9. Sybil

Chapter 9

Sybil

Y ou don't happen to have a section onhow to defeat evil queens by chance, do you?" I ask as I run my fingers along the next row. Marcelene, Cassara and I have been searching this level of the library since breakfast.

Marcelene snorts from two rows over. "The library isn't sorted like that," she says.

"Then, how is it sorted? How do you find anything in a labyrinth of knowledge like this? I thought you said this floor was for ancient texts on magic."

"It is, but the library has a mind of its own. Sometimes it moves things around." Clutching a worn tome titled Magical Creatures of Craeweth, Marcelene walks over. "What about this one?"

I pride myself on being a bit of a mythical creature expert. That, and there isn't a book you could keep away from me.

My heart clenches as Kela's words ring in my ears. Lemon climbs up to my shoulder as I pull the book toward me and look through the index. I shake my head and hand it back.

"I–I don't think this will have the answers I seek, but I'd like to go through it, regardless. There's something I'd like to check. Have you heard of a ramidreju?" I scratch Lemon behind the ears. It took a lot of convincing to have him stop running through the library like a mad man. As cute as Lemon is, having little paws sink into ink pots and leaving prints behind on ancient tomes is not ideal.

She shakes her head, holding the tome to her chest. "I cannot say that I have, but I'm more of a magical object expert than a magical creature one. Why?"

"Someone close to me once said he was not a normal ferret, but a ramidreju. It doesn't matter." I shake my head, turning back to the shelf. "One day, when all of this is behind us, I'll be able to spend hours by the fire with no worries other than if I should read another chapter."

"Now that sounds like a dream." She turns to scan the shelf behind me. My smile falters as I wonder if that day will ever come; I dread what I may have to sacrifice for it.

"An Earth elementals Guide to Curing Winter Ailments, Seven Signs of Sight, Magic on the Defense. Any of these sound good?" Marcelene asks, indicating a red leather bound spine.

"I don't think any of those would help us defeat Tricella, unless she's planning on plunging the world into perpetual winter and unleashing devastating plagues," I say, crestfallen.

The high priestess had not lied when she said that most knowledge about the art of dark magic had been wiped from the archives, and the library did not seem inclined to show us where the few tomes left were hidden. The three witches had tried everything to convince Harpalyke, but all that magically appeared in front of us were tomes that read "How to Save Kingdoms in 10 Easy Steps" and "Spells to Uncover Very Dangerous Books" filled with fairy tales and recipes. Even the library was mocking me. So instead of focusing on the threat, Tricella, we decided to look for information regarding its potential solution, me.

"We've found nothing of use," I say as I pull Lemon into my lap.

"Well, not exactly nothing," Cassara says. "We found more books on magical creatures that gave you insight on Lemon's ramidreju abilities."

"True. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he's not an ordinary ferret," I say.

"You are destined for great things, Sybil. You need a strong sidekick." Cassara grins as she pulls her blonde hair into a messy bun.

I shake my head, staring at Lemon laying belly up on the table, snoring quietly.

Why did he choose me?

Marcelene snorts. "I'd like to see him face a beast. They'd eat him up like a snack and use his bones as toothpicks. His greatest use is his ability to steal shiny objects–Ow!" She rubs the side of her head after a small pot of ink flies through the air and lands with a clatter on the table.

"Seems like you're not the only one who befriended the library," Cassara says, keeling over in her chair with laughter. "So this prince of yours," Cassara continues, blue eyes twinkling. "Is he handsome? What about his bodyguard?"

In the last couple of days spent at the library, I told the witches about my life. The coven had eventually deemed my presence at Harpalyke necessary; a sign of Alphaeia, they called it. And even though not a moment had gone by where I did not feel the urgency in my mission, I allowed myself little pleasures, like opening up to these women who had been nothing but kind to me.

A small smile graces my lips as the image of Aramis standing protectively above me in the hot springs under the open star filled sky fills my mind.

"Nero is a treat, I think you'd love to meet him." I twist my family ring around my finger. "Aramis is… he's different. Sure, he's handsome, but he's complicated and we didn't exactly start off on the right foot."

"I still don't understand how you managed to forgive him after everything he's done to you and your kind," Thalia says as she walks down the row toward us.

"Well, he wasn't aware of what she was doing," I say defensively.

"But don't you think it's odd that he was that blind to what was going on around him? Don't get me wrong, losing a parent at a young age is not easy, but it didn't make me want to eradicate the cause because of it." Her words hit me like a blow to the chest.

"You said his father was under a spell. Could Aramis have been under her magical influence too?" Cassara asks, peeking her head around the corner at us.

"He didn't seem like he was under a spell when I met him, just angry and blinded by prejudice to the point he genuinely believed he was doing the right thing for his people," I say.

