Chapter 49

49

Getting on the boat with Khort went about as smoothly as Vega and Arlet had anticipated. He argued for nearly half an hour, causing them to approach the docks after sunrise.

"I swear to the gods—" Vega started.

"We are the gods. You can't swear on us anymore," Khort fired back.

Vega whacked him on the shoulder, coaxing a genuine smile from him for the first time since she boarded the boat. "Okay, I swear to the dead ones if I can't get to Littera because we're late, I'll fry you."

Arlet strode up beside them. "And I'll help, but don't worry, I'll make you see a pretty field of flowers while it happens."

"Wow, I need new best friends," he jeered.

Vega eyed the land in the distance, hoping to make out Urban's figure on the horizon.

Arlet scoffed, "Good luck with that. No one likes grumpy dragons."

Anxiously, Vega tapped her foot against the boat's deck.

"Don't worry, Vega. He's gonna be there." Arlet wrapped her arm around her shoulders, pulling her close .

The journey from Imber to Solum was half the distance of the one to Fraus, but this time Vega found herself counting every second sneaking by.

The docks came into view, and Vega scanned everyone bustling around the ships and market square. Urban's red hair stood out, rustling in the breeze.

Vega let out a sigh of relief.

He lifted his arm, fingers fluttering in a hello. Vega smiled big as Arlet squeezed her shoulder before pulling away to help throw ropes to the merchants on the dock.

Khort stood at attention, eyes scrutinizing the people buzzing around Urban. He had no guards near him, only a small blonde with a white cloak wrapped around her shoulders for warmth.

Urban spoke loudly. "I almost thought you weren't coming."

Vega disembarked, her footsteps echoing against the wooden planks. She pulled Urban into a hug, and despite his shock, he wrapped his arms around her too. "Thank you."

She could hear the smile in his voice when he answered. "No need for thanks. I told you that I'm in this. Reaching out to Colette is the least I could do to prove it."

Vega extended her hand to Colette. The blonde grabbed it and shook lightly. "It's nice to meet you," Vega said.

The young woman nodded her head. "I have been dying to meet the infamous Vega who has our world up in arms."

"You have no guards," Khort noted as he came up behind Vega, interrupting their conversation.

"There is no need for guards when the people in my territory are all on the same page," Urban replied with certainty. "The people in Solum are ready to fight." As he said it, the men and women working the docks put down their crates and shifted their attention to their praefectus, placing a balled fist over their hearts in unison.

We are one.

Urban threw his hands up in a sweeping motion. "My people are with this rebellion. My people are with you, Khort. I understand your unease, but it is misplaced here. My people are your people."

Solum-born controlled plant life—some at a slow pace, great for farming year-round, while others could make a tree root system their weapon of choice—bonded with animals, and were the reason everyone in Tolevarre ate. No one would be alive if it weren't for the food they brought to everyone's tables—especially those in power.

Vega watched as more Solum workers surrounded the docks with their fists over their hearts—it was a sign from a long time ago that meant, We are with you. Arlet was the first to move, her hand mimicking Solum's people.

Vega joined her.

"See, I didn't come to you prematurely. Solum's people knew of the arrangement before I met with you. I wouldn't offer up their lives without first asking if they were willing to give them." Urban, who was once so feeble and shy, was now a man willing to die for a cause not many would.

Khort finally placed his fist over his heart.

Urban spoke again. "This is why I asked you to come here, so you could see for yourself that Solum is ready to fight. Fifty-five years of slavery is enough for one lifetime. And the letter I sent to Vega, well, it seems it's no longer a secret why you're here. You told me to keep quiet, so I planned to have you scurry off with Colette before Khort arrived today." His eyes met Vega's. "I guess silence on the matter is no longer needed."

Vega shook her head, letting her hand fall from her chest. "No." The people of Solum one by one dropped their hands and got back to work, loading crates and boxes to far-off territories. The seas were easier to navigate these days than the roadways that had become littered with Tolevarre's army. "I can't leave the only people who have ever fought for me in the dark anymore." She'd done that too many times before. "And we only have one boat right now, so… "

Urban chuckled softly. "We have plenty of boats, which means you now have plenty as well." His eyes wandered over the three of them. "Your friendship always made me a little jealous. The way you had each other to lean on. You should consider yourselves lucky to have one another still. A lot of us have been left alone."

