Page 42 of Calling of the Crown

A large stone building sat in the sand, abandoned. With how clear the water was, the sunlight spilled all the way down here, despite being hundreds of feet below the surface. Even with the rays shining here, this building felt cold and dark. It was like a soul that had been forgotten yet still held the promise of so much life.

Steps led up to its double doors, and when I swam up to a window to peer inside, I realized it was a library. Dozens upon dozens of shelves lined the walls and open floor of the building, and while many of them were empty, some shelves still had tomes tucked away in their shadows.

“Bria! Bria!” Imani’s alarmed, frantic tone sounded in the distance.

“Shit,” I hissed, remembering that I was supposed to wait for Imani. I looked back the way I came and yelled, “Over here!”

A great white shark suddenly appeared at the end of the road, and it swam quickly in my direction. Imani was right on its tail, and I realized that was probably Jayanna.

Imani clutched her chest when she reached me, and her black tank top and cargo pants hugged her body while my dress still billowed softly in the current. “You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing over here?”

“The water brought me here,” I explained, gesturing to the library. “I think there’s something here that it wants me to see.”

Imani glanced over my shoulder through the window. “I’m not sure what. When we went above water, we brought all the legible books with us. The only ones left here were the books written in our old language, which won’t be of any use to anyone since we can’t read them.”

“Our old language?” Curiosity sparked, I turned back to the empty library and swam through the open window.

Some creatures like small crustaceans and fish had made the forgotten library their home, and they shied away from me as I drifted over to the shelf that seemed to hold the most books. Their covers seemed to be made from some sort of leather with silver writing on the spine and cover. I grabbed one from the shelf and opened it.

The spine cracked as I peeled the pages open, and the first thing I noticed was the worn edges of the otherwise pristine paper. If you could call it paper. It was more like seaweed that had been bleached and stitched together to create a book. Then there were the words—lines and shapes thrown together. Every page was littered with the odd writing, which meant Imani was right. There was no reading this.

“What did you want me to see here?” I whispered to the water around me.

A warm pull weaved through my hair fanned out behind me, and I turned just in time to see a flash of movement right by a table where a large, lone tome sat. Raising a brow, I eyed around me, studying the water closely for another sign of movement, but I saw nothing.

I glided through the water to the book. It appeared worn with age, and it had the same old writing inside. I flipped through the pages, looking for something that was possibly tucked away inside, but there was nothing. I worried my lip with a groan. If there was no hidden note or object in the book that meant the water wanted me to see something that was written in the book, which posed a problem.

“I told you there was nothing in here,” Imani said as she appeared at my side. “Just old, useless books.”

I wasn’t sure how I’d manage to read the book, but something had brought me here. Something wanted me to see this book for a reason, and even though I couldn’t read it, maybe I could find someone who could.

“I think I’m gonna bring this one back with me,” I said and hoisted the book into my arms.

Imani gave me a look that questioned my sanity, but she shrugged. “If you really want it, I won’t stop you.”

We left the library with my treasure tucked in my arms. Imani and I looked around the abandoned underwater city a bit longer with Jayanna and Khalani swimming close by. I was fascinated by everything I was seeing here beneath the waves, but a somber cloud also hovered overhead.

This used to be our home, the place to where all Water Fae could come back. I could almost pretend to see and hear Fae swimming up and down the streets, traversing the different shops, and exploring all the beauty that the vibrant ocean had to offer. Yet here our old Kingdom sat now, forgotten and in ruins. It made my chest ache for our home and also for all the Water Fae who couldn’t come here anymore. I hurt for the Water Fae who lost or never had the ability to breathe beneath the waves like they should have.

As much as I didn’t like Angus at times, it was as I looked around the fallen homes and the Water Fae swimming and playing above my head that I realized he was right about one thing.

We really were broken Fae.

Chapter Nineteen

IT HAD BEEN A WEEK since the first Water Fae arrived back in Ambrolia, and now our island bustled with life. Every house on the island was filled with a family or roommates, and as people settled back into their lives here, the shops and vendors lining the streets now also brimmed with business and activity. Even the castle was lively with an influx of Fae who now worked in the kitchens, the grounds, and housekeeping.

I’d managed to be there to welcome three-fourths of the Water Fae as they’d arrived to the island, but training for the Joining Ceremony and Two Hearts Dance meant I was unable to greet everyone. Did Rune and I have anything to show for all those practices? No. Other than explosions, a slew of profanities, and close-call fist fights between Rune and Angus, we still hadn’t made much progress. Though my control of the water had gotten a lot better since our day of swimming.

When we’d returned from the underwater library, I’d asked Jesiah about the book. He didn’t know how to read the old language, but Akira said he might know a scholar who could decipher the writing. He offered to contact the Fae to see if he could read the text, so while we waited to hear back, I kept the dried-out book on my bedside table for safekeeping.

The day of the welcome home gathering had finally come. Today, I’d not only mingle and interact with everyone, but I’d also announce my intentions to stop the war with Land Fae. Needless to say, my stomach was twisted in tight knots, and I kept teetering on the edge of vomiting.

“Deep breath,” Jesiah coached. “You’ve practiced for this, remember?”

“Yeah, but I practiced in front of you and my friends,” I croaked, wringing my hands in front of me. “That’s really different than giving a speech in front of hundreds of people.”

“Technically, there should be one thousand, three hundred eighty-six Fae in attendance if every Fae who’s moved back to Morardia shows up to today’s celebration,” Angus deadpanned.

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