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Arianna flipped through a few pages and scanned the chapter headings, but she didn’t find any keywords she hoped might point her in the right direction. She placed the book back on the shelf and walked a little further. A title caught her attention then.
The Dark Fae: A Guide
She pulled the large book down and opened it to a middle page. A picture of a beautiful female with a large wingspan, human-like arms, and taloned feet sat poised as if ready to strike. Harpy was the name written across the top of the adjacent page. A being said to devour humans and sometimes other Fae. Banished during the dark age. Current residence: Unknown. Arianna squinted at a note scribbled at the bottom of the page. She tilted the book and thought one word might have been north but she couldn’t be sure.
“My, my, it’s felt like an age.” Arianna jumped and the book fell from her hands, landing with a hard thud on the polished floor. The male bowed his head. “My apologies Lady Arianna.” He bent to pick up the book and closed it. The male stared at it longingly, as one might their own child. “To see you in the library again brings back fond memories.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. Brogan was the keeper of old records and had often helped her with her studies. He’d watched her grow up, taught her how to care for books, and was someone who’d likely have questions she didn’t feel up to answering.
But Brogan slid the book back into place on the shelf. “Are you looking for anything in particular?” Nostalgia rolled through her. How many times had he asked her that very same question?
Arianna cleared her throat. If anyone could answer her questions, it’d be him. “I was wondering if you had any books on the previous Divine?”
He perked up and gestured for her to follow. “Any reason for the interest?”
“Not really, I just couldn’t remember what we learned in history about her.”
“Not surprising since you and your sister seem to enjoy sleeping through that class.” He gave her a playful smile. “Ellie is quite the handful but her mind is just as sharp as yours.” He studied the shelves. “I should have—” His brow furrowed. “I could have sworn I put that back.” Brogan moved further down the shelf, examining each book with a feather light touch. “Perhaps someone checked them out already, though I can’t imagine who else might want to read through ancient history.”
“Brogan, do you have a moment?” Another male stopped in the center of the staircase but when he spotted her, he snapped the book in his hand closed. “Well if it isn’t Lady Arianna.” She ducked her head, unsure of what to say. Of course she’d have to run into him. Demetri had always made her uneasy with his squinty eyes and pointed nose. Sometimes, she even swore he smelled strange. She couldn’t quite explain it. She’d shared her thoughts with her father, but he’d waved her off, claiming Demetri was a valued member in Levea and held in high regard.
Brogan didn’t seem to share her discomfort either. “I was just assisting the Lady with finding a few books, though they seem to be missing from the shelves.”
“Borrowed for research I’m sure.” He waved his hand around the old archives. “There’s not much else one would read these old volumes for. What subject?”
Arianna dashed out from behind Brogan and ran toward the stairs. “It can wait, I have somewhere to be anyway.”
“Are you sure?” Brogan asked. “If you give me a while, I’m certain I can locate them for you.”
Arianna waved her hand. “I’ll come back later.” She bolted past Demetri and pulled the hood back over her face. Arianna moved quickly, making her way back up the stairs and to the first floor without looking back. Her skin still crawled from Demetri’s presence.
But Arianna could worry about him later. She’d spent too much time in the library and if she didn’t hurry, she was going to be late meeting Ellie.
She exited the estate, walking quickly past the water falls to the stairs that led her into the city. Sentinels stood at attention, guarding the gate, but she ran past them too, desperate to escape before they could apologize for not recognizing her that first day.
She’d longed to gaze upon Levea’s bustling streets for so long that Arianna found herself looking forward to her sister’s surprise. The first thing she’d looked forward to in a while.
Her legs carried her down, down, down then Arianna paused at the base of the stairs. Fae, half-breeds, and humans alike walked the streets before her, running from one place to the next. Some paused to glance at her, but they smiled instead of glaring. One even called her name, waving frantically, before rushing off toward whatever their agenda called for. Work perhaps.
Arianna felt more at ease with the familiar scents carried on a cool breeze. She pulled her cloak tighter over her shoulders, but let her hood fall. This was home. A place she could be herself.
She could smell the river that ran through the city from the next street over and found herself letting her magic flow freely, gliding it along posts and through the small swirling streams lining the sidewalks.
Levea. It still looked the same. Houses stood around her family’s estate, most old in structure, though well preserved. A cobblestone sidewalk led her toward the more modern part of the city where the buildings began to take on multiple floors. But the storefronts were the same, with the same vendors selling mostly the same wares. Perhaps she could visit one after meeting her sister. Arianna might not appreciate sweets like she used to, but the bak—an acrid scent sliced through her newfound joy and Arianna whipped her head toward the western district. Her chest tightened at the smoke rising in the distance. Too much smoke.
She started down the street, shifting to a run, her heart hammering in her chest as that black cloud grew bigger and bigger.
A scream pierced the air and the frail female Arianna had become vanished entirely, replaced with the Fae warrior who’d survived slavery and a land haunted by war.
A fire, she told herself, still sprinting. It was just a fire. They happened. But the closer she got, the thicker the smoke became.
Then the warning bells echoed throughout the city.
Chapter Forty-One
Saoirse
Saoirse moved her pawn forward and studied the game board. “You could always grab her and run.”
