Sun Isle was empty during the day, as expected. There was no one to gape at her bright-red dress. She hadn’t bothered wearing a more neutral shade. Any hue other than gold would stand out immediately, anyway.
The isle was gilded, just like its king. Gold everywhere. She didn’t waste time looking at its wonders, or lingering. She marched right up to the castle with resolve.
She didn’t care if all the guards in the palace tried to stop her, she was getting into that library.
As soon as she entered the castle, the sunshine from outside died. The only light came from fiery orbs and chandeliers. They filled every inch of the ceiling, doing what the king couldn’t.
“Isla, ruler of Wildling?”
She turned around to the guard who had spoken, ready to tell him he couldn’t keep her from the isle. That she wasallowedto be here. But before she could, he spoke again.
“We’ve been expecting you. Please, follow me.” The guard’s gold-plated armor clinked as he turned on his heel and made his way down the hallway.
Expecting you?She took off after him.
“You ... have?” she said, looking around carefully, expecting to see more guards soon. To possibly be brought to some sort of dungeon.
He nodded. “I’ve been given orders to take you to the library.” Isla was silent. That couldn’t be right ... it had taken her three days to find her nerve to venture into the Sunling land. The guard had been waiting right at the doors. There was no way he, or others, had been waiting for her to arrive.
Before long, he stopped in front of an entrance. “The king has ordered the library to be closed this week. You will be alone and are to have full access to any of the floors.”
She blinked. Oro had refused to take her here himself, yet he had given her exclusive privileges?
It had to be a trick.
Though, as long as she was able to search the library ... she didn’t care. Isla bowed her head in thanks, pasting a smile on her face as if this was all normal. Expected. “Thank you,” she said.
“I will be out here, should you need anything.”
The library doors closed behind her with a thud.
The guard was right. She had the entire space to herself. Ten floors of books. Galleries so long, she couldn’t see their end.
If she didn’t have a specific task, she would have loved to spend days in here, exploring.
But that wasn’t why she had fought so hard to get inside this room.
Isla took off, not knowing if more guards were coming to trap her, or if the king himself would appear any moment, to demand she tell him what she was looking for.
She fetched the Starling gloves from a hidden pocket in her cape and pulled them on with only minimal disgust. With so little time, she needed to touch everything and hope she got lucky.
The books were beautiful. Their covers were gold, gems up their spines. Knowledge seemed to be prized on Sun Isle.
Dozens of tables filled the space, unlike any other library she had visited on the island. Did this mean Sunlings were granted full access inside?
No time to wonder. She looked for anything out of place, anything that looked special at all.
At the very end of the hall sat a hearth, big enough to swallow her whole. The flames inside crackled, almost like a beckoning.
She stopped in front of it.
The Skyling hidden section had been at the very top of the tower, high in the sky. The Moonling one had been engulfed in water.
Perhaps Sunling’s secret section was hidden in flames.
Before she could think better of it, Isla reached one glove toward the fire, knowing it could very well wilt to pieces. She braced herself for the pain and smell of double layers of flesh burning.
It did not. The fire vanished immediately, and she stepped into the mouth of the hearth. Pressed another hand against the stone wall behind it. And watched the brick fall away.
