Page 10 of Forsaken Secrets

4

Kaiya

Iwandered through the aisles with neatly organized wares, the bolts of cloth and bins of flour in the same places as always. There was a small display of those pearl rosaries that everyone had taken to wearing lately, and I shook my head.

Definitelynot my style.

Finally, I reached the heavy green curtain separating off the back storeroom from the rest of the store. Checking both ways, I slipped inside.

The counter was dark, lit by a single lyphos lamp whose orange glow was almost gone.

I tapped one side of the glass, and the rotund, sluggish creature inside lifted its head sleepily.

Its whole body began to vibrate, and the room immediately brightened.

Smiling, I slipped it a food tab and turned to the newly illuminated glass counter, taking a seat on one of the wooden stools beside it.

I turned to the sorting table and gasped.

Wow! He wasn't kidding when he'd said they'd gotten a new shipment. This was a veritable treasure trove! I sat my pack on the seat next to me and started sorting.

Mr. Harlsted liked to sit back here and sort the new inventory in silence. But when I was young, I'd been his little shadow. Many days had been filled with sitting here, swinging my legs, and humming to myself while he'd sorted items into piles and written in his ledger.

Those early years after my parents died had been hard, but having the Harlsteds made them more bearable.

Nestled beneath scrap metal and worn art was a small pile of books. My heart leaped at the thick leather bindings.

The navy leather cover of the first book creaked as I opened it, and I grimaced. Hopefully, the next owner would do a better job of caring for the beauty.

Proper Decorum for Young Ladies in their first Season

I cringed and slammed it shut, then buried it back under the pile. If I cared to learn proper decorum, I could attend an afternoon tea with the Ridge ladies. What a waste of a beautiful cover and paper!

The second book was a rich burgundy with gold filigree around the edges. I carefully opened it, trying not to get too hopeful … and grimaced.

A Brief History of the Empire, as told by King Tréville the 3rd.

Ugh. What kind of person would knowingly read this propaganda? I flipped through the first few pages and my stomach lurched at the sight of overly characterized mages being drawn and quartered.

"To stop the spread of the twisted vileness within the Forsaken, they were broken and then burned. We drove the few remaining back onto their cursed island and trapped them there. Finally, we could emerge from the dark, a renewed kingdom …"

It continued on, but I refused to read any more.

The lies made me sick to my stomach. Not all mages were evil or corrupt! I was just like everyone else, except for my broken magic, and that did nothing to hurt anyone.

No. The real evil were the Seekers and other workers for the Empire, who persecuted anyone with even a hint of power. People who'd done nothing wrong to deserve such a fate … people like my mother. And me.

I buried the book of lies at the bottom of the stack, trying to release the anger that had risen in my chest, then stared at the last book in the little pile.

Its leather was darkened with years of wear and cracked in places, but engraved on the front was an enormous dragon with wings extended.

Now this had potential!

Cautiously excited, I tugged on the front cover. It slid open without a sound and I took a deep breath, enjoying that calming scent of paper and ink.

Turning the first page, I grinned, entranced by the intricate ink work depicting magical creatures all over the inner cover.

Sfelhink — 1sxl Enlhish

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