“So what are you saying? That you don’t want to go to Sorrengard at all? That’s not your decision to make.”
He shifted in his seat. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I just hate the idea of traveling all the way to the shadow court when we don’t even know for certain your gran is there.”
Leoni closed her book and grabbed another one, opening it.
“But that’s what makes the most sense,” Driscoll said to Prince Lochlan. “If it was your shadow who took her gran, then it was definitely the shadow king who commanded it. The shadow king lives in the shadow court, so where else would her gran be?”
“Where else would your shadow be?” Leoni said, an edge to her voice as she and Driscoll shared another curious look between them.
I was missing something, but I wasn’t sure what.
“We need to get to the shadow court.” Leoni’s eyes dipped to the book, her finger once again tracing lines. “No more delaying, no more excuses. I know you spent eight horrible months there. But all the signs are pointing to it. And we’re not finding any useful information here.”
The prince’s jaw locked at her words. My brows furrowed at thetension simmering between them. It was so uncharacteristic of the prince to act like this.
Driscoll’s mouth dropped open as he stared at a page in the book he was reading. “I think this book is referencing your tower,” he said.
“What?” I leaned forward, staring at the page, but the words were upside down and impossible to read.
“Listen to this,” Driscoll said as he read from the book. “Spirit Sky might not have been as sadistic as Spirit Fire, who was known for burning his victims from the inside out, but he was equally as fearsome, building what was known in the Old World as a tower of terror.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
“The tower spanned the height of a redwood tree, with a single room and window at the top. He used this tower to trap those who displeased him, often cutting off sky elementals’ wings so they couldn’t fly away, putting up iron bars to dull elemental powers so they couldn’t use them to escape. He’d leave prisoners in the tower for days, weeks, at a time, many perishing, their bones left for those who came next. How long one stayed in the tower depended on their crime. To this day, the tower is believed to be cursed, a bad omen, and while most don’t even know of its whereabouts, those who do, stay far, far away.”
Spirits below. “That’s my tower. I can’t believe I lived in a place shrouded in such misery and death.”
Prince Lochlan tipped his head. “Well, if there was any location for your gran to choose to hide you two, that would be a good one. I didn’t even know of its existence before I started dreaming of you standing in the window.”
“That’s not all.” Driscoll’s gaze shifted down the page. “It also says that the tower was where Spirit Sky was rumored to have grabbed his bolt from the sky. One of his prisoners had managed to escape his tower, and in a fury, he flew up to the very top, where he came to a perch and summoned lightning. It crackled down, forming into a weapon that he used to kill the prisoner.”
What an awful tale. I’d never understood why everyone would worship spirits who seemed so terrifying. Gran had told me that everyone believed the spirits to be reformed, that religious scholars claimed the spirits blamed themselves for influencing those of the Old World. That it was ultimately their fault the Old World misused theirmagic, so the spirits decided it would be best to kill everyone and sink into obscurity. Until a thousand years later when our ancestors stumbled upon the continent, and the Seven Spirits decided they’d try again. But unlike before, they’d stay away so as not to influence elementals in any way.
“It’s all lies,”Gran had said.“A way for elementals to justify worshipping spirits who have brought nothing but harm and chaos to the land.”
“It’s a nice story,” Leoni said, breaking me from my thoughts. “But that’s not helpful, Driscoll. None of this is helpful. Poppy is right. We need to leave for Sorrengard immediately.”
Driscoll snapped the book shut. “You know, maybe we should just take this as a sign that it’s time for a vacation. Go somewhere warm, lie on the beach for a few days, soak up the sun.”
Leoni glared at him.
“Well, I thought it was a good idea,” Driscoll mumbled.
The prince’s mouth quirked up, the first time I’d seen him smile since yesterday morning. My heart did a flip. “If we’re going to make a trip to the shadow court, if you all are going to risk getting your shadows taken, then I want to be damn sure about it.”
“No.” Leoni stood, her chair scraping against the tiled floors. “No. I have to put my foot down. It is my job, my duty, to protect you, to do what’s in your best interest. I’ve entertained many of your wild ideas on this journey, but this has got to stop. You don’t have the time?—”
“Ah, we’ve got plenty of time, Leoni,” Prince Lochlan said in his easy manner, Leoni’s anger slowly ebbing away from her features as his stone gaze bored into her. “And you’re a fantastic guard.” He put a hand to his chest. “You’re doing your duty by following orders. My orders, specifically.”
Driscoll cleared his throat. “Is anyone else hungry? I could really go for some spiced goat stew, maybe some ale?—”
The flattery worked temporarily, but while the prince’s blue eyes had hardened to stone, Leoni’s blue eyes turned to ice. “This is costing us too much time. Time that we don’t have.”
“Why?” I asked, and everyone jumped at that, like they’d forgotten I was here.
“It’s nothing,” the prince said quickly. “They’re just eager to get my shadow back so I can return to Apolis, return to my playboy princeways. They miss all the gossip, the rumors about who I might date next. Will I or won’t I settle down?”
Leoni huffed and crossed her arms, and I very much doubted she cared about gossip.
