Page 38 of Quicksilver

When it was time to leave my room, she smoothed her hands down the lovely ivory gown she was wearing, then fiddled with the lace cuffs at her wrists, refusing to look at me. “If you wantto come to the library with me, Rusarius and I collated all of the information wedohave relating to the Alchemists and their processes yesterday. There isn't much, but I believe it's worth reading through—”

“I definitely want to join you,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t come yesterday. I know how badly you’re trying to help me, and I do want to learn.” How to get the hells out of here. How to find my way home. When I offered out my arm to her, she broke into a reluctant smile and slid her own through mine. And that, it seemed, was how long it took Everlayne De Barra to forgive a slight.

In the library, Rusarius was having a fit.

“Renfis, please! This isnota mess hall! There are precious works of art stored here, and—and—just—look!Look at all of thatgrease!”

I smelled Rusarius's issue before I saw it. Something meaty and smokey hung in the air, the scent so mouthwatering that my stomach audibly snarled. Whatwasthat? It smelled divine.

“Gods, Fisher,” Everlayne muttered when she saw what he was doing.

The male sat at the head of the long clerk's table, a plate on the polished wood in front of him. He speared a piece of ambiguous meat onto a fork, then popped it into his mouth.

Renfis was propped against the wall by the far window, arms folded over his chest, watching the proceedings with an air of resignation. “Sorry, Rusarius. I don't know what you think I can do about it. The day I manage to make Kingfisher do anything is the day the Corcoran return.”

“Well, there's no need for blasphemy!” the old librarian squawked.

“Where did your gods actuallygo?”I whispered to Everlayne. I’d been too overwhelmed to ask before.

“They set off on a pilgrimage thousands of—urgh! Another time. I'd better confiscate that food before Rusarius's head explodes.”

Kingfisher remained focused on his breakfast. He didn't say a word when Everlayne approached and stood next to him at the head of the table. He justgrowled.

“And you wonder why Belikon calls you a dog,” she said.

That got Kingfisher's attention. Slowly, his head raised, the silver flashing brightly in his right eye as he turned a baleful gaze on the female. “I don't wonder. Iknowwhy he calls me that.”

“It's because of his deep loyalty to the crown,” Renfis said, biting back a smile.

Kingfisher's eyes flashed, the quicksilver writhing amidst the green. He snapped his teeth at his sister.“It's because I bite.”His hard expression could have made grown men turn tail and run scared into the night, but Everlayne arched an eyebrow at him and waited.

The male was once again dressed in black. He was armored up to the eyeballs this morning; the engraved chest piece he wore was black leather today instead of dark tan and bore a crest comprised of twin crossed swords wrapped in a tangle of vines, backed by the silhouette of a rearing stallion. He wore the same gorget at his throat, though—brilliantly polished silver with a snarling wolf etched into the metal. His thick dark hair was extra wavy, curling almost, not quite brushing the tops of his broad shoulders. When I realized how intensely I was studying the tips of the pointed ears poking through his hair, I quickly looked up at the glass-domed ceiling, clearing my throat, pretending to inspect the sky.

“Give me the plate.” Everlayne's tone brooked no argument.

“Certainly.” Kingfisher set down his fork, picked up the plate, and held it out to Everlayne. She took it. “By all means,” he said.“Put my food on the fucking ground, outside, by the stables. I'll go eat with the other dogs presently.”

Everlayne's shoulders sagged.“Fisher.”

“Scratch that.” His chair legs scraped loudly as he got up. Snatching his plate back, he strode away with it, heading for the door...and right forme. “I'll save you the trouble and take it there myself,” he said. His eyes glittered as he passed me. “Enjoy your dusty books, human. I'll be waiting for you in the forge this afternoon. Don't make me come looking for you.”

“Fisher, you're being ridiculous. Come back!” Everlayne called after him.

He ignored her, spine ramrod straight, the midnight sword strapped to his back leaving a trail of wispy shadows in its wake as he stalked out of the library.

“Well, I didn't mean for him toleaveagain,” Rusarius grumbled. “But I've said it a thousand times, and I'll say it again. No cooked food in the library. I, myself, only eat dry crackers while working here. And I'm here for days sometimes.AndI lean out of a window to avoid crumbs!”

“It's all right, Rusarius,” Everlayne said softly. “He's not himself at the moment. It might be a while before he stops behaving like a spoiled brat.”

“I'll go and train with him. Let him blow off some steam,” Renfis said, pushing away from the wall. He paused by the seat Kingfisher had been sitting in a moment ago and rested his hand on its carved wooden back, frowning down at it. “He does deservesomegrace, though. He has no rooms here. Nowhere to eat. Nowhere to sleep. No provisions. And a hundred and ten years, Layne. Can you imagine what a hundred and ten years would have been like in that place? Alone?” Sorrow dripped from each word. The princess and the soldier traded a long look. Eventually, the tension in Everlayne's ticking jaw muscle eased.

“I can, actually. I spent the first three decades imagining it in great detail every day. After that, I did my best not to think about it—orhim—at all. My heart couldn't take it. And now he's back, and I don't have to wonder what kind of hell he's enduring. Now, I get towatch.”

Her voice was thick with emotion, but she didn't cry. She picked up a book from the table and set it on top of a stack, then moved on to fussing and fiddling with a sheaf of loose papers.

It was hard to see her in pain like this. And shewasin pain. You'd have to be blind not to see that she was suffering. I stood on the peripherals of this group, which gave me an excellent view of the dynamics between them all. There was so much hurt between them. So much time, and history, and so many secrets. From the outside looking in, it was impossible to unravel all of the threads that connected them.

Renfis sighed. “There's a way to fix him. We just haven't found it yet. In the meantime, I'm not going to give up on him. Are you?”