Cillian frowned, still sitting at the table. “Is your room dirty?”
“No, I found a library, but it’s a complete mess. So much dust and dirt and debris everywhere, and don’t even get me started on the bookshelves. It’s a complete travesty. Truly.”
Cillian stared at me.
“What?” I raised my hand to my cheek. “Do I have something on my face?”
“You found our library? It’s been missing for seven years.”
“Well, I didn’t really find it. The castle kind of pushed me into it. It was actually really scary. I found a talking painting.” I shrugged.
He stood and raced to me, grabbing me by the shoulders. “Niamh, this is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re meant to be here. I just know it.”
“Because I found a dirty old library?”
“You don’t understand.”
I rolled my eyes. “Wolfe told me about the disappearing rooms.”
“We’re going to have an in-depth conversation later about how you’re getting my brother to tell you things, but it’s not just that the rooms are disappearing. It’s that we haven’t found any of the disappearing rooms. Not a single one. They vanish, leaving behind a wall or stairway that leads nowhere. Not to mention that without our library we’ve been essentially cut off from information and learning. There are thousands of books there with valuable history and information about the castle that could help us understand what’s happening now. The fact that you found the library means something. I’m sure of it.”
I worried at my bottom lip. “Maybe that’s what I can do?” I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. “I can clean it up and be the librarian for a bit. I know books so well, and Morton would be ecstatic to eat all those books.”
Cillian frowned.
“Just until I’m queen!” My heart sank at the thought of becoming queen and having to leave the library, which was silly, given I’d just found it. It might’ve been messy and dirty, but it had felt like home.
“The queen can’t exactly be a librarian, but... sure, you can fix it up and then find your own replacement. Our last librarian diedshortly after the library disappeared.” He held up his hands. “Not related, I promise. She was really old.”
“Do you happen to know where any cleaning supplies are? That was the one thing Wolfe couldn’t tell me. Unless you think the library might clean itself?”
Cillian scratched his head. “I’ve never seen the castle clean itself.” He gestured to the broom, now sweeping up some dust in the corner of the room. “Some items become magical and work themselves, but others don’t.” He shrugged. “I like to the think the castle does this so that we still need to hire people, give them jobs.”
An awkward silence fell over us.
“So dinner tonight?” Cillian asked.
Suddenly, I felt tired. All the activities of the day had made me want to snuggle in bed with a book. Plus, I had training with Wolfe tomorrow. I was about to mention it but stopped myself before Cillian’s head exploded. I’d told him enough surprising things about his brother for one day. This could wait.
“Maybe we could do dinner tomorrow? Or the day after? I’m feeling tired.”
“Huh.” He clucked his tongue. “Not every day a woman rejects me.”
“I didn’t reject you.” I swatted him, and he laughed.
“All right, Niamh Merridon.” He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to it. “Dinner soon.”
CHAPTER 15
Wolfe
“Am I ever actually going to use a weapon?” Niamh said through heavy breaths as she went through the repeated motion I’d just taught her.
She forced her palm upward with one foot forward and a slight bend to her knees.
“No,” I said, circling. “And you’re not planting your feet enough. Any attacker could easily get you off-balance when you’re standing like that.”
“What am I supposed to do?” She shot me an irritated glance as she forced her palm out and up again. “Nail my feet to the ground? How are they not planted?”
