22
Eislyn
The door of Eislyn’s private drawing room swung wide, and a dark-haired servant scurried inside wearing the prince’s emblem: a black crown with the ends tipped in gold. She stood quickly from her seat beside the hearth, placing her open book on Selkirk history on the cushion while she bowed low. When she glanced up, the servant was gone. In her place stood Prince Thane.
She held in a gasp. Instead of his standard armor, Thane wore a relaxed, tawny linen shirt beneath a doublet spun from warm golden silk. His dark linen trousers were belted by fine leather, and metallic buttons in the shape of crowns lined the sides. A small section of his hair had been braided on one side. His ear sliced between the braid and the rest of his gleaming hair.
“You look well,” he said cheerfully. “It is as though you were not injured at all.”
Eislyn pressed down the front of her rumpled gown. She had been reading for hours, and the silver hoarfrost silk was now covered in fine wrinkles, like those around an ancient fae’s eyes. “You are right. There seems to be no evidence at all that anything happened that night.”
Thane’s smile died. “Do not tell me that Reyna’s accusations have gotten to you, too.”
“Of course I don’t blame the High Queen for a rogue fae’s actions.” Flustered, Eislyn pushed a single strand of hair behind her sharp-tipped ear. “But I don’t understand why there have been no enquiries. Don’t you wish to find whoever’s behind this?”
“There have been enquiries,” Thane replied. “Quiet ones.”
She sighed. “All right then. Thank you for checking on me. I am feeling much better now.”
Confusion rippled across Thane’s face. “Do you wish for me to go?”
“I...was there something else? I assumed you came to check on my health.”
A flush crept up his neck, and he cleared his throat. “I vowed to help you with the Ruin once you were feeling better. As you’ve recovered now...I thought I would give you a tour of the castle library.”
“Oh.” Eislyn’s own cheeks went hot. “That would be quite helpful.”
“Good.” Thane beamed. “It is settled then. Are you ready to go now or should I come collect you at a later time?”
“Now is good,” she said quickly, gathering her shawl from the chair to protect her arms from the blustery wind. “I see no reason at all to delay. Unless, of course…you are unable to attend to this right now? I know you’re very busy.”
“From now on, I am never too busy to help you, Eislyn.”
* * *
Thane led Eislyn into the gleaming castle library. Dropping back her head, she gaped. The domed glass ceiling seemed so high that it should touch the sky. Shelves rose up two storeys above, every one packed tightly with leather-bound books. Curving wooden stairs led to a carpeted walkway to access the tomes on the higher level, lit by flickering candlelight.
A vine-covered tree sprouted through the timber floor, reaching up toward a high, impassable level stored with bound scrolls.
In the center of the floor sat three small empty tables. Thane motioned to the closest one.
Vreis left them in the library after giving it a full sweep. She imagined he was searching for assassins that lurked in the shadows. It gave her a chill. As much as she had pretended otherwise, the attack had scared her half to death. She could not get the images out of her mind. Knives flashing in the darkness. The blade slicing deep into her skin. She could even still smell the blood in the air.
It had reminded her far too much of her mother.
“Eislyn,” Thane said quietly. She glanced up to find him staring at her with concern flickering in his aurelian eyes. “Are you certain you feel ready for this? We can return to your chambers if you would rather rest. The Ruin will not be solved today, whether or not we search these stacks.”
“No, I am fine.” She shook her head, ridding her mind of her thoughts. “It may not be solved today, but it will not be solved at all if I stay locked inside my bedchamber. Tell me, where should we begin the search?”
Thane seemed hesitant to continue, but he motioned for her to follow him through the towering stacks to the very back wall of the library. Here, the light was dimmer. Gold did not gleam from every corner. Cobwebs hung in the corner, a clear sign that it had been a very long time since anyone had been here.
“These are the books on dark magic,” Thane said, his voice dropping to a deep whisper. “It is generally frowned upon to read these tomes, but these are terrible times. The Ruin is from dark magic. I know it in my bones. This is a very good place to begin your search.”
Eislyn’s stomach flipped. She could scarcely believe there were actual books on dark magic in the Air Court’s library. Not only that, but they were in thecastle’slibrary. That meant a High King or Queen had collected them, or at least some member of the nobility. What would they have wanted with dark magic?
It was an Unseelie power, sent down for those who worshipped the dark god. It was linked to none of the elemental arts that the fae had once had. It was something else entirely. Something dangerous. Eislyn shivered just thinking about it. There had been a reason the Shadow Court had been exiled, and she was staring straight at it.
She glanced up at Thane, who had been watching her all this time. “Are you certain this is safe?”
