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19
Talia
The hallways of Starfell all looked similar, so devoid were they of decoration, but I followed Everence’s directions as best I could. I hadn’t spent much time exploring the house. I’d preferred to be outside with the horses or wandering through the garden.
When I found a stairwell with spindles carved to look like twining vines, I climbed. The stairs creaked violently, as if rarely used, and there was dust on the banister. The second-floor landing was paneled with dark wood, and the lights—fortunately—burned at all times in this enormous place. I never found a hallway that was not lit by a dozen lights. Chandeliers, wall sconces, and candles set at intervals along thin tables brightened the bland hallways with a strange, empty cheeriness.
A pair of tall double doors looked like the ones Everence had described. They were ornate, inlaid with swirling ivory leaves and hammered gold vines. I stared at them for a moment, admiring the workmanship. The handle opened easily, and I found myself standing on the second floor of a brightly lit library.
So vast was the library opening above and below me that my jaw fell open as I took in the towering shelves, the wrap-around balcony I stood on, the hearth on the ground floor the size of a small house, and, most surprising, the lack of any ceiling at all. The night air poured down around me. Stars spilled out over the inky sky like white sand on velvet. In the center of the room grew an entire grove of aspens, straight as bed posts and green with summer foliage, though a few branches were dead and devoid of any growth. Under them sat a pair of stone benches. Instead of a wooden floor, manicured green grass crisscrossed with stone paths carpeted the bottom level.
My gaping mouth lifted into a wide smile.
Zara would love this. Her father’s library was one of her favorite places in her home. But there had to be thousands more books here. Soft chairs sat along the balcony, each with a burning candelabra beside them, as if waiting.
And yet, no one was here but me.
The place suddenly felt entirely eerie. It was odd for such a large room to be so well lit when vacant. I walked along the balcony, avoiding the wide, sweeping stairway that led to the ground floor. My hand along the balcony drew not a fleck of dust. The tomes were well kept as well—no cobwebs here. Someone was fastidious about this space.
My heart fluttered as my mind pictured Rafael emerging from the depths of one of these deep leather reading chairs. But he was nowhere in sight.
As I completed the loop around the balcony, dark gouges in the grass below caught my attention. Just behind the grove of aspens, it looked like someone had ripped up the earth with a plow, but senselessly, without a pattern or purpose.
I descended the stairs quickly, rushing to the grove of trees. On my knees, I touched the upturned earth. These gashes weren’t made by a plow, but something less precise. Something savage. An animal had done this. The trees, too, had claw marks. Five slashes in neat little lines that sent shivers down my spine.
“Who told you you could enter this place?”
I stood up so fast my head spun. Rafael descended the wide stairs. He wore a slim black suit that shimmered faintly with iridescent threads, and his hair was slicked back and damp.
My heart tripped in my chest.
“Ev-Everence,” I muttered, stepping backward.
Rafael looked aside. “Of course she did.” His eyes flicked to the gouges in the ground, then quickly back to my face. “How is the training going?”
“Oh, fine!” The words spewed from my mouth. I bit my lips and hoped the blush flaring up my neck escaped his notice.
The sides of his mouth curled up. “I’m pleased to hear it.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. A thousand comments stampeded through my head, but I tossed them all aside, trying to think of something better.
By the time the silence had grown oppressive, he broke his stare and said, “I do not often allow anyone else in my library. However, as you are now part of this household, I suppose you are welcome to this space.”
His words were cold and his posture businesslike, as he clasped his hands behind his back. I nodded. He swallowed.
Pointing to the claw marks, I asked, “What happened here?”
“Monsters live here,” he replied casually.
“Oh.” I paused. Considering I hadn’t seen him in days and wasn’t sure when he’d disappear again, I sought desperately for something significant to say to him. “But you’ll keep me safe, won’t you?”
He paused, then said, “That is my aim, yes.”
He walked in an arc around me, glancing at me every other step. My pulse increased each time we made eye contact.
“I haven’t seen any monsters yet.”
He tilted his head back and laughed loudly. “I’m pleased to hear that too.” Then he stopped walking and faced me. “Stars, Talia, what would you do, if you saw a monster?”
