Faust blushed. No wonder it had a warning not to let anyone else read this! It was personal, but it was strange he was allowed to read it.
The days have been relaxing with Linos. He comes to see me often even though he is a being of the sky. Linos demands I join him in a rather long game of hide-and-seek every day, but as tiring as it is, I cherish his company. I expect his arrival to be early tomorrow.
Faust turned to the next one. Being of the sky. Perhaps Linos was a Volant.
Linos did not show up this morning. I grew worried as the day progressed. The wind compelled me to search for him, but I could not find him. I saw the green cross the sky again and the same blue as Linos’s mark followed not far behind. They clashed more times than I could count. I found Linos not long after, injured. At first, he wanted to refuse my help, but he let me tend to him. He still has not left my bed. I fear he has claimed it as his new home.
Faust’s eyes widened. Green. Emoris and Lathil appeared green when they flew. That meant Linos could be a deity. He thought back to the person he saw when he picked up the blue stone from the chest. If Linos was blue, then that blue-winged blond could be Linos.
Faust frowned. If Linos was a deity, there should have been record of him. He closed the journal and touched his chest, staring at the ceiling.
“You need to sleep.”
Faust startled, a choked gasp leaving his lips.
“We have plenty of time to translate during the day,” Rene continued. “It will take us a week to get to our destination. Go to sleep.”
Faust grumbled and used the wind from his sky stone to blow the flame out. He set the journal on the narrow table and curled into the blankets. He stared at the wall and shuffled closer to it. Ignas was on the other side. He bit his lip and slid his fingers over the wall. He’d rather have Ignas next to him instead. Warmth brushed against his magic, coiling through his chest in a slow caress.
Faust yanked his hand away and rolled over, his ears burning too hot.
Faust furrowed his brow at the sound of sheets rustling, rousing him from sleep. He peeked and watched Rene sit at the edge of his bed across the room. Rene must have thought he was in a deep sleep. The historian’s back was to him, allowing him to spy.
Rene took out his water stone and let the water mist out into a circle.
Faust felt familiar magic connect to the water stone, signaling Konrad on the other end. His brother was in his study, working by candlelight. It was an eerie mix of green and natural flame colors across the wall and his face. Konrad was paler than the last time he’d seen him, and the furrow in his brow suggested something was wrong. His brother must have been working too hard. This was one reason he didn’t want to leave. He’d even fought with his brother when Konrad sent his personal knight, Lukas, away with Olivia.
“What is it, Rene?” Konrad asked, not looking up from his paperwork.
Rene paused and took in the king’s appearance first.
Konrad shuffled to another paper and gathered a book, his eyes flickering to the stone. “I am fine, report.”
Rene’s shoulders squared. “We found some information,” he said. “Records of the past indicate that there were four kingdoms once and the possibility that more deities exist.”
Konrad smirked and signed another document before moving on to another.
Faust’s interest piqued. Konrad and Rene knew something about the past already.
“I have seen small maps that match the older maps we found in the castle’s archives as well. The Kingdoms of Windilum and Alios stretch much farther, as does Roltan, but it is strange—they indicate a much larger body of water around Roltan.”
“Another water source?” Konrad mused. “You do not suppose that Roltan has been using a water veil?”
Rene shook his head. “It seems unlikely, but they have been rumored to have a four-stone user.”
Konrad paused. “The court historian. I had not felt anything when I traveled there years ago, but he could have mastered more of his magic by now.” He moved to a new document and sighed. “What happened in Hol?”
Faust tensed.
“We ran into Prince Nik in a rather unflattering place,” Rene said.
“I told him to stop going there,” Konrad said, dropping the document to the desk. He rubbed his temple, his brow creased in annoyance. “How did you come across this information, and what led to Lord Arcus making sweeping price changes?”
“He saw quite a bit of corruption in the city due to overcrowding from deserted towns. It was a sweeping change Lady Chloe enacted on Lord Arcus’s behalf, but it was after we ran into Prince Nik that we found something extraordinary. We found strange chests that only Lord Arcus could open,” Rene said. “He behaves strangely when he opens them as well. There were two journals he claimed were for his eyes only. He’s been hard at work translating them from the ancient tongue. I’ve had to tell him to sleep.”
“He always did like learning about the past.” Konrad grabbed another document and frowned. “I know he means well, but these changes need to be more gradual.” He sat back in his chair and rubbed at his shoulder with a small wince.
“Did he hurt you again?”
Faust nearly sat up in his anger. No one should have been allowed to touch his brother. He was the King of Alios!
Konrad ignored the concern. “How is he? Is he unharmed?”
Rene exhaled. “He’s figured out part of your plan as you said he would. He’s also eager to learn all he can, and he wants to find all the chests. It has renewed his vigor for the ancient tongue as well. Surely he will have it mastered by the time we cross paths again.”
“Continue to indulge him, he will learn more outside the capital than he ever would behind these walls,” Konrad said, looking around his study. “If things go well, we will have the answers we seek, and it will help with our negotiations with Roltan. It was difficult to obtain that meeting, make certain he does not jeopardize it. If things escalate, I will be forced to move early—I need time, Rene.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
Konrad’s attention flew above the stone and the connection cut, leaving Faust with a bad taste in his mouth. Faust sat up. “What are you two hiding from me?”
Rene whirled, startled.
“Who hurt Konrad?”
The historian sighed. “That, I have been forbidden to tell you.”
Faust studied Rene’s aura. It pulsed a bright lilac, the same color as Konrad’s aura. Rene’s aura always behaved that way when Konrad gave him a direct order. “Then tell me what else you know.”
Rene crawled back into his bed and sat cross-legged. “Since we seem to be coming across vital information, I suppose I can share it.”
Faust grabbed a pillow, hugged it, and waited.
“The king and I found old records in the castle years ago. They spoke of at least three more deities, each with a different purpose. Emoris and Lathil were a part of the list but were not listed as the sovereigns. Many of the texts were damaged, but each kingdom had its own deity, with Alios being the only one with two.”
Faust squeezed his pillow tight. That meant Linos was a deity.
“One of my missions is to find information on the other deities. As far as we’ve researched, we haven’t been able to find evidence these other deities still exist today.”