Twisted Souls

Chapter 14

Waking up the next morning, I almost don't remember how nerve-racking yesterday was. But its hard to forget about all the heavy stuff that occurred.
Eniorad's words still ring loud and clear in my ears.
'You'll save this kingdom and the people in it.'
I finally have enough just lying around in bed, no matter how comfortable it is. I get up and begin to get ready by myself. Brushing my hair, washing my face, I even find a nice navy blue dress that's not too flashy. I'm so consumed with my task that I don't hear Shaykh enter until she greets me.
"Morning."
I face away from the vanity mirror. "Oh! I didn't even hear you come in."
She walk over to me, setting the dress she had preselected for me on the bed. "I guess you don't need my assistance this morning?"
"I just wanted to get up earlier this morning. Think things through."
Pulling up a chair, her smile fades.
"What's wrong?"
"Huh?"
"There's something on your mind. I can tell."
I bite my lip, wondering how much I should tell her. It would feel so good to get some of this stuff off my chest, but as I'm beginning to do so a little voice in my head warns me otherwise. She didn't need to be burden with the grievous news that an unstoppable threat is looming. She already has her family to think of.
"Um...do you know anywhere I might find information about magic?" I ask.
"Magic." She gives me a suspicious look. "Why do you need to know about that?"
"Research." I'm hoping she doesn't prod any further and to my relief, she doesn't. Her suspicious look fades away.
"Well, I'm no expert on magic, but you'll find some useful information in the library."
"Library?"
"I think I remember passing by it." I say.
"I'll show you the way. Come on." We head towards the door. "We can pick up some breakfast from the servants' quarters on the way there."
I don't know what exactly I'm looking for in the library, but I needed to do something with myself and this seems the most beneficial.
After we swing by the servants' quarters and pick up a light breakfast, of bread and nuts, we arrive at the library.
It's of course as dark as the rest of the castle. The shelves are towering. Long rows of them filled to the brim with heavy, leather bound volumes. It'll take ages to look through all these books and find the one I'm searching for.
"Where do I even begin?"
"I'll help you. What are you looking for exactly?" She ask already heading down one of the narrow rows.
I'm biting my lip again. "Uh, Shaykh?"
"Yes?" She peers around the edge of the shelf.
"I kind of wanted to do this by...by myself if that's alright."
"Oh." Her smile drops again.
I feel awful about asking this, but I have this strange feeling that I need to do this by myself.
"I don't mean it like that. But its just that-"
"No, no! I get it Mallory, honestly." She gives me a reassuring smile and starts to head towards the door. "Forgive my eagerness. I nearly forgot my place."
I don't have time to explain myself before she quietly closes the door behind her and she's gone. Now I feel even worst.
"You just keep piling more and more on yourself Mal." I shake my head and turn to face the monstrous task before me.
I begin down the middle row, skimming the shelves for useful book titles. Something that'll catch my attention. I miss a majority of the books though, since they're up so high and I can't seem to locate a ladder to use.
I'm not much of a solely focused girl. I couldn't stay on one issue for more than an hour tops. But searching row after row for something I don't even know I'm searching for, I'm usually only good for about thirty minutes. Every cover was the same boring leather bound surface I saw two rows before.
"Ugh! Come! On!" I facepalm myself before sinking to the floor and staring up at the looming shelves and grand chandelier. "What am I even looking for?"
Glancing behind me, I study the books I looked over a hundred times, and notice something new I hadn't seen before. A small pamphlet was wedge between two thick books. I slide it out and realize its a journal.
"Well...might as well give this one a try."
Inside the thin journal, scribbled writing lines the pages. The words are small and neat. Someone with impressive penmanship skills clearly must have wrote this. I envy how fanciful the cursive is, seeing how my cursive was never top notch.
I turn to the first entry.
"He'll never forgive me for what I said to him. It was a moment of anger when I said it. But I can't say that I didn't mean it fully. He'll never forgive for what I said, but one day he'll hopefully understand why I said it. Hopefully he'll understand why I do the things I do. They may hurt him now, but he'll be much stronger afterwards. No one will be able to hurt him, because he won't let his walls down. No one will be able to overthrow him, because he'll be perfect in his punishments. I wish I could've had someone to say and do those things to me before I found out how cruelly one could be torn down because of weakness. That's the one thing he'll never have- weakness. Right now he's weak, but soon he'll be stronger and I won't have to always protect him. He'll never forgive the words I said to him, as I won't forgive myself, but one day he'll be strong enough to crush anyone that ever says those things to him again. But for now, he'll cry."