"What if that was intentional?" Cassara says as she pushes to her feet. I follow as she counts down the rows of shelves until she turns. Running her fingers down their spines, she stops and pulls a large green leather-bound tome from the shelf and plops on the floor, opening it in her lap.

"What's that?" I ask, sitting next to her. Marcelene sits at my other side.

"Lore of shifters," she says under her breath as she flips through pages, running her finger delicately until she reaches a passage. "Aha! Here it is. Unicorns have the power to cleanse poison from an object, making it pure again."

I snort, pulling the book over to me. "That can't be true. My parents would have told me about that years ago instead of teaching me how to counteract poisons."

"Well, using your magic takes energy. It's not limitless. Having the ability to cure with your knowledge and hands can be useful without draining your magic stores" Thalia says as she pulls a journal from her pocket and scribbles in it.

"What does that have to do with Aramis being under magical influence or not?" I quirk an eyebrow at her.

"Didn't you say you felt connected to him since you met him?" she asks.

"Well, yes. It was as if I had always known him. That's why I never cowered before his stern exterior. I knew what was hidden behind it, so I reached out my hand." I frown and instinctively reach for that golden thread inside me.

What does it mean?

Cassara pulls the book back into her lap and flips the page, pointing to an illustration of a unicorn crying diamond tears, laying their head into the lap of a maiden. "What if through your bond, you're inadvertently purifying the spell placed on him?"

"That seems like a farfetched idea. What do you mean by ‘bond?"

"Don't you know about the bond between fated mates?" She asks, her eyes taking on a dreamy, faraway look.

I had read about fated mates. So many of the books I used to read at my cottage wrote about the rare occurrence of souls born intertwined as the Goddess weaves lives, destined to be together. They were always just that, though, stories written to make reality more bearable and dreams more vivid.

"We are not fated mates, we can't be." I stare at her incredulously, but she only smiles wistfully back at me.

I would know, wouldn't I?

"It would explain your draw to him and how you were able to find each other," Thalia says, putting her journal back into her pocket.

"It would explain how you could fall for the Prince of elementals who has spent his whole life hunting your kind to bring them before his stepmom, and forgive him so easily," Marcelene says, the corners of her lips pulling down.

"Impossible. He hates shifters… well, hated. He was beginning to be more open during the last week we had spent together."

"Imagine a scared, lonely boy who just nearly died by ‘rebel shifters,' whose mother was murdered. It wouldn't take much magical influence to turn that fear into hatred and prejudice. Tricella could have put her claws into him, not only with poisonous words but blinding him with her magic. Over the years, she might have thought him so under her thumb that she started pulling back to utilize her magic elsewhere."

"Where would she learn such a thing? Magic to manipulate the mind or control others is a myth. I've only ever heard of it in fairytales and folktales. Stories of knights in white armor fighting great monstrous beasts of darkness and shadow," I scoff.

"All stories are born from a kernel of truth, Sybil." Thalia purses her lips. "There is a story that the Goddess herself built this mountain to create balance between the earth and sky, lightness and darkness, knowledge and secrets. The first coven of white witches built the library here as a temple to worship her."

"What does that have to do with defeating Tricella?" My shoulders slump and a heavy sigh escapes my lips.

"Did you ever notice anything weird between them at the castle?" Cassara asks. "Maybe it would give us a clue where to look to find out how to defeat her."

"I rarely saw Aramis except the night we arrived and the morning I nearly escaped." I bite my lip then shudder as the memories come back. "When Tricella had me chained, draining my power, she said he was blind and would do anything to save his people, not realizing what he was doing. She said kidnapping me hardly took any nudging. Beyond that, the only show of her powers I saw beyonddraining mine wastelekinesis and the strange mental hold she seemed to have over the king."

"Which would make sense why after finding you, your magic began to influence her hold on him. Purify him of her poison and open his eyes to the reality of what's going on in his kingdom," Cassara says.

"So anything that's been between us has just been because of some predestined bond set upon us by the Goddess herself?" Cold disappointment settles in my gut.

"I mean," she says,closing the book and setting it to the side.

"Sybil, the mating bond has to be chosen by both parties before it can be solidified," Thalia says, meeting my gaze. "You'll feel the connection, sometimes even with each other's emotions. Once the bond settles into place and is accepted fully by both parties, some mates can even communicate through it."

"And does he know about this fated bond?" My chest tightens.

If he knew, why didn't he say anything? What if, despite his changing feelings, he still held hatred in his heart against me being a shifter?

"If you can feel the bond, he can feel it too. A mating bond isn't something to take lightly, you're tied for life. It's a sacred blessing."

"Or a curse. How could you love someone who has spent their whole life hating your kind?" Marcelene scoffs.

Could he ever fully accept me, unicorn and all?

"Marcelene!" Thalia chides, clicking her tongue.

