Page 24 of The Song of Sunrise (The Prentice Teller #1)

A Glimpse of Darkness

I jerk my head up quickly, trying to shake off the sleep threatening to overtake me.

The library is dark this time of night, which does not help my cause.

Normally, a good book would keep me awake all night, but after training rigorously with Leaf for the past two days, the exhaustion has hit. Hard.

Especially on these cozy leather chairs. Why did the librarians do that to us? You would think they would select less comfortable pieces to ensure their patrons stayed awake.

I turn the page of the book, Wild Creatures of the North .

Surely I would come across rocs or kelpies soon, anything from the Elven realms rather than page after page of illustrations of different types of ugly fish.

I grunt in frustration and slam the book shut, about ready to give up for the night until something warm and fuzzy brushes up against my leg.

I yelp and jump, but then I look at the perpetrator. Relief floods my system. “Sun burn me. It’s just you, Miki.”

The extremely large, striped beige cat just sits and looks at me. I swear his eyes roll before he trudges off into the stacks.

Solstice break will soon be over, and I am no closer to finding out more about these magical creatures I overheard Elder Superior Markus mention.

If they are going to be in the first Summit task, I want to know as much as possible to help prepare.

Surely I should be able to find literature on at least the Elven creatures by now.

The closest information I can find about the Underworld is a brief mention of the once High King’s preference for hounds, but his reign has long since ended.

I let out another huff of frustration and rise from my chair.

Ouch.

Never again will I undervalue the amount of pain and effort it takes to train like the heroes I share in my Tellings.

I make a mental note for next time to give more credit.

Perhaps write in an additional verse about their training regimen?

Though it might be hard to find a word that rhymes with strenuous .

I admittedly feel more awake but glare in Miki’s direction.

Thank you, dear cat, for making my heart practically pound out of my chest. I roll my eyes as I shelve Wild Creatures of the North and continue downward another level into the depths of the library.

Each floor is expansive and sprawling with shelves.

The amount of books and scrolls is staggering.

Since the Breaking, books have become a treasured item.

Only the wealthy and other establishments, such as this, have books in their possession.

That is why Tellers are such an esteemed profession.

They are charged— I am charged—with retelling the histories so humans remember and learn from past mistakes.

Has my identity changed already from Teller to Watcher so quickly?

Only a few months ago, I was apprenticing under Marrow, peeling apples for Rosie, and joking with Bane and Row.

My chest aches from the familiar pain I feel every morning as I scratch another line in the wall next to my bed.

I miss them and hope they are okay.

But I have a purpose. A mission that only training as a Watcher, a warrior, can accomplish.

If I can’t somehow make the Underworld pay for their attack of Goldenpine, then the least I can do is win the Summit.

Get the Helios Blessing stone for myself and use its protective charms on the northwoods of Midland.

Perhaps, if I win, I’ll have enough sway to convince the Elder Council to invest more in the WatchTowers near the Dead Twins where nomads are starving. No one deserves to live like that.

An odd feeling pulls me from my thoughts, and I realize how far I have walked. I have never been this low in the library. The air is heavy and musty. The spines of the books are barely legible between the darkness and worn lettering.

I run my fingers along the ancient books until my eyes catch on a spine: Creatures of the Elven Tribes .

My heart skips a beat.

“Yes!” I hiss and carefully grab the book. Various animals are hand drawn across the pages with key elements pointed out in fine lettering.

This is exactly what I was looking for! I was beginning to give up hope that there would be anything other than human-focused history and literature. If Elvish information is stored here, maybe there are Underworld books too.

I tuck the book under my arm and muffle a scream as something small—most definitely a rat—scurries across my foot.

I hear Miki hiss as he approaches me, but instead of chasing the rat, he just looks at me, expectantly.

“What?” I ask the cat.

Miki stares for a few more seconds before brushing past my leg farther down in the library, circles in the spot, then sits.

“That’s odd,” I say and walk up the ramp that leads back to the main library above. At least I found this book today. I could start studying the Elven creatures first until I find out more on the Underworld animals.

Miki hisses and I stop.

Incredulous cat. “What?”

The large cat stands up and walks toward the darkness, but his head is turned back, watching me.

