And it was waiting.
Such an odd thought. Waiting for what?
“Why make the effort to bring this to me?” she asked. “Do you think it could be related to the curse?”
“Why do you suspect that?”
She shook her head, still staring at the blade. “I’d be foolish to discount it. Everything feels bound to the spell.” With a sigh, she slipped it back into the bag. “Funny how I can see it now, touch it, and identify it.”
Truly spelled, then.
“I’ll keep it close at all times. You never know when we might need it.”
“Clever.”
After setting it back on her lap, she tilted her head, tapping her lips. I dutifully gave her a kiss, though it was more heated than anything delivered by duty. Moaning, she cupped my face.
I was soon lost in her, only coming to the surface when the small book fell off her lap and thudded on the floor.
“You’re much too distracting,” she said, all flustered as she scooped the book up and returned it to her lap. “Keep doing that, though, would you?”
My laugh rang out. “It would be my pleasure, my queen.”
“Ours, Lore.Ours.”
She lifted the book up to the key, and it fit. The lock clicked, but she lowered the book back to her lap, not flipping back the cover.
“Do we truly want to know what’s inside?” she asked, her voice pensive.
“We need to, don’t we?”
“We might find something that could be hurtful.”
“For me, you mean.”
She snuggled back against my chest. “I could look at it when I’m alone and let you know if you need to hear what’s written inside if you want.”
“Read it. I can handle whatever it might deliver.”
“Alright.” She flipped open the cover and feathered the pages.
“Blank,” I said, disappointment tainting my voice. “I thought?—”
“Not blank at all.” She frowned up at me. “Don't you see her writing?”
I held Reyla’s gaze steady.
“Oh.” Her mouth formed a circle. “Interesting, isn't it?”
“Why?” I was able to croak out.
“I assume I can see what’s there because what she's written could relate to the curse. I've found the curse doesn't allow anyone at Evergorne to speak more than random hints that must slip through the spell. And it chokes you off whenever you try. Maybe it prevents you from reading much about it.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me.” No wonder multiple generations hadn’t been able to discover much about the curse’s origins. That could be why each king had verbally passed information to his heir, rather than writing it down.
A frown knit her face. “Maybe the spell is weakening, either because it's been such a long time or because…” She huffed out a breath. “Or because we're on the cusp of something wonderful.” Her eyes closing, she hugged the book against her chest. “I'm going to believe this is why. Let me read it to you. Blink after the first few lines if you understand what I'm saying.”
I blinked to confirm I understood where she was going with this. Would Reyla’s words make sense, or would only she understand what Valera's mother had written?
