The Shadows and Strategies of Forbidden Forces.
My voice quivered. “Guys. Look at this.”
Delani and Pia huddled by my sides, their hair sagging onto my shoulders as they examined the text.
“Where did you find this one?” Delani questioned Pia, slipping her pointed nail behind the title page and flipping to chapter one.
“This one was in the mending quarters. I remember passing a small bookcase when I was going back and forth to see Kohen. Honestly, I just grabbed it because I liked the glittery cover, but I’m glad I did.
“Chapter one,” I read aloud before my words lost me.
“The extent of what some would call, dark magic,” Pia breathed, her voice dropping with each word.
“Teleportation. Manipulation of god-given magic without bearing the gift. Tracing rituals—I’m guessing that's what Venay did for Kohen?” Delani paused to shudder. “Love, torture, and other curses. Death potions. Soul brutalization beyond the veil. Damn, this shit isdark.”
The rest of the chapter went on to thoroughly explain the basics of what can be accomplished using the unholy form ofmagic, while the following chapters went into further detail—written spells, potions, maneuvers, blood bonds, and more.
When we all felt intensively nauseous, I slammed the book, inhaling the dust particles of dead infirmary patients with my next breath.
“You said this was in the mending ward? Right?” I raised a brow to Pia, who nodded.
“And Venay is essentially the one in charge of the infirmary,” I voiced the epiphany, though they were no doubt thinking the same that I was.
This book was hers, and it confirmed that she wasn’t who we thought she was.
We hadn’t foundanything useful in any of the other books. After sharing the grimoire with the others, Sawyer took a surprising interest in the book and declared he would do the honors of reading it front to back in the hopes he’d discover something helpful.
We agreed that we were down to using any other resources we could find, which meant I needed to speak with my father.
I found his office through the twists and turns of the palace. The paneled door was cracked open, but I knocked upon the birchwood anyway, waiting for his disgruntled approval before entering.
His cheeks rounded with his smile when he saw me, his hazel eyes that mimicked mine lighting up the entirety of his face. “Maeve! Good morning.”
I smiled back, letting my body go limp in a chair in the corner of the room. For hardly knowing the man, I felt oddly comfortable around him, hence why I held no fear in regard tojumping right into things. “Can I talk to you about something without it going anywhere? Father to daughter?”
Archer dropped his quill, the spare ink splattering on whatever he was writing. “Is everything okay?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Yes. No. Not really.”
“What's going on?” His expression turned all too serious as he settled his undivided attention upon me.
“Venay,” I began, dropping my gaze to my lap for a moment. “You never mentioned you were married.”
“Ah.” He folded his hands on top of his desk, glancing down at them. “Listen, I should have. But when you mentioned that your mother never dated anyone?—”
I cut him off. “No. No. That's not what I’m getting at.” I didn’t need his explanation for why he didn't tell me. At this point, I was getting used to the idea of not being told things. Maybe I’d enjoy life a bit more if people kept leaving me in the dark.
“How well do you know her?” I questioned him.
Archer chuckled. “Well, she is my partner. So I know her quite well.”
“Okay. But like, how much do youreallyknow about her?”
He leaned forward over the desk, dropping the tone of his voice into suspicion. “Maeve? What exactly are you asking me?”
I sighed, fidgeting with my thumbs as I raised my attention up. Maybe I wasn’t so comfortable after all. “How long have you known her?”
“Oh gods, I don’t know. Six years at least.”
