Avoiding Elyssa’s inquisitive gaze, Amira replied, “Sorry to disappoint.” Her gaze travelled to the bookshelf that hid the secret door. She hadn’t told Elyssa about it in fear of more questions about her true motivations. Even though she had agreed not to ask about Elyssa’s interest in the library, Amira couldn’t help but wonder. Was Elyssa solely interested in taking advantage of the knowledge hidden between these pages?
To everyone in the palace, including Elyssa and Tarnan, Amira was in the library every day to further her education. Tarnan liked to ask her about what she had learned at lunch and dinner, and Amira made sure to oblige, waiting for the moment he would finally give her access to the locked room.
There had been some interesting findings. A book on the High King Contest, for example, detailing all the contests until Variel Sartoya’s, the Dark King’s, win. After his reign, which had ended seventy-five years ago, there had only been one other high king—Harten Adelway, Karwyn’s father. Elyssa’s face had soured at the mention of both names.
Most of the time, Elyssa was pulling out books, flipping through them before putting them back a minute later. The library was huge, and Elyssa often disappeared between the aisles, allowing Amira to take a few discreet notes on the rare mentions of witches she found.
Sometimes, Elyssa would sit at the table with Amira and read over her shoulder in a very annoying manner. Amira would sigh loudly until Elyssa would chuckle and leave to sit further away with her own book. That was what she was doing now, thank Caelo, yet this time, Amira was the curious one.
“What are you reading?” she asked.
Elyssa scoffed. “A bunch of bullshit on the Sartoya bloodline.”
“Can I see?” Amira held out her hand, and Elyssa gave her the worn-out book.
On the first page, Amira found a family tree. The bloodline stopped at Variel Sartoya’s children. He’d had two daughters and a son who all died on the same date, the day of the fall of Cinnite, the capital of Rubien.
“I heard they died because of their father’s curse,” Amira said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Looking at his children’s birth and death dates, they had lived such short lives. The oldest daughter had barely been ten years old, the younger one only five. And the boy had been an infant, not even one year old, when he had died.
“Variel Sartoya destroyed everything. His family, Liraen, Earth. Humans were all good before he decided to force us into Liraen.” Elyssa curled her hands into fists. “And his legacy lives on. We’re still goddamn hunted even with the treaty that supposedly keeps us from enslavement.”
With the agreement between humans and fae in place, no fae could enslave a human by forcing them into a life contract, bound by blood. When fae had fallen victim to the Dark King’s dark power of compulsion, they’d needed the help of humans whose minds were unaffected by his power. If they hadn’t been forced into a slave blood contract, humans had had the upper hand compared to fae who had been helpless against the Dark King’s compulsion. Working together, fae and humans had managed to overthrow the Dark King. Yet that didn’t mean fae treated humans with kindness now.
Amira knew she might be going too far, but she asked anyway, “Do your parents live in Turosian?”
Elyssa immediately closed off, letting out a sharp sigh. “No. Goddamn fae made sure of it.”
Amira’s heart shrunk in her chest. She could fill in the blanks. Elyssa’s parents were probably dead, giving her every reason to hate fae, to hate what Amira was trying to go back to. Amira knew that already, but it still stung.
She shifted in her chair, and Elyssa’s skin brushed hers for barely a moment as she handed back the book. A strange rush went to Amira’s heart. She tried to calm her racing pulse. Why was it acting so strangely?
“I’ve also met some good fae,” Elyssa said with a warm smile, setting the book on the table. “Fae I would die to save, who I wish a better future for. One where we can coexist.”
Amira’s eyes fluttered. She knew that Elyssa wasn’t talking about her, but the idea that she might not hate her completely filled her heart with a strange joy. “I’m guessing I’m not part of that group of fae.”
Elyssa’s eye brightened, sending a jolt through Amira’s system. “Maybe one day I’ll save you too.” Elyssa’s smile widened into a devilish grin. “I’m good at saving people and dashing into danger.”
“And who is going to save you?” Amira asked, unsure of her own intention.
Elyssa’s smile slipped. “I don’t need saving. I’ve gotten out of a lot of crazy situations unscathed. There is no room to be scared, to wait for rescue.” Elyssa’s grin returned, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “But if you asknicely,I’ll let you save me, sunshine.”
Something about Elyssa’s nickname for her stole Amira’s breath. Her vision blurred and her hand went limp. What in Liraen was wrong with her?
“Do you need a small dose?” Elyssa asked, watching her closely.
Amira felt a drop of sweat form on her forehead. She glanced at her clammy hands, curling them around the fabric of her dress to stop from shaking. Elyssa reached into her pocket and took out a quarter of a pill. Swallowing it with a glass of cold water, Amiras’s vision returned to normal and her skin felt colder.
“Thank you,” Amira said. “Sorry for interrupting your reading.”
Instead of going back to reading, Elyssa stared at Amira with unusual seriousness. “You shouldn’t marry Karwyn. Everyone knows he’s fucking evil. I don’t think you’re like him.” Elyssa paused, assessing her reaction before she added, “You can choose to be on the good side. The side that does the saving.”
Amira tensed. The issue with cutting off her fortae use was that everything she had tried to forget was coming back to her in vivid flashes. Nalani’s lifeless body appeared before her eyes, and she had to shut them to be able to breathe. “I didn’t know before coming to Turosian. I didn’t know much about anything,” Amira replied.
Elyssa grabbed her hand. “But now you know. So why not fight?”
The darkness in her heart started moving, slowly spreading through her.Why didn’t she? What if she let out her beast and showed Karwyn her true self?
No,she couldn’t let it out. It was wrong.Shewas wrong. It would damn her. And her mother too.
