Page 111 of Keldori By Daybreak

“A pregnant woman in labor. It was an heirloom.”

“We should’ve broken more than that guard’s fingers.”

“We should’ve killed him. They’re already looking for us.”

“Is that what we are now? Killers?” I asked. “Just because we killed Ferrin—”

Ciarán cut me off with a finger to his lips and a sideways glance at Orla.

“We survived that flood. There’s a chance Ferrin did too,” he said. “And just because Ferrin deserves to die, that doesn’t absolve us if we’re the ones to kill him.”

I’d thought of killing Ferrin as more of a public service rather than a murder, but Ciarán’s words sat heavy in my heart. Intrepid guilt started to rise in my stomach, but then I remembered Linsey’s face splitting open and the rotsbane bursting forth.

I closed my eyes, trying to erase the image from memory.

“You make it sound like we’re just as bad as he is,” I said. “We’re not.”

“No,” he conceded. “But a life is a life, and sometimes killing is necessary. Hence, we should have killed that guard.”

“We’ll be fine. It’s not like we’re going to be here long. We’ll get what we need from the library and then we’re leaving the citadel.”

Ciarán grimaced, still watching Orla and Iseult. “That’s the other thing. It seems to be more of a rumor than an established institution.”

“I heard.” I sighed and leaned forward to rest my head with the heels of my hands pressed against my eyes. “We’ll send Orla and Iseult out to poke around more today. As far as I know, they didn’t jump any guards last night, so they’ll be safer out on the streets.”

“I can go, too,” Ciarán said, already standing. “We can split up—”

“You are going to sleep,” I said. He scoffed in response, but I cut him off. “I know you were awake all night. I’ll keep watch. You can take a turn in the bed. You prefer to sleep during the day anyway.”

“If that is what you think is best.” Ciarán gave a jerky nod of the head, too tired and too duty-bound to disobey.

He shuffled past the front counter into the back hall towards our room while I went to tell Orla and Iseult the plan, pretending not to notice Orla quickly pull her arm away from Iseult.

Ciarán couldn’t have had more than a three minute head start, but he was already asleep by the time I snuck into the room behind him. I slid down the door to sit with my back leaned against it, watching the rise and fall of Ciarán’s chest.

Our argument from the night before replayed in my head. Returning the pendant to the family the guard had stolen it from was a very Liam thing to do, but all this talk of killing had me doubting my stance that Liam and Ciarán were at all alike.

Tiernan dropped Fana and Jonquil off at our room on his way to visit a healer about his ankle. I’d done what I could to help the joint, but my healing magick was rudimentary at best and I couldn’t blame him for seeking out actual medical help.

I taught Fana how to play checkers using coins from Ciarán’s money pouch while Jonquil curled in the crook of Ciarán’s knees on the bed. Fana then taught me to play a Skalterran version of chess. She won every round except one, which I suspected her of letting me win just to shake things up.

By the end of the day, we’d invented our own game and had eaten what had to have been the inn’s entire supply of pastries. Ciarán woke and joined us for dinner, but Orla and Iseult returned halfway through the meal with weary faces.

“Nothing,” Iseult said. “No word about any library, unless you count the old man three streets over and his collection of cookbooks.”

“That’s not true,” Orla said. “Someone recognized your hair! They said they’d seen a woman with hair just like it in the city.”

Iseult ran her fingers through her long white hair. “Lyrians are rare, but not unheard of. They could’ve met any number of the Lyrians who left Tuylr or any number of their children or grandchildren.”

“It was your aunt,” Orla insisted. “I know it.”

“The library is our only lead,” Ciarán said. “We’ll keep looking.”

“We’re on a time limit,” I reminded him.

“Then we’ll go to Tulyr if we haven’t found anything in a week. Maybe someone there will have more information on Lady Lyria’s secret door.” He turned to Iseult. “And your hair is too distinct. Wear a scarf when you go out so the Barony guards don’t recognize you.”

Ciarán kept watch again that night, and while he slept the next day, I ventured out with Orla to keep searching for the library. We came up empty-handed, but nearly everywhere we went, people offered us food and trinkets.