In the end, Elena waited a few minutes until she was sure Sedric and his uncle were gone and then she followed after them towards the kitchens and in through the main door. Once back in the halls, she tried to remember which direction led where and walk as if she knew where she was going. The palace servants must have all been busy elsewhere. She saw none as she went through one hallway then another, hoping to find herself near the courtyard again that she might see if it was too late to peruse the library.
At long last, she came round a corner and spotted the back of a young servant girl. Elena called out to her, and when the girl turned saw that it was Bree herself, carrying a tray with a plate of food atop it.
"Milady?" she looked worried, "Where have you been? I asked Sarai but she said you've been gone for hours."
Elena closed the gap between them, "I'm sorry. Sedric was showing me the rest of the palace and I guess time got away from us. Now I can't find my way back to my room. Can you show me please, if you have the time?"
"Of course milady," she help up her tray, "I was just coming to bring you your supper in case you had returned, follow me."
The trip back was shorter than Elena had thought. She hadn't been far at all from her room during her wandering but with Bree, it took less than 10 minutes. Along the way, she asked after Mamerya.
"She is much the same, milady, though she's up and moving more. We finished the baking early tonight and my sisters bunked down immediately after for an early start in the morning so I slipped away to come here. I should be able to tend to you in the evenings at least, which will give Sarai more of a break to see Twm," she smiled at Elena, holding open the door for her as they ascended the tower steps.
Up at the top of her tower, Elena lightly picked at the supper Bree had provided, still full from her meal with Sedric, and urged the girl to eat most of it for her. The soup was colder than when she had eaten it earlier, and she knew from watching her often that Bree did not eat enough. Elena nibbled on the grapes and cheese, watching Bree take a spoonful of the soup and then, at Elena's encouragement, finished the rest of it, wiping the bowl clean with the bread.
The poor girl looked satisfied when she finished, then suddenly worried.
"I'm sorry, milady, I don't know what came over me. I must have been hungrier than I thought."
Elena laughed, "Don't be silly. I told you to eat it for me. I already had some earlier with Sedric. It would have been wasteful for you to let it go uneaten."
Bree gave a nervous smile, and Elena gestured for her to help herself to the remaining fruit and cheese. It took less persuasion than getting her to eat the soup, but Elena felt relieved to see Bree relax and eat until she was full.
"Did your mother say anything else about me after I left?" she asked when Bree was finished.
"She was very interested to meet you. She told me to remind you to come and visit her in a week once she's recovered."
Elena nodded, "I will come sooner if she's better by then. I could also help with baking the bread if needed."
Bree looked surprised, then grateful, "Thank you, but don't trouble yourself, milady, and thank you again for dinner. I hope to see you again tomorrow evening as long as my mother continues to improve." Elena wanted to ask again if she could visit sooner than a week out, but then she remembered her afternoon with Sedric and felt warm inside at the thought that she would hopefully see him again tomorrow.
Before she crawled into bed Bree skittered down the stairs, returning with a metal warming pan that she tucked under the sheets for Elena's cold feet, lighting a candle on the bedside table. It wasn't cold enough to see her breath in the air yet, but it was close. Grateful for the added warmth, she squeezed Bree's hand as the girl tucked Elena in and gave her a sleepy thank you on her way out the door.
That night, she did not dream of Sedric as she thought she might. She dreamt of home. Her shabby 1-bedroom apartment, the mattress on the floor, the strings of laundry hanging everywhere. Turning in circles, she looked for her abuela, expecting to see her sitting at the table or cooking at the stove, but she was nowhere. When Elena paused to listen, she heard nothing. None of the normal sounds of city life, no voices or music from neighboring apartments, no food truck vendors clanking away at their griddles outside. She looked out the window to see empty streets, devoid of life. No people or animals, not even rats, no movement except for the leaves on one pin oak sapling planted in the middle of the sidewalk.
Weightlessly, she walked down the halls of her complex. There was no need to knock, the doors opened on their own, each revealing an empty home, with clothes and dishes left behind like the families she knew to live in them had simply vanished. The Lopez's, the Castleroy's, the Hernandez's, Kowalski's. All gone. Disappeared.
