Page 110 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

The goddess narrowed her eyes at Luka. “They cannot have the journals. If you give the journals to them they will only cause destruction. The destruction I already sense is brewing.”

“But I don’t understand,” I protested. “What is in those journals?”

“What you have heard is correct. The ones who are truly searching for those journals are hoping to find the cure to vampirism. They are hoping it will reveal a way to reverse the spell.” Well, at least that answered one question.

“Unbeknownst to them, the journals will only put them farther into their pits of despair.”

“What do you mean?” Luce tucked a braid behind her ear.

“There is no cure to vampirism,” Astria said matter of factly.

“Why not tell them?” Luka questioned, pressing in closer to the Goddess.

“Because living with hope keeps them from falling over the edge into destruction.” I let out an irritated sigh. Couldn’t someone give us a straight answer for once?

Astria stared at Luka. “If anything, when you find thosejournals you should destroy them so no one will ever know the truth.”

She turned her star-flecked gaze to me. “If you want to save Lethenia you will keep those journals hidden or destroy them entirely.”

“How do we find them?” It was Nico who spoke this time.

Astria’s face softened as she looked at the ground between us. “You must find the Galtain family. That is what you were searching for, hmm? Answers as to how to find them?” There was a different tone to her voice as she spoke now, almost a sadness. “The Galtain family lives in the Blood Court, in a tiny village to the south of Cel Nox, almost at the border of the Court of Embers. You won’t find it on any map though. They have the journals.”

“If they live in the Blood Court why were they not on the Populus?”

Astria met Luka’s gaze. “The Galtain family has been scrubbed from history.”

“Why?” Luce pressed.

“That is not my story to tell.”

For fucks sake. I hated all this secrecy.

Astria maneuvered her hand, the stars around her moved, coming together to form an object in her hand.

“This map will lead you to them.” She manipulated the stars until the map rolled up, and she bound it with a star-flecked string.

She held out the map to me, I took it hesitantly. The end that met my hand turned to parchment. As Astria lifted her grip on the map the entire thing became solid.

“Use the map to find the Galtain family. Do whatever you must to destroy those journals if you choose to seek them out.”

I looked around. Defeat and confusion was written on all of our faces. All this time and energy spent towards finding these journals for it to end like this.

“We should have followed Hecate’s directions the first time,” I murmured.

“It’s my fault,” Luka admitted. “I’m the one who’s been obsessing over finding them to get you out of marrying me.”

Astria tapped her chin. “That is something I could never understand—why are you both so determined not to marry? Have you ever taken a moment to think what a true joy your union would be?”

I spared a look at Luka. There were so many emotions written on his face. Defeat, confusion,hope.

“It’s hard to see the joy in an arranged marriage,” I said finally.

Astria’s stars flickered out one by one. Her form was becoming less and less like a person and more like the starry sky.

“Wait, what can you tell us about King Arlo and his involvement with the Vanir? Was he the one who orchestrated my family’s deaths?” I took a step toward Astria as her form continued to dissipate. She couldn’t leave yet. We still needed answers. “What does any of this have to do with the disappearances Arlo has been cataloging?”

I don’t know how it was possible, but Astria’s face paled, causing my stomach to drop. She opened her mouth, her throat bobbed before she closed it again, her lips forming a thin line.

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