11. Sybil

Chapter 11

Sybil

A ll the family records are kept in here," the scholar before us says. He's as old as an olive tree. Deep lines are etched in his skin, and his long white beard gives him a whimsical look. We follow him through a wide archway and my eyes are immediately drawn to the shelves that line the walls, showcasing an impressive collection of giant leather bound tomes and ancient rolls of papers.

"Is there any particular one you're looking for?" the scholar asks. I am mesmerized by the spacious chamber, with numerous tables adorned with parchment, quills, and pots of ink. I will never grow tired of this place.

"Do you have anything on unicorn shifters in Shadowvale?" I blurt eventually.

"Oh yes, we have quite the collection of rare shifter families back here," he says, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He gestures for us to follow him and leads us to a shelf from which he carefully selects a thick tome, its pages covered in a layer of dust. When he places the book on the nearest table with a thump, I cough from the cloud of dust that fills the air around it. Despite my itchy nose, excitement tingles through my hands and I rush to join him.

"Unfortunately," he continues, "there have been no updates in hundreds of years. These records date back to the reign of Queen Elanora and King Mattheo."

My heart sinks like a stone in my chest, a heavy ache weighing me down as I fight to conceal the sorrow etched across my face.

"Oh, that's unfortunate. I'd still like to see it, though." I smile weakly and look over the pages, following the carefully inked lines and looping scrawl over the unfamiliar names until it stops with an expansive blank space on the parchment below. "What of the elemental lines?"

His smile broadens, straight sharp white teeth gleaming in the mage light. "Oh, elementals we have many records of. Any affinity or family in particular?"

Nero.

The mere thought of him and Aramis causes my heart to contract, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. I can't let that distract me from my goal.

"I'm looking for information on the current queen."

"Ah, earth elementals then." The scholar pulls a brown leather book from the shelf, and after searching through the categorization system, he goes to pick up more books and a few parchment rolls.

This is going to take a while , I think, and I gasp in amazement when a cup of steaming tea appears next to me. Maybe the library was starting to like me after all.

"These are the most recent records, roughly nine hundred years of lineage. You know these elementals, they live for ages," he says with a little chuckle that makes me smile.

An odd question starts flourishing within me and before I can decide on it, I splutter "How are halflings recorded?" I peek into the book closest to me, its yellowed pages as thin as leaves.

"The children of elementals and shifters?" He frowns, tucking his arms into the sleeves of his robes. "Unfortunately, we have been unable to successfully record the offspring of such couplings. In all honesty, miss, they are rare, and most are kept secret. Sometimes, out of pride, one parent or the other recognizes their children without openly admitting who the other parent is. You'll see some inscriptions are partially filled out for this reason." I think about Nero and wonder if his name lives amongst these pages.

"Thank you," I start but fail to remember the man's name.

"Oh, it's Theodore, miss. Don't hesitate to call for me if you need help—or the library for that matter," he says with a nod.

"Thank you, Theodore. I appreciate your time."

With whooshing robes, the man leaves me in a sea of books and parchment. I take the little cart and wheel my treasure and tea to a quiet table at the end of the hall. Only another scholar sits there, his head bowed upon a tome with blacked out pages. Making sure not to disturb him, I take a seat and a sip of my tea.

Green tea, excellent for concentration. I send a little thank you to the library and a cool breeze caresses my cheek. Just like Aramis used to do with his wind magic.

Breathing in, I prepare myself for another day of research. For weeks now, I have been studying book after book, looking in vain for mentions of dark magic or secrets about unicorn magic. Yet, one thing I never took into consideration until now was looking for Tricella herself. Who was she before she became queen? Where was she born? Who were her parents? Did she come from generational wealth? Where did she live?

I settle in the wooden chair and open the first book, hoping that understanding the woman behind the monster will allow me to find a way to slay the monster itself.

Hours pass, and I search page after page, meticulously examining the lineage of every noble family, hoping to find even the slightest mention of the queen. Yet, to my astonishment, the name of the queen is absent from all the royal records. As if erased from history.

How strange.

I would have bet she came from noble origins. How else do you suddenly become Queen of one of the most powerful kingdoms in Craeweth?

I yawn, stretching out my aching back as I glance about the room, mage lights bobbing in the air above us. Lemon stirs awake in my pocket and stretches out his small paw, a silent request for another cheese cube. The library kept sending me little treats throughout the day, something I was very grateful for.

"Something is not adding up," I tell my little companion and sigh, feeling lost again. "I could use a little guidance," I say out loud to no one in particular, and hold my head between my hands.

Almost imperceptibly, one of the tomes sitting on my desk—this one looking much less regal than the previous one—starts moving in my direction as if alive. I narrow my eyes, pull it toward me, and read the title.

