Page 59 of Vicious Princess
Many shelves lined with books are stacked on the sides, and in the middle, there are long wood tables with hard wood benches. By the entrance on the right is a desk with a librarian behind it.
The fae wears a pleasant smile and Ezkai leathers. I greet her properly.
“Good evening. I’m here to pick up the books Ezkai Gavriel chose for me,” I say.
She smiles. “Ah, Cadet Wildarrow, right?”
I’m so taken aback by her friendliness, I can’t find words for a moment. I manage a nod, though.
“Come on over. Don’t look at me like that! I don’t bite, I promise,” she says. “I’m Ezkai Captain Horicia Lavin, Scrivener Unit.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I approach the desk, and she pats a tall stack of books on the edge of it.
“These are all the books from Ezkai Gavriel’s list,” she says cheerily. “I’m not sure if you want to take them all at once, or if you’d rather study them one by one. I can keep them here on the side, and you can come pick them up anytime.”
Gods be damned.
That’s a tall-ass stack; every single book is so thick, I can use it as a weapon instead of my bow. Considering how much I struggle to tame it, beating someone with one of these tomes might be more effective in combat.
“Ah, thank you,” I say. “I think I’ll get through them one by one and leave the rest with you, if that’s alright.”
“No problem. You can use any desk on the first or second floor to study,” she says.
“Thank you,” I say and grab the book on the top before pausing. “Actually, maybe you know which book might be the best to begin with? According to Ezkai Gavriel, I’m the worstcadet in the history of Ezkai Academy, with zero knowledge on Ekios.”
Ezkai Horicia’s laugh is like wind chimes. I could listen to it for hours.
“I’m sure he exaggerated. We’ve had hundreds of thousands of cadets over the course of multiple decades. I bet at least one of them must have been worse than you.”
That makes me crack a smile.
Humming, she brushes a finger over the thick spines. She stops at one, tapping it. “Ah, this one right here.The Roots and History of Ancient Order that Shaped Ekios Cultureis a good place to begin, in my opinion. It covers the history of Ekios post the Great Continent Separation and what events influenced the birth of the Order of Ezkai and shaped the Ezkai General’s rule. You’ll get a little bit of everything—fae history, heritage, the political and social structure—which will make it easier to dive into each topic more in depth with other books on this list.”
I pull the book she pointed out from the stack. “I’m forever grateful, Ezkai Horicia.”
“Anytime, Wildarrow. Let me know if you need anything else.”
I’m about to walk away to find myself a secluded seat where I can study without the chance of running into Kata or others, but I hesitate.
“Actually, there is one more thing,” I say, turning back at the librarian. “I’m looking for a book on Phantom Rangers.”
“We have many books on different affinities, including Phantom Rangers. What about Phantom Rangers are you looking for specifically?”
My cheeks heat. “Ah—everything and anything. A manual for newbies would be great.”
Ezkai Horicia laughs again. “Got it. Let me look at the books we currently have, and I’ll save you a few tomes.”
I smile at her and bow my head in thanks before I whirl on my heel and march through the library to tackle this large tome that weighs as much as a whole-ass toddler with a healthy appetite.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
For the next three months, my schedule is brutal. Every morning at three, I meet with Daegel to train before my lectures. We spend half the time practicing with blades and strength training. The rest of the time I try to earn my bow’s respect.
Some days are better than others, but generally, my bow seems to obey to no master.
The weeks fly past between physical training, emotion manipulation, and history and politics. After lectures and dinner, I head straight to the library, where I spend my evenings plowing through the stack of books from Ezkai Gavriel’s list.
