Page 31 of A Tale of Treachery

I quickly pulled away from him and sniffed my underarm. There was no change in my scent, at least nothing detectable. “That’s none of your business,” I snapped.

“Poor choice in a mate, if I do say so myself. A weaselly little human prince isn’t suited for something like you,” he drawled, and I cringed at being referred to assomethinginstead ofsomeone. “And you could have at least cleaned yourself instead of walking around all dirtied up for everyone to smell.”

I huffed, feeling a bit exposed by his ability to smell what had happened last night. It was embarrassing. “One: humans don’t mate. And two: nobody can smellthatbut you. Which is disgusting, by the way, and really none of your concern.”

He backed away with his hands raised in front of him, his demeanor once more shifting into playfully edgy. “Humans don’t mate, but creatures like you and I do. I’d rather it not be my concern, but you’re forcing me to deal with that godawful stench.”

I shifted uncomfortably, not needing the reminder that I wasn’t human.

He put his hands down and turned toward the entrance. “Are we doing this or what?”

I sighed and waved my hand for him to follow. “Redmond included you into the warding, and he said you are welcome in the sanctum anytime you like, so long as you visit and let him study you. He’s never met a fae before and is very curious about you.”

“The feeling is mutual. He seems extraordinary for a human. I’d like to get to know him, too,” Ryken said, and I grimaced.

That was the last thing I needed.

We approached the arched wooden doors of the sanctum, and I walked in first. The runes carved along the doorframe lit up and hummed as the familiar tingle of the warding’s judgment chased down my spine. Ryken followed behind me, and the runes lit up and hummed once more.

The sanctum was quiet, the residents in bed for the night, including the two fearful stragglers. And since we were alone, Ryken pulled down his hood to take in the stained glass windows and murals that lined the walls. His gaze darted along the vaulted ceilings and statues of unknown creatures. He looked at the sanctum with awe, as if it were a long-lost friend with whom he’d finally been reunited.

And while he was busy admiring our surroundings, I was busy admiring him. The silver locks that framed his face were styled into a sort of undercut, shaved closer to the side and longer on top. His metallic eyes were backlit in wonderment, and his skin held a faint golden glow, even though he was always covered from head to toe. His ears were elongated and delicately pointed at the tip. Silver tattoos were scrawled into both helixes.

The sight of him unveiled took my breath away. He was excessively beautiful, even by fae standards.

“Have you been here before?” I asked, noting the familiarity with which his fingertips traced the edges of a statue.

“No,” he grunted and walked toward the walls, where his palms traced a mural depicting some ancient war that we knew nothing about. “But I’ve heard tales of this place. It has a history that spans back long before my existence and even the existence of Cambriel. Some say the sanctum is older than any kingdom in this world and possesses the knowledge of the world’s history in its entirety.”

Oh, Redmond was going tolovehim. I was doomed.

“I’ve been through nearly every book in here, and there’s no historical database, so I doubt it,” I argued.

Ryken chuckled and bowed his head, his hands still touching the wall. “You and Redmond, of all people, should know that history isn’t just written down in books. It’s painted on the walls, preserved in statues and stone. Every inch of this building is a recording of a history that is as old as time.”

“Then what does the mural depict?”

Ryken straightened and cleared his throat, his eyes lost and distant. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Why don’t you ask the gargoyles?”

I laughed. “The gargoyles don’t talk. They’re made of stone.”

He turned to me with a deadpan expression. “You haven’t tried speaking to them, have you?”

My brow furrowed. The idea wouldn’t be unheard of. Legend depicted gargoyles as magical winged creatures that warded off evil spirits and safeguarded knowledge, but I’d always considered them to be inanimate. The notion of climbing up to the highest spire to speak with a gargoyle sounded ludicrous, but maybe Ryken was on to something.

“No, I haven’t tried speaking to the gargoyles,” I answered as if he were being ridiculous. I was reluctant to acknowledge that the thought had never occurred to me. I moved, tilting my head for him to follow me down the hall toward the winding staircase leading to the library.

“I’ve heard that fae are extremely allergic to iron, and the stairs are made of iron, so be careful,” I warned, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. He was gripping the iron rail of the stairs with his leather glove, a smug smile on his face.

He neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, but I wondered if it was true, and that was the reason he always wore gloves.

The air grew colder and damper the further we descended. There were numerous libraries in the sanctum, but the one locked deep within the bowels of the building seemed to be better suited to whatever he was searching for. It was likely secret or illegal information, and that kind of information was stored down here.

When we came to the wrought iron doors, I reached beneath my cloak to grasp the chain wrapped around my waist and tugged on the key we needed. It was a golden skeleton key, the bow engraved with a skull that perfectly matched the skull just above the lock. I slid the barrel and bit of the key into the lock, hearing the gears and cogs within the skull turn to unlock the door. The mechanism released with an audible click, and the door swung open to reveal a stone library with automatic lanterns, the fire inside them springing to life once the lock was disengaged. The technology in this library was advanced, thanks to Redmond and his tinkering. He and I were the only ones who regularly visited, so he had plenty of time to mess around with gadgets down here.

This sort of technology would never be accepted outside of the sanctum because it would be condemned as witchcraft, not science.

Ryken’s gaze shifted around the room, taking in everything including the stone walls, the lanterns, and shelves upon shelves of books. The walls down here were bare of murals but lined with little metallic gears and knobs.

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