My eyes meet Gale’s, but he lifts his brows in a way that resembles something likeI told you so.
Only, I have no idea what either of them are talking about.
Chapter 18
Renata
A few days have passed, and Rowyn and I have been at the library for two hours, flipping through page after page with no luck.
There’s plenty of books on the history of Briarhollow and former residents of the town. Rowyn’s clued me into some of the pieces of the past that only a local would be privy to.
Like how Briarhollow was home to more than just witches, werewolves and vampires. There were a variety of creatures and monsters that lived in the woods around the area. Things like trickster fairies, forest trolls, shifters that will steal your face, and more. I became acquainted with all different types of creatures living in Hemlocke, but especially the fairies.
A majority of Briarhollow’s inhabitants are now witches. There are plenty of towns and villages that are primarily werewolves or witches. Wolves often live on different schedules controlled by the moon, and prefer communal communities. Witches are less limited by their environment, depending on what their magic is.
Merpeople have their own kingdoms in the seas and lakes. Only the luckiest of magical beings are granted access to their realms. Vampires are the least limited when it comes to where they live. As longas they have access to fresh blood sources—people or animals—and a regular daylight schedule, they have the freedom and strength to go anywhere.
What is most strange is that almost everyone except the witches have scattered across the continents. There are a few werewolves and vampires, like the co-owner of The Wolf & Flame and the mayor of Briarhollow. Lorna’s mate Killian is an omega—or lone wolf, like she said—so he doesn’t require a pack.
Maybe that makes a difference.
It simply doesn’t make sense. How could one city, thriving with so much life and diversity, become the shell of what is now left?
There’s no evidence that the curse extends outside of my family or the property lines, but it’s as if the town died with Petra and Nestor.
“Hey,” I call Rowyn over. She wandered down the aisle as I started reading through a history book I pulled off a cart. “Does Briarhollow have designations? Or was the town created through a different ritual?”
She sets a few books down and settles next to me beside the cart.
“I mean, considering the inn is the heart of the town…” She trails off and gives me a look like it should be obvious.
My head whips in her direction. “I didn’t know that.”
“Really? Oh,” she murmurs with wide eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. I should have mentioned it.”
“No, it’s okay. I promise.” Skimming through the page in front of me again, I ask, “Do you think that’s why the town is slowing fading? I mean, Briarhollow was one of the most prosperous magical towns only a hundred years ago. Maybe that’s somehow connected to the coven’s disbandment and the unlit hearth…”
She thinks it over for a second, but I can see the pieces start to click together.
“It could be,” she admits with a new type of hope. “If we can light the hearth, maybe it would bring a little life back into Briarhollow. Put us back on the map—literallyonthe maps.”
Chuckling, I shrug. “Maybe. Only time will tell, I suppose. How did your grandfather get the job of town librarian anyway?”
It’s a high honor, even in a place as desolate as Briarhollow.
“The mayor herself asked him to take over the post when the last librarian, Old Man Winters, passed away about thirty years ago,” Rowyn answers while skimming over another page.
I side-eye her from where I stand next to her. “You called your librarian Old Man Winters?”
She laughs. “He was pushing one-twenty, to be fair.”
Even by witch standards, thatisold.
Going back to the topic at hand, I ask, “Why did the mayor ask him? Is he the only Divination Witch in town?”
She shakes her head and finishes reading a passage before looking up to me. “There are a few, but his ancestors were the first librarians of Briarhollow, over three hundred years ago. Plus, I think there’s more he knows about the curse than he’s letting on.”
“What do you mean?” I push the book away and give her my full attention.