"She's a queen," I say to the library and feel a little bit silly talking to the air. "Why would I find her in the records of the small folk of Shadowvale?" The library's only response is to tuck my chair a little bit closer to the table.

"Alright, alright. I'll have a look. It's not like I am stuck in a mountain with no idea what to do whilst there's a looming war outside." I flick through the pages one by one. Each name is followed by a date of birth, name of the father and name of the mother, and when known, their profession. Occasionally, I see incomplete lines as mentioned by Theodore.

It was difficult to pinpoint Tricella's exact year of birth, but I took a wild guess based on Queen Rose and the King's ages. After reading the names of countless farmers, seamstresses and cooks, I stumble on something interesting.

Catricella, known as Tricella. Born in Lyall, Shadowvale: Mother Morgana - UNKNOWN. Father Water elemental, Lord.

The name Catricella is unique enough to have featured only a handful of times in the annuals, and never with the nickname "Tricella" next to it. Could this be her?

Surely not. But I wonder, what if...

"Oh, there you are! I wasn't expecting you to still be down here. The whole day has nearly passed," Marcelene says as she moves through the archway.

"Marcelene!" I almost scream before catching myself and remembering I am still in a library."Hand me the records of the shifter small folk!"

Startled by my outburst, Marcelene goes to the cart full of books and takes a green cloth bound one. I immediately jump to the same year and start pointing to an incomplete line, ecstatic that I have finally made a discovery during my time here.

Tricella. Born in Lyall, Shadowvale: Mother Morgana, jaguar shifter - Beggar. Father UNKNOWN.

Tricella is a half shifter.

I lean back in my chair and let out an exhausted laugh.

"Should I... worry?" Marcelene asks, standing behind me with a concerned look on her face. She leans over my shoulder and peaks at the annuals, then immediately looks at me, eyebrows furrowed.

"Is that?"

"I think so. Her parents tried to confuse the annuals by switching between her name and nickname," I say, closing my eyes, thinking about all the implications this discovery brings forth; I can't wait to share it all with Aramis and Nero.

"Sybil, I apologize for interrupting this moment, but the coven leaders and mother are ready to meet with you," Marcelene says, putting her hands on my shoulders.

As Marcelene guides me into the large room, the mage lights cast a gentle glow, illuminating the lichen dotted ceiling above. The stone walls are adorned with clusters of crystals in various shades—pearl, violet, and teal—their shimmering reflection dancing along the walls. The air carries a faint scent of ancient magic, mingling with aged parchment and strangely jasmine. In the center, a grand round table commands attention, surrounded by a dozen chairs, occupied by the coven mother and what appears to be the remaining leaders of the coven.

"Sybil Vandeleur," a wizened old male says as he stares at me. "One of the last unicorn shifters. I knew your father well before you were born."

"You knew my father?" I lift my eyes to meet his gaze.

"Mhmm, it was a long time ago, before the war when he was a colt not much older than yourself. My name is Alexander, not that he would have mentioned me. I was teaching a seminar on the art of branching herbology and magic for healing at Nova Esther." He drums his fingers on the table. "I heard of his unfortunate passing from this world."

I nod, unsure what to say and unwilling to show my ever-present grief.

"I hope your time at the library is proving to be fruitful for your mission?" Daniela, the high priestess, asks.

I'm grateful for the change in topic. "Indeed. I am following a lead that is proving interesting. But I am still not sure how to counteract Tricella's dark magic. I don't know how being a unicorn will help me defeat her." I open my arms at a loss. "I need?—"

"You need training. As Queen Rose commanded you," Alexander said. "Harpalyke has a tradition to remain neutral in conflicts, a tradition we are currently... reviewing. Yet, there's other ways we can help you, horned one. We have agreed to train you to access your innermost magic." All the witches and scholars present nod in unison and I can't believe my ears.

"But the only magic I know is healing," I whisper, nervous about this sudden pressure put upon me. I start fidgeting with my fingers.

The high priestess chuckles, her face cracking into a broad smile. "There is more power in you than you realize, child. To everything, there is balance. You must be the light to her darkness. Your power comes from the earth, from the Goddess herself. I can sense it radiating off you. You see your magic as the power to heal, but what is healing if not using that light within you to create happiness, peace, and alleviate suffering?"

My healers code, but with a different purpose.

To save the shifters of Shadowvale and all who come after. To save my people.

"You are the embodiment of what it means to be a unicorn. You say Tricella seeks you for your power. She fears your power and wishes to tarnish it, as all darkness wants to swallow the light. Maybe you don't have to understand her magic, just trust in yours."

She will not have me.

I lean forward, bracing my hands on the table as I look at the coven leaders, the three witches standing behind them who rescued me, and finally to the coven mother.

"Teach me."