I rub at my forehead, feelings warring inside me. "I don't have time to worry about this mating bond. I need to find a way to defeat Tricella." I turn back to the shelf, leaning my head against the smooth wood as I bottle down my conflicting feelings. I need to save my people. But I'm also not going to let the Goddess, fate or anyone else decide my future. Instinctively, my hand goes to rest on my chest, where I feel that familiar tug. For the first time, I revel in it, knowing Aramis feels it too.

The three girls look at each other then back at me.

Thalia tucks her arms together in her sleeves. "I must be off on patrol, but I wanted to check in on your progress. I wish you the best of luck, Sybil Vandeleur."

She turns and heads back in the direction she came, mage robes swirling around her ankles until she disappears. I look at our cart, mostly empty save for a few tomes on elemental magic.

"This floor has gotten me nowhere. Maybe we should try somewhere else."

Out of the corner of my eye, a flitter of movement catches my attention. I turn, but nothing is there.Grabbing the handles of the cart, I push it down the hallway toward a table nestled with chairs by a small grated firepit set away from the books.

Another chortle like the tinkling of bells has me stopping in my tracks.

"What was that?" I turn and find Cassara standing deeply entranced with a book.

"Hmm?" she asks, not lifting her eyes from the pages.

"I swear I heard–" I trail off as the sound comes again, this time from two shelves above me.

"Library sprites," Marcelene says as she dumps another handful of books onto the cart. "Pesky creatures, but they make great messengers. No one knows exactly how, but they can travel from library to library carrying missives. Show yourselves."

Dozens of opal-colored fluffy balls, each the size of a chicken egg, materialize along the top row of books. Each of them has spindly arms and wide, watchful eyes. They swarm together, a tangled nest before jumping into the air and floating down onto Marcelene's awaiting arms. With a burst of energy, Lemon jumps up and down on my shoulder, his chittering filling the air with excitement.

"You can't eat them!" I hiss, pulling him off and tucking him in my pocket with a scratch to his head.

Marcelene brushes them off her arms to float harmlessly to the floor. They scurry away, tickling my ankles as they run past and back into the shelf. As she unrolls the tiny parchment they've left in her palm, concern washes over her face. Her brows knit together as she absorbs the contents of the message.

"What is it?" I ask.

"After your meeting with the high priestess, the coven decided it was our responsibility to know what is happening out there so we've sent out informants."

My heart warms at the thought that my words helped Daniela change her mind.

"There's been another attack," Marcelene continues. "Many have lost their lives, both shifters and elementals alike. Underground escape routes have been put in place by the rebel shifters for those who are trying to escape from the territories around the citadel, but many are refusing to cower and leave their homes. Resources are getting scarcer by the day. Even?—"

"What?" I ask, terror already painting hundreds of terrible scenarios.

"There have been strange reports about the soil being cursed. Nothing is growing for at least ten miles from the castle. Even the cattle roaming those plains are dying and the water seems amiss." I cover my mouth with my hand as my mind immediately goes to Edmund still locked in the castle and all the starving shifters in the dungeons. Has Tricella's magic poisoned the land itself? If the witches don't see this as a clear sign of dark magic, I don't know what will.

"There's more," Marcelene whispers, and her eyes meet mine with worry. "The queen is in a frenzy trying to find a unicorn." Her eyes move to me and the star on my brow. I instinctively reach up to brush my hair over my face, as if it could shield me from Tricella until I devise a plan to vanquish her.

You are the healer we have been waiting for. You must seek your training with the white witches in the forgotten library of Harpalyke.

"We're running out of time," I say, sending a little prayer for all those that have lost their lives because of my ineptitude.

Marcelene sighs, tucking the message into one of the pockets in her robes and shakes her head. "I'll need to let the coven mother know this evening."

"This evening? Why wait?"

"The coven elders are meeting and are not to be disturbed. It is the way of things."

My hands cover my face in frustration at these ancient and idiotic rules.

"Can't you see she is growing stronger by the day?" My body trembles as I meet her gaze.

"Why are you not getting involved in the war? You gave shelter to shifters during the last war against Kallistar, did you not?"

"We gave shelter to both elementals and shifters during theArmaghdale War. We did not participate. We recorded the history. Our past helps us understand the present and future."

"What if Tricella destroys it all? There will be nothing left to record! She is a monster, hungry for power and willing to do anything to feed that hunger." My chest aches as I think of all the families hurt by her. What would drive a person to willingly rot her soul with dark magic, driven by a need for power?

Record... Family records.

"Sybil we–" she starts.

"Wait! You said you recorded all the histories of Shadowvale?" I ask.

"Yes, but–"

"Do you keep records of the elemental family trees?" My heart speeds in my chest.

"Yes, another two levels down," Cassara says. "Why would you want to look at records? You're from Kallistar. I doubt we'd have much in your direct family, unless you had cousins in Shadowvale."

"It's not about me, it's about her. I want to learn more about the queen."