“We destroy it,” I said slowly.
Andromeda laughed, and so did some of the Elders. “Foolish child. No one can destroy the Book of Abraxas except Abraxas. And the last time I checked, Abraxas died five thousand years ago in the Demon Wars.”
“No, he didn’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Abraxas is alive. Trapped in a magical prison between worlds.”
Some of the Elders gave shaky laughs. Others remained silent.
But Elder Silias explained slowly, “Abraxas is an Elder Dragon, the most powerful dragon to have ever lived. If he were alive somewhere, there is no one who could summon him. And if they could, no one can control him. Dragons are not tame creatures; they look down on most of our kind. The only ones they respect enough to speak to are the Dragonlords. And there are no magical bloodlines left that can command an Elder Dragon. Izadora doesn’t have that power and neither do you.”
Andromeda gestured to the guards to come forward. “You are confined to your room for the night so you can prepare yourself for your final journey,” she sneered. “We leave tomorrow. The Gandren Pass is a day’s ride from here.”
The guards came forward to take me by my arms.
I glared at them. “Don’t think about touching me if you value your lives,” I growled with all the courage I could muster.
The guards stopped in their tracks and looked at Andromeda for further instructions. They had seen me fight in the grand hall that night and didn’t look very keen to take me on right now.
“Well,” Andromeda said. “We would rather not have a scuffle here. I’m sure you can walk without assistance.” She snapped her fingers and four more guards came forward. “Escort Princess Aurora to her room. And make sure she stays there.” She turned her eyes back to me. “You are lucky I’m not putting you in the dungeons, only because I don’t want you anywhere near that traitor Penelope. So don’t try to do anything stupid and run away—I hear you are quite proficient at that. And don’t think you can create a portal out of your room. The Elder Fae have warded the castle, including the dungeons. Your spirit magic won’t work here anymore. If you do anything to jeopardize this treaty with Morgana, Penelope will die before she ever gets a trial.”
The guards bowed. I didn’t.
I turned on my heel and stormed out of the council chamber. Andromeda was a bitch, but she was clever. And Tristan’s father wanted to get rid of me for obvious reasons. He didn’t think I was good enough for his son. If I could prove they were the ones who poisoned my grandmother, maybe I could convince the Elder Council to stop her from giving over the book.
I wanted to go and see Tristan, but the guards wouldn’t let me—they took me straight to my tower room. I hoped he was okay—at least Cade was with him. I had to get a message to them to tell them what was happening.
I ran up the stairs to my room and slammed the door while the guards formed a barricade at the bottom of the stairs. I sat down on my bed and took a deep breath. I refused to believe Penelope was guilty; she had helped me so many times. If only I could get into the dungeons and speak to her. I had to know for sure she wasn’t behind this.
That night I waited until the castle was asleep. I knew I could not portal myself out of the room, but there was another way. I silently thanked my grandmother for putting me in this specific room, probably the only one that had a secret passage. This time I was not going to run away; this time I was going to make things right.
I crept slowly down the stairs, listening for any sign of the guards, and pushed open the stone door to the secret passage as slowly and quietly as I could. I had to shut it completely behind me. I didn’t want the guards to come up the stairs looking for me only to find the way into the passage. I lit up my hand and a ball of light formed in my palm. Holding it up, I peered down the dark corridor beyond.
I walked forward, my heart hammering in my chest as I passed the crack that looked down into the throne room. No one was there, and my grandmother’s throne sat empty in the vast cold hall. I ventured farther down the secret corridor. I wasn’t exactly sure where it went, but today I was going to find out.
Slowly descending into the depths of the mountain, I followed the passage. If I could find a way into the dungeons, I could speak to Penelope and figure out the truth. Finally I reached the end of the corridor—a dead end. I looked for a loose stone, and after moments of searching I found a secret handle. The door groaned slightly and opened as I stepped out into another long dark corridor.
This wasn’t the dungeon. I was back in the catacombs.
This part of the library didn’t have any books, just smooth stone walls and endless dark tunnels cleaved into the depths of the mountain.
“Which way?” I asked the voice in my head, but there was no answer. There was no way of knowing when it would appear. Before this I had tried to contact the voice, but it had been quiet for a while. It only seemed to speak when I was in trouble. I was going to have to find my way to the dungeons on my own.
I was startled by the sound of people talking in the distance. I immediately put out the light in my hand and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. My fae senses became sharper as I moved slowly toward the sound and peered around the corner.
It was a small chamber with two corridors
