He straightened, backing away from her. “But you know what you want, right?” His eyes narrowed on her. “If you change your mind or decide you’d like another taste, you know where to find me. You’re free, right? It’s your choice.”
He gave her a little bow and then left the room, leaving her breathless and with a deep, hungry need she had no idea what to do with.
Chapter Eighteen
Another restless night. Colin didn’t stop in the dining hall for breakfast the following day, instead taking advantage of the cool desert morning to perform his training exercises. He moved through his routine, trying to concentrate on the kicks, blocks, and punches he’d mastered over a lifetime of practice, but Leena’s face kept breaking through his concentration.
It didn’t help that he could see the scribes in the distance, the special red robes they wore for morning ceremonies flowing in the wind around one of the sacred pools. Between the motion and the light reflecting off the goddess’s tears, it made them appear like part of the desert, a flower blooming from the sand. Their chants carried across the arid grounds. He didn’t understand the language, but the melody was beautiful, and he pictured her among the other scribes, singing her heart out in devotion to the goddess.
Leena had meant to push him away last night, but her story only made him more certain they belonged together. She’d taken her oath too early. She hadn’t known what she was getting into, let alone what she’d be missing.
By the time the scribes marched in formation back toward the temple, he’d finished his hand-to-hand combat exercises. Legs trembling, he picked up the sword he’d borrowed from the temple arsenal and started practicing his weapons routine, testing his balance as he attacked invisible opponents around him.
He couldn’t force Leena to want him. Nothing would change unless she decided she wanted more for herself, wanted the love that he knew hovered just beyond their reach. While he was ready and open to it, she wasn’t. And until she altered her way of thinking, there was nothing he could do.
It had to be her choice. His arms throbbed with the effort of wielding the weapon. Sweat dripped down his face. He’d been at this for hours. Exhausted, he dropped to his knees in the sand. No amount of self-flagellation was going to solve this problem. Only one thing would. He had to let her go.
Thankfully, his dragon had not yet bonded with the woman, not in the permanent way of his kind. The desire was there. The offer had been extended. But he was still free. Leena said she wanted to remain a scribe. He had to believe her and honor her wishes, no matter how wrong he thought she was. It was the right thing to do. The only avenue that wouldn’t end in his destruction.
He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks to the goddess for her help in his preparations for battle, then climbed to his feet to return to the temple. A bird’s cry came from above, and he whirled. Searching the clear blue sky, he was surprised to spot a falcon heading toward him.
Sheathing the blade, he raised his arm for the bird, which landed on the proffered perch with a flourish of wings. A message was attached to its leg.
Master Demidicus is pleased to inform you that Nochtbend has officially broken ties with Paragon and offers its full support to the Defenders of the Goddess. All representatives have stepped down from the Highborn Council. We await your word on next steps.
Colin’s heart leaped. They had Nochtbend! He dug in the pouch on his belt for a charcoal pencil and a piece of parchment and scrawled a response. The Defenders of the Goddess gratefully accept alliance with Nochtbend and vow to aid in its defense against the kingdom of Paragon. Preparations are being made. An envoy will be sent with more information.
He bound the scroll to the falcon’s leg. “To Master Demidicus,” he told the bird and with a lift of his arm sent it flying for Nochtbend. He strode toward the temple, in need of another falcon to send to Aeaea. He had to get word to Sylas. Then he had to find Leena. Time was running out. They needed to find the book, with or without the three sisters.
Normally, the morning rituals were soothing to Leena. The routine was meditative. She woke early, donned the red robes that represented the volcanic home of the goddess, and gathered around Premia, one of the seven major sacred pools, with the rest of the scribes. After the Quanling and Fratern read from the Book of Creation, they’d sing the songs of the morning, the songs of beginnings, the song that told the story of a goddess scorned whose existence created their world and whose tears filled the pool between them.
