Page 22 of House of Ydril

“Whatthefuck?”Nualaasks, her mouth dropping open.

Can’t blame her. I myself am not just shocked. I’m even a little bit scared.

“How is that even possible?” my friend asks. “How can you be a descendant if the House Olarel is extinct?”

We’re in the cafeteria, sitting in front of our plates, both piled high with burgers and french fries that remain untouched as I recount everything Professor Mistila told me.

“She says it’s theonlypossibility,” I reply, looking around to make sure no one can hear us. I’m not ready for it to go public yet. “Apparently, the Olarels were known for being extra protective of their stuff. And there’s no fucking chance in hell anyone outside the House would ever be able to get their hands on any of it.”

Nuala just looks at me stupidly.

“I know,” I say under my breath. “It’s fucking insane. And I understand I couldn’t have just appeared out of thin air. I just didn’t think my father would turn out to be a member of some all-powerful house.”

For a second, I look away. I’m feeling so much all at once that I can’t even begin to untangle individual emotions.Neverin my life, not even right after I got sent those books, have Iseriouslyconsidered the possibility that I might not be alone in the world.

“So now what?” Nuala snaps me out of it.

“I’ve no idea,” I confess. “I guess the Archives would be a good start. Maybe I can find my family tree there or something.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Thanks, Nuala,” I say, “but I have to warn you. I’m leaving as soon as I’m done eating, and you know how fast I can be.”

She lets out a chuckle, but I can tell she’s taken me seriously by the way she digs in. It takes us less than ten minutes to inhale all the food and rush out of the cafeteria.

And I know Nuala doesn’t exactly like spending time in the library, but that’s where the Archives are. We have to go down a gazillion steps and pass three different security checks, the Librarians waving these weird-looking wooden wands in front of us to make sure we’re not carrying anything flammable or generally dangerous.

Once we’re inside, I go through the main hall and straight for the plain door with the label saying Archives. I’ve been here many times already, so the novelty of seeing all the glass walls overlooking the inside of the ginormous cave has worn off. But it still gives me the chills, actually being able to see how deep underground we really are.

The room is just as plain as the door leading to it. From the inside, it almost looks like one of those evidence rooms you can see in crime shows. It’s just boxes of files crowding rows upon rows of dusty shelves. They’re all marked with names of the different houses. Byrne, de Groot, ó Maoilriain… My heart is heavily pounding as I search them with my eyes.

“No Olarel?” I hear Nuala ask.

“No Olarel,” I mutter through gritted teeth. “What the fuck?”

But I’m not wasting any time. I go back to the main hall and straight for the ornate solid-wood counter where there’s a shifter Librarian slapping stickers onto a pile of books in front of him.

“I’m sorry,” I ask hesitantly. “I’ve just been to the Archives, looking for information on the House Olarel.”

“You won’t find it there,” he says without even looking up. “It’s all in the Olarel Room.”

An entire room just for them, I think to myself as my lips curl into a smile. Bingo. “Where can I find it?”

“It’s sealed off so we can do some restoration work,” he replies, still not even dignifying me with a look. “No one’s allowed to enter.”

Fuck fuck fuck. I turn around to see Nuala waiting for me by the shelves. And I see by the look on her face that she’s heard everything. I throw one more glance at the Librarian and go to her.

“Don’t worry about it, Quinn,” she whispers. “We’ll come back as soon as it’s open again.”

Easy for her to say, I think. She’s always had a family, always known her real name. And maybe it’s a stupid thing to do and I’m still scared as hell, but I have to try. “No. Let’s go find it.”

She throws me a funny look, but she doesn’t say anything. She just follows me down several hallways leading from the main hall and into separate sections of the Library. It’s fucking huge so it takes us a long time to come across the right door.

I know it’s the one we’re looking for even before we read the tiny label saying House Olarel. It’s simply because there’s a huge warning sign placed on the polished stone floor in front of it.

I don’t hesitate, but before I can take a single step, I feel Nuala’s hand on my shoulder and I hear her whisper, “It could be dangerous. Who knows what kind of magic they used to seal it off.”

My heart is throbbing. Stupid, you’re being so fucking stupid, I think to myself, but I push Nuala out of the way, walk around the sign and turn the door handle.

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