This late at night, there were just a few visitors milling through the halls. A couple, walking hand in hand, sharing a foaming drink between them. A cluster of teenagers, taking turns throwing a ball at each other, only using their power to harness wind.
The people of the realm were not unlike their leader. Content. Happy.
It was a bit unnerving, more than two weeks into the Centennial. Weren’t they anxious? Did they know something she didn’t? Did Azul have a plan for this Centennial that he had shared with his people?
Isla made a turn to the east side of the palace. She studied it carefully. It was surprisingly well-kept for being the home of a ruler who only returned for a few months every century. It was just a fraction of the size of the Mainland castle and painted light blue, a giant bird’s egg. Its ceilings were designed to resemble a massive, endless sky and were remarkably tall. Wind whistled through the corridors, from various windows left open.
Free. Airy. Light.
The tower wasn’t difficult to find. It was one of just a few and had unlocked glass doors, which revealed its interior.
Books. Floors of them, in a circular shape, going around and around, in a spiral leading up to a rounded skylight. All empty. Celeste was right. No one seemed interested in reading at this hour.
Now she just needed to find the protected section.
She studied the space and frowned. There were no hidden back rooms. Everything in the library was on full display, shelves built into the walls. Isla started up the spiral walkway, forcing herself not to look too carefully at the books. If she saw any of their titles, she wasn’t sure she would be able to resist the temptation to sit down and read.
You will have plenty of time to read once your curses are broken,she told herself. After using the bondbreaker, she would have the freedom to pillage the library in the Wildling realm and devour every book if she wished.
She just needed to find it.
The tower was taller than it looked from the bottom—it took several minutes to reach its top.
When she did, she frowned. No protected section.
No relics. Just books. Thousands of them.
Isla gripped the railing, staring a hundred feet down at the bottom. The library was empty. Hollow. She barely resisted the urge to fill it with her frustrated screams.
But she hadn’t colored her hair and stolen her clothes and stepped foot on another realm’s Lightlark territory to give up so easily.
Every isle’s library had a protected area.
This one must just be hidden.
Isla backed toward the wall and felt it carefully, knocking gently. It was solid, books covering nearly every inch of the tower’s interior. Its middle was air.
No room for a secret.
Unless—
She looked up at the skylight. If she stood on her toes, she could reach it.
Her stomach roiled as she carefully grabbed the gloves from her pocket. They felt rough and thin enough to tear if she wasn’t careful. She tried not to think of what they were made of, ofwhothey were—
No. She had to keep her mind on the mission, lest she retch her dinner.
Hoping Celeste was right, and Azul’s essence was indeed imprinted on the fabric, she rolled them on, then pressed her gloved palm against the glass—
It dropped open, along with an elegant pair of metal stairs that unfolded before her eyes.
Isla’s grin was a primal thing, pure satisfaction. She had uncovered a ruler’s secret. She had figured it out alone. A powerless young ruler.
There is no time to celebrate.Terra’s scolding was in her brain. Whenever Isla beamed after mastering a skill or managing to disarm her guardian, she would be chastised.
Time can stand still for just a moment,Isla once said.
Not for you. From the moment you were born, the clock began counting down,Terra had replied. Any time not used to prepare for the Centennial was wasted. Wanting anything more than to defend and protect her realm was selfish. Her life had never been her own.
