Page 26 of The Healing Dragon
“How? You don't have magic, do you?” he asks.
“Sadly I don't. But I once read that gifts cannot be taken away. I haven't tried it yet.”
I am unsure if Brandon knows of this loophole or if he even cares about it. Not many people know of my gift all together.
Oli gives me a soft smile. “Let’s see if it worked.” He gets up in two tries and a couple of huffs. The uninterrupted flow of running water makes Oli’s smile widen. “Okay, what do you want?” he asks, shutting the water.
I get right to it. “My father attempted to steal the cursed book written by Klause from the Oscuro library, correct?”
When Jesse first mentioned the cursed book it hadn't occurred to me that my father was the man behind it. I figured that I would have heard of it first before he made a move. Now I know it couldn't have been anyone else.
The attempt to steal the cursed book is what alerted the Oscuros that something was coming. Bianca was hired to acquire it by one of my father’s men, and it trapped Matias’s soul in it. Then she struck a deal with Brandon Oscuro to help them in exchange for Matias’s soul. Little did my father know that by bringing Bianca to Brandon, he would position a key player against his rebellion.
Oli rubs his eyes, the tiredness evident on the lines of his face. “The idea came from one of his men, I think.” He looks at the clock on the wall. “Must we talk about this right now?”
I follow his eyes. “Why?”
“The kitchen staff will begin preparing lunch soon.”
“It won’t take long. I’m just wondering if he is in possession of more than one book written by Klause?”
The lengths my father went for the cursed book has me thinking he knew something else. There must be more than one journal by this infamous Klause person.
“Not exactly.” He looks to the doorway as voices alert us to people coming. They are still far enough, but Oli hurries to whisper, “Klause is not the only one of his kind. He is not like us. I’m sure you know as much. There are cousins of his who knew of his movements. Your father had one journal by a cousin but he destroyed it.”
“What was their name?” I ask, but it’s too late.
A cluster of people enter the kitchen. Without sparing us a glance, they get to work.
“You must return to your duties, Lady Janelle,” Oli says with a strong authoritative voice.
I don’t bother arguing with him because when he starts his role as a soldier in front of others, it’s impossible for him to snap out of it. I know he thinks it keeps everyone guessing about our friendship, but he has to know it doesn’t fool everyone. All I care about is that it fools my father.
I salute Oliver and march my way out of the kitchens to find the next bathroom I need to clean. I’m dragging my steps, but the sooner I finish my tasks, the sooner I can go searching for the names of the people who knew Klause. What they wrote could be crucial to deciphering what my father is doing to Matias.
With that in mind, I make my way to my father’s office. It's close to lunchtime, so he will not be here for the next few hours. With a hint of excitement, I slowly turn the doorknob to his bathroom. If someone happens to inquire why I am here, I plan to use this as my excuse.
I look over the bookshelves first. I pay closeattention to the spines. If this journal was made around the time the Red Book was created, it’s very old. I go spine by spine but it’s not long before I’ve gone through all the books.
It’s very possible it’s not here. There’s a small library on the other side of the house. But that hide-out would be too obvious. That’s if my father even thought of hiding it. Would it cross his mind that someone will look for it?
Only the Fates know what crosses that man’s mind. After all, he declared war not just on the Oscuro King, but on a young, powerful one. Only a desperate man would resort to that. I should have seen the signs of my father going off the deep end, but I was too busy trying to survive his controlling grip and rigorous schedule.
My father never trusted the other royal families. I grew suspicious of them by the way he spoke of them, but the truth was that he envied them. He was an outsider, and despite marrying into the family, he never truly belonged.
The oldest sibling carries on the title and duties according to tradition. I was the youngest, meaning my oldest brother would be the one to take on the title and duties. But due to my birth name, I never saw myself as free of responsibilities. I try not to let my thoughts linger on my brothers. They were strangers to me. Two fallen soldiers of my father’s schemes. I shake my head and stop myself there.
I always watched the Oscuro brothers, not with jealousy, but with wonder. Knowing those close bonds weren’t meant for me, I was glad they were out there. I was happy simply to know that they existed somewhere out in the world.
As a child, I felt that if those kinds of connections existed, one would eventually find me. Well, one did and I destroyed it.
Before restarting the search and pulling each book out, I decided to check my father’s desk. Despite his organizational style, it’s worth checking if the books are here. My father neverlocks his desk drawers. He is far too impatient to unlock them every time he needs to get something.
On the right side, I see all the accounting documents. My father is the type of person who might not do the work, but he sure will double-check it. I have no clue who is doing all his accounting work here, but it looks like he’s still running a tight ship. I look over a few lines and see all types of food items being documented and accounted for. The sight of various fish makes me roll my eyes. There’s no doubt they belong to his favorite dishes.
A hushed tiptoe of rubber soles carefully paddling on the floor alerts me to the presence of someone trying to sneak up on me. I first imagine it's Jesse trying to be playful, but I dismiss that as soon as it crosses my mind.
I close the drawer and move towards the bathroom. I’m a few steps away when the intruder stops trying to conceal themselves.