In her dream she climbed to the topmost level of the complex, pulling down the ladder access to the roof deck and climbing up to the place she had shown Ruben in her vision. From up here, she looked out over the vastness of New York City, watching and listening. Silence. Down on the street no people passed by, no buses rode past on their morning route. Everywhere she looked was devoid of any sign of life, both familiar or foreign. She was home, but there was no one. There was nothing. She was completely alone.
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When Elena woke in the morning, the first thing she thought about was the strangeness of her dream. Then, as the memories of it dissipated as dreams so often do, her very next thought, was of Sedric. She lay there staring up at the canopy, wondering whether he was awake yet, wanting to ask how the conversation with his father had gone, and pondering how she might convince him that his uncle was not a trustworthy person.
She tried to remember the specifics of her dream, but only one part of it seemed to keep surfacing again and again. Alone, she had been totally and utterly alone.
Elena sat up in bed and shivered, either from the thought or the chill or some combination of the two.
Not long after, she heard Sarai's soft knock at the door and called, "Come in."
The girl entered and set her tray on the bed, then stood and waited for Elena to eat. After the new camaraderie that had developed between them, Elena found her silence worrying.
"Everything alright?" she asked, nibbling on a warm pastry, "Hungry?" she asked, handing out the other one to Sarai.
The young girl looked stunned -- like she was lost in thought and not expecting to be interrupted. Her eyes traveled to the pastry in Elena's hand and took it, still looking out of sorts. "Thank you, milady," she said, looking down at it before taking a small bite, chewing thoughtfully.
Elena sat there watching Sarai, noting how she didn't seem cross with her today, just distracted, so it probably didn't involve Elena, but someone else. Her thoughts immediately settled on Twm, but she wasn't sure she was supposed to know about him, so she couldn't very well ask Sarai.
"Milady," she finally spoke, "What would you do if you really liked someone and they really liked you but they didn't..." her voice trailed off. She huffed and took another bite of the pastry.
"Is this about someone I know?" Elena ventured to ask.
Sarai sighed and looked at her, "It's Twm, milady. We've been sweet on each other since before leaving Burron. He's not one to play with a girl's heart, but he's been trying to get me to.... well, I've been waiting for him to--"
Elena thought she knew where this was headed. "Is he pressuring you to sleep with him?" This was new territory for her. No one came to her for advice back home, no one came to her for anything except covering a shift or upcharging her bills.
"No, no milady, he's been a gentleman, but there have been times... moments where it would be easy to go down that road and both of us caught up with ourselves."
"So what's the problem?" Elena asked, remembering Bree's opinion on the subject but waiting to hear it from Sarai before she could offer real advice.
"Would-- would it be reckless of us if we did? Would it be wrong?"
It took considerable effort for Elena to give a measured response, "What does your heart tell you? Do you love him?"
"I think so," Sarai replied, "My heart says 'yes' but my mind says I'd be a fool unless we're wed."
"Does he want to? Marry you, that is?"
Sarai smiled, "Yes, he's told me he wants to but he still has to finish his apprenticeship as a stablehand. Then he'll be able to find work as a stablemaster for the king and perhaps even an equerry in time. But we haven't the money for it now and it's another two years before he finishes."
"That's a long time to wait," Elena agreed, "Are there forms of contraception you could use?"
"Contraception, my lady?"
"Birth control?" Elena faltered, trying to think of other tactful ways to describe it, "Are there ways for you to prevent pregnancy if, you know, you get carried away?"
Sarai's cheeks blushed beet red, "There are milady, but mostly herbs and old wives' tales. You've seen Mamerya's brood. She used the herbal remedies against pregnancy until Bree's father died. I think the results are a bit spotty."
Elena snorted. That was the first time she had heard Sarai make anything resembling a joke in her presence. "It just seems like there must be some other, more effective methods out there."
Sarai brightened, "I've heard at the school for mages in the Southern Islands they concoct spells and can make charms to ward off pregnancy when worn by the woman," her face faltered, "But there's no one that I know like that here."
It was hard to feel so out of her depth here. Elena wanted to give her good advice, but the choices that were available in her world were not options here. She didn't even have money to give Sarai to help them afford a life on their own.
"I'm sorry I don't have better advice," she said finally.
Sarai looked up from her half-eaten pastry and smiled, "Never mind about me, let's change your hair today, maybe pin the braids in a different way? I thought that tomorrow would be good for a bath if you agree."
