Sabine rolls her eyes and sits on a bench to wait out the remaining shocks. “You chose an interesting time to visit the Nocturne Court. Heartbreak might emerge at any moment.”
Magnus smiles, as if she didn’t just tell him about a beast whose proximity can make people’s hearts stop out of sheer terror. “Oh yes, that’s what I’m here to study. The tremors are a signal of impending approach, aren’t they? Do you think it will be possible to observe it from the towers? I heard it’s filled with the blackened hearts of those it devoured.”
Thinking about it makes me a bit ill, because as far as I know Heartbreak looks like his spawn, the despairs, but on steroids. I wouldn’t travel to see a mountain of elf and human parts encased in body juice jelly if you paid me.
Tristan nods as his wings close behind his back. He’s probably keeping them visible to impress Magnus. “I can show you where the book section on Heartbreak is,” he says and ushers Magnus his way with a gesture.
And there I was, thinking Tristan doesn’t read.
He likely knows the elven realm’s equivalent of theKama Sutraby heart.
Briefly wondering how long it will take Tristan to move on to another pretty flower once he has his way with Magnus, I grab a lidded cup that fell during the tremor and hand it to Sabine, who rises back to her feet. She’s almost due, and I don’t envy her current state, especially with the encroaching danger.
“Wouldn’t it be safer for you to stay someplace farther from the ocean?”
She blinks, sipping some herbal tincture from the cup. “And miss the sight of Kyranis chasing Heartbreak back where it came from? I wouldn’t do that for the world.”
We both fall silent as we watch Tristan leading Magnus away by putting his hand on the small of the other elf’s back.
“So… I was hoping you could help me find some books about the kind of bats that live under the castle?” I ask, studying the massive (and now crooked) portrait of Kyran’s parents with his brother. I don’t know what it is about the young elf’s expression,but even though he’s Kyran’s twin, I can tell it’s not him. The Kyran I know is determined and doesn’t hesitate to give people orders, but I’d never seen him with the smug half-smile crooking the handsome features of the boy in the portrait.
Sadness floods my heart as I stare at the image, realizing that Kyran’s family didn’t bother to even hint at his existence with some clever metaphor, like perhaps the young prince holding a mirror. It’s as if they forgot about him altogether.
Sabine nods. “Yes, I can think of a few resources, but nothing in life comes free. I have a question first,” she says but winks at me to soften the blow. She pulls out a notebook and reads from it. “Chad. How about that for my baby’s name? Is that a good one? I’ve found out that it’s the name of a saint in one of the human religions, so I presume it’s considered dignified?”
I try to not make a face. “It’s… okay.”
But she clocks my reaction and huffs with exasperation. “Oh, no. You don’t like it. What’s wrong with it?”
“Notwrong, but just… nowadays it can be considered a bit funny. Like… you know how sometimes a name fits a certain type of person? If Tristan was human, living in my world now, he’d be a Chad.”
She squints, giving that some thought. “I think I understand. Okay,” she adds and makes a little note next to the name. She loves to pick up my slang. “So what would make a strong name for a boy? I feel that each name I pick is not good enough, and my husband told me it’s my choice this time, so I need to get it right,” she mumbles, hugging the cup to her chest.
“I’ll think about it and get you some options, but I only have so much time here today, so…”
Sabine rolls her eyes. “Fine, fine, let’s go find out more about this little critter,” she says and pets Flap’s head in passing when she walks out from behind the desk. He makes a happy squeak that convinces me hecanbe domesticated. Or I’m delusional and he was simply excited about the proximity of very biteable fingers.
She leads the way among fallen books. When I offer to help pick them up, she dismisses me, saying library assistants will put them back where they belong.
“I’m not being pushy, I hope. It’s just been so long since we’ve had a human at court. Over seven years now. Only two Dark Companions survived the battle with Heartbreak.” She glances back at me. “It’s not typical, just a lot of bad luck. Baron Glassdrop and hisCompanion have been away in the capital for three years now, and only Lady Guinevere and Carol are staying close by. They’re allowed to live on the outskirts of the nearby village but can’t enter the court until you and Kyranis marry, so I can only see the human so often. But she’s been here for years, so her information about your world might be outdated.”
Sabine is always very chatty, so I’m happy to soak up all she has to share, but this bit of information makes my brain whir with excitement. I worried the surviving Companions were out of reach, but there was one nearby this whole time? Wouldn’t talking to her be the best way to find out the truth about the Companion’s role without the rose-tinted glasses Kyran keeps putting on my nose? If another human reassured me that living in this Realm is not actually a nightmare, maybe I could… stay?
My thoughts race as Sabine chatters, bringing me to a small shelf.
“Our late Lordess was actually a keen observer of the natural world. Several of the books here were penned by her, and I’m sure she also researched the bats. I might even have…” Sabine rummages through a stack of smaller books, only to pull out a leather-bound folder. “Her notes. These must stay in the library and cannot be taken to your rooms. While I’m sure the prince could probably force a different decision on me, I insist that you don’t pull those strings.”
I stall, tracing the fine embossing on the cover. The depth of the grooves is somewhat uneven under my fingers, as if the decoration had been added by hand rather than by utilizing a machine. “You mean… those are by Kyran’s mother?” I ask before I can catch myself, but Sabine likely assumes I’m shortening the prince’s name because of our familiarity.
“Yes, she loved to spend time around beasts. Found them fascinating, you see. It was her downfall,” Sabine adds with a brief glance at Count Flapula’s satchel.
“Oh, but not by… bats, right?” I ask, giving Flap’s massive, innocent eyes a nervous glance.
“No. She tried to capture a despair to study it. Sadly, she ended up bitten by several of them and there was no saving her. But what is life without striving for knowledge, hm?”
I think about Reiner, who has been living a long and happy life avoiding danger at all cost, and I can’t make up my mind on which option is better, so I just nod.
“Make sure your hands are clean as you handle the notes, and absolutely no drinksat the desks.”
