24. CHAPTER 24

24

RIVER

“I must say, I do appreciate Los Moros’ beautiful architecture.”

Maria de Alsedo- Duquesa de Castellina - 98 BV

W hen Valeria Plumanegra walks out of the inn, I nearly don’t recognize her. She’s wearing a provocative dress. Her face is enhanced with makeup, and her locks are arranged in a way that makes their ratty state of last night only an unpleasant memory.

She’s hanging from her cousin, and they walk with purpose, headed where? I don’t know, but I can only hope they’re on their way to retrieve the amulet. My chest pumps with heavy anticipation.

I follow at a safe distance. Passersby are distracted by her new appearance. She crosses their path, and they don’t recognize her. Dressing this way was a clever idea. She is attractive, I suppose, and the dress is revealing enough to draw the eye away from her face.

I’m also dressed to distract, humble human clothes and a cap that hides my ears. I walk hunched over, my head down. Some of the most distrustful denizens take closer looks, then hurry their pace or move out of the way to avoid me. The majority of people, however, don’t see through my disguise and ignore me .

After I follow them for several blocks, Valeria and her cousin head up the Biblioteca de la Reina’s steps and go in. I stay on the other side of the street, hidden under the shadow of an awning.

For a moment, I struggle with the decision of whether or not to follow them inside. This can’t be their final destination. The Eldrystone wouldn’t be safe in such a place, or would it? I do remember someone mentioning the place was built in Loreleia’s honor. Maybe this is the most logical place for its safekeeping. Maybe they built a vault for it.

If that is the case, I ought to remain here, bide my time to let Valeria secure the amulet, and then... I forcefully suppress the hope that starts to surge within my chest. I know better than to let my desires grow.

On the other hand, what if this is merely a diversionary path? They might only be passing through the building, hastening toward a rear exit in an effort to evade pursuers.

Not that they know with certainty that they’re being followed. Valeria thinks her trip through the sewers delivered her to safety. Little does she know I meticulously orchestrated her feigned abduction and allowed her to escape.

I anticipated she would escape through the pipe. It was her only option. I also foresaw she would choose the wider passage that led to the river, so once I made sure she wouldn’t reemerge, I hurried to the exit point and watched her come out. Pathetically, she immersed herself in the river to wash, then nestled by the overgrown bushes like a lost animal. She believed herself secure, blissfully unaware that I lurked nearby, monitoring her every move.

What I didn’t count on was that godsforsaken raven fetching Jago, that clown. The cousin is harmless, however. It’s the bird I’m wary of. If he spots me, he will ruin everything. So far I’ve been able to evade him, but I’m worried my luck might run short. If I get my hands on the creature, I swear I will snap its neck. I can’t have my plan ruined by a bird. Too much depends on that amulet .

In the end, concern for their escape drives me into the library. If the Eldrystone is here… My hands itch with possibilities. I may hold the amulet today. Finally, after so long.

I take the front steps two at a time and push past the heavy wooden doors, wondering if the amulet has been here all along, so close within my reach.

“May I help you?” a puny man with red hair and spectacles asks as I walk in. He looks me up and down. I don’t fit the appearance of the library’s regular visitors.

My eyes rove over the large space. On the second floor, on the landing that oversees this area, I spot them.

I read a sign that points toward the stairs. It reads Foreign Studies. The second floor appears to contain tomes relating to other cultures.

“I need some reading material on Andalous battles against Los Moros,” I say.

The man scrutinizes me. He pays close attention to my cap and the scar over my eye. I should have had Calierin apply a powerful glamour, but I didn’t think it necessary. The scar marks me as an undesirable individual. It speaks for me before I have the chance to open my mouth. Most of the time, I don’t care. It makes people properly afraid. Other times, it’s an inconvenience.

“Your kind isn’t welcome here,” the man says, his voice trembling. I can tell it took every shred of courage he possesses to tell me that.

“And what kind might that be?” I ask.

His mouth opens and closes, but no words come out.

“The kind that writes papers on the socioeconomic impact of war?” I ask.

He reevaluates me. The wing-embroidered black band around his left arm lets me know he’s an erudito from the Academia Alada, and the glint in his eyes tells me this might be a topic of interest to him. Maybe now I fit his idea of someone worthy of this sad place .

What he doesn’t know is that in Castella, I may be a thug, but in Tirnanog, I used to be something else entirely.

The man shakes his head, dispelling the momentary curiosity that the scholarly topic brought out in him.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” He extends a hand toward the door.

I want to jab him straight in the mouth and knock his teeth out for daring to treat me as if I were garbage.

I lean closer, my gaze drilling into his. He inclines back, practically shaking in his shoes. He knows well I can paint the wall red with his blood, and that’s just a fraction of what I’d like to do to people of his ilk.

“You’re a maggot,” I growl, “and will die a maggot, and if I cared enough about mere insects like you I would dance on your grave. But you’re hardly worth my time.” I ease back as he withers under my stare.

“Don’t… ma-make me call the Guardia,” he manages in a stutter.

I huff and walk out. No number of guards could stop me if I wanted to raze this place to the ground, but that wouldn’t serve my purposes. Instead, I wait outside for a few minutes, reclining against the outside wall, close to the door where I’ll still have a view of the inside whenever the door opens.

A few people walk out. If they notice me, they quickly glance away. I wait some more.

Some moments later, a man pushes the door open with his foot, balancing a tall pile of books. He can barely see over the top. I hold the door open for him. He issues a thank you that he quickly regrets when he catches full sight of me.

I resist the temptation to trip him and watch him tumble down the steps, his precious load scattering all over the ground. It irks me how petty I’ve become. I ignore him, and it gratifies me to know that I can still rise above, if only because I have better things to do .

The puny erudito’s back is to the door. I’m up the stairs before he can blink an eye. Humans are pathetically slow. They only best us because their numbers are greater, but they’re like ants attacking a weak, fallen foe.

Most of the patrons don’t notice me as I walk the length of the second floor. They’re busy in their studies or research, noses buried in their work.

I spot Valeria and Jago at the end of the stacks. They are exploring books in a section marked Fae Studies .

I enter one of the aisles several rows removed from where they stand, and carefully approach until I can hear their conversation.

“I take it you haven’t found anything of interest,” her cousin says.

“Not yet. It’s so frustrating. Why is the necklace so important to everyone?”

“I told you that trying to find knowledge here might be a waste of time.”

“Where else can I look?”

“As long as you’re willing to spend a lifetime here, going through all of these books shouldn’t be a problem.”

I stand frozen, processing what I just heard. Valeria Plumanegra doesn’t know what the amulet is, and she’s here to try to figure it out? I shake my head as the notion takes root. She’s not trying to keep the amulet because of its power? She thinks it’s just a necklace? And they’re here only to do research? Impossible.

She wouldn’t risk her life for something she thinks is nothing but a pretty trinket.

Slowly, I backtrack and find my way out of the library. I wait for the princess to come out. It takes hours and spends all of my patience until I’m pacing back and forth like a caged animal. When they finally emerge well after midnight, I follow them back to the same inn .

I clench my empty hands, the memory of how The Eldrystone used to rest in my palm, haunting my senses. Once more, my hopes are shattered, and my endless wait and banishment persist. Despair beckons, but I resist. I’ve never stood nearer to my goal. The amulet will find its way back to me. It’s only a matter of time.