Page 52 of Silver Claws, Crimson Tears
“The silence itself is unusual. It’s been three days. I’ll speak with her directly.”
After Vaylen leaves, silence settles between Phoebe and me like dust. She fidgets with her pencil, glancing between her notes and my face.
“Out with it,” I finally snap, impatience bubbling over. “Allyour theories. Everything you’ve been researching this past year.”
Phoebe’s shoulders slump slightly as she rummages through her scattered notes. “I wish I had more to show for a year’s work. The truth is, I’ve only just made what feels like a real breakthrough.” She tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear. “The strangest thing is how little information exists about Heratrix’s disappearance. History books barely mention it, justthe Goddess vanishedwith no explanation of how or why. It’s as if someone deliberately obscured the details.”
I lean forward. “You think someone’s hiding something?”
“I think it’s odd how our most significant historical event is treated as a footnote. I thought when I got access to all the realm’s libraries I would have all the answers, but no such luck.” She meets my gaze. “What’s odd though… the folk tales, children’s stories, old songs… they seem to contain more details than official records, like… like hidden messages.”
“What kind of details?”
“Like this.” Phoebe pulls out a worn book, its leather binding cracked with age. “I requested this collection of ancient songs from Skyborough’s main library.” She opens to a marked page. “This verse speaks of ‘great power slumbering beneath the stone, awaiting the day when blood and bone shall call it forth from earthen throne.’”
My ears ring with strange echoes. I blink, and the cacophony clears.
“And this…” Phoebe turns the pages to a different song. She points to another stanza and reads with a quiet tone as if afraid to send me scurrying under the table. “It mentions an ‘amber-eyed guardian’ who keeps watch over the sleeping power.”
“Fuck.”
“There’s more.” Phoebe’s voice drops to a whisper. “Somepoems from a mostly unknown woman also suggest Heratrix didn’t just disappear, but that she was imprisoned.”
“Any mention of who did it?”
“That’s what I can’t find, but I’ve only just turned in this direction. Now we have more. We need to know what Omneira means and learn more about those glyphs.”
I stare at the library ceiling, as my mind spins with possibilities, each more outlandish than the last.
“Give me something to do,” I finally say, determination hardening my voice. “Before I go mad thinking about this.”
Phoebe’s face brightens. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
“Yes. I’m done doing nothing. What good is more rest if I’m just going to lose my mind?”
Without further prompting, Phoebe slides a stack of weathered books and scrolls toward me. “Start with these. I’ve marked passages that mention underground chambers or power under the earth.”
We settle into a rhythm of turning pages and scratching notes. The smell of old parchment fills my nostrils, comforting in its familiar scent. Two hours pass in near silence, broken only by occasional huffs of frustration or interest.
I glance up to find Phoebe’s chin dropping toward her chest before she jerks awake, blinking rapidly. Her pencil slips from her fingers, rolling across the table.
“Go get some rest,” I tell her bluntly.
“But there’s so much to go over,” she protests, even as she fails to stifle a yawn.
“I’m not going anywhere. Not like I can, with half the fort waiting for me to literally sprout wings and breathe fire.” I tap the book in front of me. “I’ll keep reading.”
Phoebe hesitates. “Only if you promise to eat something. Sandtide will have my hide if you collapse from hunger.”
“Fine. Can you have someone bring food here?” I’m alreadyturning back to my reading. “I don’t feel like facing the mess hall and all those stares just yet.”
“Deal. I’ll send someone with dinner.” Phoebe stands, stretching. “I wonder if Nate’s busy. He’s been asking so much about you, you know? He’s so happy you’re back.”
“So… how are things with him?”
The question catches her off guard. A blush blooms across her pale cheeks.
“Slow,” she admits. “I told you we hardly see each other, and things were a bit rocky in the beginning, so that didn’t help.”