I test out my theory a few times, walking toward Miki and away. When I turn away, he hisses.

He wants me to follow him!

“What could possibly go wrong,” I mumble and walk toward him. I suppose I’d rather have a companion this low in the library anyway.

It’s creepy down here.

The shelves become sparser and the library narrows into a small rectangular room. This must be the last room.

I’m not sure how anyone could read in this space, given how dark it is.

Miki crosses the dark room.

“Wait!” I say, rushing to follow.

The cat leads me down an aisle toward the edge of the room where tapestries line one side of the cold stone walls, bookshelves on the other.

I try scanning the titles, but they are in a different language I don’t understand. I shiver from the cold, damp air and continue to scan the shelves, hoping to find something related to the Underworld.

Miki yelps, and I lift my boot immediately.

“Sorry Miki!”

The oversized beige cat only seems to look annoyed as he sits down, managing to stare down his whiskered nose judgmentally. It’s an oddly human look.

I wander farther along the shelves, scanning for titles that could be helpful.

Miki meows.

“What now, cat?”

Miki rubs his nose to the tapestry depicting a firelit cave on the side of a mountain. The tapestry ripples under the movement, which seems odd for something hanging on a flat stone surface.

“What the...”

I slowly reach the edge of the woven material and pull it aside.

Miki meows happily and trots down the secret passageway I just revealed.

“Of course, I’m assuming you want me to follow?”

He just looks back at me then flicks his tail and keeps walking.

I set down the book and pat my leather pouch of throwing stars. All accounted for. “This is definitely the part in the Telling when the protagonist goes down the creepy deserted corridor, isn’t it?” I mutter to myself before ducking under the tapestry.

The cool metal of the star in my hand keeps me calm as I walk through the narrow stone passageway after Miki. The stones are stacked like bricks, with a small ledge like a handrail.

“ Sunfyre! ” I cup my hands with a heatless flame as I continue to slope downward. The ground beneath me turns from small stones to solid rock. The walls transform as well, from structured stone to a more organic shape, like they were molded from where the stone would naturally crumble.

After a few turns, the passageway opens, and my mouth falls agape. The ceiling is full of glowing worms and bioluminescent vines, giving the impression of a starry sky. Faint bubbling and dripping sounds echo throughout a large cave.

“This is incredible,” I say to Miki as he happily trots into the cave, practically purring with glee. I follow, only stopping briefly to touch the enormous rock formations jutting out from floor to ceiling.

I gasp as we turn a slight corner. Bright aqua springs bubble and steam, wrapping around boulders and columns of rock, creating a littering of different steaming, glowing , pools of water.

I reach down and dip my fingers in the glowing spring. A moan escapes my lips almost immediately. The water is deliciously warm.

A low grunt and large splash come from the other side of the cave.

I draw in a sharp intake of breath and duck behind a rock column.

Shit! There is someone else here!

By the sound of the grunt, a man. My heart pounds out of my chest and into my throat.

Breathe, Akemi.

I shut my eyes and focus on my breath. The rough stone presses into the back of my head as I try to concentrate. It’s miraculous that I got this far without alerting the man.

I peek back around the corner of the rock.

And I’m transfixed.

At the other end of the cave, a man is leaning on the edge of one of the springs, luckily facing the other direction.

His arms are huge and corded with muscle, curving over the ledge of the spring.

Shoulder length white hair is pulled back messily.

The glimmering movement of the water makes the shadow dance across his tattooed back, accentuating more muscles that I didn’t know existed.

He begins rubbing his neck and shoulder, hissing and grunting as if he is in pain. Black liquid drips from the gash on his shoulder into the spring.

Black blood.

I gasp at the realization. This isn’t a man. This is an Underling .

Hatred flickers deep inside my chest.

His head tilts to the side, showing a little of his angled jaw, full lips, and dark eyebrows. His ears are pierced multiple times with silver metal, and dark, inky tattoos scrawl up from his forearms, shoulder, and back.

He is devastating.

Evil and lethal in all ways. His body is rippled with muscle, built for killing, brutality.

And yet, I cannot seem to look away from his face, still turned ever so slightly to the side. It looks like he is thinking or listening—

Fuck!