“I’m in, too.” My owl friend spoke with a newfound boldness as a warrior, not a librarian.
“Can you fight?” I didn’t want to insult her, but she was always in the library, so my question wasn’t unreasonable.
She gave me a look that promised I would pay for asking. “I can hold my own, and you will fail with this plan if you do not have knowledge. You need me to succeed. Books are weapons, my dearest friend, and I’ve read a lot of books.”
“Damn right you have. OK. I need to get out of this dress and then we plan. Meet in the dark library?”
They both nodded.
“I’m glad you’re OK.” Dris hugged me again as they walked toward the door and left me alone with my thoughts.
The bath I took was quick, and I changed into a pair of leggings I knew wouldn’t hinder any movements and a long-sleeved tunic that stopped just below my waist.
Once dressed, I didn’t head down to the dark library. There was one more thing I needed to do . . . something I hadn’t spoken aloud yet. There was another fear throbbing in my chest.
I picked up one of Princess Nyx’s books and read.
Books were a weapon, and she’d figured out how to even the scales against Verin from them. Now it was my turn.
Chapter Forty-Six
“Sapphira! Perfect timing. I knew there was something in here about the city where Tor is headed with those humans.”
My friend twisted a book she’d been reading toward my direction. Emrys had let me into the dark library where we could talk freely without someone hearing our conversation. Dris’s head popped up to look at me with a victorious grin on her face, then it faded. “Are you OK? You look sick.”
I nodded. I’d pieced together another clue I wasn’t ready for, and neither were they. I needed Tor; only he could help me right now. He knew the truth or at least suspected it.
Dris could see through my bullshit nod, knowing very well that I was not OK. I knew she would let me be, and that she knew I’d tell her when I was ready.
“What did you find?” I stopped at the dusty table and looked at the pages within the book she’d gotten excited over.
“It’s a book written by a Fae who was captured and escaped the Iron City. He talks in great detail about the wall made of iron spikes with human heads impaled on them. And the large castle in the middle has the metal on it lit up like a beacon of the sun. He also talked about their holding cells for the auction. He was meticulous in counting steps and listening to his surroundings. It’s how he escaped. He attacked one of the guards, donned his outfit, and followed the steps and turns out of the gate. Other than that, I haven’t found any tellings about those awful humans since. It seems like our people and yours have stayed far away from each other.”
Not for long. Soon the Fae would have the Dramens at their door and Verin’s army to contend with.
“Good stuff. I’ll take a look at it on our way. Emrys, you may want to read up, too. You probably could sneak in and get Tor easier than I could.”
The spider nodded and walked over to the chair next to Dris. “What now?” Dris asked.
“I go talk to a dragon, we gather weapons, and go. It will only take us a few hours flying to get there instead of the three weeks on foot. We slip in while it’s dark, fight anyone who gets in our way, don’t get caught or killed, grab Tor, and get the hell out of there.”
It was the easiest plan I could think of, and hopefully the most effective. Emrys was going to find me a way in, Dris was my walking, talking library, and Desmire was our ride and possible distraction.
“Emrys, after you’ve finished getting an idea of the layout, do you think you guys could swipe some weapons from the armory? I don’t think they’d let us take a whole bunch, especially now that Verin knows who I am and what I’m after.”
Emrys nodded. He and Dris still looked a little shocked when I said Verin’s name so casually in association to the king. He’d been pretending to be someone good and kind all the while being truly evil on the inside.
“Any particular weapon of choice for you?” Emrys asked, and I thought about what I’d want in my hands if it came to battle with a Dramen.
“Hatchets.”
“I’ll meet you guys by the waterfall in an hour. Bring the book and anything else you think we need. We need to be quick and as stealthy as we can.”
Before I turned to leave the room, I remembered the gun the Dramen had shot Tor with. “They have guns. Is there any kind of armor that could protect us from bullets?” My confidence wavered with the thoughts of bullets aimed for my friends and myself. I wasn’t as fast as Fae or as agile. I couldn’t outrun them.
“I’ll see what I can find,” Dris answered, as she pulled the spines of books out to look at the cover, then pushed them back in.
I wanted to hug them both so hard for doing this, for standing up and fighting, but there would be time for that later. We needed to get moving.
As soon as I left the libraries, I saw Najen. “My king requests that you have an escort around Crysia, just in case Verin’s soldiers come after you again.”
I couldn’t fault Najen for believing his king. Najen wanted to protect me from incoming danger, but he also didn’t know where the true danger lurked.
I would figure out on my walk to the Hallowstags if I would try to escape Najen before talking to Desmire or let him hear everything about his king and my plans.
“Are you doing OK? Last night was quite an event for you.” Najen tried to lighten the mood.
“I’m doing OK. I’m a tough girl. Those soldiers are lucky I didn’t have my hatchets with me.” I winked and he chuckled.
We walked together in silence, both of us caught up in our own thoughts. I was still unsure if I should make a run for it and escape my friend, or if I should let him in on my plans.
“You’re dismissed, Najen. I’ll take over as Sapphira’s escort from here.”
Rune had made the decision for me. Najen’s head bowed in understanding and left without a word. His general had given him a command.
Rune had found a shirt to cover his broad chest and the outline of Nyx’s necklace showed beneath the soft black material. A shiver ran down my body remembering the memory that necklace made me see.
“You look like you are in pain.”
Rune stood tall but his face was coated in a sheen of sweat. “It’s not without effort to get here. I’ll be fine. Tell me everything.” His teeth clenched as he took another step toward me, barely leaving a foot between us.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Verin is King Lachan. He’s been hiding in plain sight and happy to rule Crysia and his badlands in disguise. He knows who I am and what I’m after and will try to stop me. Tor is the final puzzle piece I need to open the onyx tomb, so I’m going to rescue him tonight.”
He didn’t exactly seem shocked by my admission.
“I’m coming with you.”
I was afraid he was going to say that, but before I could protest, his fingers were against my lips. Once his touch soothed me, I knew I couldn’t rescue Tor without him. I needed him.
““I’ll be fine, and something tells me my werewolf side wouldn’t mind assisting in this little rescue.” His eyebrow arched high, daring me to question his statement.