Page 36 of Burning Heir

“Yeah, Everett told me on the first day. And I had no clue that Mother rode a—”

“Daigthorn wyvern,” I said before he could finish.

“Why would our parents lie to us? I mean, I wasn’t called to Winter. How the hell am I supposed to win Serpent for a realm I haven’t visited? Monty says my light quell will come when I bond. He’s taking us to the mountains to find our dragons.”

I breathed loudly. “I’m forced to spend eternity in the Winter trails freezing my ass off until I find mine. I swear it’s colder here than it was in the North.” But I knew that wasn’t true—knew I’d never felt Winter’s true brute force until a few days ago.

“Thanks again for kicking Bridger’s ass the other day. It almost makes up for abandoning me,” I said.

“Anything for my little sister. I never knew the Thorne family was so passive,” he seethed. “I can’t protect you there, Sev. You know it kills me, but Monty says we risk expulsion if caught in other realms, something to do with our quells affecting the wards.”

I dropped the faint shield. “I think Bridger killed Klaus, and every time I listen to him, it feels wrong. I thought it was Archer at first—thought he chose me to be under the Night realm because of guilt,” I said. “Everything reminds me of him, Knox. I wonder if he sat in this very seat or if we’ve walked the same stones.”

The shield Knox formed fell. “Klaus wasn’t killed. Everett would have told me. You can read about every student in the library, and they clearly state murder by dagger or killed by a wyvern as the cause of death. Klaus drowned while riding his dragon.”

Hearing Klaus drowned severed whatever invisible thread I’d sewn myself back up with—the pain of Klaus would never stop.

Malachi passed by our seats and said, “I’ll go with you to the library, Sev. I’ve been needing a book on poisons.”

And I swore her hearing was as strong as her swing.

Knox shrugged. “Go ahead, but you’ll need at least a second-year to take you there. First-years don’t have clearance.”

“Monty can let us in.” Malachi grinned. “We’ll go after combat.”

I nodded at Malachi. “You certainly are observant,” I said.

Myla won the dagger Charles had given me in combat, and that seemed to be my last tether to the North as she sheathed it against her ribs in a leather strap. I wasn’t sure why she was my opponent, but I was sure it was intended to break me down even more.

Monty waited by the library doors impatiently after class. A navy-blue leather vest covered his tanned skin, and underneath, a low-cut shirt revealed tufts of black hair curled on his chest. After his morning shower, he smelled like he’d drenched his entire body in cologne.

Daylight dripped from his fingers as he twisted his wrist, and the door to the library unlocked with a click. “You have ten minutes. I have a Serpent meeting at eight to discuss the trial today,” he muttered.

Malachi blew a kiss toward him. “I owe you.”

The library was over thirty feet tall, with rows of dusty books. Cully would be in heaven if he saw the dragon-shaped bookends. A chandelier of flame lit the room with a feverish heat. Most of the covers were rebound with the intricate snake crest I’d seen in Archer’s hand.

I remembered when Cully sneaked into my room with a new folktale, secretly reading it to me. Reading poetry and fiction was frowned upon, and I figured every book here was a historical passage. Perhaps that was why he never got the chance to write where he wanted.

I asked Malachi, “How do we navigate? Nothing is labeled... I don’t see any signs of what is what.” I scanned over the colossus of books, then started down one row.‘Antecedent Quells,’‘How to Turn Anything into a Weapon,’ ‘The Dangers of Mind Reading Vol 8.’No rhyme or rhythm orchestrated the aisles as I brushed over the spines.

“Every book you touch has meaning to you. The library is warded, so you don’t discover something you shouldn’t have,”Malachi yelled from the row over. “Trust me, I just picked one up on wind turbines and how my quell can be used in farming. Just have faith that the right book will find you.”

I picked another one up titled, ‘Winter Shields.’

“Earlier today, you seemed spooked. Are you alright?” I wanted to ask about her wyvern, but I didn’t know how.

Malachi grunted as the sound of books fell. “Yeah, I’m used to everyone being out to get me. I suppose I didn’t think the note would be so cruel. Someone wants me dead, like always.”

I shuddered, grabbing a silver-spined book titled,‘Snake Enigmas.’The inside cover was a picture of a golden egg.

The book dropped from my grasp, opening to a page depicting a black snake devouring an entire town. It showed a man commanding his enigma basilisk to reap havoc on a realm. I flipped a few pages over, skimming the gruesome attacks over the centuries.

“Bernard Herring was the first to bond with a basilisk. He forced the creature to commit horrendous acts throughout Verdonia. All fourteen children bonded with snakes following the brutal attacks. B. Herring was murdered byredacted, and all fourteen children were sentenced to death, as were their enigmas. All six grandchildren are known as the Forgotten Children. Cleminore Herring consumed the throne as queen of Verdonia, banning the enigma bond with all snakes. The Serpent Academy was built asredactedbecame known, threatening the throne…”

Malachi cleared her throat, and I slammed the book shut. “My family’s history is a bit more confusing than yours. I think half of my ancestors were hung to death.”

“Sorry, the book fell.” I scrambled to put the book back on the shelf. “I promise I wasn’t digging,” I said.

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