Seda looked out the small, crooked window at the green orbs flying around. “Is there anything else I should know?”
Tahti blinked again, and her eyes reverted to their natural color. She screamed and tore at her hair. “Please go, child. I can’t endure this so many times in a single day. Pleasego.”
Seda rushed out the door and slammed it shut behind her, muffling the screams inside. She leaned against it, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, and inhaling restricted breaths of the fresh outdoor air.
Luelle watched her from the gate. “Unfair.” She pouted at Seda.
“What is?” she asked.
“She didn’t hit you with the broom,” Luelle responded.
Seda nervously laughed, glancing back at the door, and walked toward Luelle.
Luelle and Sedastopped at the library doors. Seda was eager to get inside and see if she could find information on the stones that Tahti had mentioned.
“You sure you’ll be okay in there alone?” Luelle asked her.
She responded with a smile and said, “Yes, I’ll find my way around.”
“Good, I have something I need to follow up on. I’ll see you tonight at dinner. You should change out of that miserable dress. You can’t breathe in it. Ael said he asked the chef to make something good,” Luelle said as she winked at Seda.
“I’d love to wear anything except this thing.” She looked down at the constricting dress with a frown.
Luelle laughed and inclined her head toward Seda’s chest. “I noticed several Fae looking there today. Even a certain king of mine.”
Seda chuckled nervously. She hadn’t noticed Cahir watching her, but he was adamant about his hand on her knee.
“I’ll see you later,” Luelle said as she walked down the hall, whistling and bouncing her ponytail as she left.
Seda turned around and opened the thick wooden door to the library, and her eyes widened in awe. Three stories of books greeted her, with floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows casting a soft green light into the room. The rich-toned wood of the shelves and tables all matched, and the most enormous chandelier she had ever seen hung from the center of the room, hundreds of sparkling candles lit, the wax slowly dripping onto a large table at its base.Multiple Fae were inside, seated at the many tables and quietly reading.
She approached a desk where an older woman sat. The woman looked up at her curiously, glasses resting low on her long nose. “I haven’t encountered a human in ages. What brings you here, young lady? What can I help you find?”
“I was hoping you could point me toward mysterious stones? Specifically, any information about a moon-shaped stone,” Seda asked.
The librarian pursed her lips and placed a finger on her chin before muttering something and smiling. She walked around the counter. “I’m not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but I’ll lead you to the section of crystals and similar items. Perhaps you can find something of interest there. If not, feel free to come back to me, and we can look around some more.”
She followed her up to the third floor and down several aisles, noting the row numbers as she passed. The librarian stopped at a section of the bookshelf, and Seda browsed through the titles.
“The Properties of Crystals.”
“Where to find Gemstones.”
“Gemstone Hunting.”
None of them looked quite right, but she thanked the woman who quietly left the area. Seda searched through the bookshelves, muttering in frustration. None of the books looked remotely helpful, but she didn’t want to return to the librarian and ask for more help.
She slowly walked around the library, searching for the history section and examining the titles on each shelf. She turned a corner and bumped into someone carrying a stack of books and scrolls, which covered their face. All the items fell to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” Seda said as she bent down to help pick up thefallen items. She looked up, seeing Meir, and a strange feeling crept up her spine. “Oh… hello.”
He responded with an eerie smile. “Hello, Seda. No worries. I tend to overload.”
She looked at the fallen items. They were all texts and scrolls written in a foreign language. She noted the wordcustoson several titles and handed him a couple.
She suppressed the shudder she felt from being so close to this man, and asked, “Maybe you can help me? I was looking for the history section. Can you point me in the right direction, please?”
“Yes. Follow me. I have some questions I’d like to ask you, if that’s okay? I’d love to learn more about your powers.”
