I dig my fingernails into the armrests and bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood. I have no intention of returning to the Bloodbane witches. Blood doesn’t make you family. And I’m not eager to meet the woman who cursed a man for a thousand years because he rejected her. Altair has let me live in a guest in his house, even though it always felt like a prison. I understand now why he never let me leave. He couldn’t risk losing me if I could potentially save him.
If I could, I would break the curse. But I was raised in the mortal world. A world without magic or fairytale creatures like the Fae. I don’t know anything about curses or spells. I lick my lips. I’ll simply have to educate myself.
I rise and slip out of my room into the hall. Altair has two Fae soldiers stationed outside my room at all hours of the day. One breaks away from his post to follow me down the hall at a distance. I roll my eyes. I doubt the Bloodbane could get to me within the palace. Or perhaps Altair still suspects I’ll run away. I press my lips into a thin line at the thought.
The palace is a sprawling complex of wings and halls and massive staircases. I didn’t notice its beauty before when I was too angry and frustrated to take any notice of my surroundings beyond the nearest exits. The walls and floors are a light stone, the floors carpeted in red. Vases of fresh flowers line the halls, placed beside large windows that overlook the palace gardens and exterior buildings.
There’s so much to this place that I haven’t explored yet. I hadn’t even realized the castle grounds were so large. But as I gaze out the windows, I realize I was only in a single piece of its gardens. I turn away from the windows towards a massive doorway. The library.
As I enter, my breath slips away from me in surprise. The library is two stories tall, filled with rows and rows of dark oak bookcases. Shelves line the walls from the floor to the ceiling, wooden ladders attached to each shelf so readers can reach the tomes on the highest shelves. Comfortable chairs dot the room, tucked away in corners and beside the few fireplaces I can spot along the walls. On the far wall, floor to ceiling windows let in masses of natural light. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. It would put any library in the world to shame, I think as envy tugs at my heart. It’s been my dream since I was young to have a library like this.
Elated, I rush inside, smiling giddily. The soldier who trailed me here positions himself beside the entrance. I hurry to a nearby shelf and run my fingers over the leather-bound spines. They’re warm to the touch, as if they’ve just been just put away.
“Can I help you?” A hoarse voice croaks behind me.
I gasp, a little startled, and whirl around towards the voice. An old woman stands before me, not a woman—a Fae woman. She eyes me, an amused glint in her eyes. “Are you the librarian?” I ask, taking in the deep wrinkles around her eyes and mouth.
“I am.” She dips her chin. “You must be the Bloodbane.”
I clench my jaw. “I’m a librarian as well.”
“Are you?” She chuckles. “Then I don’t suppose you’ll need any help from an old Fae like me.”
“Actually,” I blurt, reaching a hand towards her. “I’m looking for anything you may have about curses or Bloodbane witches. I wouldn’t know where to start in a library this size.”
She arches a brow, lips pulled into a frown. “We don’t keep tomes on Bloodbane magic here.”
“Anything you have could be helpful to me,” I say.
“Follow me,” she says after a moment of silence.
She strides away, moving surprisingly fast for someone of her age. All the Fae I’ve seen in the palace have had youthful features, none appeared more than forty-years-old. Altair looks to be in his late twenties, and I know he’s at least a thousand years old. This Fae woman must be ancient. She pulls me from my thoughts when she stops in front of a bookshelf tucked in the far corner of the library.
She taps on a book’s spine and turns to me. “Start here. You may find what you need in this shelf.”
“Thank you.” I smile gratefully and start reading the titles of the books as she leaves.
“Just be careful,” she calls. Her gray eyes gleam. “The oath might call too strongly.”
I furrow my brows. “What do you mean?”
But there’s no answer, and the woman is nowhere to be seen. I narrow my eyes towards where I last saw her, a sense of apprehension twisting inside me. It’s probably nothing. The Fae are light-footed and graceful, like cats. I’m sure she simply slipped away before I could notice.
My spine tingles as I turn back to the tomes. A History of the Fae, Third and Fourth Dynasties. Greater Religions of Alnembra. Curses and Spellwork, a Manual. I carry a load of thick books back towards the main area, where it's lighter. I pull the first book off the stack and open it on a reading table as I tuck myself into a padded chair.
Granuil Thoran of House Thoran of the First Dynasty became the first Fae to dabble in Bloodbane magic in the year 1023. Granuil pioneered modern Fae medicine through the invention of poultices and potions that aided in the healing process. A record of these potions is listed in the Index AB. Unfortunately, Granuil died in the first Civil War between the First and Second Dynasties before passing on his more detailed and complex work.
Eliza Thoran of House Thoran of the Second Dynasty continued his research
