Page 117 of Oaths & Vengeance
Spring flooding had necessitated their style of living, although much of the area consisted of swamps, which also discouraged living near the ground. The scent of sulfur and decay from the sitting water nearby would have been overwhelming if not for the judicious planting of garsennia flowers. Their stalks rose several feet high, with multiple soft, white blooms sprouting from each plant. They produced a sweet scent popular for making perfume and excellent at covering foul smells.
Priyya led the way through the third-level walkway between trees, guiding us toward the library that rose like a floating edifice ahead due to its massive size. She glanced back at me. “The decay is encroaching near Tuireen as well. It would have already overtaken the city if the residents weren’t taking turns daily restoring the afflicted land, but we still lose some ground every month. They estimate we have less than a year before it will reach the outskirts.”
“We will do everything we can to retrieve the fountain,” Darrow promised.
My sister met his gaze. “If you do that and treat Aella well, you’ll have no further problem with me.”
“Of course,” he said, dipping his chin.
“But…” she paused, stopping and spinning around to face us along the wooden bridge. “If you hurt her in any way, I will bring the wrath of the dragons upon you. I might not be much of a warrior, buttheywon’t hesitate to attack on my behalf.”
Darrow gave her an amused look. “Your threat is noted.”
Considering his level of power, I wasn’t certain a dragon was much of a threat to my husband, but if it made my sister feel better to say it, I wouldn’t argue the point. She turned around and led us the rest of the way alongthe catwalk. The extensive library spanned dozens of trees and had three levels, with us entering from the bottom entry point about twenty feet off the ground.
We had to wait outside on the balcony while she went in to get us clearance. I had come here a few times over the years to research various topics, but they limited my access since I wasn’t a citizen of the realm. Hopefully, Priyya had higher privileges.
Fifteen minutes later, she finally returned to us. “They have agreed to allow you entry, but you’ll have escorts at all times, and you’ll only be allowed to look at books and scrolls related to retrieving the fountain.”
“That is all we ask,” Darrow said.
We followed Priyya into the wide entry with its double doors. I breathed in the familiar musty scent of old parchment, enjoying the comforting smell. We passed multiple rows of bookshelves before reaching a large desk where a stuffy-looking male druid sat. Numerous tables were set up behind him, providing places for people to read and research. Only a few sat at them now.
The central section of the library was open to the top level, aside from a few trees growing within the space and yellow vines winding their way around columns that held up the side floors. Thanks to the numerous windows on every wall, there was plenty of natural light.
“This is Idwal,” Priyya said, gesturing at the frail older gentleman who managed to look down his nose at us despite our standing well above him. “He is the head curator here and will be the one to help us.”
“You three,” the male druid said, pointing at Faina, Jax, and Bogdan. “Will have access to the tomes on metal properties related to portal rings. Someone will be here momentarily to escort you to the appropriate section.”
They nodded, seeming to know better than to argue. We were getting more assistance than expected, so everyone had better comply with the rules. Of course, I didn’t think they’d risk upsetting library administrators with something this important.
Idwal pointed at the rest of us. “You four will have access to texts on interdimensional and cross-galaxy travel. I will take you to the appropriate section myself, as studying such matters has been my life’s work.”
“Why interdimensional travel?” I asked, considering Darrow hadn’t mentioned anything about that.
He lifted a brow. “Because the thieves originally took the fountain to a hellish dimension where we had no access. That is the unseelie’s specialty, not ours, and they knew very well we’d never be able to reach it. If not for a powerful locator spell that required twenty of us to fuel, we wouldn’t have known that much.”
“But it’s not in that dimension anymore?”
The elder druid gave me a disparaging look. “Of course not, or else your search would be for naught—as it was for us when we discovered the problem centuries ago. We continued to follow up with it once we learned the dimension was only temporary. Ten years ago, it merged with our universe and resolved that particular dilemma. Unfortunately, someone took it upon themselves to damage the gate by then. We’ve had to wait until someone came along who was gifted enough to power it before looking into repairs.”
Because, otherwise, the same saboteur might damage it again even worse.
“And that would be me,” I said, shocked that they already knew so much, but maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. Getting the fountain back was even more important to druids, considering this was their home world, and they had been here long before the fae arrived.
Idwal looked me up and down with a hint of disdain. “We can hope you are the one, but that remains to be seen.” He turned his attention to Darrow, expression every bit as condescending. “Priyya tells me you acquired the name of the planet where the fountain is currently located. Is that true?”
“I did,” my husband agreed stiffly.
The elder druid drummed his fingers on his desk in thought. “That was one piece of information we couldn’t obtain as our people failed to traverse the Oarwar desert without casualty. What is your power to have made the journey and lived to tell the tale?”
Darrow stared at him. “I’m telekinetic.”
“Ah.” The elder nodded. “And as a high fae, you could use that ability to stop most anything.”
“Yes, most things.” Judging by his tone, something told me that he’d found his magic couldn’t fix all his problems, such as how to get me out from under my uncle’s thumb.
“That should stand you in good stead in your journey. Perhaps your lineage is not such a bad thing if you use your gifts for good rather than all that killing that makes its way into my reports,” he said, with no lack of judgment in his tone.
