Page 78 of Blood of the Fairest

I snort at that, but I'm quickly distracted when a few small sprigs of rosemary fall out of the envelope I've opened, along with a note.

I pick up the note and study the few small, tidy markings in the center of it. I flip it to face the mirror.

"Do you mind?"

"It says, Your lost songbird will not keep me from you much longer. I…” Eris trails off, a soft look of irritation passing over his immaculate face.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Nothing. That's all it says."

"You want me to believe it ends with a cryptic I? Come on, just finish reading it."

"I have."

Since he's being weird about it, I turn and hold the paper up to Wulf. He shakes his head.

"We're just two illiterate peas in a pod, huh?" I sigh.

"Most are, but I only read Hjemic."

That must be the language of the northerners. And I guess it makes sense that writing and reading aren't taught much, if writing really fades in this world as quickly as Eris said it does.

Whatever. I'll just figure out what's on this note after Eris teaches me to read, before I move on to the thick-ass books in Rhinestone's secret diary room.

Come to think of it…I wonder how Eris learned to read, stuck in the mirror realm.

Tucking away the small note and the rosemary, I open the next two long letters at the same time, since they're sealed with the same shimmering golden wax seal.

When I hold them up to Eris, he doesn't even have to read them before making a face.

"Ah, right. Reinhilde's ongoing correspondence with an anonymous nobleman in Aurefeld. She was plotting with him to find a way to meet and seduce their spare prince in the hopes of adding him to her Favored. She longed to know what a prince's blood tastes like."

I make a face and break open the fourth letter. "Okay, I'm just going to burn those. What about this last one?"

He skims it quickly before scowling. "It's an official invitation from the royal court of Hamelnmark, but the chamberlain who wrote this is annoyingly insistent that you must visit at once."

Sooner or later, I'm going to track down a map.

"How far is Hamelnmark?"

"Four days upon a swift horse, with favorable weather," Wulf supplies. "Longer by carriage."

"Not that you should bother, now or ever." Eris folds his arms, glaring at the letter as if it's personally insulted him. "There can be nothing in existence so urgent for them to use this tone in a letter to you. It's as if they are trying to call a dog with a whistle instead of summoning a fucking queen from her kingdom. Audacious bastards. Burn this one, too."

Fine by me.

Holding the letters from Aurefeld and Hamelnmark up to a lit candelabra, I drop them when they turn to ash. Then I lower my veil and leave the throne room.

Darkness has officially started to fall outside the tall, arched windows of Isenmere Castle as I make my way back to the queen's chambers. Wulf follows silently until I almost head up the wrong flight of stairs.

"We go left here."

"Of course, we do. These staircases all look the same. I miss GPS," I lament, turning left and ascending the correct staircase.

"GPS?" he repeats, keeping pace easily with me thanks to his long-ass legs.

Soon, we're at the doors to the queen's chambers. I'm already yawning, eager to get to sleep where it will be easier to ignore the persistent panging in my empty stomach.