Eagerly wanting to feel the material against my newly cleansed skin, I hurried into the clothes and threw on the slippers I was given. A few random strings sat in my wardrobe that I had no idea what they were for, so I grabbed one and used it to tie my messy curls in a bun on top of my head.
“It’s a new day. Gonna be a great one,” I whispered to myself, the walls, and whatever creatures within hearing range.
I’d dusted near the library for an hour yesterday, so as soon as I shut the door to my room, I headed to it with ease and no escort.
Freedom at last.
Chapter Fourteen
As I meandered the stone passages, the halls bustled with excitement about a ball tonight.
I wondered if it was the same type of ball I’d read about in fairy tale books as a child with fancy dresses, dancing, music, and a glorious feast. I knew I would not be invited, though it would have been nice to see. We had some dancing nights at the community in the past. I’d dance to the strumming of a guitar or a harmonica that Mark, one of the men, used to play. We never played anything too loud so we wouldn’t attract the Dramens’ attention. I’d get dolled up in one of the only dresses I’d owned, a pretty blue sundress that reached my knees. We’d eat food and celebrate being alive in the warmer season after having survived the cold months.
Maybe I’d sneak down to the ball and take a look or offer myself as the help to clean tables and hold trays of food. Anything to see what happened at a Fae gathering. I bet their outfits would be breathtaking, with beautiful colors swirling around the rainbow-hued throne room or out in the garden, where there was a stream and flowers.
I’d been daydreaming so thoroughly, I didn’t pay attention to where I walked and ran into someone. At first, I thought it was Rune. It would be just my luck he would catch me daydreaming. It wasn’t him.
It was a pale-white, almost-gray Fae with big blue eyes like Celestine’s . . . owlish. Her hair was pale and seemed to float in the air like the smoke of a snuffed-out candle. Her fingers were long with pointed claws at the end of the tips. Shimmers of what looked like feathers in her skin mesmerized me.
“I’m so sorry.” I bent down to help pick up the books she’d been holding, now strewn about on the floor. Her head tilted to the side, like she was trying to understand me.
Her petite body and pointy facial features also reminded me of Celestine.
“I’m Celestine’s niece, Myandris. But you can call me Dris.” Her voice was soft, like she didn’t want the louder vibrations of her sound to disturb the books around us. Everything about her said soft and reserved despite the wild, wavy, fluffed-out hair. Her long dress had been dyed light blue, and it stopped just under her knees. She wasn’t wearing any shoes. Her toes looked like her fingers, shimmering, with pointed claws.
“I’m—” I tried to say my name while handing her the three books.
“You’re Sapphira. Human who is going to free us. I’ve been excited to meet you. Celestine spoke highly of you. That’s why I’m going to try to teach you everything I can. Oh, this is so exciting, being a part of something bigger than yourself, you know. Well . . .” She blushed. “I know you know. You’re like a hero. A human doing all this for us and your world.”
I was taken aback by the compliment and her excitement. “Thanks. Do you see things, too?” I was curious if her aunt was the only one who had the gift.
She shook her head quickly. “No, that’s all her. She’s the only one who can. But I do know a lot of things. I am the librarian here. Please, come follow me. I’ve set out a bunch of books for us at a table. I can’t wait to get started.” If her feet weren’t clearly on the floor, I would have thought she floated into the library.
I’d seen the library in passing yesterday, and while it wasn’t a grand room like the ballroom, it was still beautiful. There were six tables in the middle of the tiled floors, one stacked with books. Two stories were covered in floor-to-ceiling books. The stairs and railings were carved wood, thick and sturdy. The breathtaking ceiling had magnificent paintings of magic, the queen, Fae in battle, and Fae embraced in lovers’ arms. A dragon and a firebird flew across the library as if traveling from one book to another. The arched windows let in the natural sunlight. I didn’t want to look away.
“There’s lots of history up there. Every piece of art carries a tale to be told around here,” Dris said.
“It’s very beautiful here. Where I come from, there isn’t much like this anymore. The Dramens don’t care about beauty unless it breeds or makes them coins.” I hated saying their name in this place, like it would seep from of my lips and stain the elegance.
“I’ve heard about them but never ran into one. Only a certain few have.” She organized the books to her liking as I grabbed the wooden chair to sit.
“How is it this place exists and hasn’t been tainted by them?” I had thought that question over and over. I saw no walls or anything that would keep them out by the door in the red tree. The Dramens had to have walked all over those woods looking for food or people. I couldn’t figure it out.
“We are in a different realm than them, and the only portals are ones we guard heavily. They don’t know about it. I think this is a great place to start your lessons about how we and the humans coexisted.”
I settled into my seat, tense but eagerly waiting for Dris to tell me everything. “Great! I feel so lost and don’t know anything.”
She smiled happily. “The Fae have been around for many millennia. The exact details of our history like where we came from have been lost to our historians for a very long time, but there are some that say we came from a tree. When its seeds fell into the Earth, it created life. Some of us were granted the gift of nature from our mother tree. However, no tree has been found in our realm, so I wouldn’t put much thought into that theory. We do have nature cores, though.”
Tor had said every Fae had a core or soul of nature. “The gems are royalty, right?” I asked, hoping to show her I wasn’t completely clueless. She nodded, holding no judgment for my knowledge.
“Yes. Gems are royal. Our queen has a core of a diamond. She was the most powerful being in our realm. The second is a rare core of a dragon.”
A dragon. My mouth must have dropped because Dris giggled and continued on.
“There are many magical creatures in the realm. Dragons used to be one of them, although everyone believes them to be extinct. Unicorns, firebirds, werewolves, and other incredible creatures still lurk about in the woods. I’ve seen the unicorn herds a few times. They are a very skittish group and don’t like to be looked at much. Can’t say I blame them. Vanity isn’t everything.”
I hoped secretly I would get the chance to see one in my lifetime.
