Page 67 of Crown of Ellova: Vol 1

CHAPTER 27

“What is it?” Panic rises at the thought of another problem. Unable to stomach any additional calamities, I drop in a green velvet chair, suddenly exhausted once again. When Nueena doesn’t respond immediately, I guess. “Does this have anything to do with Camarra?” Court Guardians never show up in the middle of breakfast in the command room, but she is known for being quite the free spirit.

Nueena is quiet for a moment as she thinks about my question. Lips pursed together, she looks down, suddenly looking more tired than I have ever seen her.

“So itisthe Court of Green? Is something wrong with their growing lands? Nueena, please say something.”

She finally looks at me. “Camarra has confirmed the rumors of soil not yielding as much as in previous years. She promised Nyvenah that she wanted to compare this year’s harvest with the last, and had to wait until the season was over to do so. She was quite apologetic and swears there was no ill intent in keeping the information from us until now.”

I left out a huff of frustration. “She should have immediately reported that to your mother. That is critical information for the Realm Keeper to know.”

Nueena nods. “That’s what Camarra was told. Camarra has no idea what’s happening, but I have a theory and I think the crown is the reason. That’s why we’re here. We need to read everything written about it. The Ink Court has preserved the Forger’s Journal. I’ve asked Reyna to bring it to us, but we will take it back to the palace.”

I sit back in my chair, face twisted in confusion. “Nu, you know I can’t unlock it, nor could my mother. We both tried many times. You were present when I tried fifty years ago.”

“I know,” she says delicately, “but I am hoping with the crown it will open this time. We need to learn if there is a way to remove the crown, or even why the crown cannot be removed. It’s unwise to open it here, with how unpredictable the crown’s magic can be, so we will have to wait until after dinner.”

“You know I will try.” I look down at the pale blue carpet of the study, embarrassment warming my cheeks. “I should lie down when I try, in case I faint again like the last time.”

“I’m sorry, Del,” she says gingerly.

I scoff at her. “Donotapologize. I’m the one who made this mess. Well, I do blame Jedrick for not staying alive long enough for me to bring it to you. That was incredibly insensitive of him.”

Nueena’s eyes soften at my joke. “You stopped Kalvorn or whoever took him; it could have even been Versairen. They could be pretending to agree to go to war as an elaborate ploy to get the crown, who knows. Maybe the king of Versairen didn’t want his daughter to suffer anymore under Grayden. What matters is that it’s here, but it can’t stay with you,onyou. You are half-mortal. We need to worry about the magic driving you into madness, too. I can funnel the magic out when you need, but Del, I can feel its fury when I touch it. The crown has had thousands of years to collect power, and it’s screaming for release. It will likely only accept me being a funnel through you for so long. If I’m being honest, I do not understand how you are all right now.”

“That’s not the word I would use. I feel lightheaded and drowning. The magic is a crushing weight within me while pushing me away.” Ignoring the sensation of the magic can only last for so long;it’s a building pressure. “Nu, we should discuss what will happen if it does take my life.” I loathe giving voice to my fear, but no matter how painful the thought is, it is a possibility.

Nueena looks taken aback. “We won’t let that happen.”

“But if it does, your mother and you are the only ones who may be able to control it or we must have a plan to destroy it. It has stopped siphoning magic, so if the crown is connected to the failing soil, we should see improvements, but who knows what else it is capable of. It’s a keyed item, wholly unpredictable.”

She gives a somber nod. “I understand what is at stake, but we will figure it out. Tavien will retrieve his family’s sword for us to study, we have the Forger’s Journal, and Reyna is seeking information with every library at her fingertips.”

“It might not be enough.”

“All we can do is hope it is enough.”

Reyna waits at the door with a box wrapped in silk in her hands. Nueena drops the wards, and I open the door for her. She passes it to me and I am only half-aware of the conversation they are having. I do not need to unwrap it; I have it memorized. It’s bound in leather so old it is soft to the touch. Part of one edge is burned, and wrapped around the whole book is a long leather cord and an enchanted gold lock that has always eluded me.

Tavien and Leon return, Leon having found a book on fae plants and their medicinal purposes. He scribbles a note in a small leather-bound book he carries with him before looking up. “So this library is the capital?”

“Of the Ink Court,” Nueena answers without looking up from her scroll.

“So with there being no currency, how does one from the Ink Court buy things if nothing is sold here?” A scholar in pastel robes walks by the glass windows of the study, books piled high in her arms, and Leon points in her direction. “Say she saw a dress she liked. How would she get it?”

“When she needs a new gown, she would simply be given it by someone like Hiliyah. Work robes are provided by the court.” Nueena writes something down.

Leon looks unconvinced by this. “But how?”

Putting his book down, Tavien patiently explains, “Ellova is a community. The Ink Court taught Hiliyah to read and write when she was in school. Every young dewling is educated by a member of the Ink Court. It all balances out in the end, but the transactions with the Ink Court have long-term value, rather than a short-term trade. Hiliyah herself may not be reimbursed for a single dress, but she benefited from the education she received, and if she has dewlings, they will also be educated at no cost to her. Members of the Ink Court are taken care of by the other courts, as their place in Ellova is to share, preserve, and pass on knowledge, and that has great value here.”

“Yes, but how does Hiliyah buy more fabric in that case?”

Tavien answers for me, “We all care for each other. Ellovians are not selfish like mortals and they have never known scarcity, so they have no fear of running out of necessities. Your society says, ‘If one dress is free, take them all,’ but here, you only take what you need.” Without looking up from his book, Tavien takes a folded cloth from his pocket and wordlessly hands it to Nueena, a moment before she sneezes.

“Thank you, my love,” she says.

“No one pays taxes to the crown like in Adreania,” I explain to Leon. “We share what we make and give what is needed. Courts create fast networks to ensure everyone has what they need.”

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