“Then you understand why I do the things I do.” He shrugs. “Your move.”
I scrutinize the board and realize he’s left his king unguarded. “I don’t want you to let me win.”
“It’s your turn,” he repeats.
With a sigh, I move. “Checkmate.”
“Well played, Princess.”
“You let me win,” I accuse.
He stands, then adjusts his armor before gesturing toward the door. “I’ll take you to your rooms.”
“No. Take me to the library.”
He sighs. “Fine.”
We walk in silence, but Brevan’s words reverberate in my mind. Did I make the wrong choice? Am I going to help anyone? If Katherine was already coming, why am I here? What is the point? So far, I’ve accomplished nothing.
When we reach the library, I enter the expansive room and expect him to wait outside but he follows me. “Do you think someone is going to harm me in the library?”
“I thought you might need help finding books,” he says. “The emperor no longer retains any librarians or priests in here.”
While the space is impressive, I notice how cold and impersonal it is. No fires burn in the hearths today. The only light or warmth comes from the lancet windows above the shelves.
“I’d like to find some books about Darkfall,” I tell him.
“I’m not sure there’s anything about fashion on the shelves,” he says.
“Very funny. I want the history. Why we celebrate it, how it came about, what it means…” What I really want is something about how magic works and if the emperor is truly mortal, but I can’t tell him that.
“This way.” He walks toward a dark corner of the library, where several shelves are tucked away. The books are dusty and smell moldy. Nobody has touched these tomes in a long time. “Here.”
I lean closer to the shelf he indicates and begin to read the spines. Not all of them are labeled, so I get to work pulling the books out and skimming the contents.
While I’m going through them, Brevan gets bored. He sprawls out on a nearby chair, but he continues to scan the room, his head turning slowly as he investigates. Maybe he really is concerned about my safety.
I find four books that seem promising and carry them over to where he’s sitting. “I’m ready.”
When I return to my rooms, my ladies are huddled together, whispering rapidly. When they see me, they break apart and hurry to their usual positions, picking up their abandoned embroidery or cards.
I set my books down on my bed as I scan the room with a furrowed brow. None of them make eye contact. They’re all suddenly focused on whatever is in their hands. “What’s going on? Where’s Marian?”
Katherine is the first to make eye contact. “She’s dead.”
I cover my mouth with my hand as I gasp. “What happened?”
“Nobody will tell us.” Katherine says. “They just said she had an accident.”
I march back to the door and throw it open. Brevan straightens, his hand moving to the hilt of his weapon. Then his expression softens and he drops his arm to his side. “What is it?”
“What happened to Marian?” I demand.
His brow furrows. He doesn’t know.
“Find out. Now.” I slam the door and return to my room. “We will get to the bottom of this.”
None of the ladies are pretending to work on their activities anymore.
