“Have sweet dreams, Princess. Particularly ones about my sister,” Oliver sang eagerly.
“I will, Oli.”
He gave me a grateful nod, and I left, shutting the door behind me.
“Is your skeletal dog going to bite me?” Oliver asked, his voice muffled through the wood.
“Only if you call him a dog again,” Aspen replied.
Tonight,I stood in front of the large mosaic doors, and a chill clawed into my veins.
Tiny red, black, and white pieces depicted Hell’s gates open again, the ground soaked in blood. But this time, my father knelt in the puddle, Tsal-mawet gripped in his hand and the rune stark on the back of his neck—the one I couldn’t figure out but Ronen had confirmed was there. The dagger had blood smeared across the blade, but the image showed no signs of self-inflicted harm or a dead body.
But the blood had to have come from somewhere.
“This is how the gates are opened, isn’t it?” I asked the doors.
The thought should’ve filled me with joy. I was one step closer.
Except, in days, weeks, maybe even months, something gruesome would happen in front of the gates of Hell that involved my father.
The glass pieces shifted, zooming in on the rune on my father’s neck as if in answer.
“Okay, I’m listening.”
I pulled open the heavy door, the smell of old parchment washing over me. The firelight dangling from the ceiling intensified as I approached the center of the library.
My stack of books wrapped around my messy notes like they were hiding all my unanswered secrets.
I sat and added the newest image to my papers, then shut my eyes.
“Where can I find information on the rune on my father’s neck?” I whispered into the quiet, empty library.
Of course, there was the option to seek out my father and ask him. But after everything, I figured dream-walking would prove a lot more effective.
Somnivado led me to what appeared to be someone’s brightly painted sitting area and mini library.
There were two levels of books.
The top level, reachable only by a tall ladder, contained leather-bound books on wooden shelves marked with runes. If I recalled correctly, I was pretty sure that rune made it impossible for anyone but the owner to remove them from the shelves.
Hopefully the information wasn’t up there.
I turned, finding a kitchenette lined with porcelain teacups and pots.
That didn’t help me any.
“I can’t be in the castle anymore,” I muttered to myself.
Not with the bright, cheery walls.
Creeping farther into the room, I noticed three doors. Two were closed and one was open. The open one looked to be a study.
I slipped through the small gap.
Books lined the shelves behind the large desk, along with various objects.
I paused on an object I recognized instantly.
