“I imagine Sylas’s message will arrive tomorrow,” Gabriel said.
Marjory’s eyes fell on his emerald ring. “My word. You’re the heir.” Her gaze scanned the others. “The Treasure of Paragon and, dare I guess, the three sisters?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“It’s very important that we see Leena right away, ma’am,” Raven said.
The older elf made a face like she’d tasted something sour. “Please call me either Marjory or Quanling.”
Raven bowed her head. “Marjory. My apologies.”
“This way. Colin and Leena are in the library.”
Raven followed the Quanling into the strange building. The walls reminded her of the pyramids, at least what she imagined they’d look like on the inside. Great slabs of unadorned limestone surrounded them. Their footsteps echoed as they walked, made louder by high ceilings and lack of carpeting. Long shadows stretched between patches of light cast by sconces on the walls. Although the temperature in the temple was comfortable, she walked closer to Gabriel to try to stave off the cold and impersonal feel of the rooms.
Marjory stopped before a set of large doors just as they flew open of their own accord, and the group came face-to-face with a very surprised Colin.
“You’re back!” he said, then started pulling his brothers into swift hugs.
Raven noticed that Leena sat at a wide table behind him, looking more than a little flustered. “Have we interrupted something?”
“No.” Colin rubbed the back of his neck. “Leena’s been sifting through every scroll we could find that referred to Medea or Tavyss. We’ve been at it all day. I was going to take a break, but now that you’re here…”
Leena rose from her seat. “Thank the goddess. Did you find the tanglewood tree?”
Clarissa crossed to her, drawing her wand. The tip glowed a bright, icy blue, and she held it high for the scribe to see. “The only parts that matter.”
“I have the enchanted scroll here.” She patted the satchel at her hip. “I keep it with me at all times. Should we try again to translate it?”
Everyone grumbled a tired yes, and Raven followed the others to the table.
“Let me just clear a space.” Leena quickly shifted armfuls of scrolls, putting them on a white marble platform where they were promptly swallowed by swirling purple magic. She pulled out the palimpsest and unrolled it on the table.
Raven perused again the strange scroll. Although she couldn’t read ancient Elvish, Leena had told her what it said. The grimoire was brought to Ouros at the beginning of Eleanor and Brynhoff’s reign by Medea, who became the witch queen of Darnuith. Her mate, Tavyss, was the older brother of Brynhoff and challenged him for the throne for reasons unknown. In the fourth century, when Eleanor and Brynhoff did not comply, Medea attacked Paragon. She and her dragon mate were killed during the uprising, despite having the grimoire. Medea was pregnant at the time with their young. The scribe had noted a common belief at the time that Eleanor or Brynhoff somehow tricked Medea and Tavyss into letting their guard down and took advantage of their lapse.
Medea, Tavyss, and the baby were killed, but Medea was resurrected by her sisters. The sisters hid the golden grimoire somewhere and split the key into five pieces, enclosing them in magical orbs and hiding one in each of the five kingdoms. Colin had found the first orb here in Rogos; then Sylas and his mate Dianthe had succeeded in retrieving the other four. With the help of Charlie, they’d opened the orbs and reconstructed the key. The scroll included sketches of the orbs but not how or where to use the key.
But it was what was under the writing that they were after now. Symbols glowed and moved beneath the ink, appearing and then disappearing. Scrambling themselves. The document was a palimpsest, and the true message of how to obtain the golden grimoire and use it against Eleanor was hidden underneath, encrypted, waiting for them to unlock it. A message from the past meant for them and them alone.
“We have to do this together. I sense it in my bones,” Raven said to Clarissa and Avery. She drew her wand and watched the tip glow to life as if its magic had come alive in the presence of the scroll. “Are you ready?”
Avery backed up a step. “Whoa! I don’t even know how to use mine.” She drew her wand but held it awkwardly in front of her, as if it were a bomb that might go off at any moment.
Raven took her hand supportively. “All it does is amplify your magic. I can feel it. The tanglewood tree was born with our ancestors. Its magic fed them for decades. It’s all here.” She stared at the wand in wonder. “All we have to do is ask it to work for us.”
“It’s a branch, Raven, not the neighbor boy. I don’t think asking is going to be enough.” Avery frowned.
“Think of it like your sword,” Clarissa said. “It’s a tool. With the right intention, you can make it work.”
Avery adjusted the wand in her hand, her knuckles turning white from her grip. “Okay. I’m ready to give it a try. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Raven glanced down at the scroll. “I do. I can see it now, like a bow that just needs to be untied. As we did before. Avery, drain the encryption spell. Clarissa, strengthen Avery. I’ll take the magic apart and then translate what’s underneath.”
Clarissa grinned. “I can’t wait to see what’s on the other side of that spell.”
“On the count of three. One… Two… Three.”
Avery grabbed the corner of the scroll. The strange moving text disappeared, replaced by ancient Elvish. Clarissa’s voice rang out, supporting Avery. And Raven uttered a spell that came to her straight from the wand, as if the tree itself were whispering in her ear. With another incantation, Raven watched the symbols jumble and then right themselves in her language. She crossed her arms and made the motion of tying a knot.
