Page 32 of Sugar & Dragon Act I: Temptation

“Galenos.”

A dry voice broke her reverie. She glanced at the man on the opposite side of the table, who was watching her with a mixture of amusement and irritation.

“I ask for the third time,” Dago said, pronouncing every word as if he wanted her to hearandunderstand it, “would you be so kind as to explain where you got this manuscript?”

Her gaze dropped to the scroll lying before him. She guessed from the thickness of the papyrus wrapping both rods that Dago had read more or less half…

And then she sawthat.

Or rathernothing. Because she couldn’t call the thing between one rod and another anything else. Instead of papyrus covered with runes, there was one large, neatly cutNOTHING.

“What have you done?!”

“That’s what I should ask,” Midais said. “It wasyouwho brought this scroll.”

“Are you suggesting thatIcould destroy abook?”

“If not you, then who? And where did you get it?”

She paled hearing the last question. “At the Royal Library,” she said, speaking aloud the nightmarish truth that made her lips numb. “I was only allowed to take it out of the building because of my good reputation…”

They stared at the damaged scroll.

“Did you find any information that could be useful to us?” Hera asked eventually.

“I was just getting to the part where I expected to find it.”

Silence fell.

“Can you imagine Homer Sokratis destroying a book?” Dago asked eventually.

“No.”

The thought that Master could destroy a valuable scroll from a public library was absurd. He was always so kind… with one exception. When he saw someone not treating books with the respect they deserved—when they crumpled the pages or, dream forfend, drew something on the margin—he turned into a feelingless librarian who cut off access to his knowledge until the culprit copied the entire book and swore on everything sacred that he would never commit a similar crime again.

Even Ofelia Cerberus didn’t behave like him, and she was areallibrarian.

“If this scroll has anything to do with your curse,” Dago said, “and the fact that it’s destroyed isn’t just a coincidence, then it means that it wasn’t Sokratis who cursed you.”

The conclusion was obvious, but Hera had no idea what to do with it.

“So what now?”

She didn’t want to ask this question, but the silence was getting longer, and something had to be said. After all, they were talking abouthercurse.

Dago looked up. “I don’t see the need to change our plan. Until we find a new lead, let’s stick to what we know. Every book claims that the basic ingredient of a transmutation spell must be ichor… and I agree with that. There won’t be a problem with that. We both have morpheus blood in us and if that’s not enough, we’ll negotiate a few drops from Dorian.”

His gaze roamed over his notes. “What worries me the most is the repeated mentions of asphodel and other dreamy plants. Obtaining them will require a journey to Elysium, which will not be as easy as a trip to the seaside…”

Elysium was the official name of the Dreamland. The thought of going there made Hera feel as if she had taken a sip of the Nostalgic Potion. She missed something a little and badly wanted to know what.

“…but until we are sure, there’s no point worrying about it.”

Dago gestured at the damaged scroll. “I recognize this title. I think I saw it on Eolia.” He looked her in the eye. “I think we should go there.”

Eolia. The island where his family estate was located.

Her doubts must have been smoking because the man asked, “Why do you hesitate? This is a good opportunity for you to get to know your future in-laws better.”

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