Page 30 of Realms of Shadow and Sun
He blanched, almost feeling ill. How could his sweet, brave, intelligent Renya come from such a monster? And who was Cyrus? Her father?
His eyes frantically darted across the room, looking for other clues. Besides some carved toys and a chest filled with elaborate gowns, which he suspected were to be part of Renya's dowry one day, he found nothing else to answer the millions of questions that bombarded his mind.
“What does this mean?” Phillippe asked, looking at the necklace and then around the room. “Is Renya...really the Shadow Queen's daughter?”
Grayden nodded, his throat dry and his chest tight. It didn't change how he felt about Renya, but it did significantly change the war they were about to face. Fates, how could he have not put it together? He remembered the surprise he felt when Agatha let Cressida live, even though her magic was strong and Cressida had none at the Sunset Lands. He thought back and pictured Agatha's magic, black and misty. The twin of Cressida's. Her sister. Agatha must have sensed the danger Cressida posed to her own daughter, and hidden her away in the human world. It wasn't just because of the prophecy. It was because Renya's own mother would harm her. And where was Renya's father? Dead? It was clear that something happened here in this room. Another memory hit him and like a flash, and he remembered the nightmare Renya had. She was warm and happy, and then darkness appeared. Was she witness to whatever took place? As an infant, did those memories stay with her?
“That's...intense,” Phillippe commented, looking awkwardly at Grayden. “And...didn't Cressida want you at one time? The mother of your mate? That's just...wow.”
Grayden ignored him, already aware of the implications it held. He closed his hand over the locket, and tucked it into his tunic. He wasn't sure why, but he needed to take it with him. Perhaps to provide proof to Renya...his stomach lurched again. How could he tell Renya? She would be horrified at the revelation.
“I think we should go,” Selenia said, backing away towards the door. “This room feels like...like we shouldn't be here.”
“I agree,” Phillippe said, grasping Grayden by the arm. “Come on, Brother. Let's go find the archives.”
Locating the lost library proved to be more difficult than they could have fathomed. They explored every tower, searching every room. The palace boasted a golden music room, filled with many different types of instruments, a drawing room with a large palm tree growing straight out of the ground and through a large opening in the ceiling above, and even a pond full of strange fish that they had to cross over by stepping on flat rocks strategically placed in a path from one side of the room to the other. They even looked in the kitchen and the store room, and were perplexed to find fresh vegetables still in the cellar.
“Do you think there's some sort of spell on this room, keeping the produce fresh?” Selenia asked her brothers.
Phillippe scratched his jaw, and Grayden examined the room closer.
“I'm not sure, but I'm getting the feeling that perhaps this city isn't abandoned after all,” Grayden said, looking at the soot in the fireplace. He walked over and poked at the ashes with a fire poker. Sure enough, he uncovered some hot coals.
“Grayden...” Phillippe warned, noting the recently extinguished fire.
“I know...someone is here, or has been here very recently.”
“Let's keep moving, and quickly,” Selenia said, hitching her bag up over her shoulder.
They exited the kitchen and then went through another corridor until they came to a dead end. There was a plain stone wall in front of them.
“A dead end. Let's turn around and head out. We've searched everywhere,” Phillippe said.
“Wait!” Selenia whispered, moving closer to the wall. “Can't you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Grayden asked.
“There's a draft, or wind blowing through the edges of the corner of the wall.” She knelt down on the floor and put her ear against the stone. “I'm sure of it!”
Grayden reached down and put his hand along the seam of the wall. “I feel it,” he said, the cooler air hitting his hand. “There's a secret passageway here.”
“Move back,” Phillippe said, pulling out his broadsword. He forced the sharp blade into the corner and pushed. The wall in front of them moved an inch, sliding seamlessly into a hollow opening on the other side.
“Help me!” Phillippe said excitedly, pushing on the blade even harder.
Grayden grasped the edges of the wall and pushed, and another few inches disappeared. Phillippe threw his weight against his blade, and Grayden pushed as hard as he could. Another six inches of wall slid into the other side.
“I think that's as far as it goes,” Grayden said. “Did you bring a torch?” he asked Selenia.
“Of course,” she said, and removed a long wrapped piece of wood from the pack she carried. Grayden grabbed it and struck a piece of flint from his pocket onto the torch. It burst into flames and he held it in front of the passageway.
“I'll go first. Selenia, you next, and then Phillippe, you take the rear.”
Phillippe let out a chuckle at Grayden's phrasing, but was given a stern look from his brother in return. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, before getting behind Selenia.
Grayden turned sideways and pushed himself through the narrow opening in the wall. It was tight, but he just managed to squeeze through. He lifted the torch and looked around. A long staircase was in front of him, with no landing below in sight. He sighed as Selenia pushed herself through the wall easily.
“What do you think is down there?” she asked Grayden.