Just like that, the book shut on their conversation, and Elena felt that she had missed an opportunity to say something really meaningful, or at least mildly helpful.
Sarai bustled around the room, retrieving one of Elena's three dresses, the purple one, then helping her into it before she began to unbraid and rebraid her hair. All the while Elena tried to think of what to say that wouldn't feel awkward following their conversation. She thought of Sedric, about their near kiss last night after spending half the day together. She thought about how much she enjoyed being around him now that he didn't seem to think her a threat, and how much she regretted Lord Rhist's intrusion before she could find out if he really had meant to kiss her last night.
"Do you know when Prince Sedric usually rises?" she asked, trying not to sound too eager. Sarai paused in plaiting Elena's tresses, "Normally he's up with the sun milady, but they departed shortly after dawn this morning for a hunting trip. He'll not be back for several weeks."
Elena felt her chest tighten, "Weeks? He just left this morning without a word?"
Sarai smoothed the braid after she completed it, reaching for her pins to begin arranging it atop Elena's head, "I believe it was planned without much forethought. The servants only just learned of it last night and only a few of them -- the rest of us were told this morning. Twm rode out with them," Elena heard the disappointment in her voice, and suddenly her forlorn expression this morning made more sense.
"I'm sorry," Elena said, "Hopefully they'll come back sooner. I can't imagine why they left with so little warning." But she could though, and it wasn't difficult to imagine who must have been behind the decision. Lord Rhist did not like her, and in absence of keeping her away from Sedric, it seemed he must be trying to keep Sedric away from her. What did he fear would happen if he did not intervene? Sedric was not just anyone, he was the future king. Even as her stomach fluttered now at the prospect of him kissing her, she knew he would not be likely to consider a relationship with a stranger from an unknown place and an impossibly complicated story for coming here.
She heaved a sigh of her own and winced when Sarai stuck the last pin in her hair.
"Apologies, milady, but it needed one more. It looks much better now."
Elena's hands lightly touched the back of her head, feeling the braids twisted and pinned to stay off her neck and shoulders. It had grown even longer since she arrived here, "Maybe I should cut it soon," she murmured.
Sarai gave a light gasp, "Oh no, milady, it's so beautiful, and it responds so well when I braid it. It's so thick and--"
Elena laughed, "Alright, alright, I won't," she said, throwing up her hands in surrender. The morning chill was ebbing with the sunlight coming through her windows. She felt happy until she thought of Sedric, then remembered he was gone-- left without saying a word.
Sarai looked similarly forlorn, but at least she and Twm had a good shot together. Elena chastised herself for entertaining any fantasy about Sedric. She did not belong here, and even if returning home meant being alone, it was still home. This place was still so alien to her, no matter how many people originally hostile to her presence were warming up to her now. It was pointless to dwell on impossible scenarios she told herself. Better that Sedric was gone, it gave her time to look for solutions on how to put distance between them, and find out more information on how she got here in the first place.
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Sarai was kind enough to point Elena in the direction of the library again as she left to perform her other duties. Since the king and his sons had departed so abruptly, Elena still didn't have direction on whether she was to remain inside the palace walls or she was free to enter and exit as she wished. It was just as well that a cool rain began to fall as she looked out a nearby window on her way to the library. Today was not a day for exploring outside, and Mamerya had said to wait a week, thus the library seemed the optimal choice.
Elena found it easily enough. The walk from her tower to the courtyard was relatively quick when you knew where you were going. She entered quietly, breathing in the smell of leather and old parchment before she looked around for any direction on where to start first.
There were fewer occupants inside than the day before, but she recognized 1 or 2 of the old men, including the one Sedric had asked for directions. Delao was nowhere to be seen, and she felt mildly relieved. His studious gaze had felt unnerving when locked onto her, and she wasn't sure what kind of questions he might ask her if they were to meet again without Sedric there as a buffer for conversation.
She kept to the edges of the space, reading the titles she passed slowly, taking her time. Once in awhile, she would pull a book that sounded promising out from its space and, leaning her back against the shelves to use her knee as a table, she would flip through, looking for anything that might be helpful.
