Ash and Fire

Chapter 4*

Lydia headed back to the library in the morning. No one seemed to bat an eye at her departure yesterday or questioned her actions. She was glad there weren’t any whispers about rumors of what made her leave so quickly.

The lady from yesterday had pulled her aside when she arrived, informing her she could take out books under her name. It felt like a weight had lifted slightly off her shoulders, knowing she could read in the comfort of a room she felt less exposed in. She couldn’t stop the high-pitched tone that came out of her mouth when she asked how many books she could take out at one time. Her arms buzzed with energy at the thought of carrying multiple at one time. However, when she returned, Maria informed her how much the fee was if she failed to return them on time—even a minute late.

Her mood had dropped after hearing that, knowing she would have to cram everything she could before confronting Sebastian again. Asking Sebastian right off the bat before she learned more about magicians didn’t seem like an option until she knew how trustworthy his words were. There wasn’t a reason for him to lie to her, but the fact that they protected her, and she didn’t know why still hung over her head like a guillotine waiting to let loose. One wrong move or word, and it was over without her ever knowing.

Holed up in the room, she piled her stack of books on the table, which didn’t help when Maria had brought lunch up. Her nose dived deep into the books, absorbing everything that looked the slightest bit important that she forgot about eating until it arrived. Its aroma made her stomach growl, reminding her of the other presence that was around. He never appeared on his own. He always stayed where she could never see him.

How does he eat? Do magicians eat food in that world? She pondered over that thought while staring down at the plate Maria had set down in the small space that wasn’t occupied by books scattered about.

The Spire of Krevae. It was a place shrouded in mystery that she barely found mentioned in any of the books. There was little outside of making the crystals that were used throughout the kingdoms of this world, and they kept to themselves since Meoria was established, but beyond that, there was nothing—no High Magician named, no prodigies throughout the years, no rare imbued artifacts or objects.

‘They had taken to their tower and have resided there since the war, only interacting with others for their benefit.’ That was the only line that indicated what happened.

Magic, on the other hand, she felt she learned a great deal about it, from how their magic worked to how powerful it could be based on the caster. Granted, it wouldn’t do her a bit of good, but it helped her understand the world a little better. She pondered over asking Sebastian about his magic and if everyone had different aspects they could control.

Maria had delivered lunch and dinner to her room both times. The fruit and bread at lunch were fresh compared to what she was used to having that was processed, and the beef stew was beyond anything she ever had before. Her world’s food tasted bland compared to what was before her. If she had nothing to go home to and didn’t have someone after her in that world, she was almost inclined to stay there—almost.

She had Maria chat with her at dinner, inclining that it was an order so she didn’t get in trouble with whoever she worked for. She knew Maria had questions of her own when she asked to brief her on everything. Lydia felt slightly bad that she couldn’t tell Maria fully why she asked. From nobles to those in a high standing and who the King and Queen were. Maria went further into describing who they were and filtering through the books she had to show the ones who were in them. It helped her immensely when she could put names to some faces she remembered from Duke Griffin’s soiree. A name she barely remembered Theron thanking before he swiftly led her out. He was a noble who held the most soirees for men and women to come together and socialize within their ranks. Underneath that big lettering, it was a place for others to sink their fingers into a man or woman of their choosing while trying to climb a social ladder by their children.