"You're not alone anymore," Arlet told him, touching his arm gently.

"Thank you. Now, Vega, you better get going. Colette doesn't have a huge window to sneak you in and out of the archives, and you're already behind schedule." Urban hurried them along.

Khort stepped forward, blocking Vega's path. "I'm going with you."

She shook her head. "No, Arlet is. You need to stay here and load the boat with food for Castra. Take some time to spend with the people we'll be fighting beside, who will be fighting under you. We aren't deviating from our plans today. We'll be quick."

"What if this is a trap?" he said to Arlet and Vega, his voice low.

"I know this is supposed to be a private conversation, but I will be honest about the risks." Colette butted in. "I can promise I won't tell a soul." Her voice was buttery sweet. "But I can't make that promise for the others of Littera."

The small woman was much younger than the rest of them—Vega could see it in the way her eyes sparkled with youth, and the bounce in her step still looked full of hopeful wonder.

The world hadn't broken her yet.

"We'll deal with that when it comes. For now, I need tomes, journals, everything and anything you can get me on curses."

Colette smiled. "You're in luck. That's my department."

Vega couldn't remember the last time she rode horseback for over an hour. Her legs felt stuck in a bowed position when she dismounted her black mare. She griped, stretching out her legs while Arlet did the same.

It was hard to tell that they'd grown up with the best horses and stables in all of Aeris with how they hobbled behind Colette.

Vega leaned into Arlet, whispering close to her ear. "Hopefully we won't be fighting this war from the backs of horses."

Colette held her finger over her lips, turning only long enough to shush the girls as they walked into the main room of the oldest library in Tolevarre—the Minerva Archives. The building was spelled long ago to block the use of powers inside, a way to protect the history of their world and the one that came before it.

As they crossed through the door, Vega couldn't rely on anything other than her wits and physical skills to keep her safe. The buzz of her power simmered to nothing, bringing back memories of the nights she spent underground in her sister's dungeons.

As if Arlet knew where Vega's thoughts went, she slipped her hand into hers as they entered the main room and pulled their hoods over their heads for an added layer of camouflage.

The back entrance opened to a high ceiling with painted pictures of the dead gods. It rounded in the center, small windows illuminating the paintings on every ebony wooden wall. Any free inch of space was lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves. Vega took a deep breath, inhaling the glorious scent of old and loved books.

She used to love coming here for visits with her parents as a kid.

Colette shuffled them quickly through the main room and dipped off into a hallway that made Vega feel claustrophobic after the room they'd just left. The space was too small for the girls to walk side by side. Arlet fell back, keeping watch behind Vega, and Vega's head stayed on a swivel. They'd be ready for a fight if one came.

They walked down more halls, descending into the belly of the archives where not many got to go. It was darker down here too, the chemical breakdown of the ancient bindings creating a musty book smell that wasn't present up above.

Colette smiled as they passed another Littera-born, his eyes sweeping over Vega and Arlet with unease.

Arlet took a few large strides to get beside Vega when the hall widened a bit. "We get what we need, and we get out. We might not see them, but they see us."

Vega knew she was right—she could feel people watching at every corner.

Colette came to a stop at a door, and after entering a code on a beeping keypad, slipped them inside unnoticed. "This row"—she pointed—"the third one over, and a small section over there will have anything to do with curses. If it's not here, it doesn't exist."

Vega inhaled sharply at her words. The answer has to be here. It has to be.

"Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" the young girl asked. "I have a photographic memory, so I might be able to tell you exactly where something is."

Vega looked to Arlet, her best friend's eyebrow raised as if to say, Your call.

"Anything on breaking curses?" Vega didn't know if they could trust Colette fully, but she'd already damned herself by helping them.

A glimmer of excitement lit up her youthful features. "Ah, I wondered if that's what you were here for." She rubbed her hands together. "I have a few small tomes from before our people's time. They're not kept here, and I'm leery to let them leave, but…" Colette looked around, lowering her voice. "I'll lend them to you if you promise to let me know if whatever is in them helped."

