Page 19

Malachi focused on strengthening her shield during warding that next day.

But that whirlpool of wind she created was nearly deadly as it blew her hair in a frenzy.

Something dimmed in her eyes as she watched the air around her spin as if she saw her life spiraling inside. I didn’t ask if she was okay.

I figured Malachi was the kind of person who didn’t share too many details about her life.

I managed to find a faint shield, nearly rupturing a dozen blood vessels.

But the breath knocked from my lungs as Knox leaned across the table toward me.

“I think I got my quell yesterday. It’s not useful, but I started feeling people’s emotions,” he said.

“Right now, you are anxious.” He closed one eye, hand slightly raised. “Perhaps it’s anger.”

“What gave it away?” I muttered.

“I read about this quell. If I keep working on it, I can alter people’s emotions. There are certain levels to each quell.” Knox raised a brow toward Malachi. “I’ll bet she can make tornadoes if she keeps up with it. She could be a literal beautiful disaster.”

I sneered quietly, “Does someone have a crush on the heir of Verdonia?”

“No. Not Malachi,” he answered, a smug grin pressing at the corners of his mouth.

Knox never dated anyone, not that I knew of. And the Colindale selection had few options, especially with our name.

I prodded his shoulder. “Knox has a crush?”

“Everett,” he admitted in a whisper. “We’ve been talking during Day outings. He’s… different.”

“Isn’t Everett your rival and student mentor? Won’t that end… badly?”

He thumbed the spine of his warding book, slamming it shut. “Possibly. Forget it, Severyn.”

“There’s only one Day realm, Knox. Only one heir.”

“I—I know, Sev. We’re allowed to feel something besides pain here.” His fist collapsed to the table with a thud. “I’m allowed to feel something.”

I knew better than to keep pushing. “Did you know Klaus was a fire wielder?” I asked. “Everett’s a third-year, right?”

“Yeah, Everett told me on the first day. And I had no clue that Mother rode a—”

“Daigthorn wyvern,” I said before he could finish.

“Why would our parents lie to us? I mean, I wasn’t called to Winter. How the hell am I supposed to win Serpent for a realm I haven’t visited? Monty says my light quell will come when I bond. He’s taking us to the mountains to find our dragons.”

I breathed loudly. “I’m forced to spend eternity in the Winter trails freezing my ass off until I find mine. I swear it’s colder here than it was in the North.” But I knew that wasn’t true—knew I’d never felt Winter’s true brute force until a few days ago .

“Thanks again for kicking Bridger’s ass the other day. It almost makes up for abandoning me,” I said.

“Anything for my little sister. I never knew the Thorne family was so passive,” he seethed. “I can’t protect you there, Sev. You know it kills me, but Monty says we risk expulsion if caught in other realms, something to do with our quells affecting the wards.”

I dropped the faint shield. “I think Bridger killed Klaus, and every time I listen to him, it feels wrong. I thought it was Archer at first—thought he chose me to be under the Night realm because of guilt,” I said.

“Everything reminds me of him, Knox. I wonder if he sat in this very seat or if we’ve walked the same stones. ”

The shield Knox formed fell. “Klaus wasn’t killed. Everett would have told me. You can read about every student in the library, and they clearly state murder by dagger or killed by a wyvern as the cause of death. Klaus drowned while riding his dragon.”

Hearing Klaus drowned severed whatever invisible thread I’d sewn myself back up with—the pain of Klaus would never stop.

Malachi passed by our seats and said, “I’ll go with you to the library, Sev. I’ve been needing a book on poisons.”

And I swore her hearing was as strong as her swing.

Knox shrugged. “Go ahead, but you’ll need at least a second-year to take you there. First-years don’t have clearance.”

“Monty can let us in.” Malachi grinned. “We’ll go after combat.”

I nodded at Malachi. “You certainly are observant,” I said.

Myla won the dagger Charles had given me in combat, and that seemed to be my last tether to the North as she sheathed it against her ribs in a leather strap. I wasn’t sure why she was my opponent, but I was sure it was intended to break me down even more.

Monty waited by the library doors impatiently after class. A navy-blue leather vest covered his tanned skin, and underneath, a low-cut shirt revealed tufts of black hair curled on his chest. After his morning shower, he smelled like he’d drenched his entire body in cologne.

Daylight dripped from his fingers as he twisted his wrist, and the door to the library unlocked with a click. “You have ten minutes. I have a Serpent meeting at eight to discuss the trial today,” he muttered.

Malachi blew a kiss toward him. “I owe you.”

The library was over thirty feet tall, with rows of dusty books. Cully would be in heaven if he saw the dragon-shaped bookends. A chandelier of flame lit the room with a feverish heat. Most of the covers were rebound with the intricate snake crest I’d seen in Archer’s hand.

I remembered when Cully sneaked into my room with a new folktale, secretly reading it to me. Reading poetry and fiction was frowned upon, and I figured every book here was a historical passage. Perhaps that was why he never got the chance to write where he wanted.

I asked Malachi, “How do we navigate? Nothing is labeled... I don’t see any signs of what is what.

” I scanned over the colossus of books, then started down one row.

‘Antecedent Quells,’ ‘How to Turn Anything into a Weapon,’ ‘The Dangers of Mind Reading Vol 8.’ No rhyme or rhythm orchestrated the aisles as I brushed over the spines.