She’d longed to come back here, longed to lose herself again to this, but no matter how she tried, her eyes kept wandering to the patch of desert in front of the temple, where Colin trained in the same way he had on the beach their last days on Aeaea. It was all she could do to remember the words to the songs she’d sung every day since she was nine.
Now, as the group strode back to the temple for breakfast, she avoided glancing toward him, kept her head lowered inside her hood, tried to look straight ahead. And failed miserably. Something inside her kept turning toward the place where she’d last seen him; some internal compass kept urging her to seek him out. Only when she did give in and look toward where he’d been practicing, he was no longer there. He wasn’t in the dining hall either as she picked at the porridge all scribes enjoyed every morning, but that didn’t stop her eyes from darting around the room in search of him.
“Are you all right?” Marjory said.
Leena snapped out of her reverie, a daydream that included golden skin patterned in waves and the flash of gray eyes. Standing on the other side of the table, her Quanling inspected her and her full bowl, looking concerned.
“Fine,” she said, flustered. “Just considering how best to interrogate the scrolls to find the right tomb.”
“I have every confidence that you can do this, Leena. You’ve always shown exceptional talent at research. I’d go as far as to say that if you are successful at this task, you will solidify your nomination as my replacement when I retire. Certainly you will earn the favor of the high lord himself.”
Leena took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was her future. This was what she’d always wanted. All she had to do was focus on her goal. “I won’t fail you.”
Marjory reached down and squeezed Leena’s hand. “You won’t fail us. What you do, you do for all of Rogos, my dear girl. Now finish your breakfast. You’re excused from the rest of the day’s rituals. Your work is far more important.”
“Yes, Mother.”
An hour later, Leena sat at one of the large tables in the most secluded corner of the library, surrounded by scrolls. She’d started reading about Tavyss’s upbringing in Paragon under the reign of Villania the Fire Queen but found her mind drawn to another scroll she’d called up on a whim, one with red edges. She looked both ways and unrolled it furtively.
The symbols at the top in ancient Elvish translated loosely to coupling. Leena’s eyebrows lifted as she perused the many ways a male could be with a female. Him behind her. Her on top of him. Both on their sides, legs intertwined. She brought her face closer to the scroll and touched her bottom lip as she studied a sketch of how one could use their mouth to pleasure another.
“Any breakthroughs?”
She dropped the scroll as if it were hot, and it rolled itself up on the table with a rustle and zip. She brushed the scroll into the bottom of the pile with one hand and reached for another of the ones she knew were about Tavyss. “Colin!” she squeaked. “You startled me!”
“Clearly.” His gaze narrowed on her face, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Damn it, she was blushing. Her cheeks blazed. “I was… in another world.” She giggled awkwardly. “I’ve been reading about Tavyss’s childhood. Did you know he was pit champion four years in a row?”
Colin snorted. “I’m sure that was every year he competed. The eldest heir always wins.”
“Always?”
“Anyone who beats him in a match gets pummeled outside the ring. Xavier beat
Marius once, and I think our father snapped his wing. We heal quickly, but it still hurts.”
“That isn’t in the scrolls.”
“I guess there’s only so much you can see from the outside.”
Leena couldn’t help but flash back to the scroll she’d been studying. What would all those positions feel like to a participant? Had the scribe responsible for the scroll tried them all? What would it feel like with Colin? He’d be gentle and considerate. He had such a kind heart for someone raised a warrior, someone who’d been hurt the way he had by his parents. How could something so good come from someone so evil?
“Leena? Are you sure you’re okay?”
She jolted. “Yes. Sorry, just distracted. I was thinking what a miracle it was that someone so good… Tavyss… came from the same parents as Eleanor.”
Colin rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s something I think about sometimes, how my siblings and I could come from that and all have turned out okay. I mean, none of us are megalomaniacs like her. I think it has to do with the lot of us learning how to lose. We all experienced what it was like to be bullied into submission against our brother Marius. Then seeing Brynhoff murder him. And afterward, what she did… She took everything from us, even one another. None of us would do that to someone else.”
