Page 7 of The Princess and the Demon

My father regards Olam as well, before finally shifting his gaze to me.

“No, my child, not that I am aware. Nobody ever thought this would come to pass. I certainly didn’t expect to see it in my lifetime.”

He reaches up a hand to run it down his beard.

“The convergence is upon us, and I assume Amon will be visiting soon to retrieve the infant.” His gaze shifts to Olam again. “Son, you may want to prepare your wife.”

Olam sits a moment longer, his gaze finally coming back to the present moment. He makes eye contact with my father before briefly sliding his gaze towards me.

He stands slowly, bowing slightly before turning and exiting the chamber.

I watch him leave, pity and sadness coiling thickly in my throat. Turning back to my father, I can’t help but take in his very weary state. I hadn’t realized until now how much he had aged.

His grey eyes seem dim, but the lines at the corner of his eyes and mouth tell me he was happy once.

I stand, dipping slightly before turning to exit the chamber as well.

Once in the corridor, I wrap my arms around myself, letting the tears fall. They roll down my cheeks silently, and I turn my face up to the window, taking in the bright orb of the moon through blurry eyes.

It is almost full, and the convergence would be upon us.

Turning, I start down the corridor in the direction of my room.

Amon…

My father said the demon’s name was Amon.

I recognized the name but for the life of me couldn’t remember where I had seen it.

I filter through books and books of texts in my mind, trying to picture where I has seen it.

My eyes pop open and I turn back towards the library.

I do something I haven’t done in a very, very long time.

I run.

The library is dark, save for a few candles and sconces. I enter the giant room, panting, my heart thundering behind my ribcage.

I grab a candle from the table next to me, lifting my skirts as I ascend the staircase to my right.

At the top is a large wooden door. I reach for a book on the shelf next to it, blowing the dust off of the binding.

I open it and pull the skeleton key from the compartment within.

Only a few of the castle’s inhabitants knew the key was here.

Inserting it into the lock, I turn it, and the door unlocks with a clunk that echoes through the library.

I take a deep breath, pushing the door open. It groans, and I squeeze through, closing it behind me gently.

The room on the other side is only about a quarter of the size of the entire library, but all the manuscripts covering our history were kept here.

I run my fingers along the bindings of ancient leather-bound books. Everything was here.

There were books that covered a time much like our own, thousands of years prior to the fall of man.

They called it “The Dark Ages.”

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