The sunlight did not glow through the medallion overhead like it had yesterday owing to the cloudy sky bursting with rain. She heard the patter of raindrops on the windows and felt sleepy. It was so quiet and peaceful in here, she wished she could curl up on a couch somewhere near a window and doze off to the sound of the drizzle.
Elena wedged the last book she perused back into its space when she heard steps behind her and turned.
"Something I can help you find, milady?" Delao's level voice asked her.
Startled, she put a hand to her chest, then looked around the library, trying to figure out where he had come from. "Thank you, sir, but I'm just browsing at the moment."
He nodded, "Are you still looking for books relating to magical world travel?"
Her eyes widened, was he about to tell her he found a book after all that could assist her? "I-I am," she replied.
He eyed her shrewdly, "Where did you say you are from, milady?"
Elena felt red flags waving in her mind as she tried to recall the cover story Sedric had made for her at the welcome home feast, "I'm from the Southern Islands, I'm doing magical research while I'm here. The king is allowing me to stay until my research is concluded." It sounded like she was simply reciting a list from memory, but it was as good a cover story as she was going to get.
"There are... other magical books available in a separate area of the library. I did not think to mention it yesterday, but you may have more luck researching obscure magical methods there."
She couldn't tell if he was doing her a favor or just buying time to pump her for more information. The perceptive way he watched her told Elena to be wary of him, but it would take years for her to look through every book in this library, if not decades, so a little help in the right direction was not an opportunity she could pass up.
"I'd be so grateful for your help," she smiled uncomfortably.
Without a word he turned and headed across the large floor medallion, not even checking to see if she was following. When Elena realized she was meant to be doing just that she scurried after him, trying to muffle the sound of her footsteps as she sped to keep up.
Delao led her through several stacked shelves that stretched on for ages through the western portion of the library. He moved like a ghost, his robes obscuring his feet and making him look like he was floating rather than walking. She trailed behind him at a healthy distance, watching the floorboards they crossed, noting a particularly large knot in the wood near the corner of the aisle Delao finally turned down.
An unassuming door lay at the end of it, dark brown wood and a bronze handle. Delao was halfway to it, looking over his shoulder for the first time to make sure she was following.
He had wrenched the door open by the time she reached him, holding it for her entry and inspection.
Elena looked from him to the dim room before she stepped closer to the threshold, peering in to see where he had led her. It was a room reminiscent of the king's personal library in Burron. Three adjacent diamond-paned cathedral windows provided the only natural light, their glass dull with dust. The shelves that lined every wall were not full, but the books they held were all arranged neatly, with one table and two chairs in the center, an unlit candle left by the last occupant. She ran her fingertips along the back of a chair and looked at the thick layer of dust they gathered.
"Apologies, milady, but this room has not been used in some time. When queen Bemaris was alive she often came in here by herself and hosted other guests from the Southern Isles who sometimes perused this room as well. There was a lengthy tradition of book exchange between our library and the magical university of the Southern Isles while she lived, I know she hoped to one day found a similar school here in Embria. Is that why you have come now? Has King Arturo sent us an emissary to bring her dream to life?"
Elena bit her lip, choosing her words carefully, "The king is open to all possibilities between our kingdoms. He wishes to extend the hand of friendship further, if His Majesty will allow."
The man nodded, and Elena didn't know whether he believed her or not, but her hands were already itching to begin her search.
She stepped to the nearest shelf and pulled a volume, hoping Delao would take the hint and leave, but he stayed in the doorframe, watching her as though he had more to say.
"Is King Arturo especially interested in magical travel between worlds?" he finally asked, and Elena felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. He was suspicious, and she was alone in a room with him where there was no one with her to help if he were to try anything.
"Yes," she answered, falsely cheery. She grabbed three more books that looked large enough to be worth reading and light enough that she could carry them all back to her room.
"Can I take these with me?" she asked hopefully, wanting to deflect any more questions he might be ready to lob. She crossed the room and made for the door he was standing in, trying her best to act nonchalant. If he had left after showing her in she likely would have stayed most of the day, but as it was she wanted to leave as soon as possible to escape from his shrewd gaze that had unnerved her ever since they met. She would have to find her way back here on her own to browse without his leering.
"Of course, milady, we are all at King Arturo's disposal."
His words fell flat. She looked at him, not knowing what to say, and so left without another word. Clutching the books to her chest she walked as quickly as she dared, looking back before she turned a corner to see him staring after her, hands folded behind his back.
