There was much debate on what it meant that there would be a sacrifice required and it would be mine to bear, and Rainey was in tears throughout most of it.
Of course, she snapped out of it when I got to the whole issue of Dark Fae Fallon trying to kill me and One Bean burning to the ground, and when I was finished, both of my friends looked a little green around the gills.
I haven’t asked them to leave yet. I want to wait until Carrick gets back because I want them to hear about the dangers from him. It’s not just the changeling that took over my sister anymore. They need to understand the dynamics of fae versus humans, and they need to respect the fact that I’m a huge target now.
It could put them in extreme danger.
So, until Carrick comes back, I decided to take my friends down to the library and let them be as wowed as I was.
“Come on,” I say as I enter the passageway and start down the spiral staircase.
Rainey comes next, followed by Myles, and once they reach the bottom, they’re stunned speechless. For several moments, they just sort of turn slowly around, taking in the cavernous room that traverses the entire length and breadth of this building with the endless rows of bookshelves.
I explain the reading order and suggest the books on the far end, which we can’t even see from the staircase, that deal with supernatural histories is where I might be able to find some information about guardian angels because we’d love to find the one that was present at my birth.
But truth be told, I’m more interested in reading Carrick’s journals. I just don’t have time and not sure I ever will.
Myles wanders in the direction of the bookcase that holds Carrick’s journals, reaching one and running a hand over the leather-bound books. “So this is a history of Carrick’s life?”
“Pretty much,” I reply.
“And how old is he again?”
“Four thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.”
Myles turns to face me, shaking his head. “No wonder he’s such a jerk. Anyone that old has just got to naturally be grumpy.”
I didn’t tell Myles and Rainey about what Ascension meant, and they haven’t asked. I skipped it for much the same reason I didn’t tell them we kissed, because that was all mixed up in personal feelings I wasn’t quite sure how to process just yet.
I’m sure I’ll have the talk—most likely with Rainey—but, for now, I’m on overload and I’m trying to take things minute by minute.
Myles pulls one of the journals from a shelf before bringing it over to the large conference room table. Rainey and I move to his sides.
The journal is old, made of leather, and a bit dusty. There’s a leather strap that wraps around the book and ends in a simple knot, which Myles undoes to open it.
The pages are yellowed, thick, and extremely textured. The ink used is black, and the writing is completely unintelligible. It’s rows and rows of different shapes and symbols.
“What the hell type of language is that?” Rainey wonders aloud.
“It’s cuneiform,” a man’s voice says, and our heads raise to see Carrick walking down the last few steps of the spiral staircase. “More specifically, Sumerian.”
Rainey and Myles are staring wide-eyed as he approaches the table, wearing a designer suit. He’s apparently back from his meeting, but he hasn’t changed into something more comfortable.
Carrick leans over, studies the rows of symbols that are upside down to him, and lifts his gaze to Myles. “That’s my account of the war between Sumer and Elam in roughly 2700 BCE. I helped lead the Sumerians under the King of Kish to defeat the Elamites. It’s actually pretty boring.”
“Just wow,” Myles mutters in disbelief, eyes still agog at Carrick. I think it’s hitting him what it means to be almost five thousand years old.
“How many wars have you fought in?” I ask him out of curiosity.
His gaze comes my way. “Far too many to tell you. The gods did love to influence the outcomes of those fights for dominance and territory.”
For a moment, I allow myself to feel the sadness that should be felt for a man who had no control over his life. Who was forced to fight in bloody wars he had no personal stake in.
“How do you have all these thousands-of-years-old books in such great shape?” Rainey asks, which I hadn’t even thought of before. This book we’re looking at should be crumbled to dust.
“Magic,” Carrick says simply before turning to me. “I assume you’ve filled Myles and Rainey in on everything, right?”
The unspoken question being have I asked them to leave yet.
“Almost everything,” I reply vaguely, and he nods, understanding I didn’t get to the tough part.
“What are we missing?” Rainey asks me.
Oh, a slutty Light Fae named Deandra, I think to myself. A kiss that, although soft and brief, was cataclysmic. And… I need you to leave town.
I smile. “Just some logistics.”
“Carrick,” Zaid calls down from the top of the stairs, and we all look up that way. Zaid comes down a few steps, bending over so he can see us. “Maddox is here, and he’s got Echo with him. She says she has some important information.”
“Put them in the living area, and we’ll be right up,” Carrick replies, his eyes coming to me. “Let’s go see what Echo has to say, then we can fill Rainey and Myles in on the rest.”
“Sure,” I reply with a small smile.
Rainey and Myles glance at each other, mutual unease in their expressions. I’m sure they’re assuming I’ve left out something really bad, but truly… it’s just Carrick and me planning to gang up on them to get them to leave for their safety.
Carrick turns toward the staircase, and I follow him up, Rainey and Myles bringing up the rear.
Maddox is standing near the fireplace in the living area, resting an arm on the pewter gray mantle that holds no pictures or decor. In fact, I’ve never even seen the fire lit and not sure what it’s for.
I make a quick introduction between Maddox, Rainey, and Myles, who give silent chin lifts to each other.
Echo is slouched in one of the blue velvet club chairs set around a low-slung round table. She’s picking at her nails and looks petulant, and I wonder how much of her being here is of her own volition and how much is due to Maddox threatening her or possibly even kidnapping her.
Those are things that would have bothered me a few weeks ago, but not so much now. If force needs to be used to get information, then I’m here for it. Especially since Echo isn’t all that nice of a daemon, and I’m fairly sure she’d kill me if she had the clear chance to do so without repercussions from Carrick.
“She has information?” Carrick asks his brother as he walks his way. Zaid, Rainey, and Myles stand back near the grand piano, but I move in closer to Echo. She lifts her head, looks at me from under those unnaturally long eyelashes, and actually hisses.
“Oh my word,” Rainey breathes from behind us.
I resist the urge to hiss back.
“Echo got word to me that she has some important information,” Maddox says as he pushes off from the mantle. “So I picked her up and brought her to you.”
“I want a thousand dollars,” she demands, sitting up in her chair and twisting toward Carrick. “Or you don’t get my information.”