My shoulders curl in. All I can do is nod.
With a gentle finger under my chin, Titus tilts my face upward. “I’ve seen the eyes of a madman. At first, I thought Everett was one. But it wasn’t passion that stole his tongue, it was fear. He saw a future so terrible that he gave his life to prevent it.
“My anger toward him has passed; it does no good to harbor it. I did not choose this path, but I am forced to walk it.” His tone sharpens, but his hand opens as he cradles my jaw.
It’s a foolish move. If anyone saw him touching me like this…
“You will help me, Selene, because, like me, Everett has given you no choice. Do you understand?” The edge of his thumb swipes over my bottom lip as his hand drops.
Titus sits tall, shoulders back, jaw set firm. He could be sitting on a throne. I feel like he is. “Where is the Vitalis?” he demands.
“The…” I cough. He’s cornered me like an animal in my room. A part of me wants to curl into him, as any scared animal would beg for shelter, food, and… love. “The Vitalis,” I repeat.
“Do not play games with me. The word is not foreign to your tongue.” His eyes lock onto my mouth.
In days long forgotten, the book that housed the runes was called the Vitalis. “That word means nothing now,” I reply slowly. I know of it only because one day, I dared to look at the inner pages of a book Everett was reading, a book he stole.
“It’s not a word,” Titus growls. “It is a name. Every name holds a memory of those who bore it. What memory does it hold for you?”
I grind my teeth as I look at the corner. I wish I had never looked at that book! It set Everett’s tongue into a frenzied, passionate fury. He spoke of the old book of runes, of the magic it possessed, of the gods who created it. He told me how the runes worked, how they were not everlasting.
They only stayed marked on the skin for as long as the flesh could endure the power. Some runes lasted only minutes, whereas those less powerful could remain for weeks or months.
What Everett confessed was a grain of rice, compared to the vast field of knowledge he kept hidden from me.
I knew if Father heard Everett speak like this, he’d cut his tongue out. My family no longer praised the gods, who vanished from our lands centuries ago.As for runes, only madmen spoke of them, and those men were hunted down for sport.
Fae were not dreamers; we left that to the mages and humans. Fae are sensible and factual in their thinking.
Titus shifts, widening his legs as he leans closer to me. “Answer me, Selene.” His voice sounds like fog, thick, too deep to decipher the truth probing behind it. “Or do you wish me to pry the truth from your lovely lips?”
My hand flies up to cover my mouth. “You grow bold and forget your place,” I retort. He’s stopped calling me Queen Selene. Something that can not happen in public.
“Your brother blurred my place.”
“I thought you wanted a friendship.”Why are your eyes so dark, Titus?
“You’re biting your tongue, not me.”
“I’m processing.”
“You’re trying to cover up the truth with a lie. I’m trained to know when someone is dishonest. I can read your body like a book.” His eyes sharpen with confidence.
My thighs clench. “Then you should know that my plot has been rewritten. I am duty-bound to protect you. No matter what.”
“I know how to interrogate. Read between the lines. So let’s try this again, as two friends who do not hold back. The Vitalis, where is it?”
I shove my emotions into the deep well where my heart used to be. Drowning them out is harder than usual. “How do you know what the Vitalis is? I’m asking as a friend who is concerned for your well-being.”
His posture stiffens. “Whether by luck or Everett’s planning, we took the Gates of Kalhiem on our way back to Blackthorn.”
“That’s past Blackthorn’s main roads. Why did you divert?”
“The main road was underwater, a strange time of year for such heavy rain, which makes me think water magic was involved. Kalhiem provided the men with food, lodging, andamusement. However, Ishmor is near Kalhiem, a quick boat trip. The Kalhiem bartenders hear many rumors and old stories when the Ishmor scholars arrive. I spoke with some bartenders, and one told me about an old scholar’s visits, and that she said a mage from the west came to Ishmor and enquired about a forgotten book, the Vitalis.”
My smile fades. “Titus, I do not know the book’s whereabouts or if it exists.”
Some of the hope flees from his lungs. “It is real,” he firmly states. “What do you know of runes, Selene?”