Once outside the library again she leaned against the door and shuddered, making for the hall which she remembered led to her tower, and checking over her shoulder every few minutes to make sure she had not been followed.
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Hours later, Elena shut the final book with a frustrated huff, leaning back against the headboard and closing her eyes. She had skimmed all four, even read what she could from several pages, but nothing was useful, nor had she expected it to be. Delao's unsettling presence had driven her out prematurely, and now she would have to muster the courage to sneak back in and search without being seen by him. She wished Sedric were here, she would not have felt half as nervous if he had been with her today.
A tray holding her lunch lay almost untouched on the corner of the bed. She looked at it then rolled onto her side and picked at a loose thread on her sheets. How could he just leave without another word to her? All morning she had worked to stifle the feelings that surfaced when she thought about it. Now she had exhausted her resources for the moment and had nothing left to distract her from the very real fact that she had felt something between them last night, and he had been gone the next morning without so much as a goodbye.
Elena hugged her pillow, huddling under the blankets for warmth and remembering Sedric's face as he had leaned closer to her, the delicious tension she felt in her stomach when she thought he was about to kiss her.
Minutes later, she drifted off to sleep, dozing in the early afternoon sunlight that filled the room. There was no telling how long she slept before she stirred at the sound of distant footsteps down the stairwell followed by the creak of the door.
"I'm so sorry, milady, I didn't realize you were still in here," Sarai had one of Elena's other dresses draped over her arm, "I've just been back from the laundress and thought to drop this off here before I went to start your supper."
Elena looked at the waning sunlight out her windows. Her mouth felt dry and her head felt muggy from too long of a nap. She gave Sarai a bleary look, "It's alright," she croaked, reaching for the goblet of water still on her lunch tray.
Sarai opened the trunk at the foot of the bed and carefully folded the blue dress in on the top, letting Elena get her bearings as she tried to wake up. She still seemed distracted after this morning and Elena was still too out of it to ask questions. Sarai looked around the room for anything that needed tidying before she came to the bed to fetch the lunch tray, resting it on her hip.
"I'll be back in an hour or so with your dinner, milady, is there anything you want from this until I return?"
Elena's stomach rumbled and she reached for the loaf of bread she had foregone at lunch to nibble on until then.
"Thank you, Sarai," she said, her mind still fuzzy.
Once Sarai had left Elena sat on the bed and rubbed her eyes as she began to mull her options. The four books sat in a stack beside her, reminding her of her mission to find out what she could about Bej and how she came to be here.
Elena glanced out the window and saw the rapidly darkening sky outside. Sarai would not be back for awhile and the library wasn't far. If she was quiet and sneaky, she might be able to slip back in without being seen.
Muddled, but more alert than before, Elena devoured the rest of the bread in a few bites to quell the hunger and keep her stomach from grumbling whilst she attempted to sneak into a place she did not want to be seen. The pink sky outside her windows reminded her how late it was. Perhaps the library would be even emptier than earlier?
Carefully, she took the stairs with all four large volumes in her arms, feeling for every step with her feet before settling her weight on it. At the bottom, she bumped the door open with her back, looking both ways before she headed down the hall back in the direction of the library.
This time when she reached the library doors she faltered. Trying to balance the books in her arms with managing to open each set of doors, and doing it quietly was no mean feat. Once inside she closed the door as quietly as possible behind her, taking in the serene comfort of the enormous room when all-natural light had disappeared and only candles served to light the space.
She looked around. The tables were empty of all but 2 men, neither of them Delao. It wasn't hard to remember the way, but she needed to take a light with her and didn't trust herself to balance 4 enormous books and a live flame at the same time.
Gently, she set the 4 books on a nearby table, hoping someone would shelve them tomorrow, and looking for a spare candle that would not be missed if she took it with her. Giant candelabras, 6 of them, lit the main atrium but a few of the tables had smaller candelabras and single candles lit and ready to be carried by those needing to illuminate their way.
Elena grabbed a tall, thick candle that looked like it had several hours of wick left. She crept past the men, checking everywhere for Delao before she plunged into the stacks in the direction of the book room.