This letter gives me the creeps. What on earth is this about? Who is this about? Who wrote this? How long ago was it written? There never seems to be any answers, only more and more questions.
Well I don't know who wrote this but perhaps I can guess who it's about.
"It couldn't possibly be about Xalale, could it?" It's a little hard to believe, though, that this was written about him. First off, I've never seen him cry (I don't think its humanly possible for him), secondly, the author mentions weakness a number of times and from what I've gathered Xalale is far from anything I would define as being weak. But then again, I don't know when this entry was written or if it even is about Xalale.
I flip ahead a few pages.
"I fear I may be losing a battle I didn't originally know I was fighting. So many things have come up over the past few weeks. I usually pride myself on my exceptional awareness skills, but this issue has snuck past me and I'm positive it will be my downfall. Once I have fallen, I will have involuntarily passed on my crown- which I fully intend to keep. They may celebrate that I have been dethroned, but another beast awaits them in the future. I cringe not at the thought of my unfortunate fate, but that of my work. All for nothing! And my dear Xalale. It causes me grief unbearable to think that he will have the crown. I would much rather suffer through the pain of heartbreak again than see him wear my crown. He will destroy all that I've worked so hard, so hard to reclaim! Which is why I mustn't fail. I've experienced failure too many times, I cannot afford to fall at such a salient time. The cost would be too much. Yes, this is only a minor bump in the road that will pass in due time. Until then I will stay strong and plan my next step accordingly."
The words keep appearing in my mind, even as I tucked the book away. Confusion was the emotion I was experiencing the most, but then surprise and excitement struck me next.
I have to process this, so I get up and begin to pace.
"This one definitely had something to do with Xalale since his name was mentioned. But I'm still in the dark about who the author is. They called him 'dear'. Maybe someone who knows him, or knew him. Is the author even alive anymore. What were they talking about when they wrote 'I fear I may be losing a battle I didn't originally know I was fighting.' What about that 'another beast awaits them in the future,' bit? Who are they?"
My poor mind is already exhausted- now it's working overtime to try and figure this puzzle out.
One thing's for sure though. "Whoever wrote this did not want Xalale to be king. That much is blatantly obvious."
I stop pacing and give my mind a breather.
I didn't find what I was looking for, but I found something that might be useful in the future. For now, I'll just have to find a different way to figure out about magic and how to use it to get me home. Cause God knows how tired I am from being here. I haven't used my brain so intensely even in school! I'm actually surprised a headache hasn't sprung itself on me.
Feeling strangely revitalized, I begin again searching for a book on magic. This time I don't give up as easily and scan the rows for anything useful.
I keep a mental memory of where the journal is hidden so I can go back for future reference. As I scour the library, time gets away from me and its only until my stomach growls and I glance out the window at the receding sun do I realize how late it has become. This is the longest I've ever been in a library- and probably the only time I will ever stay in one for so long again.
On my way out of the library, I bump into Shaykh.
"Oh, I was just coming to get you. Dinner will be served shortly so there's not much time."
We head back to my room where she has already pulled out a dress for me- with the proper jewelry to boot.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" She ask as she fixes up my hair.
I'm so consumed in my thoughts that I nearly forget to answer.
"Uh, no I didn't. But it wasn't a complete loss." I release a sigh. "Sorry about kicking you out of the library this morning. I appreciate your friendship, Shaykh, but I just had this feeling like I had to look on my own. If that makes any sense."
She puts down the comb she was currently using and gives me one of her signature, timid smiles. "I understand. Sometimes we have to search for something unknown by ourselves. Nothing you did was something I wouldn't do."
I return her smile with one of my own.
"Thanks for understanding."
"No problem. And thank you for accepting my friendship. My mind often worries about my family, but it helps when I have someone to distract me."
I may not have all the pieces to the puzzle yet, but I know I have people on my side and right now that's the biggest thing keeping me going.