“Every book you touch has meaning to you. The library is warded, so you don’t discover something you shouldn’t have,” Malachi yelled from the row over. “Trust me, I just picked one up on wind turbines and how my quell can be used in farming. Just have faith that the right book will find you.”

I picked another one up titled, ‘Winter Shields.’

“Earlier today, you seemed spooked. Are you alright?” I wanted to ask about her wyvern, but I didn’t know how.

Malachi grunted as the sound of books fell. “Yeah, I’m used to everyone being out to get me. I suppose I didn’t think the note would be so cruel. Someone wants me dead, like always.”

I shuddered, grabbing a silver-spined book titled, ‘Snake Enigmas.’ The inside cover was a picture of a golden egg.

The book dropped from my grasp, opening to a page depicting a black snake devouring an entire town. It showed a man commanding his enigma basilisk to reap havoc on a realm. I flipped a few pages over, skimming the gruesome attacks over the centuries.

“Bernard Herring was the first to bond with a basilisk. He forced the creature to commit horrendous acts throughout Verdonia. All fourteen children bonded with snakes following the brutal attacks. B. Herring was murdered by redacted , and all fourteen children were sentenced to death, as were their enigmas. All six grandchildren are known as the Forgotten Children. Cleminore Herring consumed the throne as queen of Verdonia, banning the enigma bond with all snakes. The Serpent Academy was built as redacted became known, threatening the throne…”

Malachi cleared her throat, and I slammed the book shut. “My family’s history is a bit more confusing than yours. I think half of my ancestors were hung to death.”

“Sorry, the book fell.” I scrambled to put the book back on the shelf. “I promise I wasn’t digging,” I said.

“You wouldn’t have found that book if you weren’t curious. You can ask me anything. The king’s family has always been an interesting topic amongst the followers.” Her throat bobbled. “ You have no idea what it’s like to be accused of treason simply because my last name is Herring .”

“I don’t understand. Cleminore was Bernard’s wife?”

“His sister. This was before the title was earned. My family has a history of bonding with snakes, large snakes that will listen to your command, and those eggs will bond with you. The power was too great, and it created monsters… deadly monsters that eradicated entire realms, leaving the land bare. Cleminore made each of her children prove they were worthy of the throne by killing the very beast that destroyed villages—a snake. She placed dark magic wards on all lindworms and made it a test to prove their loyalty to Verdonia, as they are the rarest and deadliest snake known. Kill the lindworm and consume the title. This academy exists to ensure power is passed down in good faith. Cleminore knew the throne was never hers, and at any moment, it could be ripped away, even by her own children. In some way, she was the least power-hungry of my entire family. I am the last of my bloodline to keep Verdonia in the Herring name.”

“Five more minutes, Malachi, and not a second longer,” Monty yelled from the library doors.

Malachi rolled her eyes and handed me a book. “These are all the students with last names starting with B who attended the academy. I skimmed through it, and unfortunately, Knox was right. It doesn’t list Klaus’s death, only that he drowned somewhere on the trial grounds.”

She raised her brows and tapped her finger on a line.

“Did you know your brother Charles was born at the academy? That means your parents conceived here. No wonder your mother didn’t claim Serpent her year.

It’s strange, though—the parchment on his entry looks different, almost like it’s been tampered with or corrupted.

” She snapped the book shut, stirring a cloud of dust into the air.

“Your family might not have decades of betrayal, but I’m sure the more you dig, the more secrets you’ll uncover. ”

I clenched my fists and said, “This is too much.”

Her eyes lit with excitement, dimming before settling into a grin. “Welcome to the Serpent life. You’re a legacy, and that comes with secrets.”

I blinked slowly, nearly choking on the air. “Estella mentioned my mother was pregnant, but I wasn’t coherent. It just… doesn’t make sense. My father was already in power when Charles was born. Why would my mother stay another year here?”

“Yeah, his place of birth lists the academy’s coordinates.

That must be a first in Serpent history.

I’m all for getting hot and heavy, but to risk getting expelled by not being careful.

That’s why they make mycris for us to smoke to avoid such…

disasters. I couldn’t imagine facing trial while pregnant. ”

“Do me a favor and never repeat that.” I closed my eyes, cringing.

“Speaking of hot. Monty’s a hothead, and before we get locked in here.” She glanced at the door. “We should leave.”

I followed Malachi outside the library, stuffing the book under my armpit.

Monty didn’t look at me as we stepped out, and I doubted he knew my name. “Meet me in two hours by the sparring fields,” he whispered to Malachi.

Malachi sucked on her bottom lip. “I’m staying the night with Monty. Strictly professional.”

“Professional? As in warming his bed?”

She snickered, walking the opposite way. “Finally, someone who understands me.”

Perhaps today only left me more curious about Malachi’s family. I’d never heard of a snake enigma. It all seemed barbaric, and no wonder some years no student won Serpent if one had to kill a beast of that size and live.

The Serpent will mark you. Was it bravery that made a Serpent?

But I knew it was power—the taste of it, the luxuriance it brought. This castle was made of the finest gold. And I didn’t doubt the scaled walls were real.

A dizzy spell came on. It was as if the wards of the library knew I didn’t belong, and that twist in my stomach lingered.

Sleep would claim me fast, and as the lantern-flecked halls swallowed me within those seas of stars, I wished the moon would hover for longer.

I knew a broken nose only held someone back for a day or two before that power grumbled and groaned to breathe.