Page 140 of Crown of Briars
The child’s cries faded, but only slightly. He still maintained a halfhearted wail, but his eyes were fixed on me.
I held up my hands directly in front of my face, extending one finger on each. “Watch. My eyes will follow both fingers. Do you think I can do it?”
The child fell silent, staring at me with interest.
I lifted my hands so my extended fingers were directly in front of each eye. “You’ll have to watch carefully to see,” I said. “Are you ready?”
The child nodded.
I slowly brought my hands together until my fingertips were touching. When they met, my eyes were fully crossed, and I stuck out my tongue.
The child burst out laughing, the peals echoing in the hall. Around us, a few of the fae chuckled with amusement. Even the child’s mother offered a small smile.
I dropped my hands with a grin and then said, “You are very brave. Do you think you can be brave for a few more moments?”
The child sobered and nodded again.
My smile widened. “Thank you.” I nodded at the mother, who gave a warm look of gratitude.
I turned and moved back down the hall, where Clermont stood, watching me uneasily. He glanced from me to the child and back again.
“That was… impressive,” he said. “Thank you for helping him.”
“I wish I could do more,” I said, wringing my hands together.
Clermont sighed. “So do I, my lady. Do you need my assistance with anything?”
“Where is the library?”
Clermont gestured behind him. “Just around that corner. I believe the door is already open, so you won’t have to worry about exploring more areas of the castle.” He offered a wry smile.
“Thank you.”
He pressed a fist to his chest, then continued down the hall. The crowd of fae followed after, some shooting me curious looks. The child waved happily, then rested his head on his mother’s shoulder.
For a long moment, I watched them make their way down the hall, my heart clenching painfully in my chest.
If I figure out how to break the curse, I can help them.
Resolve filled me, and I turned and made my way to the library.
Just as Clermont said, the door was already open. I stepped inside, scanning the room for Varius.
But he wasn’t there.
I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. It was clear he did notwant to see me. Whatever lust we felt between us was not something he intended to pursue.
I told myself it was fine. We had both entered into this marriage presuming that no feelings would be involved.
But the more I told myself the lie, the less I believed it.
No matter. I didn’t need him to help me research. Now that I knew a witch was behind the Necro Shadows, I knew what to look for. Unfortunately, the sentient library was unable to provide me with any texts on the history of the Shadow Court witches. I gathered this was intentional; the witch must have included a clause in her spell that prevented people like me from asking too many questions. It was also why Varius was unable to speak directly of the curse.
However, I knew there were books about the witches of the Earthen Court. And, as the neighboring kingdom of the Shadow Court, surely there had to be similarities.
After Tislora all but admitted she was aware there had once been Earthen witches, I was intrigued. Was it possible there had been survivors after King Ragnus had killed the witches? Had any of them had children that had possibly lived on after the slaughter? Tislora herself was a sorceress. Where had she come from?
“Castle, can you give me the red volume from before—the one about the Earthen Court witches?” I asked.
