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“Are you promising support from my court without my approval?” I cocked my head at King Windre. King Windre was a wild but wise king. He had never before overstepped his boundaries with me, but maybe it was because I had never cared if he had. Now that I was king, this was a serious offense.
“I never suggested how.” He ran his hands over the smooth top of the table. “And I merely suggested that you would be inclined toward the idea, never promised.”
“And where do I come into play?” I could feel anger simmering just under the surface. I abhorred Maglehmore and wanted nothing to do with her.
“Princess Maggie made her attempt. And failed. She awaits her judgment in Ottack’s dungeon. Considering that you can manipulate your travel…”
“Ha. No. No way.” I waved my hands in front of me. “Why don’t you hire one of the assassins? They can free Maggie and try their hand at the king.”
“I asked already.” King Windre shrugged. “‘It’s too risky with not enough reward,’ were their exact words.”
Putting my elbows on the table, I leaned forward and scrubbed my hands over my face. I pressed my eyes closed. The room waited on my response and all I could think about was how every meeting I had with Maggie she hung on me, touching me here and there, even with my clear discomfort. She talked cruelly about what our marriage could look like, at the power she could hold and hang over me. Now I held her life in my hands. Were her actions so bad that I couldn’t do this one thing for her?
“Gah, fine,” I growled.
“Perfect!” King Windre clapped. “So you and Ryker shall stay as guests here for a little while?”
Ryker smiled at Hattie. Inside, all I wished for was to be home with my future queen, but the way she looked at her sister…I couldn’t be the one responsible for bringing back the ache she had when she missed Hattie. I knew how missing someone ate away at you.
“We’ll stay.”
Chapter17
Ryker
Dust littered the shelves at the farthest end of the large room. Small globes of Fae fire lined the walls ten paces apart, their light only illuminating the titles closest to them. There was an odd smell to the place, a mixture of the old books and the many people who had touched them leaving behind a whiff of their fragrance.
I lifted the warm lantern for additional light as I browsed through the titles. Creatures of Myth, Creatures of Legends, Tales of Witches, and The Tell All of Extinction were already missing from their sooty homes and spread out across a table I had claimed. I continued to peruse through, knowing my selection was damn near never ending.
Graceson had been right. King Windre’s library was nearly the size of the valley we trained in and books were stacked high, shoved in every corner, and balanced wherever they could fit. You could tell what books were popular as they remained close to the door, their spines worn and covers shiny from touch. Where I was looking, every breath pushed dust into the air and the pages were yellowed.
With each step, the floorboards creaked. Warmth covered my face as I leaned into the light to read the titles. Often I found myself running my finger over the spine to clear the binding enough for me to see.
‘Witches’ this title read. I smiled, snatching the book from the shelf and tucking it under my arm against my chest. I’d continued like this for hours. Graceson had come with me but was called away to help monitor the movement of Ottack’s troops and listen to new information that came in from his spies. Now Hattie sat at the little round table. Tiny curls poked out from her tight bun as she leaned into the book. One finger slid across the page, keeping track of her spot as she read. She sighed loudly, leaned back into the chair, and watched me emerge from the shelves with yet another book.
“It’s all the same thing, again and again.” She rubbed her face, leaving a streak of dust against her cheek. Dark circles were forming under her eyes. “Burgundy witch magic is set in stone unless the witch specifies the undoing in her spell. There was some information on an older tribe of witches, the Yala Witches, they came before the Burgundy Witches. Like, as in, their ancestors. Their spells could often be undone by thyme.”
“Like the herb used for cooking?” I frowned, setting the new book in the stack with the others that still needed to be combed through.
“Well, sometimes it’s spelled T-H-Y-M-E and sometimes it’s T-I-M-E. So I’m not sure if they just really don’t like the flavor or if over time the spell wears off?”
We didn’t have time for the spell to wear off of Daethian. He’d kill us or himself before the magic could dissipate. Or maybe it was wearing off now?
“Does it say how long it would take for it to wear off?”
Hattie sucked her teeth, scanning the book. “Well, here it says ‘depending on the amount of thyme the person ingests, it can be anywhere from instantly to days before it wears off.’ But in this book,” she pointed to another open tome, “this says all magic wears off at some point, but often not until decades later.”
“Daethian doesn’t have decades,” I whispered mostly to myself. Plopping down in a seat, I pulled the book I was scanning through earlier toward me. Strands of hair fell forward into my face and I tucked them behind my ear, letting the thought of fixing my ponytail come and go.
“Do you really think it’s witch magic affecting Daethian?” Hattie frowned.
I stared at the pages, not really taking in their information as I collected my panicked thoughts. I’d promised Dace I wouldn't tell anyone about the witch. That would only add to the chaos. My palms slickened with sweat. With a quick look up at Hattie, I dove back into the book as I responded, “No, it was just something Shavarra had suggested. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”
“Are you sure you don’t know something and you just don’t want to share it?” she hummed in a teasing tone. “Why don’t we take a break? Get a snack?”
“No,” I said, even though I could feel the rumbling in my stomach. “I’ll grab something later,” I added, if only to reassure her. “What kind of monsters do you think Randsin has in his skin? Do you think he has a witch?”
“I think it’s better if we don’t try to remove the monsters. We don’t know what we would be up against.”