Eerie shadows cast themselves upon the walls as she walked, holding the hems of her skirts so they didn't drag on the floor. The candle burned hot near her face and dripped wax on her wobbly hands when they didn't hold it steady. Elena held it out further, trying to estimate how many shelves she and Delao had passed before turning down the one that led to her destination. The nearer she got to the end of the rows, the harder it was to see by candlelight. Every shelf looked the same and she would have to walk down each aisle individually to see whether the door she needed lay at the end with only a small flame for light.
A floorboard creaked nearby and she whipped around, looking for its source. Darkness closed in from every corner -- she could barely see the dim glow from the atrium over the tops of the shelves. Her heart sped up. This was madness, coming here after dark and trying to find her way. She was about to turn around and head back when she checked behind her one last time and looked down at the floor, noticing the knot in the wood she had seen earlier today.
Nervously, Elena edged down the aisle, candle held aloft in her trembling hand. Rows of books covered in dust appeared in the periphery of the candlelight as she moved close to the wall, her chest tight until it finally illuminated the outline of a familiar door.
Now that she was here a part of her worried it would be locked. Another glance over her shoulder showed no one that she could see. She crept closer and wrapped her hand over the door handle, turning softly to see if it would give.
The knob twisted with ease and Elena sighed with relief, pulling it open slowly before she slipped inside, then closing it behind her.
This room was slightly less dark owing to the moonlight from the cathedral windows at its far end. She looked along the walls for more candles to light and saw another large candelabra she had not seen earlier near the corner furthest from the door. The unlit candle on the table still waited and she opted for that in case she needed to make a quick getaway for any reason.
Books beckoned her from their space on the shelves. She approached them, candle in hand, to peruse the spines. Some were as thick as her arm, others, thinner than a pencil. Many were spread out, some lying on their side as though left there by someone who meant to put them back in order but never got around to it. Several that she cracked open were filled with brittle pages that creaked when she thumbed through them.
All of the books dealt with magic in some capacity. Most seemed to deal with magical history, or methods for potion-making and healing. Several botany books displayed illustrations of elaborate gardens not unlike the one she had stumbled onto that first day she came here. Hedgewitches were mentioned. Dwarves. Dragons. Griffins. Wyverns. Trolls and elves. Her mind spun as she read. These were all the same mythical creatures from legends in her world. Did that mean they still existed here? Why were there so few resources to help her piece together where here even was?
Elena shelved another book, huffing in frustration. Outside the windows, the wind was picking up slightly, a low howl that stretched on and on as she scanned which books were left. Some spots on the shelves seemed to have housed more volumes up until very recently. There were large spots in the dust where other books had sat. She looked around the room to see if they were lodged elsewhere, but there was nothing save for the table, and her flickering candle left atop it.
She shook her head, reaching up for some of the books on a higher shelf when she heard it. A ringing. Low. Faint. But clear.
Elena turned in the direction of it, worried she might have set off something that would alert others to her presence here. Puzzled, she saw nothing that could produce the noise, but when she stepped closer to the table, it grew slightly in pitch. She took another step toward it, and it grew again. Panicked, she glanced at the door, hoping no one burst in before she could discover the source of the sound.
The table was empty but for the candle. Elena set down the one she carried and knelt beside the table, pulling out one of the chairs to see if it was something underneath causing the noise.
Her hands grappled with the underside of the table, feeling along the wood for some kind of alarm or metal instrument. When that revealed nothing she reached under the chair, the braided fringe along its bottom tickling her wrist as the ringing reached a fever pitch.
Elena's hand hit something, her fingers closing over it, and the ringing stopped. Eyes wide, she grabbed the armrest and bottom of the chair, lowering it down onto its back to help her see. In the dim light, she could make out the outline of a book held fast by a strap and buckle.
"What?" she whispered, undoing the buckle with numb fingers then pried the book free. It was bound in black leather embossed in a floral motif and heavy. When she flipped the book over to read the cover it felt warm in her hands in spite of the chilly room. She traced the words of the title as she read, "Embrian Magical History and Practice."
It would be impossible for her to explain to another living person, but when she held the book, it felt like another living person. She breathed softly, almost afraid to open it. Was this magic that had led her to the book? There didn't seem to be any other explanation for it. But who had hidden this book here, and when? How long had it been waiting to be discovered?
Elena looked back at the holes in the shelves and then back to the book. Whoever hid this must have known someone would want it, and whoever took the other books must have been looking for something like this.
