Page 86 of House of the Raven
“What if she was lying? What if her father wanted to marry her off, and she ran away? It would be perfect symmetry.”
I shake my head. I always sensed that Mother kept secrets. Everyone is entitled to those. Lies, however, it would hurt me deeply if she knowingly deceived me. Could this possibly be the secret Father confided in Amira before he died?
“I need a copy of this,” I say.
“We can just…” Jago goes for the book as if he’s about to tear out the pages.
“No!” I slap his hands away. “Are you mad? Every book in here is invaluable.”
“I was just trying to save us some time.” He rolls his eyes.
After a quick search of the room, I spot a stack of loose parchment, an ink well, and a quill. I gather the materials and begin copying the text with painstaking slowness.
“This is going to take forever. You should let me—”
“I would feed you a pound of strawberries before I let you hurt this book.” Jago is allergic to the fruit. He breaks out in horrible hives and struggles to breathe if he eats them.
“Are you saying you value that old parchment more than you value your favorite cousin’s life?”
“You’re my only cousin, Jago.”
“Exactly.”
“The strawberries wouldn’t kill you, but they would teach you a lesson.”
“I will never forget how little you value my life.” He stomps away, presses his back to the wall, and slides down to the floor to wait while I fill up the sheet with the tilting scroll.
It’s only the second hour of a new day when we leave the library. We are bleary-eyed, and so is the librarian, but he seems pleasedto have helped us.
“I’m forever in your debt,” I tell him as he ushers us out the front door.
“I only did my duty, Your Majesty.” He inclines his head, cheeks glowing brightly.
“Don’t hesitate to come to Nido if you ever need anything.”
His cheeks turn redder still. He remains behind us as we descend the marble steps. A shiver runs across my back, the feeling that someone is watching us making my skin prickle.
I glance all around, but the streets are deserted at this hour. There’s only a slight breeze that caresses the leaves in the trees and makes them sing.
“What is it?” Jago asks.
“Nothing. Let’s go. We should get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us.”
We hurry down the sidewalk, headed back to the inn. I hold my breath at every corner, afraid a band of veilfallen will assault us. I have nothing of value with me, but the pages I’ve carefully folded and slipped down the front of my dress. I doubt River would see any value in dry ink and parchment. He only cares about stealing and causing chaos.
But luck is on our side today in more than one way, and we make it safely back to the inn.
24
RIVER
“I must say, I do appreciate Los Moros’ beautiful architecture.”
Maria de Alsedo- Duquesa de Castellina - 98 BV
When Valeria Plumanegra walks out of the inn, I nearly don’t recognize her. She’s wearing a provocative dress. Her face is enhanced with makeup, and her locks are arranged in a way that makes their ratty state of last night only an unpleasant memory.
She’s hanging from her cousin, and they walk with purpose, headed where? I don’t know, but I can only hope they’re on their way to retrieve the amulet. My chest pumps with heavy anticipation.
