Page 20 of Mountains of Mist and Magic (A World of Sun and Shadow #4)

“A re you sure, father?” Renya looked up at him, already noticing more dark circles under his eyes. Those that knew him before said that he had aged in the human world considerably, but it was nothing like what was happening now. The burden of maintaining unity among the kingdoms, cloaking his own city, and his past use of magic were taking a heavy toll on him. This made her more determined than ever to train with him extensively and assist in ruling the Sun Realm as soon as possible.

“Yes. I'm sure. I've reinforced the library with magic so she can't do anything more than summon books. Do you hear that, Cressy?”

Cressida looked over her shoulder at the small bookcase, lips pressed tightly together, and her teeth clenched.

Renya chuckled inwardly at her mother's annoyance, glad to see that there was someone who could get under her skin as easily as she got under Renya's. If her mother made one more crack about her relationship with Grayden, or some sexually suggestive comment, Renya might just end her for good.

Cressida looked at Renya, and Renya tried to drop her smile, but it was too late. Cressida had seen her enjoyment of her father's mockery.

“Did our daughter tell you she's pregnant?” Cressida sneered in retaliation.

“What the hell?” Renya screeched, mouth agape. “You don't go around telling people that!”

Cyrus's eyes immediately softened as he looked at Renya. “Is that true? Am I going to be a grandfather?”

Renya glared at Cressida, fighting the urge to stab her with the knife she still carried with her in her bralette. Then she looked back at Cyrus, surprised to see that his eyes were misty. She sighed deeply. “Yes. I'm pretty sure. Although, I suppose it's been confirmed now.” Another sharp look at her mother.

“You have two distinct traces of magic within you,” Cressida said simply. “He was bound to find out sooner or later.”

It was Cyrus's turn to direct his anger towards his former mate. “My magic is spread a bit thin thanks to the messes you've made in this world.”

Cressida snorted, running a chipped nail down one of the book's spines. She had finally changed out of her black leather, but in a simple brown gown, with frizzy, graying hair and no make-up, she wasn't as ferocious looking as she once was.

Cressida removed the book, opening it and skimming the contents. “I've been doing my best to restore our world to what it once was.”

“You say that, but I don't see it,” Cyrus argued.

Cressida didn't respond, replacing the book and plucking another from the shelf.

Cyrus grabbed Renya's arm gently and led her away, just out of earshot of Cressida.

“I'm sure you would have rather told me yourself—”

Renya stammered. “I was going to, I swear—”

Cyrus waved his hand. “Hush, daughter. I'm not angry. I'm...just so happy.” He pulled her tightly into his chest, and Renya let herself relax against him for a split second. It felt so good to have an actual father, and one who seemed to accept everything about her and loved her unconditionally.

He pulled away, then looked at her. “How do you feel about it?”

“I'm...excited. Nervous, too.”

“That's to be expected. I was nervous as well, when your mother was pregnant with you.”

Renya glanced over at her own mother, who was thumbing through another book. As worried as she was about being a good mother, she knew she would never abandon her child or resent them over magic. If they took her powers, so be it.

Almost as though he sensed her thoughts, Cyrus put his arms around her. “You're going to be a great mother.”

Cressida mumbled something snarky underneath her breath, but Renya ignored her.

There was a loud crack in the air, and an elderly woman appeared, her pale skin nearly transparent.

“You!” The woman screeched, looking at Cressida.

“If it isn't the Libera, the Keeper of the Knowledge,” Cressida jeered.

“You allowed her here?” Libera looked at Cyrus, her mouth open and eyes wide.

Cyrus nodded. “She can wield no magic here.”

“She can still do other things...” Libera complained. Her eyes were flashing with annoyance, and she seemed impossibly large, like her anger enabled her to grow several feet. Renya wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light or if it was some kind of magic she possessed.

“I'm sorry, but who are you?” Renya asked.

“Forgive me, Renya. This is Libera, she oversees the vast knowledge that we've acquired over the years.” Cyrus said. “And Libera, as of right now, our goals are aligned with the exiled Shadow Queen. I've allowed her access to our library. She says there's a book here that will tell us everything we need to know to restore the magic.”

“You were always so simple, Cyrus. It's not going to tell us everything, but enough. Enough to get to where we need to go.”

“Stop talking in riddles!” Renya yelled, her hands going to her temples. “It's enough. Just tell us plainly.”

“Fine. Ignore my desire for showmanship. There's a book here that was written at the same time as the scrolls. It speaks of the location where the Gods left our world, where the magic originally came from. The book is mentioned a few times throughout the scrolls, but never by name. The only identifying feature it gave was a mention of the phrase 'origo.'“

Libera gave a slight gasp of surprise. “Origo Magicae?”

Cressida nodded excitedly. “You know it?”

“Yes, but up until now it's never been deciphered. It's in an unreadable language.”

“Not a language. It's a code. The Sun Realm Scrolls hold the key.”

Finally, they were getting somewhere , Renya thought. And perhaps, her mother was telling the truth, especially if Libera agreed.

“Let me summon it,” Libera said, moving with grace to the bookshelf, despite her age. She picked up a book and opened it, turning to a page and closing her eyes. The bookshelf trembled, and then turned into a door.

“What is going on?” Renya asked, shocked at the scene before her.

“Forgive me again, Renya. I'd forgotten you hadn't been in our library. The bookshelf is just a way to access our stores.”

