I could see exactly what happened that night. I could view the memories burned into blood. But I’m not sure the price of practicing blood magic would be worth whatever stands to be learned. I’d have to contend with both the cost of the magic itself and the cost of breaking Eldoterran law.
Trailing up what used to be the aisle between rows of benches, I approach the dais. There, on the stairs, silver stains glint against the grime. A silver spill, frozen in its cascade down the few stairs.
Clutching a tight fist over my heart, I linger in silence.
And let the malicious mourning flagellate my heart.
It isn’t as excruciating as I deserve.
But it’s more than Celesta has earned.
Eve’s faint laughter floats into the empty space, halting thetailspin of my darkening thoughts. Following my feet as they’re off before the rest of me, I cross the room toward the slightly ajar door behind the statue. Her laughter chimes again and she makes a strange clicking, calling sounds, the rattle of pebbles in a metal pan accompanying it.
Remaining hidden in the sanctum, I peer through the narrow gap and the overgrown gardens greet me. It’s no longer a tended bit of Olloran forest. It’s become a wilderness.
Ivy crawls along walls, through broken windows, up trees. Grass stands near waist high, curtaining the stone tables and benches littered throughout. The graveled paths lie dotted with weeds, nearly hiding it from view. Keeping myself firmly planted within the shadows near the door, my eyes trace the path, and find Eve standing alone.
Shaking a tankard.
It rattles, as if she’s filled it with pebbles.
The tall grass around her shifts and four feathered creatures burst onto the path.
Cora’s hens.
Twittering and clucking excitedly at her feet, Eve empties the contents of the tankard onto the gravel in a swinging arc.
My ribs squeeze my heart as my eyes sting and my grip on the bouquet grows crushing.
She’s been taking care of Cora’s hens.
Button and Darla and Mabel and Coco.
But where are Marshmallow and Tillie?
Resisting the urge to race into the gardens, I step backward, falling into the darkness once again. I’m the intruder here. If Eve wanted me with her, she would have come to me.
But now that I’m here…
With a downward glance at the bouquet, I retreat through the sanctum in search of the library.
?????????????
Were I any semblance of smart, I would’ve put my personal reservations aside and come here sooner. The temple library is bound to have information on Celesta. Information the rest of Ollora isn’t likely to know.
Or at least, that’s the hope.
Climbing the four-story flight of stairs proved a breeze after a summer of running across Olloran rooftops. Rounding the top landing, the familiar arched library doorway peeks above the last of the stairs. As I climb the steps, my heart sinks.
Charred and splintered, the doors barely hanging on by the hinges, pieces lie on the floor. The gilded doorknobs are a twisted, warped mess—melted by hellfire. And beyond the flung open doors, Sybille’s desk sits a ruined mess—a breath away from collapsing into a mound of ash.
Halting in the doorway, I heave a sigh.
The rest of the library is the same.
A sea of blackened coal and gray ash.
Fuck.