Vega nodded vigorously, her ponytail bobbing up and down. "Yes, of course."

Colette grinned widely. "Great. I will be back soon. Find what you can quickly. The class rotating in will be here soon, and Nero is with them today. "

That was the only warning they were going to get. Colette deserted the room, leaving Arlet and Vega alone. Turning to her best friend, Vega quickly clarified what she was looking for. "The few books I have talk about small curses, things that most Fraus-born can do. Cursing small animals with blood, using potions to sicken your enemies. Look for things that talk of larger curses, curses on people, curses that can't be broken. Things like that." Vega pulled a small bag from her jacket and handed it to Arlet. "And if you see anything, anything ," she reiterated, "about Remus, Romulus, or the dead gods, you take it. I don't care if it's folklore from a children's book."

Arlet nodded, getting to work quickly in the far corner opposite Vega.

Vega gently thumbed through a few books before finding something worth sliding into her bag. The next ten books weren't of interest, talking of topics she already knew. She picked one up she was able to get a feel for immediately, and she dropped the book with a picture of the Colosseum on it that read Roman Curses into her bag.

She moved around the room, riffling through pages until she heard the door reopen. Vega popped her head out of the row, expecting to see Colette. Her stomach sank to her feet when her eyes landed on an old man, followed by a small group of students.

Nero.

Arlet scuttled down the aisle with a happy grin on her face. "I?—"

Vega reared back into the aisle of books and pressed herself into the shelf. Her pointer finger rested against her lips, head shaking to keep Arlet quiet.

Arlet followed her move, stepping silently until she was hidden in the shadows of the bookcases.

"Alright, students." His voice was as shaky as Vega remembered it to be. "You will have ten minutes to find the book you'll use to write your final paper. Once we leave here, I will allow you three days' time to complete your research. As your final year of training comes to an end, you will spend your last six weeks working alongside the smartest Littera-born our world has to offer."

Vega didn't let out a breath, scared to make a single move.

"Your time here at the Minerva Archives will be nothing short of spectacular, but there are many sleepless nights ahead of you. I will be here every step of the way. Marlena has—" The beeping of the door's keypad interrupted him.

Vega cursed under her breath, dying to know why he'd brought Marlena up.

"Colette, what a nice surprise!" Nero cooed.

"Oh, Praefectus Nero, hello!" Her voice wavered. "You're early." She laughed nervously.

"Why, yes, these young minds are very eager to get their studies in curses started. Marlena has been very adamant about pushing them along faster if possible."

Vega and Arlet locked eyes, dread filling Vega's chest.

"Delightful," Colette blubbered.

"I heard you were off today. I was disappointed by the news. Students, this is Colette Sophia. My granddaughter."

Arlet inhaled in shock. Vega's hand shot to cover her own mouth. They had to get out of here, now!

"Oh, I am off. I was just going to swing by and grab some leisure reading." Colette tried to cover her tracks—hopefully Grandpa Sophia would fall for her lie.

"Colette was the top student in her class, and she got to pick the department she wanted to lead after graduation. If you all make it out of curse studies, you might be lucky enough to work under her." Nero sounded proud, like any grandfather of a star pupil would be.

Nero had held a Curia seat for over 300 years and was one of the oldest people in Tolevarre at somewhere around 450 years old.

He'd been one of the first territories to side with Marlena, but it was only because it was the easy way out—Littera-born weren't fighters. They used their brains, not brawn. Nero knew his best chance at survival was to get as close to Marlena as possible.

"You stick to the outsides of the room, you might find the best books in the shortest amount of time." Colette's voice rose, giving Vega and Arlet an escape.

Stick to the middle. Vega and Arlet locked eyes, nodding at one another as they slid their backs down the shelves.

"Thank you, Colette. Your time starts now, students," Nero told them, a beep going off as a timer started.

Vega snooped around the corner, finding the doorway empty. She nodded to Arlet, who followed close behind. They stepped out into the open, working quickly to line themselves up in a new row. The pair worked quietly, row by row, until they were at the door.

