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I walked back to the council hall with a stack of books, but only one mattered. I pushed the council doors open with my hip, Logan and Imogen glancing up as I entered. Vincent didn’t even budge, his nose buried in the text, looking for answers we didn’t have.
“Where have you been?” Neverra asked. Her voice finally sounded normal. The haunted look she’d worn since her time in Yejedin had finally disappeared, and I wanted it to stay gone.
I dumped the books on the table, spreading them out as Xavier leaned forward. “I thought you were getting us something to eat.”
I snickered and moved a few heavy texts, grabbing the one I wanted. “Oh, this is better than snacks,” I said, holding up the gray journal.
“What is it?” Imogen asked, leaning back in her chair.
“A journal and not just anyone’s. This is Elianna’s.”
Vincent raised his head, propping his chin on his hand.
“Elianna’s?” Xavier asked. “How did you get that?”
“I have my ways.” I glanced at Imogen, and she rolled her eyes. My ways usually included sneaking in and out of places I shouldn’t, like the bed chambers of snotty counselors who were great with their tongues.
Vincent groaned. “You didn’t.”
“Didn’t what? Get classified information to help us? Uh, yeah, yeah, I did.”
I waited for Xavier to laugh like he usually did, but his face was guarded and closed when I turned toward him. He looked at the journal I held, then briefly met my eyes before lowering his head to avoid my gaze. I cocked my head, but before I could process his reaction, Imogen was at my side, plucking the journal from my grasp.
Neverra strode to the council doors and closed them before she and Logan gathered around Imogen.
“Okay, so we steal from the council members now, among other things?” Vincent said snidely.
“Hey, it’s more productive than pretending to be on guard duty for a witch that can’t leave.”
Vincent’s jaw clenched so tight I thought he was about to throw his book and fight me. He didn’t.
The other thing I was good at was knowing everything about everyone. Which also got me in trouble. I glanced at Xavier, who seemed to be studiously ignoring me, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. Logan glanced between us, noticing the sudden tension.
“What’s it say, Immy?” Neverra asked, leaning over the table.
Imogen flipped another page. “It’s all the old language. I’ll have to transcribe it.”
“Of course, Elianna would write in the old language.”
“Yes, she has many talents,” Xavier quipped. He glanced at me once before flipping a page a little too hard.
Vincent ignored us all and went back to reading.
Neverra cleared her throat. “Okay, transcribe that, and we will keep reading more about the hundred different prison dimensions in the meantime.”
I grunted and sat down. This was going to take longer than I’d hoped. I pulled an ancient book from the stack and opened it.
Imogen gathered a pen and paper before settling into her seat with the journal. “You know what I never understood?”
“What?” I asked, immersed in the boring text.
“The kings have been there, right? Or at least some of them. Why haven’t we sensed them or found them sooner?”
Xavier shrugged. “Cloaking, maybe? Camilla worked for Kaden, and her magic practically sings to mine. She could be descended from Kryella. Maybe she hid them.”
“Santiago worked for Kaden more than Camilla,” Vincent chimed in, not even bothering to look up as he flipped another page.
Imogen shook her head. “Regardless, she betrayed Dianna, along with the vampire prince. But that’s a lot of magic to conceal.”