His expression turned vacant, and Leena studied him, the absolute perfection of this man who had no goal but to do the right thing. If the Defenders of the Goddess won this war, he would not be king. He’d have no position at all. Yet he wanted nothing more than to fight his way out of a job.
“Why are you here?” Leena asked, suddenly realizing that they weren’t supposed to meet again until she found something.
“We have Nochtbend. I received a message this morning that the vampire kingdom has joined the resistance. I also had the pleasure of bumping into General Lore of the archers of Asfolk while I was in the falcon mews borrowing a bird to notify Sylas. The general and I have both been sending falcons all morning. He’s here to oversee the mining of the goddess’s tears for weapons.”
“He is?” Leena knew it was possible. There were scrolls on building bombs filled with tears, but she’d never witnessed the process. They’d never needed to use them in her lifetime.
“Yes. All able-bodied males in Rogos have been called up, Leena. Even the male scribes. They aren’t going to wait for the three sisters. That’s why I’m here. We have to find that crypt and a way to get that book, or we’ll be going to war without it.”
She sighed and looked at the massive pile of scrolls beside her. “I’ll do my best. But honestly, perhaps the best thing both of us can do is pray to the goddess. We need the three sisters. If there’s one thing I’ve learned today from studying these scrolls, it is that Eleanor is exceptionally evil. I’m convinced the only way to defeat her is with exceptional magic.”
Colin frowned but nodded. “Then we pray.”
Chapter Nineteen
Raven popped through Nathaniel’s portal, clinging to the hands of her sisters as they stumbled onto the steps of the Temple of the Sacred Pools. Sand crunched on the stone beneath her feet, the grit blowing across her toes and seeming to hang in the air around them. The dual suns of Ouros had set hours ago, and the desert was surprisingly cold. She crossed to Gabriel, who gathered her next to Charlie in his arms without a word. Her daughter reached out from her carrier and patted her cheek.
“Nathaniel, you’ve outdone yourself with this portal,” Raven said. “I felt the drag between here and Aeaea. I’m not sure I could have moved this many people.”
Nathaniel tamped out his pipe, his face glistening with sweat in the moonlight. “I don’t think I can do it twice, and I’d rather not try. Let’s hope the Quanling and Fratern are welcoming.”
Xavier made a deep grunt. “Welcoming to the sons of the enemy? We’ll be lucky if these scribes donna land our arses in a sacred pool.” He pointed toward the nearest glint of water in the sand beyond the temple.
Raven had seen what that water could do to a dragon when she’d met Colin. She hoped none of them would come in contact with it anytime soon.
“I just want a bed,” Avery said. “I still don’t know why this couldn’t wait until morning.”
“According to Sylas, the morning might be too late,” Gabriel said. “We need access to the enchanted scroll before Eleanor or her troops attack. There’s too much at stake to wait.”
Clarissa took a deep breath. “No time like the present, then.” She stepped forward and delivered three firm raps using the substantial metal knocker fastened to the front door.
A second later, a small door slid aside, and the partial face of a young male scribe appeared in the viewer. “The temple is closed to outsiders.”
“We’re looking for a scribe named Leena and the dragon who accompanies her, Colin. We have news from the Defenders of the Goddess.” Clarissa met Raven’s eyes. With one note, she could unlock the door with her voice, but both of them knew it was better to do this diplomatically.
The little door slid shut, and a quorum of voices, three male and one female, argued behind it. Raven couldn’t make out everything, but it sounded as if there was some disagreement about if they should be let in or not. Finally, there was a click, and the door swung open to reveal a lanky and stony-faced woman who pursed her lips in their direction.
“I am Marjory, Quanling of this temple. I was not informed of your arrival.”
“I imagine Sylas’s message will arrive tomorrow,” Gabriel said.
Marjory’s eyes fell on his emerald ring. “My word. You’re the heir.” Her gaze scanned the others. “The Treasure of Paragon and, dare I guess, the three sisters?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“It’s very important that we see Leena right away, ma’am,” Raven said.
