I watched my mother die. Karter too.The ball was tragic and I unexpectedly lost someone I cared about, but it was obvious that night wasn’t an accident.”
“Exactly! You recognized that something was amiss. I could see it on your face. I watched you scrutinize our guards and analyze our protocols. You were more aware of your surroundings than the other girls. Likely due to the life you lived with your mother, which is why your eyes must be open.”
“To what?”
“To the kingdom’s lies.” Vidya stiffens and the red veins hiding beneath the layer of facial powder pulse. “There is only so much I can tell you but you are your mother’s daughter, Khiara, and you’re smart. Read our history before it’s toolate.”
Iwait three painstaking minutes before rushing to the corner of the room and grabbing my mother’s book. A small note of fear has my heart racing, terrified that someone, somehow, knew this book belonged to my mother; so they took it and hid it from me to keep me disconnected from my Cerise heritage.
Comfortable warmth heats my veins when I find its spine assimilated into the row on the bottom shelf. I hug it to my chest and set it on the coffee table beside the black book Vidya ordered me to read. I'm tempted to try to sneak my mother’s book into my room but I’m afraid of what repercussions the warding spell might have. Trying to steal from the Crown might be less dangerous with Riot by my side than his soldier friend Greg.
Damn. Never thought I’d say that.
I hide Mom’s book behind a pillow just in case someone comes in and notices it. There’s no indication anywhere within that it belongs to my mother. Neither her name nor mine is written inside, but I can’t help the fear of losing it.
Once it’s tucked away, and I feel confident it won’t somehow disappear, I turn my attention to the book Vidya set out for me. The cover is worn, and the leather is cracked, but surprisingly, it’s not deteriorating. The volume is old, not from my generation, but I don’t think it’s as ancient as Vidya’s story. The spine cracks when I open the hardcover and I wince at the thought of it breaking.
These oral stories are transcribed in the truest, most accurate way from the mouth of Prince James Farbow. Transcribed by name Reina Larson, authorized historian.
I’m not sure how accurate the stories will be if they came from the mouth of the Crown, but I read them anyway.
Before the settlement, the land of Arcane was a shroud of mystery. For years, kings of the surrounding nations attempted to conquer Arcane, but their soldiers vanished without so much as a scream after crossing into Arcane’s woods.
I skim through the next two chapters, learning about the creatures rumored to live in the forbidden forest all those years ago. Men who could shift into wolf-like beasts called Luparix. Monsters called Sylvan Shadows that look like majestic trees with talon-like fingers that could seamlessly blend in with the natural surroundings, yet moved like humans. Fire-breathing creatures with the body of a lion, the head of a goat emerging from its back, and a serpent as its tail. As the chapter progresses, the descriptions of the Creatures of Legend get wilder and wilder, filling the first fifty pages with monsters I’m glad don’t exist until finally I find the section Vidya spoke of.
In the mystical realm of Arcane, the harmony between the elements was once upheld by the benevolent daughters of Gaia – Seraphina, Morgana, Rowan, and Lysandra. Blessed with gifts extending beyond elemental control, they were revered as protectors of the land.
But over the years, Rowan lost sight of the magic behind her element and grew envious of her sisters'powers. She sought forbidden knowledge and made a pact with a Soulweaver. This malevolent entity fed on the souls of others and Rowan, in her desperation, offered her body as a vessel. The creature, in return, transformed from a mere phantasm that fed on energy into a monstrous being thriving on blood, capable of reproducing through a venomous bite.
Rowan lured innocent mortals to their deaths with the promise of their heart’s desires, unknowingly trading their freedom for a life bound to her and the soul-devouring creatures. She raised an army of these bloodthirsty beings, using them to massacre villages at her command.
Recognizing the dire need for protection, the daughters struck a desperate deal with King Farbow. In exchange for his rule over their lands, they pledged their allegiance and sought refuge under the blanket of his protection. The once-divine sisters, now fractured by betrayal and darkness, found themselves living in the shadows.
I flip through the pages, looking for details of each daughter’s power, but the transcripts are sparse. A mention of fire wielding here. A notion of wind summoning there. The scribe wrote just enough to let readers know the Cerise were gifted but kept the true scope of their magic hidden.
I think Lysandra was the fire wielder or as Riot called me, an ember. Sprinkled into her recounts are mentions of flames and talks about how she could sense danger before it approached—things precariously similar to my gifts—but as I read, it’s the one blessed with the element of wind who can create illusions. If what’s written is true, each Daughter’s powers are limited to their bond. No sister could access the abilities of the other.
If they are bound by the constraints of their elements, why can I access what might be both wind andfire?
“There you are,” Riot says, leaning against the door frame. “I guess I should’ve expected to find you here. You have a tendency to go where you don’t belong.”
“Actually, Lady Vidya granted me permission to be in the library. She gave me homework.” I gesture to the open book and Riot snickers.
“Sounds like something she would do. What are you learning about?” He strides into the room, hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers.
“Arcane’s history. The old stuff from before Harold Farbow became king.”
Riot lifts the book and his eyes scan the faded inscription on the cover. “Can’t say I’ve read this one or even heard of it. Is she making the other girls learn this too?”
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“Hmmm.” He muses through closed lips. “It’s just about lunchtime. You want to go down to the kitchen before matriculating to the dining hall?”
“Yes, but do you know where Jinx’s room is?” I ask.