Arlet reached for the handle, but Colette stopped her with her hand around the knob. "Get out of here. Do not look back. Head straight to Solum. Get on your boat and leave." The blonde sank into the row of books, disappearing from their sight.

The door creaked open, and Vega was so close to freedom she could taste it…

"Colette?" Nero rounded the corner with a book in his hand.

Vega locked eyes with the ancient man and watched as his grew wide with recognition. "Arlet, go," she squawked, shoving her through the door.

"Colette!" Nero screamed as the door clanged shut.

Vega and Arlet tucked their bags under their arms, sprinting through the maze of halls.

"I saw her! Stop her! Stop them!"

Arlet took a right, but Vega snatched her by the arm, pulling her to the left. It was easy to get lost in the archive's cavern-like underbelly. "Through those double doors," Vega pushed, pointing ahead.

The two burst through them at the same time, the doors cracking against the wall .

Arlet's long legs took her farther faster, but Vega was on her heels, pumping her arms to keep her accelerating forward.

The side door they'd come in through was only a few paces away—they were so close to Arlet being able to make them vanish.

Vega could feel her own powers tingling the closer they got to the exit.

Nero was old, slowly working himself to his own grave, but he made it to the main room before they could exit. His shaky voice roared through the quiet building. "Why isn't anyone stopping her?"

Heads popped out from the rows of books, shaken by the sudden screams in the perpetually quiet building.

They didn't slow down. I will not become a prisoner again. I will not!

Arlet pushed through the door, freeing them into the afternoon chill. Vega's body buzzed with the full force of her power.

Arlet snatched her this time, yanking her against the wall. The girls caught their breath, chests rising and falling in quiet gasps. "We're covered. Stay still."

Nero stumbled through the door, hopping down the steps with Colette right behind him.

"Where is she? I know I saw her!" His breaths were shallow, fit for a man who wasn't used to exerting himself.

"Grandfather." Colette spoke, reaching out to grab his arm. "Are you okay?"

Vega and Arlet watched from feet away as Nero turned in circles, looking for two women who were no longer there.

"I saw them!" He continued to search, looking behind pillars and under the steps.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Colette showed her true colors as she played her own blood for a fool.

"Vega and her useless friend!" He was getting angrier as time passed, unable to find them.

"Grandfather," Colette repeated, stepping into his line of sight. "Are you feeling unwell? There was no one… Vega wasn't here."

He stuttered over his words. "No, I know she was here. I saw her! I saw them!" he rambled.

"No, no one was here. You must be seeing things."

Nero was as red as a tomato. "I know what I saw!"

Colette sighed, her shoulders heaving. "Let's get you inside. I think you might be coming down with something."

The old man jabbered on as Colette walked him back through the doors. She looked over her shoulder, scanning the tree line before ducking back into the archives.

Arlet broke their silence. "Let's get back to the horses."

They never slowed or gave their steeds a break until they were back at the docks.

Khort and his soldiers ate lamb stew near a fire at a rebel camp, laughing it up like a bunch of old chums. Their merriment ended when Vega and Arlet returned.

No one spoke a word until after they were loaded on the boat and on their way back to Imber.

"I'm sorry it ended like that," Khort said, patting her on the shoulder as they descended into the hull of the boat.

"It's not your fault. Thank you again for the help," Vega said, wrapping herself in a larger fleece-lined jacket Urban gifted her. Since the trek back, she hadn't been able to escape the cold.

Vega was too tired to ask or answer any questions. She found herself a comfortable place to curl up and rest, but the disappointment of not getting the old tomes kept her from dozing off.

Vega opened the bag Arlet stuffed full of books, sorting through what she'd taken. She did the same with her own, wondering if the answer would be inside any of these or if the answer lay in what she hadn't gotten her hands on.

Her eyebrows met in the center when she pulled out a book she didn't remember grabbing. Where did these come from? Vega pulled out another as a smile spread across her face.

"Oh my gods," Vega gasped.

Roman Blood Curses: Vol. 1.

"Colette, you sneaky girl." Somehow, the young girl had deposited the two tomes she'd gone to fetch inside her bag without Vega knowing.

Alone in her corner with no one paying attention to her, Vega started to giggle, kicking her feet in excitement. "I'm going to break this fucking curse."