Page 57 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

It was everyone's turn to stare at me like I'd lost the plot.

“Snow,” Mal said, leaning back in his chair. “The pages are empty.”

The more I looked at him the more I was starting to think he wasn’t joking. But when I flipped the pages open again, they were filled with writing. “Pass me a pen and paper.”

All stood and loomed over me as I traced the odd writing onto a sheet of paper. When I’d written a full line, I pulled the paper up and pointed to it. “What does that mean?”

The four men frowned, their expression morphing from confusion to wide panic.

“It is impossible. You can’t possibly—” Larg slumped back in his chair with an incredulous look on his face.

“Would someone tell me what you are reading?” I asked.

Kilian took the paper from my hand and tore it to pieces before holding a candle over it and burning them to ash. “They are instructions in old Darsan. How to access the gates to Cynth and ultimately to the rest of the others, too.” He sighed, sprawling back in his chair. “Esmeray wrote Ahmes Lore with the blood of a fallen guardian. Only one from the heavens could read them.”

“What?” I flipped through the book again. All the scribble and babble made no sense to me at all. “Why is that I can see it?”

“You’re part of a prophecy,” Triad said, looking at me like I was a puzzle of some sort. “That connects you to the divine in more ways than one. Your ability to read it doesn’t surprise me. What does, is your father looking for it. Would this be connected to the white flamed guardian?”

“Possibly,” Kilian said, staring at me across the table with a distanced look in his eyes.

“How would one know about their existence?” I asked, ignoring him and the worry in his eyes. “How come my father knows?”

“Adriatians,” Mal said, deep in thought. “Someone from the night congregation. A priest or a scholar. Only they would know in detail what any of Esmeray’s diaries had in them. Especially Ahmes Lore. It is not a popular knowledge. Kings, queens and courts have made sure it was not popular knowledge to avoid anyone being curious.”

Larg sighed. “Won’t surprise me if Silas has spies there too.”

“Perhaps there is something we have missed,” Mal said, tapping a finger repeatedly on the table. “Why would Silas need this, especially if he can’t read it?”

“Snow,” Kilian said, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “How did they get the book from the chained shelf?”

“The Umbra already had it unchained.” The three all shared one of those coded looks and I groaned. “For the love of hells, would you please stop that and tell me too what we are thinking?”

“It was not an Umbra,” Kilian said. “It had to have been a Dark Crafter. The shelves are veiled.”

I shook my head. “They used shadows.”

“Was there anyone else there?”

“No. I would have felt another heartbeat. Especially if it had been a Dark Crafter. My magic and theirs doesn’t mesh well.” Folding the book back inside the metal case, I clicked the lock shut. “It comes with me to Olympia.”

“I have to agree, no one would think to search there,” Larg said with a rumbling laughter. His attention bounced to Kilian and the amusement dissipated. “What is bothering you, son?”

The Night King stood like a statue, his attention pointed to my shaking hands. I had not noticed it. When I quickly pulled them back to my lap, he lifted those deadly eyes to Triad. “Which part of the Umbra command was close to south Amaris today?”

“My king,” Triad said, leaning on the table. “What you are thinking could lead to an uproar.”

Kilian did not look at me as he said, “Could you leave us, love.”

“I’m not your dog.”

He sighed, his jaw tightening. “This conversation does not end here, Triad. Look at what I asked. I expect a response by tomorrow morning.”

I couldn’t stand his all-concerned act and I stood to leave. The room suddenly spun, and my feet wobbled. Before I crashed to the ground, strong arms wrapped around me.

I straightened, shaking the dizziness away. “Let go of me.”

He lifted me on the table, sheer panic layering his features. How did he do that so well? How could he summon pretend so accurately? “Does it hurt?” His hands moved all over me. “Show me where.”