“Cressida suggested that I fully become a dryad,” she shared with them.
“Why?” Eunice asked.
This led to Nina explaining her heart and the pain and confusion.
“Of all the dryads to listen to, Cressida is the last,” Maera warned. “She is angry and bitter over a rejection and lost love, and why she found solace as a dryad. The rest of us were born a nymph.”
This was something that Nina had not known.
“Basilia is correct,” Galene added. “Do not think with your heart, only with your head, and do not make any decisions on your future until there has been time and distance in which to look back, without emotion, on what is best for you.”
Nina took Galene’s words to heart and then thanked them for their advice.
As the tide was coming in, it was time for her to return home, having not visited the temple once today. As she set to doing the chores that had been neglected of late, Nina couldn’t help but wonder if Orion had come to visit even though she had asked him to stay away. Yet, she would not go there now, nor would she ask the dryads if he had visited. It was better, for her heart, not knowing.
Twenty
It was almost too much to take in. The vault was cavernous with aisles of shelves laden with books, crates and objects.
“There are no stairs to Tartarus, unless we have not found them yet,” Pierce observed.
“Nor dragons.” Orion turned to his brother. “I will let you break the news to Simon.”
“Where do we begin?” Pierce asked as they both stood there, taking in the vault.
“First we need more light.” The lamps they carried only brightened a small bit, but the shadows extended far beyond, and he couldn’t help but wonder how far.
Pierce walked to the wall and lit the lanterns placed evenly, from what he could see, along the wall. While Pierce went left, Orion went right until they could see much better, yet he still didn’t know where to start.
“There are labels,” Pierce called from the other side of the vault.
It was then that Orion truly studied the shelves. There were labels attached to the shelves listing what the item was that sat above it. The closest to the door were journals from the caretakers that had come before him. Though they might prove to be interesting, Orion was more curious to what else was here.
“What is the sword of enchantment?” Pierce asked and began to reach for it.
“Do not touch anything with the words enchantment, magical, or such attached to it,” their father announced, startling the brothers.
“I should have issued that warning when I handed over the key. When I could not find you, I assumed you were here.”
“Why cannot we touch anything?” Pierce asked.
“Some items still hold their magic and we are uncertain what could happen if a non-witch comes into contact with them.” He picked up a small, leather-bound book that was sitting beside the sword. “When curious, read the journal. It will tell the history, if it is known, who and how it was used, and the magic it possesses.”
Orion did a slow turn, taking in the vault once again. There were hundreds of items upon the shelves and attached to the wall and all had a small leather book. This was more of a treasure room than anything else. No wonder it was kept locked.
A chill ran down his spine at the thought of what could have happened if he, his brother, and cousins had managed to find their way in here when they were just boys.
His father took a torch from the wall, lit it, then lifted it above his head. There he lit a chandelier of candles, which helped to further brighten the room. He then continued further back, lighting chandeliers as he went until he finally reached the back of the vault, which ended at yet another metal door.
“What is behind there?” Orion asked.
His father chuckled. “You will be granted access once you have wed.”
Orion frowned. “What if I never wed?”
“Then you will never see what is within,” his father answered.
“This is marvelous,” Petra gasped as she joined Orion in the center of the vault.
