Page 47 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Roderick nodded in agreement, and they continued on their way through the ancient library. The smell of old parchment and incense filled the air. Scholars studied at long wooden tables littered with low-burning candles.

“Have you asked any of the scholars for help?” Roderick asked, smiling at the intellects as they passed—some of the younger ones hid coy smiles.

“You’re popular here.”

Roderick smiled incredulously. “They only know me for my love of poetry and history and as the captain of the Stormland armies. They have no idea who I am beyond that. Now, let’s find Ora. She can help us.”

They wandered to the reference desk, where a scholar dressed in heavy brown robes sat, her head covered with a hood. Three silver bars clipped to the hood indicated that she had been training for thirty years.

Roderick cleared his throat, and the woman looked up from the book she was reading. Caiden’s heart skipped a beat when her brown eyes met his.

“Oh, Roderick, I didn’t see you there,” she said in a high-pitched whisper, smiling wide.

“Master Ora, we could use your help locating something.” He leaned against the desk in the way only Roderick could, naturally sensual and sending hearts racing.

“Of course, what is it you are looking for?” Her eyes flitted to Caiden’s momentarily and then back to Roderick’s.

Roderick craned his neck, noting every person, both seen and unseen. “It’s a delicate matter. Perhaps there’s somewhere more private we could go?”

She nodded and closed her book.

“Follow me.”

The pair followed the woman through the hallowed halls of the Great Library, up twisted staircases, and through secret passageways until they reached the inner sanctum, where the scholars kept their private residences. Ora led them through a simple wooden door to a suite with modest accommodations: a single bed, desk, fireplace, and washroom—the only things a scholar needed when the university provided the rest.

Taking a seat on the bed, Ora removed her hood, dark curls spilled over her shoulders. In the dim light, her brown eyes glowed against her tanned skin. Her striking features left Caiden speechless. Deep-set eyes complimented her Roman nose and Cupid’s bow lips. Too beautiful to be a scholar—too beautiful to be untouchable. “This should do for privacy. Now, what is it I am looking for?”

Caiden cleared his throat. “What do you know of the Trinity Wells?”

She arched a brow. “I know they are nothing but a myth as far as most are concerned. A tale used to put restless minds at ease.”

“What if they were real?” Roderick asked.

“If they were real, everyone and their mother would be out looking for them. Did you come here to waste my time?”

Caiden cleared his throat again, narrowing his eyes on the scholar. “Hypothetically speaking, we may or may not have found evidence to suggest they’re not just real, but capable of releasing an ancient evil in the very immediate future.”

She placed her hands on her hips, studying the two men before her. Her angular face contorted as she tried to decipher whether they were lying.

“I assume you’ve heard of Crom Cruach?” Caiden asked.

She nodded.

“Well, we have reason to believe two individuals plan to use the Wells to bring him back,” Caiden said.

The color drained from her face. “No one knows where he’s buried. I think you need a body to resurrect it,” she said.

“There’s no telling what raw magic can do.”

Caiden gazed into the embers of the fire.

Ora’s mouth scrunched to the side as she considered everything Caiden had just told her.

“Then I guess it is serious.” The words rolled off her tongue in an accent Caiden didn’t recognize.

“We’d be grateful for the help, Ora,” Roderick said.

“Meet me tomorrow in the archives, and we will search together. I can’t promise anything. Much of our collection was destroyed during the Sylph and Elven War.”

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