She set the book on the table softly, then redid the buckle under the chair and set it upright again. The wind outside groaned once more, seeping through the diamond panes, and causing the candles to flicker. Elena gathered the book into her arms and grabbed the candle she had come with before blowing out the one on the table.
With great care she opened the door back to the library, balancing the book and the candle to keep the wax from spilling as she slipped back down the aisle, making for the atrium as fast as she could.
It took only minutes, but she spent each of them looking back over her shoulder, expecting to see Delao or someone else following her, somehow summoned to the room by the sense that she managed to find something they had not.
When the glow of the candelabras in the atrium grew closer she broke into a trot, not caring if she was heard, only wanting to put as much distance as she could between her and that room and the dark aisles surrounding it.
Elena burst through the last row of shelves into the huge chamber, rushing past the now-empty tables for the double doors, not stopping to see where the two men from before had gone.
Out in the courtyard, she heaved deep, gasping breaths, leaning over the railing with the book clutched to her chest like a life raft. She turned for the direction of her rooms, hurrying along as fast as she dared.
She took the tower stairs two at a time, tripping over her skirt at least twice, the second time catching herself with both hands just as one knee jammed itself against the step.
Elena hissed in pain, half crawling the rest of the way up, the book still clutched under one arm while her other one aided her pitiful ascent.
At the top, she pushed open the door with a moan of pain to find a startled Sarai just settling her dinner tray on the end of the bed.
"Milady! Are you alright?"
"Fine," Elena said through gritted teeth, wincing as she clambered to her feet and put weight on that leg for the first time, "Just tripped on the stairs is all."
Sarai came over to help Elena, offering her shoulder to lean on as she led her over to the bed.
Elena groaned as she leaned back, allowing Sarai to take the book for her. The young girl set it beside the tray and helped lift Elena's skirts to survey the damage.
"It looks tender, milady, you should rest it and leave it propped up for the rest of the night. I can bring you a poultice for it in the morning but the palace apothecary has gone to bed and won't be roused for anyone less than the king himself."
The very mention of the king brought Sedric to mind again and Elena pushed the thought away, "No need, I'm sure it can wait until morning. It's my fault for taking the stairs too fast."
Sarai looked down at her, then at the tray, then at the book, "Were you in a rush to get back on my account, milady? There's no need--"
"No, no, I was just hungry and ready to be back in my own bed," Elena assured her, "Thank you for bringing me dinner."
Sarai smiled, "Of course, milady. As I said, I'll bring round a poultice in the morning. It will be a nasty bruise otherwise. Will there be anything else?" She didn't seem as eager to leave tonight as usual, which, Elena reasoned, could probably be attributed to Twm's absence. As anxious as Elena was to open the book, she didn't want to send Sarai off in a rush.
"Could you braid my hair for bed?" Elena asked, sensing Sarai's relief at being asked to stay.
"Of course, milady," she said brightly, "Let me fetch your combs."
They sat together in companionable silence as Elena picked from the dinner tray, offering Sarai half of everything as she usually did. Sarai refused politely, citing the grease from the chicken as her reason for waiting until she was done with Elena's hair. When all the pins were removed and the thick plait woven down her back was complete, only then did Sarai sit opposite Elena and accept her offer to eat.
Neither brought up Sedric or Twm, but the absence of their presence was felt all the same. Now that Elena sat here waiting for the moment she could finally dig into the pages, her thoughts mulling all that they might contain, it was easier to push thoughts of Sedric to the side when they surfaced as they inevitably did.
Sarai didn't stay long after the food was finished. She cleared the tray, taking it with her and gracing Elena with a final smile before she left down the stairs again, promising to see her the next morning.
Elena waited a few moments after she had gone, looking again at the rapidly forming bruise on her knee before she leaned forward to grab the book, pulling it onto her lap at last.
It felt heavier than it looked, heavier even than she remembered it. The book seemed to call to her, enticing her to open it, to read what it wanted her to know. The thought of any magical entity leading her to a specific book would have made her laugh before. Now she stared down at this massive tome that seemed to brim with life even before she opened it. With one hand, she lifted the corner of the cover, eyes scanning the title on the first page.
"Alright," she said to no one but herself, "Let's begin."