“I . . .” He knew. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.”

“I trust you, Brie. Whether or not you trust me in return.”

Heart heavy, I watch as he kneels before me, lifting the hem of my skirt from the ground. His fingers brush my skin as he wraps the scabbard around my calf and buckles it in place. When he turns a palm up for the dagger, I gently hand it to him by the hilt. “Keep this on you at all times for protection. Use your magic to hide it if you can.”

“I . . .” How much does he know about my magic? About my secrets? “I can. I’ve gotten better.”

He slides it into place, and there’s something comforting about the hug of the belt, the weight of the blade at my calf. When he stands, his face is solemn. “This blade will also work against Finn.”

I swallow hard. Maybe that’s why he gave this to me after all—not so much because he thinks I’ll need it against Mordeus but because he hopes I’ll use it against Finn. “You said you don’t want Mordeus on the Throne of Shadows, but who would you have take his place if not Finn?”

He shakes his head. “Faerie has been divided too long, and it’s time the halves unite under one ruler.”

I bite my bottom lip. I don’t want to argue about Finn or who should or shouldn’t be on the Throne of Shadows. All I care about is saving my sister.

But that’s not true anymore. Maybe it hasn’t been true for a while.

I care about the realm I once sneered at and the creatures that reside here, and now I’m torn between warring kingdoms when I never wanted to feel allegiance to either.

“Would you like me to show you the rest of the palace?” Sebastian asks.

I nod, but through his whole tour I’m thinking about the adamant blade strapped to my leg and Sebastian’s hushed words, This blade will also work against Finn.

I’m so distracted that I’m unprepared when he leads me into the library on the top floor of the palace.

“This is the jewel of Serenity Palace,” he says just inside the doors. “It’s best seen when the sun is shining through the skylights, so I’ll bring you back tomorrow.”

But I like it as it is now, with the silvery moonlight dancing off the glass and barely illuminating the center of the room. I could explore the stacks of books in the darkness. I imagine it would feel like going to the library with my mother when I was a child—that feeling of safety and endless possibility.

I stroll into the room, looking around and letting my gaze skip over the pedestal at the center of the space. I don’t want to seem too interested in it, but Sebastian seems to sense it anyway.

“That’s the Grimoricon,” he says. He takes my hand and leads me to the center of the room until we are a single step from the book. So close I could reach out and touch it.

“What is it?” I ask, as if I don’t know.

“It’s the great book of our people. The Court of the Moon once claimed it as their own, but I’m loath to imagine the havoc Mordeus would bring to our world if he had it.”

My heart sinks. I may be confused about many things, but I am clear on Mordeus’s character. He is evil, cruel, and conniving, and Faerie will not fare well if a male like that has even more power. I’ve been on a mission to save Jas at any cost, but for the first time, I see that I’m endangering the fate of an entire realm in exchange for my sister’s life. But the alternative? It’s unfathomable.

I tamp down my newfound doubt and focus on the book. “What’s inside?”

“It holds the spells of our Old Ones and guidance for tapping into their powers. Once I take the throne, this is the book that will lead me in ruling my kingdom. My grandparents went to great lengths to retrieve it, and they lost many good faeries in doing so. Now it may be the only thing keeping my mother alive.”

I whip my head around to look at him. “What?”

“Magic is life. And this”—he nods at the book—“this is some of our most powerful magic. My mother’s been dying for years now. She’s probably only alive today because her life has been magically linked to this book.”

Slowly, I reach out, but he grabs my hand before I can touch it.

“Don’t.” His eyes are wide, his pulse fluttering quickly in his neck.

“Is it dangerous?”

“I don’t know what would happen to you if your mortal skin came into contact with such great magic. And if the book is disturbed . . .” He swallows. “If the book is disturbed, I fear what would happen to my mother.”

Tags: Lexi Ryan These Hollow Vows Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net