29. Chapter Twenty Nine

For hours we silently head northeast through the forest. Snow glistens on every surface. The crisp, cold air smells of evergreen. I barely take in the scenery, as my head is full of so many thoughts.

How can the four of us take down the Queen of Shadowvale? When the time comes, what side will Aramis be on? Can he really give up over a century's worth of prejudice? I can see him struggling, visibly torn between wanting to avenge his mother and wanting to be the protector of his people. But the shifters are just as much an integral part of his people as the elementals, and now he knows shifters are not the perpetrators of the rebellion. The silence of the forest unnerves me. It's too quiet.

"If the queen is sending forces after us, wouldn't it be unwise to lead her directly to the rebel camp?" I finally break the silence with the thought that's been plaguing me all morning.

"Yes, which is why we aren't heading directly to the camp." Kela replies. She points up ahead of us. "If we can make it to the mountains, there are secret passages that tunnel through them. They haven't been used in hundreds of years, but they are warded. Our people were offered sanctuary there in the last war by the clan of the white witches. If we can make it there before the queen finds us, hopefully they can offer us shelter until it's safe to continue or allow us passage through the tunnels."

"White witches?" The ghostly scent of jasmine fills my senses as the memory in the tomb returns along with her words.

Seek your training with the white witches in the forgotten library of Harpalyke.

"Yes, they are a lost clan who's dedicated themselves to protecting some forgotten library and the Shrine of the Goddess Al–"

"Alpheaia." Aramis finishes, cutting her off. His hand drifts to his neck where he grasps a chain. Kela stops, her body slowly turning and stares at him.

"How do you know?" She asks quietly. The tone in her voice is edged with danger, but my heart is racing at this new information so much so that I have to know more.

"Do you know how to get there?" I interrupt, stepping between Aramis and Kela. "To the library of Harpalyke?"

"Wait, how do you know its name?" She eyes us both speculatively.

How do I tell them that a ghost, possibly Aramis's own mother, visited me in the tombs of the kings of Shadowvale and told me to find the guardians of Harpalyke to free my people? I am not even sure Nero fully believes me and he was there.

"Well, let's just say it's complicated," I start.

"Aye, tis my own doing. I took Sybil through the catacombs to escape Shadowvale," Nero interjects. He twists his hands nervously before him. "When we passed through the tomb of Queen Rosalind, goddess bless her soul, Sybil went into a trance."

"My mother's tomb?" Aramis asks with wonder.

"She spoke to me," I clarify. My hand goes to my pocket, where I nervously brush my fingers through Lemon's fur. "She called me child of Alpheaia and told me that I needed to seek training with the white witches of Harpalyke."

"I don't know why she came to me, but I know her words were true when she sent me on this quest," I reply, trying to shove down all the twisted emotions that attempt to escape my control. Aramis is looking at me with such intensity I shy away from his gaze. I wish he could see his mother again, even if only for a second.

"We have to find those tunnels. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I need you all to trust me." I beg Kela, a frown crossing her features.

"Alright, unicorn, but it'll be a long shot. No one has been to Harpalyke for at least a hundred years. The only thing I know is that the tunnels that lead to it are located in the mountains. If we find the tunnels, we find the library."

"What direction do we go?" I ask with a tone of urgency.

"The stories say to enter the mountains of Aldervora seeking wisdom and look for lichen to show you the way." Kela quirks a curious brow at me, as well as Aramis. My stomach tugs at his gaze. Goddess–the intensity.

Lichen. The word interrupts my spiral, and my heart drops at her words. "You're telling me that to find this lost library of Harpyalyke we have to look for special lichen, in a forest full of lichen to show us the way?" I raise my own brows in question.

"What were you expecting? A detailed map? A magical unicorn to prance through and show us an enchanted portal?" She asks, a smile tugging at her lips as she teases me. Kela pulls out her daggers and begins nervously tossing them in the air.

"Well then," Nero says with more enthusiasm than needed. "Let's find these magical lichen, shall we," and rubs his hands together in excitement.

"How about we also hope the queen's soldiers don't get to us first?" Kela responds with a serious look that puts Nero back to his place and starts heading towards the mountains. I watch as Aramis tucks the chain back under his shirt. He's hiding something. I can see his struggle plainly on his face, despite how much he tries to disregard it. I only hope the love for his people and country outweighs his lifelong prejudices.