Page 108 of Daughter Of The Ninth Line
The guy smiled, and it made me break out in a sweat that I hoped to the Goddess I kept hidden. “You first.”
“Vox Vylan, Heir to the First Line,” I replied haughtily.
The handsome guy laughed, like that was the greatest thing he’d ever heard. He turned to the man following him, who shared his coloring but looked more like he’d been through a meat grinder. “Did you hear that, Iker? First day here, and we already found the Heir to the throne.” The guy turned back to me. “I wouldn’t want to be rude to the progeny of a man who would murder babies in their cribs. Let me introduce myself. My name is Lierick Hanovan, Heir to the Second Line, and I think you should turn that gun toward yourself and shoot yourself in the heart.”
As if he’d taken control of my hands, the gun began to turn.
Hanovan. The Second Line.It was impossible. They were all dead.
Lierick just smirked. “Not dead, my blood-soaked Prince. Just waiting. Welcome to the first day of the revolution. Unfortunately, it’ll also be your last.”
The gun was facing me now, and with my power hijacked by the person in front of me, I stood no chance at resisting as I pulled the trigger, propelling the bullet right into my own chest.
The last thing I saw as I fell to the ground was Avalon running toward me, her screams echoing around the courtyard like the wail of the spirit of death.
chapter sixty-five
Avalon
thirty minutes earlier
“I haveto go and find Lucio or Vox. I need to know what’s going on.” Hayle was still clutching my hand tightly.
“Heir Taeme!” The Librarian appeared, and Hayle shook his head at her.
“I’m sorry, Librarian, but we’re under siege. We won’t have time?—”
The Librarian’s jaw tightened. “You will make time. Come.”
Hayle looked between the crowd and the Librarian. I pushed at his chest. “Go. Find Vox and Lucio, and figure out what’s going on. I’ll go with the Librarian to see what’s so important.”
He hesitated. “You won’t leave the library without me or Vox?”
I shook my head. “Braxus will be by my side the whole time too. Go, your Line needs you.”
He kissed me hard, then dipped his head respectfully at the Librarian before rushing off, Quarry on his shoulder and Alucius at his heels.
The Librarian watched him go and nodded approvingly. “You’ve chosen consorts well. Come, time is of the essence.”She hurried through the crowds of conscripts, while I followed along behind her. It helped that people moved out of her way, though I doubted even a tenth of the conscripts had even met the Librarian. She just had that kind of presence.
The crowds grew more and more sparse, until the corridor to the library was basically empty. She pushed through the doors into the tranquility of the large shelves, filled with knowledge. In a crisis, the library was the perfect place to be, but apparently, I was the only one in Boellium who felt that way.
“Mr. Vylan and Mr. Taeme brought me a package of books back from the library in the Hall of Ebrus. I’ve only just gotten around to reading them, which I regret.” She muttered that last part more to herself than to me. “I wish we’d had more time.”
She stopped and pulled a few things off a shelf. The first book was a weathered tome, with gold embossing readingA Future History of Ebrus.I raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure that was even grammatically correct.
The second tome was titledReconstructionists and the Hands of the Goddess.
The last thing was a letter with my name on it. It was weathered, the edges of the folded paper yellowing. It looked old.
“This is for you. I haven’t read it, but I believe I might have an inkling about its author, and I knew it would be important.” The Librarian pushed it into my hands. It felt heavy, and not just physically.
I recognised the handwriting, though that was impossible. Opening the back flap, I carefully removed the letter from the envelope. Several thick sheets of paper were folded neatly within, and I gently opened them.
Dear Avalon,
If you’re reading this, your stars are beginning to align and your future is being set into motion. It annoys me that it took so many resets for me to be able to send this, but that is the will of the Goddess and her greater plan.
Our family was once incredibly powerful, Avalon, and you, the Ninth Daughter of the Ninth Line, will be the most powerful of all, if not the one steeped in the most pain. Because the universe is about balance, and the Goddess gifts with both hands.