Renya felt a surge of hope; initially she was disappointed when she followed her father to their so-called 'grand' archives.

Libera opened the door, heading inside, and Renya followed, with Cyrus keeping a close eye on Cressida.

Renya's mouth dropped as she stepped into the chamber, shocked at both the sheer elegance and size of the library. Row after row of books spread as far as the eye could see.

Cressida made a beeline for the small desk in the center of the room.

“Yes! This is it!” Her excitement was palpable. “I'd almost discovered it right before our bond was broken and I was forced out of the Sun Realm.” She shot a menacing glance at Cyrus, who just ignored her.

Renya moved closer to examine the book. It was older than any book she'd ever seen. The green cover was tattered, and the pages weren't even attached to the binding. It smelled of must and mildew, and faintly of sea water and...burnt papyrus.

“Why does it smell that way?” Renya asked, wrinkling her nose.

“You can sense it too, daughter?” Cressida looked up at Renya, her violet eyes shining with pride. Renya quickly broke eye contact, her stomach turning at the thought of having something else in common with her mother.

“Yes,” she said stiffly. “It smells like...burning seawater.”

Cressida nodded eagerly. “The sea water is because it was once held in the Tidal Kingdom. It was stored in their underwater vaults. Back before magic faded, all fae in the Tidal Kingdom could breathe underwater. The smoke...that's the smell of ancient magic. The fact that you can smell it shouldn't surprise me. Your magic is, after all, a part of me.”

Renya didn't respond to the revelation.

Cressida began barking orders. “Libera, I need the Sun Realm Scrolls. Cyrus, you need to return my powers to me so I can access the magic in the book.”

“Not going to happen, Cressy.”

Cressida's eyes raged. “It requires dark magic. Shadow magic. Magic you don't possess.”

Renya was so excited about the possibility of finally making progress. “Father, just let her have it for a second. I'll be here, we can stay on top of her.”

Cyrus looked like he was torn, but he finally gave a slight nod. With a twist of his fingers, dark magic spun around Cressida, as if appearing from the darkness of the shadows of the room, and the magic settled within Cressida. Her eyes turned an even more intense shade of violet.

“Ahhhhhh...it feels so good to be whole again. Mostly.” Another glance at Renya.

“Just do what you need to do,” Renya commanded.

Cressida sat at the desk, closing her eyes as if in a trance. She held her hand upon the book, magic pouring into the pages from her palms.

Nothing happened.

Cressida opened her eyes, shock on her face. “It...can't be. I'm the one who is supposed to be able to access the ancient magic and restore the balance.”

Renya frowned. She was so tired of dead ends. But her father put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her gently towards the book.

Cressida chewed on her lip, then nodded. “I think you're right, Cyrus.”

“It's nice of you to finally admit it.”

“Shut up.”

“What's going on?” Renya asked, ignoring their argument.

“Renya, come here.” Cressida lifted herself from the seat and pulled it out for Renya. Renya sat, looking at her father.

“Go ahead, Renya.” His eyes gave her strength, and she placed her hand on the book.

At first, she felt silly, and nothing happened. But then, she felt a strange surge in her palm, almost as if the book was exploring her, getting to know her. It was like she was being evaluated and tested, but she had no clue how a book could do that. Then, she felt the tension leave her body, and a blast of magic shot through her hands, and the book's pages flipped rapidly. Gold swirling text seemed to seep from the pages, the words arranging themselves in the air.

“Yes! It's working!” Cressida's triumphant yell echoed through the library.

Renya looked up at the words briefly, before they slammed down into the Sun realm scrolls that Libera had placed upon the desk.

Renya looked at the scrolls, eyes wide as new text appeared in between the lines of the scrolls.

“Through valleys deep and forests tall,

The mountain's call, heeds one and all.

With heart sincere and purpose clear,

The path to magic shall appear.

By moonlit stream and starlit sky,

The journey unfolds, where shadows lie.

With each step taken, courage shown,

The mountain's summit, it shall be known.”

“It's the mountains,” Cressida said, looking at Cyrus.

Cyrus nodded grimly. “I was worried it would be something like that.”

“What's going on? What does it mean?” Renya looked at Cyrus, but it was Cressida who answered.

“The Mountains of Magic. It's said to be a mythical place—”

“It's like the equivalent of Mount Olympus or El Dorado in the human world, Renya. A myth.”

“This means it is not a myth, Cyrus.”

Renya watched her father's face. He was fearful, which scared her to her core. He was always so confident, and seemingly in control of everything. She looked at him, silently questioning.

He sighed. “I've lost many ancestors to this quest. The mountain has been said to be many things in fae myth. The holy grail, the fountain of youth...all those myths in the human world are really tales of the mountains that have made their way out of our world. It's dangerous and has never been found.”

Cressida interrupted. “But no one has translated the book. Surely this brings us closer than anyone ever before.”

“That may be, but I refuse to risk my daughter's life, and that of her unborn child—”

“The choice is Renya's, you old fool. My daughter is much braver than you give her credit for—”

“She's much wiser than you give her credit for—”

“Both of you, stop it. I get to control my own life and my own destiny. And nothing will be solved by the two of you arguing over me.”

“I'm sorry, Renya. I didn't mean to minimize your abilities—”

“It's fine, Father. But before we make any decisions, we need to have Libera research the rest of the text for any more clues that we might need to know. And we also need to inform the others and let them decide if they want to help in any way. We all have skin in this game—and everyone should be involved if they feel comfortable.”