The older elf made a face like she’d tasted something sour. “Please call me either Marjory or Quanling.”
Raven bowed her head. “Marjory. My apologies.”
“This way. Colin and Leena are in the library.”
Raven followed the Quanling into the strange building. The walls reminded her of the pyramids, at least what she imagined they’d look like on the inside. Great slabs of unadorned limestone surrounded them. Their footsteps echoed as they walked, made louder by high ceilings and lack of carpeting. Long shadows stretched between patches of light cast by sconces on the walls. Although the temperature in the temple was comfortable, she walked closer to Gabriel to try to stave off the cold and impersonal feel of the rooms.
Marjory stopped before a set of large doors just as they flew open of their own accord, and the group came face-to-face with a very surprised Colin.
“You’re back!” he said, then started pulling his brothers into swift hugs.
Raven noticed that Leena sat at a wide table behind him, looking more than a little flustered. “Have we interrupted something?”
“No.” Colin rubbed the back of his neck. “Leena’s been sifting through every scroll we could find that referred to Medea or Tavyss. We’ve been at it all day. I was going to take a break, but now that you’re here…”
Leena rose from her seat. “Thank the goddess. Did you find the tanglewood tree?”
Clarissa crossed to her, drawing her wand. The tip glowed a bright, icy blue, and she held it high for the scribe to see. “The only parts that matter.”
“I have the enchanted scroll here.” She patted the satchel at her hip. “I keep it with me at all times. Should we try again to translate it?”
Everyone grumbled a tired yes, and Raven followed the others to the table.
“Let me just clear a space.” Leena quickly shifted armfuls of scrolls, putting them on a white marble platform where they were promptly swallowed by swirling purple magic. She pulled out the palimpsest and unrolled it on the table.
Raven perused again the strange scroll. Although she couldn’t read ancient Elvish, Leena had told her what it said. The grimoire was brought to Ouros at the b
eginning of Eleanor and Brynhoff’s reign by Medea, who became the witch queen of Darnuith. Her mate, Tavyss, was the older brother of Brynhoff and challenged him for the throne for reasons unknown. In the fourth century, when Eleanor and Brynhoff did not comply, Medea attacked Paragon. She and her dragon mate were killed during the uprising, despite having the grimoire. Medea was pregnant at the time with their young. The scribe had noted a common belief at the time that Eleanor or Brynhoff somehow tricked Medea and Tavyss into letting their guard down and took advantage of their lapse.
Medea, Tavyss, and the baby were killed, but Medea was resurrected by her sisters. The sisters hid the golden grimoire somewhere and split the key into five pieces, enclosing them in magical orbs and hiding one in each of the five kingdoms. Colin had found the first orb here in Rogos; then Sylas and his mate Dianthe had succeeded in retrieving the other four. With the help of Charlie, they’d opened the orbs and reconstructed the key. The scroll included sketches of the orbs but not how or where to use the key.
But it was what was under the writing that they were after now. Symbols glowed and moved beneath the ink, appearing and then disappearing. Scrambling themselves. The document was a palimpsest, and the true message of how to obtain the golden grimoire and use it against Eleanor was hidden underneath, encrypted, waiting for them to unlock it. A message from the past meant for them and them alone.
“We have to do this together. I sense it in my bones,” Raven said to Clarissa and Avery. She drew her wand and watched the tip glow to life as if its magic had come alive in the presence of the scroll. “Are you ready?”
Avery backed up a step. “Whoa! I don’t even know how to use mine.” She drew her wand but held it awkwardly in front of her, as if it were a bomb that might go off at any moment.
Raven took her hand supportively. “All it does is amplify your magic. I can feel it. The tanglewood tree was born with our ancestors. Its magic fed them for decades. It’s all here.” She stared at the wand in wonder. “All we have to do is ask it to work for us.”
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