CHAPTER I
BARDOT(S)
“The King is requesting you.”
The curtness in the woman’s voice has me stilling my hand in front of the mystical book I’ve been eying. I thought I’d gotten over that small reaction last year, but it seems old habits really do die hard. I’m allowed here and she knows it, but her gaze still narrows on my fingers as if daring them to move.
“Thank you, Kiera,” I give her a small smile and pull the book off the shelf, “I can head back to the castle now if you’d like to inform him.”
Kiera’s cool gaze follows my hand down to the bag at my hip, her beautiful features remaining stoic as I tuck away the pages. She nods without saying a word and turns along the library hall, her long, curled hair swaying behind her back with a perfection I can never achieve.
“Will I inform His Grace that you’ll take the Bell Grove path?” her curt voice beckons me to follow her out of the library,now, “or will you take the Palisades down to the castle?”
I sigh at her tone and consider my options.
I woke up at dawn this morning to take the walk to Bardot’s Library, hoping to grab a couple of books before heading out to the Willow. The plan was to visit the Palisades after that for a late breakfast, but I’d only just reached the second floor of the library before Kiera approached.
The Bell Grove path is the quickest route back to Castle Bardot and would put me in front of the King before most of the residents even began their morning routine, but it’s the path I originally took to get here and not one I’d like to take again. I’m desperate to visit the Palisades… desperate to see the city atop the mountain. I need to walk its cobblestone paths and see the familiar faces I haven’t seen in a month.
But the travel is slow and more than double what it would take along the Bell Grove, making me late to an official summons.
“Did he seem urgent?” I ask, catching up to Kiera’s side.
The Discerni woman turns down another hall and nods without looking my way.
“Indeed he did, human.”
“Then you can inform His Grace I’ll be taking the Bell Grove path,” I tell her on another sigh.
“And the book?” her eyes flick to the bag at my hip.
I reach for the strap across my chest and follow it down to my side. “I’ll return it the next time I’m here.”
I always do.
Kiera’s quiet indifference slips for a moment as a small huff of disapproval falls from her lips.
“And when will that be?”
I truly have no answer to give her.
My trips to Bardot’s Library are always sporadic and depend on whenever I have free time at the castle, and seeing as I only got back to the capitol yesterday from a month’s-long journey, I have no idea how long my next trip will be or when I’ll be able to return the book.
“You know I can’t answer that, Kiera,” I reply quietly.
Kiera remains cool and collected in her walk, her irritation hidden well behind another mask of stoicism. I can still see the guarded look behind her eyes as she stares straight ahead, but it’s a familiar look by now and one I know is best to ignore. The Discerni of Disce’s libraries aren’t happy with the command that’s been issued on my behalf by our King, and while they may not like that I walk their ancient halls or can never give them a date on when I’ll return their mystical books, they’ll never go against an order given by His Grace.
The two of us walk in silence and follow the rows of bookshelves until they lead us to the main staircase of the library. The library itself is one of the largest in Knowledge and filled with hundreds of halls, each of them always seeming to whisper in a scolding demeanor whenever I visit. I really should spend more time in these depths but my travels over the last two years have made that nearly impossible. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate the beauty of this library when I am here, so I ignore Kiera’s silent sulking and follow her down the steps to the main entrance.
Rows of books flank every wall, while scores of pines, oaks and cedars stand tall in every corner. Their thick limbs tangle between the shelves like arms protecting the pages from any ill manner, their leaves falling to the floor in such a slow descent that it creates an air of peaceful serenity. Stained glass windows of gold and green glow from the morning sun, the colors so vibrant that they leave a shimmer within the library that can’t be replicated anywhere else. Even the double doors centered on the ground floor are just as beautiful, both of them carved so intricately that it’s easy to forget their massive size.
I look up at the engraved wood and smile at the Court of Knowledge emblem that’s centered in the middle: an encircled oak tree with an open book resting at the bottom of the trunk. Both of them groan in greeting, the doors swinging out on their own accord as if sensing our arrival.
“You’ll let him know?” I smile at the small bit of magic and turn towards the Discerni.
Kiera’s eyes glance over my shoulder to the tall oak at the bottom of the library steps. I grin and make my way to the tree before she can, carefully placing my hand on the trunk where the rough wood flattens into a large, smooth slab.
“Alexis…” she sighs.
