No. No. Just let me look a bit longer.
But the magic retreated, sending me whirling back into my body so quickly, I nearly toppled out of my chair.
“My Lady! My goodness. What did you see?” Oddo was ready with a quill and parchment to recount my vision.
“I—” I pressed my fingers into my eyes “—I couldn’t find it. The vision was too frail.”
“Oh, I see.” He slowly set down the quill and folded his hands. “Let’s call it a night. Go get some rest. The knowledge isn’t going anywhere and you can always try again when you feel ready.”
Silently, I added Oddo to the list of people I was actively lying to.
Alba found me pacing on my terrace at sunset. “My Lady, have you slept at all?”
I chewed on my nail bed, willing the sun to set faster. The quicker night came, the quicker I could get to the library. Oddo hadThe Sourceunder lock and key so it could be protected while the Hive slept.
My vision had been echoing all night. The items, especially the necklace Cova wore, were a consistent loop, repeating in time with my paces.
“Umm. A bit…I think,” I lied, halting my steps as I reached for the hot mug of coffee from Alba, but she retracted it.
“My Lady, you need rest,” she encouraged me, like a good friend would.
“I can’t,” I snapped, then softened and repeated myself, “I can’t.”
There was too much to do, too much unknown. I couldn’t rest. Not without the crushing weight of guilt, anyway. On the other side of the answers we sought was the possibility of progress and peace. Despite my predicament with Rhazien, I had entirely adopted his cause once I’d seen the Northern Hive for myself. And despite my best efforts to keep my family out of harm’s way, fate was sucking them back in again.
Alba sighed beneath her gray robes.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. She was only trying to help. “There’s just so much pressure?—”
“What if—” Alba interrupted me, gesturing to the mug in my hands. “What if I offered you something stronger?”
I cocked a brow. “What did you have in mind?”
Chapter 28
The Sun and The Moon
The Day Guard were a boisterous lot, their ranks plush with exiled criminals from the human realm. Everything from petty thievery to murder, those who protected the Southern Hive during sunlight hours had a reputation for their ruthlessness.
Oddo had shown me a map of the grounds during one of our lessons. The Day Guard squads were housed in two sets of barracks which framed the perimeter of the Southern Hive lands. Set an equal distance from either encampment was Last Light, aptly named for when their shift ended and their drinking began.
“Alba, is this place safe?” I rasped, catching the eye of a small group of soldiers watching us tie up our horses. No one knew we’d left the Hive and I’d had my fair share of dangerous run-ins the last few weeks.
I pulled my plain cloak tighter as she thrust a flask into my hand. The notes of my favorite red wine rushed from the leather pouch and into the freedom of the young night.
“Bromport?” I asked before taking a long drink.
“My hometown.” She winked.
I extended the flask in her direction. “I have to be back by two in the morning.”
“Of course. But until then, we’re going to let loose.”
Slowly, my chambermaid removed her veil. Miles of golden hair tumbled from beneath her head wrap. She ran her hands through it,fighting with it like you would an unruly garment. The effort sent her thin lips into a slight frown and she crinkled her button nose as she scolded her mane for disobeying. Her cheeks sat high on her angular face, which slid down to a delicate, pointed chin. She could have been a portrait in a hall of royals.
I held the flask out to her. “To letting loose.”
Two hours later, the off-duty soldiers of the Day Guard filled every inch of the surprisingly well-maintained tavern. A fiddle, flute, and drum wove their braided melodies through shouted conversations from the crowded edges of the long main floor bar. A percussion of bouts, cheers, and groans cascaded from the open-air lofted area, hosting various dice and card games.
