Page 14 of A Kingdom of Monsters

Scion gave me a withering look. “What is the point of this, exactly?”

“Aside from appeasingyourmate? This is Grandmother’s study. All these books contain her notes on her visions going back hundreds of years. If there’s anywhere in the castle that contains information about the curse, it’s here. I would think that might interest you, given that you’re currently the most likely to kill us all.”

Scion glowered. “I don’t know about themostlikely.”

He glanced across the room and I followed his gaze to where Bael was lying on his back on the carpet, one arm behind his head, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. In a way, I was quite gladto see him—both human and awake. Bael had spent many weeks either sleeping, or roaming the lower floors of the castle in his lion form. This was a vast improvement on both.

As if feeling our eyes on him, Bael turned his head to look at us. His yellow eyes flashed, the pupils dilating into slits for half a second before returning to normal. “Did you two say something?” he asked, his tone distant.

Scion shook his head, and turned to the nearest bookcase pulling a volume out at random and flipping to the very center of the book.

It was the first time the three of us had been alone together since…actually, I wasn’t sure we’d ever been alone all together. Certainly, it was the first time Scion and I had willingly been in the same room since before I’d left the family, and I supposed I couldn’t be surprised there was so much animosity.

Half an hour had passed since Lonnie left to talk to her mother, and I was already feeling the absence of her calming presence. With her around, Scion had avoided direct confrontation with me. Maybe she was changing him–she’d certainly changed me. But now that she was gone, my brother’s anger towards me seemed to intensify.

We were standing in the middle of Grandmother Celia’s study. The familiar round room stood at the very top of the southern tower—fortunately not one of the towers that had been damaged in the battle several months ago.

It was a perfectly round room with a deep burgundy carpet and floor to ceiling bookshelves on every wall. In the center of the room was an oak desk. On the desk were an enormous statue of a bronze raven, and several stacks of loose parchment.

Many years ago I’d spent entire days here, training to use my talent under the care of Grandmother Celia—the only other omniscient seer in our family. Now, the room felt hollow and empty without her presence.

Scion looked up from his book and grimaced. “This is all ramblings about politics in Nevermore. It’s nothing to do with us.”

“Pick another book then,” I snapped.

“Aren’t you supposed to know everything?” my brother said snidely. “Why don’t you tell us what book to look in?”

I sighed, pinching the bride of my nose. “I wish I could.”

“But—”

“Drop it, Sci,” Bael said lazily. “Yelling won’t help anything.”

“Listen,” Scion snapped, rounding on Bael. “If we’re all forced to work together I just think it’s strange that he—” he glared at me again “—isn’t helping. What is the fucking point of being a seer if it doesn’t work when it would actually be useful?”

I pressed my lips together to prevent myself from saying something I’d regret and turned my back on Scion. Ironically, I agreed with him, but there wasn’t a single fucking thing I could do about it.

On the surface, Scion might be angry about my lack of helpfulness—something that bothered me as well—but deep down, I knew this argument was about far more than my visions. Scion had harbored resentment towards me for most of his life, and he had every right to, but just because I understood him didn’t mean I enjoyed the fallout.

It had been foolish to agree to work together to go through Grandmother’s office, even if it pleased Lonnie to see us getting along.

“You’re being juvenile,” I barked.

“And you’re being an ass,” Scion snapped back.

For some reason I couldn’t explain, I felt a smile tugging at my lips. Maybe because this was the longest conversation I’d had with my brother in years, argument or not. Maybe because the argument itself felt so pedantic, like a real fight between siblings. I supposed, I wouldn't really know.

I turned my back so Scion wouldn’t see my face as I wrestled with the insane grin that threatened to overtake my forced indifference. Bael caught my eye and smirked.

My cousin was practically a stranger to me. By the time I left the court of Elsewhere, he’d been barely three-years-old. Still, I could already tell we’d get along well. Bael appeared completely unfazed by everything, except when it came to Lonnie’s well-being. On that point, we were in complete agreement. Besides, he seemed to take as much pleasure in antagonizing Scion as I did.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. For a second, I thought it was Lonnie, coming back from speaking to her mother. But no, she wouldn’t knock. I took a step toward the door, and reached out a hand to open it.

“Who’s out there?” Scion asked darkly.

I paused, my hand outstretched, and glanced back at him. “How should I know?”

My brother raised an eyebrow, sneering. “Aren’t you supposed to know everything?”

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