Chapter Twenty Seven: A Stanza

The walk to the library was long. I followed Devon through the hallways, trying to keep my pace steady. My boots made a quiet sound on the stone floor. Every time we passed a window, the morning sun hit the walls, but the palace still felt cold.

I was still thinking about breakfast. Eilís had acted like I wasn't even there. Then there was Kiya. The way she had her hand on his shoulder made my stomach turn. I didn't know why it bothered me so much, but it did.

"You're very quiet, Raven," Devon said. He didn't look back, but I could tell he was waiting for me to say something. "Is the air too thin for you up here? I’ve heard the South is much heavier."

I cleared my throat. I had to make sure my voice was high and soft before I spoke. "I'm just tired, Lord Devon. It was a long morning."

"I’m sure," he said. He stopped in front of two big wooden doors. "Eilís isn't a morning person. I heard he was out of your room before the sun even came up. He seemed to be in quite a hurry."

I felt my face get hot, how would he know that? Didn't they just arrive? I looked at my shoes. "The Prince has a lot of work to do. I don't expect him to stay."

"Right," Devon said. He pushed the doors open.

The library was huge. It was a round room with shelves that went all the way up to the ceiling. It smelled like old paper and dust. There were big tables in the middle with maps and books spread out everywhere.

"This is it," Devon said. He walked over to one of the tables. "Everything we know is in this room. History, maps, family trees. Everything."

I walked over to the table. I tried to look interested, but I was mostly worried about what he was going to ask me next.

"Your father has a big library, doesn't he?" Devon asked. He picked up a silver weight from the table and tossed it a few inches into the air, catching it easily. "Lord Dierna is famous for his books. I bet you spent a lot of time there."

"My father is a private man," I said. It was the truth. "He didn't like us being in his library. I had a tutor in the schoolroom."

"A tutor. Of course," Devon said. He smiled, but it didn't feel friendly. "Then you must know about the Treaty of the Sun. It’s the main trade deal between our lands. What did your tutor tell you about the silver mines on the border?"

My heart started to beat faster. I didn't know anything about silver mines. I tried to remember the things I’d heard my brothers talking about. "They... they said the mines were very important. That we had to keep them safe."

"That's it?" Devon asked. He stepped around the table, getting closer to me. "Nothing about the migration rights? Most Southern nobles hate that part. They talk about it all the time at dinners."

"I must have forgotten," I said. My voice was getting shaky. "It’s been a long time since I had lessons."

Devon hummed. He didn't look like he believed me. He pointed at a map on the table. "And the Glimmering Marsh? That's right next to your father's land, isn't it? I’ve heard it’s so wet that the books grow mold if you don't keep the windows shut."

"It is very wet," I said, thankful this was a question I could answer. I remembered playing near the marsh when I was a kid. "We have to use oil on the book covers to keep them from falling apart."

"Oil. Right," Devon said. He walked over to a shelf and pulled out a small book with a blue cover. He held it out to me. "Here. This is a Southern poem. I found it in a box last year. Since you're so far from home, maybe you'd like to read a bit of it for me? It’s been ages since I’ve heard a Southern accent."

I stared at the book. My hands started to sweat. If I read out loud for too long, my voice would crack. I would lose the high pitch.

"I... my throat is very dry, Lord Devon," I said. I took a step back. "The 'lung condition' I told the pack about. It makes it hard to read for long periods."

Devon didn't move the book. "Just one stanza, Raven. It’s a short one. Surely your lungs can handle a few lines of poetry from your own home."

Had I misjudged Devon? Was he an enemy pretending to be an ally?

I took the book. It was heavy, and the velvet was dusty. I opened it to a random page. The words were small and cramped. I tried to focus, but the fear was making it hard to get enough air to speak.

"The sun sets over the golden grain," I started. I kept my voice as high as I could. It sounded thin and weak. "The river flows to the sea. We wait for the rain to wash away the pain..."

I stopped and coughed. It wasn't a fake cough. My throat actually hurt.

"That's enough," Devon said, taking the book back. He was looking at me like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve. "You have a very strange way of speaking, Raven. It’s almost like you’re trying to hide something."

"I am not hiding anything," I said. I tried to look him in the eye, but I couldn't hold it for long.

"I am just trying to learn the layout of the palace," I said. "I get lost easily."

"I'm sure you do," Devon said. He gestured toward the door. "Anyway, I have a meeting with the Council. You can stay here and look at the maps if you want. But don't go into the restricted section. The guards get jumpy if they see a human near the old records they won't care that you're the prince's mate."

"Thank you, Lord Devon," I said.

"Don't thank me yet," he said. He walked to the door and opened it. "We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other, Raven. I’m interested to see how long a Southern girl can survive in a house full of wolves."

He left, and the heavy doors shut with a loud thud. Devon wasn't someone I could trust, it scared me how his tone of voice could change so fast from the dining to the library. 

I slumped against the table, finally letting out a deep breath. My ribs throbbed. I hated that I had almost fallen for his kindness. I hated his questions and the way he looked at me. He was smart, and he was bored, which was a dangerous combination.