Page 486 of Kingdoms of Night

The look she gave me told me I’d be receiving the same answer.

“Fine, I’ll talk to him about it. Where can I find him?”

“Not sure. I can send word to arrange a meeting. Until then, we can find you something fun to do.”

“Like what?”

“Is there anything you enjoyed doing before?”

Before, I enjoyed doing whatever I could with my hands. Carving, calligraphy, molding clay, even occasionally painting or braiding the hair of my sister or any girls at court. I hadn’t enjoyed doing much of anything in the past while.

“Is there a library here?”

Suzianna slapped her forehead. “Oh, why didn’t I think of that?”

“Did the last three not enjoy reading?” A chill settled over me as we arrived at the floor below, finding it sparsely populated with preoccupied people. “Can I ask what happened to them?”

“Well, Rhodanthe now works in the kitchens. Mei Li married the mayor of a nearby city. Sveta, the one just before you, was returned home.”

Whatever face I made in response, it prompted her to add, “Sveta was a pain. I’m glad she was dropped back where she came from.” My prolonged silence urged her to grow defensive. “The bitch thought she was Queen of the Moon from the instant she arrived! She threatened to have me whipped!”

A cough of a laugh burst out of me, more about how shrill she had gotten than the reasoning behind my predecessor’s return. “It’s not that, I just thought we were all from the same region, to be claimed in the Cedar Forest.”

“Proximity to our pick-up point was the privilege afforded to you, and the first one, who Baltasar says was from the western edge of Beinahrein,” she said crankily, motioning for me to follow down the arched hallway. “Baltasar and I spent more than a week traveling from Magistan to the altar.”

“More than a week, and he didn’t tell you that he wasn’t Tamuz?”

“He, uh, didn’t want to scare me.” She rubbed at her nose, a sign of embarrassment. “It wasn’t easy, no matter how much my king claimed it was honor. Our culture associated the arrival of the Shadow King with the evil entity that eternally wrestled with our head god for power of the universe.”

This was the fear that forced my hand, no matter what direction the world had gone in I didn’t want Maia to suffer directly.

As we passed, all paused what they were doing to stare at me, expressions varying from worry to hope that piled onto me. All of these winged people, natives to a world that could be conquered, depended on their leader being freed. Depended on me, just as much as the humans below did.

We followed a curve that shimmered soothingly, transient shades of green, yellow and red tickling my attention. “Seeing Baltasar, strange as he was, was a relief. At least I could see him. By the time we arrived here, I had accepted my fate so gladly that I just couldn’t do the same when I sawhim…”

“Ordidn’tsee him,” I emphasized, making her cringe. “That’s something I hope to find an answer for in these books.”

Our journey came to a stop between a set of double-doors, just as intricately engraved as the barrier to my bedroom, but the ring handles and the space containing them bearing the iridescence of tarnished silver. Signs of frequent use, left behind by the sweaty palms of visitors. A welcome, familiar sight that gave me some comfort to the amount of information stored within.

Suzianna ushered me in, waving to a woman behind a cylindrical desk. “Whatever you do, please don’t leave before I return with news of the potion.”

Entering backwards, I waved her off with a placating smile. “I won’t get you into any further trouble, I promise.”

Doors shut, footsteps faded, I aimed my full attention to the uncharted space.

It was magnificent.

Rotating, cylindrical bookcases lined the curved walls of the library, boasting an endless selection of leather-bound tomes. I ventured further in, following the floral pattern glimmering in the soft incandescence of the hanging lanterns, all brighter than the far, half-moon gaps of the tinted windows.

The woman had descended from her desk, her dark hair in two long plaits, green skin blending with the strapless pistachio gown that clung to her long, winged body. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. I wasn’t expecting you.”

Safe to say, being addressed as such surprised me more than the formation of this room. Suzianna had griped that my predecessor believed herself to be ‘Queen of the Moon’, but it hadn’t occurred to me that I was such a thing.

In fact, Tamuz’ status hadn’t occurred to me. Could Mahala be reinstated once he was freed, or was she fractured forever, caught in the weakening barrier that was the halo?

“I managed to convince my minder that I was fit enough for the light activity of research. Could you help me find something…?”

The librarian bowed. “Atalia, Your Majesty. What may I locate for you?”

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