Page 78 of Unseen Eye
“Wanna bet?” Callon chuckles, but then turns his attention back to me, still expecting an answer.
I take a swig of my drink, the liquid burning my throat—a welcome reprieve. “You know, after everything I’ve been through, nothing really fazes me anymore. It’s honestly refreshing to see you guys as perplexed as me.” I plop into a nearby chair and pick up my journal again. “Plus, it’s good to know I’m not going crazy. Turns out all this,” I wave the journal in the air, “might actually mean something. Personally,” I add with a wink, “I think you just worry too much.”
Theo and Izzy laugh. “Damn, Cal,” Theo adds with a low whistle.
“Maybe I do worry too much,” Callon says with a hint of sarcasm, “but it’s only because someone has to keep you out of trouble.”
I chuckle before asking, “Do you think Kora summoned something that opened the gates? She had to have known her kingdom would fall.”
Callon thinks about this for a minute. “Kora was well-attuned to magic, as was her mother, Irisa. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had their secrets, but why that involves dark summoning magic, I don’t know...”
Another question pops into my mind. “Speaking of magic, who was the last light wielder? What kingdom did they belong to?”
Callon glances at Izzy, who shakes her head. “I’m not sure,” he begins. “Eldorin and his people used to keep a record of all known affinities, though. I’m sure those records are still in the library somewhere,” he trails off.
“I was there,” I counter. “Granted, I couldn’t read every book, but I tried to read what I could. I found some interesting ones on the Abyss and the gates, but I don’t recall much on Catalpa itself, or any dark magic.”
Now it’s Izzy’s turn to look surprised. “They have records of those in the public section? I would have assumed those would be in the private section unless...” she trails off.
I shake my head. “I didn’t find the private section, and I tried. Believe me.”
“If they have those books out in the public, imagine what they have locked away.” Theo jokes.
I recall what Leigh told me when she and Garet were younger, and how they found a hidden room full of old parchments. “How many private sections are there?” I ask.
“Knowing Eldorin, there could be several, including someseparate from the library. I’m assuming he would keep the important ones close to him, maybe in his chamber?”
“Do you think Baron knows where they all are?” I ask.
“If he did,” Izzy answers, “it’s not like he would just openly tell us.”
Then it hits me. “Do you think Kora was trying to destroy the gate but somehow opened it instead? And how did the gods know to create the gates in the first place? That kind of knowledge had to come from somewhere. What if that information is still out there? And if there’s something on how to create them, maybe there’s something on how to destroy them too.” Excitement creeps into my voice, making it difficult to keep my thoughts straight.
“Questions overload,” Izzy mutters, rubbing her temples as if that could somehow ease the barrage of ideas I’m throwing at them.
“Hey now,” Theo says and claps her on the shoulder, grinning. “She might be on to something.”
Callon pauses, considering my words. “It’s possible. But if Baron knew, especially after the attack they just had, he would be doing something about it.”
“But what if he doesn’t know? What if the book exists, and he has no idea?” I challenge, my heart racing with the implications.
Callon pushes off the wall, slowly making his way toward me. There’s a determined glint in his eye that makes me lock eyes with him, unafraid to stand my ground. “What are you proposing?”
“What if I go back to Astermiri and try to find it?”
His response is immediate and sharp. “Fuck no.”
“I know what Garet and Baron are capable of. I would be fine.”
His eyes narrow, and the tension between us thickens. “You really think I’d let you go back after I just found out Baron is the one who had my mother killed?”
Fuck, he has a point.
I open my mouth to argue, but he’s already pressing on. “If you go back, Baron will make damn sure you never leave again. You’d end up married to Garet. Unless you’ve suddenly developed a thing for mind readers?” He adds with a smirk that almost makes me forget the danger for a second.
“Callon—” I begin, but he interrupts, his intense voice softer now. “And let’s say you go back, even against my wishes. If Baron doesn’t know where these books are, how do you expect to find them? It would take weeks to search the entire castle by yourself, longer to find every secret passage. And that’s assuming they even let you out of their sight. You’d be trapped.”
“I don’t need your permission,” I press, refusing to back down. “I’m not a prisoner here, remember?”
