Page 46 of The Incendiary

“No.” My sympathy waned at the sudden return of his haughty, condescending grin. He tsked. “One secret only, Fera, unless you’re offering me another trade.”

I arched my brow and shook my head.

He scoffed. “Well, I’d prefer you not get killed while you’re out here.” He tilted his stupidly beautiful head and began to back away. “It wouldn’t be very fun for me to miss it.”

Gods, what an asshole.

I bit my tongue and stared daggers into his back as he carried himself away with irritating gracefulness, until something tugged in my chest. A reminder.

“Commander?” I called. Elias halted and turned back, intrigued and expectant. The last thing I needed was him getting even more curious about my secrets. I didn’t want his help, but I’d already asked around among the cadets about a library without success. For Gavin, this was life or death—and with the blood oath, I feared for his soul just as much as his life. “Does the fortress have a library?”

“Why?” Only as he dragged it away did I realize his attention had been locked on my mouth. “Is training not exciting enough for you? Are you itching to do some light reading?”

“Maybe.” I waited, feeling like I was nothing more than an intriguing display destined to sit through silence while he decided whether to help me.

Eventually, I gave up and headed back toward the fortress. “Forget it.”

“The building next to the armory on the east wall,” he answered, freezing me in place. “It’s small. Nothing compared to what we have back home, but if you’re looking to be entertained, I’m sure you’ll find something.”

“Thank you.” I gave him a single, grateful nod. I could be polite when the situation called for it, even to him.

“Though I suggest you don’t let yourself get too distracted. You never know where you might”—he lifted a taunting eyebrow as he turned on his heel—“slip.”

My skin crawled. I’d assumed the oil on the mat was one of the other cadets looking to test how quickly I would fail. Or maybe their commander had put them up to it. He’d had it out for me the moment I entered his fortress.

“I suggest you be careful not to fall off that pedestal you’re standing on,” I called after him, scowling with my feet planted in the dirt. I sure as hell wouldn’t follow him back to the fortress now. When he glanced back at me, I added, “Looks like a long way down.”

THIRTEEN

ARYELLA

Be strong. Be selfish. Be stubborn. Be difficult. Be however you need to be. You owe them nothing.

—FROM THE BUTCHER OF NYRIDA’S LAST KNOWN LETTERS TO QUEEN ARYELLA I

After my run-in with Elias, I went to the library with just over an hour until curfew. I wouldn’t have much time, but I couldn’t stand the thought of making no progress toward helping Gavin by day’s end.

The tiny, rectangular room was miniscule with only three shelves and two four-person tables. Dust had settled on every surface, and the smell of must hung heavy in the air. There were a few oil lamps on the shelves that seemed to have gone unlit for quite some time. Did no one read around here?

At least it would be quiet.

Back in Warrich, Ezra had mentioned that Simeon refused to use dark magic, like blood oaths. That Simeon, as deceitful as he was, would refuse dark magic just to maintain some moralistic high ground sounded absurd, as did the notion that if he knew, he would tell me anything at all.

I got to work by scanning the spine of each dust-lined book without knowing what to look for besides blood and oath and dark. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but it was a start, considering how little information I had.

The Book of the Selvaren sat beside me, but I knew the answers weren’t there. After months of scouring it, I nearly had it memorized. The copy Damond secured me from the Tovick library had blank pages at the end like every other copy, and I’d marked up each page so thoroughly that some margins were blacker with ink than parchment yellow.

An hour later, fading daylight outside the dusty window signaled my time in the library before curfew was coming to an end. I yawned, reminded of how much my nightmares were stealing my sleep.

“What are you looking for?”

At the sound of a man’s voice, I tensed where I sat, then spun around in my chair.

“Hi!” Mina’s bright voice greeted me. “We’d been wondering where you escaped to after dinner.”

I thought Elias had followed me, but the twins’ freckled faces glowed with the same kind smile.

“Hi,” I answered with a relieved sigh. Thank the gods for these two. I’d had enough of the commander for one day. “I’m doing… research.”