I leaned back as my stomach soured from the realisation that I might not be able to find anything on the runes. I’d been at this for long enough now that surely, I would have found something. A reference, even if brief.
But there was not a single thing amongst these books.
Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place, I thought, shaking my head. Hadn’t Asael, Pandora’s own mate, said they’d removed any mention of it? Well, he said they’d destroyed references to the skull, but maybe they’d also ensured anything that could lead to it was gone, too.
Which was a great fucking help now.
But then, how did Dante find it?A chill rolled down my spine as I grabbed the meagre research I already had. We couldn’t exactly be certain what he told Adrian andRhadamanthus was true. That he learned about the skull through a letter to…
My eyes narrowed as I took in my books. “Hey!” I shouted, getting the attention of the scholar.
In a flash, he was in front of me. You’d think growing up around vampires would mean you’d get used to how damned fast they were, and yet I still flinched at his reappearance.
The male bowed at the waist. “Yes, Sir Rowan?”
I grimaced, my skin puckering. “Do we have anything on Queen Titania’s brother? The one who gave up her power for Pandora? I know it’s a long shot, but?—”
“We have extensive records about the end of the High Queen’s rule, which should include information about Emris and Oberon, her brothers,” the scholar interjected, bowing his head.
Something about the nameEmrismade my stomach twist uncomfortably. “What do you know about the first one?”
“Emris was the youngest of three siblings, which included Titania and Oberon, the last true High Fae rulers. Emris was a general for the Fae army but transitioned into politics at the turn of Titania’s health and the curse being placed upon him and her children. Emris had no heirs, and to our knowledge, no mates.”
I nodded slowly, reaching for a pen and paper. “That makes sense. Sounded like he was a bit of a whore.”
“He was,” the scholar confirmed with a wry smile. The simple answer almost made me laugh. “Of course, once the curse was placed, he would not have fathered any heirs regardless. To our knowledge, he had old ties to the Luna Court, where he?—”
“Wait.” I looked up, taking in the demon-vampire’s dark eyes. “What do you mean, he had ties to Luna?”
The scholar cleared his throat, taking a seat at the table that’d basically been a rotation of researchers attempting to help me. “Well, upon the death of Queen Titania, the High Palace closed. The magic locked it, and none—not even Sir Eryx—could enter. One could only step foot on the shores ofthe island, but they could go no further than the beach, for the palace wanted to mourn.”
I shifted carefully, confused on how I didn’t know any of this.Because you didn’t care enough to pay attention in your political studies and Fae History classes, idiot, I reminded myself. “What does that have to do with Luna?”
“They share shores. The Luna High Lady felt sorry for Emris and offered him a piece of land deep in the mountains. Only he took three brides and hid them away within the walls of his fortress and claimed the land as his own.” The scholar shook his head, disgusted. “From there, his…legacy grew. Some say his followers started the war that destroyed the Old World based on his writings. On the night of the blood moon, they cut down the dragons and threatened to ruin us all.”
Blood. Blood. Blood.
“Fuck,” I breathed, standing. “Get me whatever you have on him. I’ll be back.”
I was grateful for all the fucking running I’d done in training, because I barely felt anything as I dashed from the library through the palace towards the dungeons. I bypassed the elevator entirely, going to the stairs, almost flying down them. Not a single soul stood in my way.
The stairs opened to the main floor of cells. In the distance, I heard the sleeping growls of hellhounds, the quiet whimpers of our prisoners. My breaths were harsh as I pushed my way towards Hyperion’s cell where I knew Maeve would be.
The two guards stepped aside as I approached, so I pushed my way in, barely flinching at the sight.
Blood was everywhere, and Maeve looked about ready to tear the chained male apart.
“What?” she seethed, looking up at me with red eyes.
“Blood. He said Dante needed blood, and I know why,” I gasped, resting my hands on my knees. “Fucking hell. Blood moon. Lunar eclipse. The Luna Court isn’t due for one of those in months.”
Maeve stepped back from Hyperion, though her eyes shifted from me to him. “Is that so?”
“Yep.” With great relief, the male squirmed. “Avalon has the next lunar eclipse. In three weeks.”
Which meant Ivy could be anywhere across two fucking realms with a timeline for her execution hanging right over our heads.
6
