Page 68 of The War of Wings
Tyrak’s chest seemed to still for a moment as he stared at me. “I don’t believe so,” he finally answered, and the tightness in my chest loosened slightly. “Did you see her?”
“No. I’ve never actually seen them. Only spoken with them.”
“And did they tell you anything else?” His expression was unreadable, his tone as well.
“They told me not to try to free them.”
Tyrak blinked, scanning my face. “She said that?”
“Rhedros did. One of the first times I spoke with them in the Darkness Beyond, they told me I was the only one who could free them. But now, they told me not to.”
“Their plans have changed.”
What was that look on his face? Fear? Apprehension? “Can you just tell me what the fuck you’re thinking?”
Unruffled by my tone, Tyrak took a deep breath. “Their original plan was hoping Malosym never found you. They didn’t know you’d be able to pass into the Darkness Beyond, so I can only assume hope had grown from that. But if Rhedros is asking you not to, that means it is far too dangerous to try.”
“But…” I shook my head. “What comes next? They’re locked away forever? What if they die? I just… I don’t understand.”
He didn’t answer, his eyes going distant for a beat. “Did she say anything else?”
I eyed him, unsure of how to feel. “Was there something else you were expecting her to tell me?”
Tyrak shook his head once, his expression morphing back into concern. He was keeping something from me. That much was clear. But my head was still murky and I needed some air. I pushed to my feet, ignoring the three outstretched hands from the three men around me. Dusting my skirts off, I rolled my eyes. “Oh, now you want to help me?”
???
I’d sent word to the King and Queen that another member of my court had arrived, and they arranged the room adjacent to our suite for Tyrak. I hadn’t seen much of either of them since our initial dinner, and I was content to keep it that way.
“You need more rest, Petra,” he chided from where he walked behind me. “Three hours was not enough.”
He was right, three hours was not enough to heal whatever I’d done to my head when I threw myself from the table. But just like the pain that rang through my head with every movement I made, so too did Rhedros’ words.Do not come for us.
But why? If I could access the Darkness Beyond, if I could free them, why wouldn’t I?
“Petra.” I could tell by the way Cal said my name it wasn’t the first time he’d said it, and he studied my face when I finally turned to him. “You’re thinking about Katia and Rhedros, aren’t you?
“I just don’t understand why they wouldn’t want me to free them.”
He pursed his lips, and I knew he had no answer for me.
I let out an exasperated sigh as Cal pushed through the doors of the library. “Alright, we’re looking for whatever we can find.” The smell of dust and parchment had quickly become familiar to me, and I held it in my lungs for a moment. It smelled like hope and the only bit of control I had here. I had to wait until the ball, but I didn’t have to be idle.
Cal let out an exasperated sigh. “Whatever we can find.” The sunlight shining through the atrium caught the molten gemstone tones of his eyes, and I all but froze in my steps. Saints, I could lose myself in them. I could swim in the sapphire sea, fall asleep in the emerald grass. One day, maybe I could, when this was all over.
“Okay,” I said. “You take the even stacks, and I’ll take the odd.”
He nodded, leaning in to place a chaste kiss against my lips before we disappeared between the packed shelves. I decided to start from the back this time, since most days we’d scanned the library from the front. The library grew darker the deeper I walked, the light from the atrium quickly swallowed by the towering shelves. The smell of dust and leather was strongerback here. I told myself it was the smell of promise, of truths waiting to be uncovered. When I made it to the very last stack, I squinted in the dimness, this area lit by just a single torch.
My fingers bumped over the spines of books as my eyes moved over their titles. I’d developed a bit of a system during my time here, scanning each section of shelves top to bottom before moving on to the next one, but I was still afraid of missing something.
My search yielded just two books — neither of which I felt particularly hopeful about — and I made my way out of the last row. But something stopped me in my tracks.
The back wall of the library was covered in all manner of art. Tapestries and paintings and what looked like carvings on thin pieces of stone. Why would all this art be hidden away back here? Peering over my shoulder to make sure I was alone, I conjured a small flame from the tip of my pointer finger, just enough light to see. Something told me I’d be scolded by a librarian if I was caught with fire so close to books and precious art pieces. I leaned closer to one of the paintings, a quiet gasp leaving me when I realized what I was seeing.
A portrait of King Laion and Queen Irli stared back at me, both in what looked to be the full royal regalia of Nesan. Queen Irli’s eye makeup was dark, her face severe, but not as severe as Laion’s. His dark brows were furrowed, eyes staring right through me. Below them were three chairs, the outer two occupied by two young women. They both had the same deep black hair as the King and Queen, and it was easy to see the resemblance between the women and Irli.
But the person in the middle…
