She helped him gather the remaining scrolls, carrying some for him as they went. They moved farther into the second floor and found a table to place the items on.
“History’s all in here.” He waved his hands around him toward the alcove of books. There were hundreds of them. “It’s a rather large section.”
She reached for a book title as he sat back in his chair, adjusted his glasses, and looked at her. “Do you love King Ael?”
Seda hesitated, almost dropping the book. Why would he ask that? She paused before responding, “He was my best friend in Joro, my only true friend there outside of my family.”
Meir looked at her without saying anything, slowly chewing his thumbnail and watching her. “How did your powers emerge?”
“Umm…” She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share about herself or her past, but she said, “I defended myself at the Camp and it just… happened.”
Meir continued watching her with his hand under his chin, listening to her words. “And what happened then?”
“Well, the man died. He was electrocuted. Elco disposed of the body for me before anyone found out.”
“Have you ever experienced anything weird or strange that might have indicated you had a power before this? Has anythingtraumatizing ever happened to you before?” he asked, his eyes widening in anticipation and a slight smirk cresting his lips.
“No and …no,” she lied. She didn’t feel comfortable telling him the truth about Michael and Alexi all those years ago. The fewer people who knew, the better. She didn’t want anyone to judge her or think less of her, and she really didn’t want people to pity her. She had grown so much since being at the Camp and living in Joro. She no longer cowered or cried in fear. She didn’t want to be seen as weak, even if it made no logical sense. It was her business and her business only.
“And King Ael said that the Corvids are loyal to you?” he asked.
“What do you mean by loyal? Roya and Ferona have said that they have protected me for years. I had no idea they were watching over me.” She felt this conversation needed to end, and fast.
He smiled brightly and pressed, “Loyalty, like you telling them what to do, as if they are your servants.”
Seda’s sudden burst of laughter caught Meir by surprise, and his bushy eyebrows flew up. This felt like too much. First, he was asking her private questions, and now he was making assumptions. Roya and the others weren’t tied to her in any way, and she didn’t give them commands. They were…mysteriously… protecting her. She turned to face the window and watched the shadow of the green orbs outside dance around behind the colored glass. “I don’t command the Corvids.”
His slitted eyes met hers. “Interesting. Perhaps you could? Have you tried?”
She needed to escape these questions and this man. “Thank you for showing me where the history section is, Meir. It was nice to see you again. I’ll see you tonight at dinner, right?” She wanted to leave quickly. That same creepy sensation was rising up her spine again.
“You don’t want to look around?” He held his hands out toward the books lining the shelves around them and smiled at her.
“Oh, I’ll be back. I have a few things that need to be completed. Thank you for showing me where the section is, though.”
He studied her before saying, “Then, yes, I’ll see you tonight. Neoma will be there, too. As you know, she’s also new.”
“Sounds good,” she replied as she retreated towards the staircase leading to the exit of the library. She exited through the doors, leaving that intrusive man behind and fighting the oily feeling he left her with.
She headed to her bedroom, walking past the large, double doors to the East Wing, and noticed two guards posted at her door. She paused and looked at them. “Hello, my room is behind these doors.”
The guard with brown hair and a long beard looked at her and chuckled. His gaze flicked to the other guard with trimmed black hair and a narrow face. They both smiled.
“Is something funny?” She narrowed her eyes at them.
“No, Seda Arbor. Nothing’s funny. We know who you are, and King Ael has told us to wait for you and guard your door. Please don’t electrocute us,” the bearded guard said, and they both laughed.
“May I please enter my room?” She scoffed at their lack of good humor. They stepped aside, and she walked in. What was Cahir worried about that she needed guards at her door? Especially those two? She went inside and reached around her back to pull the laces of her dress. They wouldn’t budge.
She spent a few minutes trying to untie them and had just begun to pull at the laces, tightening them in the process, when a knock on her door drew her attention. “Yes?” she asked with irritation, trying to breathe through the constricting corset.
Cahir opened the door and entered, smiling at her as he always did—sincerely, cheerfully, and frustratingly charming. He noticed her tied-up fingers in her laces and paused his steps into the room. “Should I leave?”
“No… no, don’t go. Can you please help me loosen these? I’ve been trapped in this damn dress all day, and I desperately need to get it off.” She turned away from him and listened to his footsteps as he slowly approached her.
She felt the tickle of his breath brushing her neck as he leaned down and gently touched the laces. Goosebumps rose on her arms and shoulders, and he paused behind her. The room seemed to close in as she focused on the amplified sound of him and the sensation of his warm fingers.
Why had he stopped? Did he notice her goosebumps? He slowly started to gently tug at the bottom lace above her backside and gradually loosen it from her back, his fingers softly grazing the skin between her shoulder blades.
