Some of the tension leaked out of my shoulders. Sometimes Kaldur could really fuck things up with his words. Other times he knew exactly what to say.
“Just don’t go berserk trying to explain that to an elderly Kylorr female, all right?” he continued, exasperation in his tone. “I’m heading back to the keep. I haven’t slept yet. You coming?”
I turned my head to regard the doors of the archives.
“No,” I said, already knowing that this was a foolish decision. But right then, I was feeling reckless. I just needed to escape the buzzing underneath my own skin, if only for a moment. “You go. I need to find something in the archives.”
CHAPTER7
MILLIE
Since arriving on Krynn, the Erzan archives building had been one of my favorite places. It reminded me of the grand, gothic cathedrals on Bartu with their sweeping stark lines, echoing the haunting reverberation of the Bartutians’ chants in the evenings.
The archives were quiet that morning, which wasn’t strange in itself. They’d been mostly deserted every time I had happened to visit in the last few months—which, admittedly, had been often.
Obviously, I didn’t read the Kylorr language, but the archives had translator pods, though they were terribly out-of-date and always pixelated every third word as I ran one over the parchment of the books and scrolls.
There was no one to offer help either. Or to monitor or even protect the texts here. Anyone could freely walk in, steal a whole trunkload of books, and no one would be ever the wiser. I thought that was incredibly reckless and foolish…and yet Erzan had never seemed to have a problem with it considering the archives were packed to the gills, stuffed with more texts and tomes than it seemingly knew what to do with.
I found comfort in the quiet and the maze of stacked books that sometimes resembled small, haphazard skyscrapers on the revolving colonies of Injit. I ran my translator pod over any spines that had writing on them. I was looking for maps of Stellara. Maps of Erzos, even. And, especially, histories of the noble families that had once resided here—or continued to. Surely there should’ve been record of them somewhere.
Anyone who I had ever asked about the noble House of Loria had gone strangely mute. I knew that the residents of Erzos were a superstitious people, but they always pressed their fingers to their chests when I spoke the nameLoria, their wings rustling with an unfelt breeze. Every single time it happened, it made dread curl tighter and tighter in my belly.
I scanned my pod over the spine of one book, which translated toErzan Ports…something.The third word was illegible. I hit the pod with the back of my hand a couple times, trying again, but it yielded the same results.
I heard heavy footsteps from the next shelf of books over. Another patron to join the handful who were inside the archives.
Erzan Ports…what?
“Are you looking for something in particular?”
I jumped, whirling around when I recognized the voice.
Kythel of House Kaalium stood there, his wings wedged between two book skyscrapers. His expression was fixed on me, and with a surprising grace, he turned his body in such a way that he slid into the aisle without rustling a single piece of loose parchment poking out from the tomes.
Immediately, my tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth. I had thought that, perhaps, his eyes hadn’t been as…consumingas I’d remembered them from last night.
Unfortunately, I found that wasn’t the case. Not at all. If anything, they were even more fatally beautiful in the daylight, with sun streaming in through the wide, arched window, spearing through the black steel bookcases.
I clenched my hand around the small translator pod.
“Oh, I was…” I began, my voice sounding too high pitched, nervous to see him considering Lesana’s warning from last night was still running through my mind. I cleared my throat and forced a small smile. “I’m looking for maps of Erzos. Of Stellara specifically.”
I had the impression that Kythel was holding himself perilously still. Was he evenbreathing?
“Why are you seeking maps of Stellara?”
“Curiosity,” I said, my smile widening. I began to turn away before second-guessing myself. Was it rude here to turn one’s back on aKyzaire? It was rude to do so to a royal family member on Hop’jin, after all. A high insult indeed. It could mean one’s death if the rank of the royal member was high enough.
To be safe, I angled my body in such a way that he could still see the profile of my face as I navigated the aisle.
He wants to feed from you,I reminded myself, feeling my throat get strangely tight. Should I have felt…honored? Complimented? How did a Kylorr go about choosing their blood givers? Was it something that they specifically searched for, or was it more of a spontaneous whim?
“I lived in a forest once,” I told him. “On Gwytri. Its forests are filled with these little insects that spray you with thisfoulliquid. It made my skin burn. Humans are allergic to it, we later found out. I hated it there, but the people as a whole were incredibly welcoming and kind. Though they would try to pluck strands of my hair as I passed because they were fascinated by it.”
I swallowed down the other rambling words that threatened to surface. I was used to making idle small talk with strangers. I prized myself on my ability to speak with anyone, and yet…Kythel of House Kaalium was exceedingly intimidating.
Slowly, Millie,I thought. It was something I told myself when I felt uncertain. When I felt nervous. It reminded me to take one moment at a time. Asinglemoment. It madeeverythingfeel more manageable.
