28

“I’m looking to learn more about the history of Shianga and Frasia,” I said.

Gulde glanced nervously at Elias. Something in Elias’ expression made him grimace and turn back to me. “You’ve certainly come to the right place,” he said. “Right this way.”

“Take your time,” Elias said. He dropped into a rickety chair by the hearth with a relieved sigh. The sight made me bite back a smile—he was clearly savoring this brief moment of peace away from the palace.

I followed Gulde to the back of the shop. He waved me behind the desk, and then guided me through a tiny doorway I never would’ve even noticed if he hadn’t directed me to it.

“This is where I keep the rare books,” he said. He tapped the wall and sconces, mounted high on the interiors, glowed warmly. The walls were lined with glass cabinets, sparsely filled, but they were clearly well-tended. Gulde unlocked one of them and peered inside. “What exactly are you looking to learn more about?”

Curiosity gnawed at me. Some of the books in here looked nearly as old as the map the king had given to me. Were they even in a language I could understand? If I had my way, I’d spend hours in this room alone. Gods knew what kinds of secrets books of this age held.

“I’m specifically interested in knowing more about the Fae,” I said, “before their disappearance.”

“The Fae?” Gulde asked, glancing over at me, unsure. “Why so?”

I didn’t answer. It wasn’t often that I wielded my queenly reputation, but it sure was handy in situations like this. I raised an eyebrow.

“Right.” Gulde turned back to the cabinet. “Yes. Queen of Frasia. Here, this one might be helpful for your, um, research.”

He pulled a heavy tome out of the cabinet and turned to hand it to me gingerly, like it was made of crystal.

I opened the plain leather cover. “History of Fae,” I murmured. “I have something similar.” I peered at the authorship of the book. “Blaylock,” I said. “Yes. I believe I’ve already gone through this book, Gulde, is there anything else?”

“Pardon my forwardness, Your Highness, but I doubt you have,” he said with a small smirk. “You may have encountered ‘History of Fae in Frasia’ by Hae Blaylock?”

“Yes,” I said, surprised. “Is this not the same?”

“Certainly not,” Gulde said. “This work was written by one of Blaylock’s forefathers, Orohil. History runs in the family. Much of his scholarship has been lost, but I’ve been able to get my hands on a few of his works. This one in particular focuses on the Fae prior to the establishment of the borders as we know them today. It’s as much an anthropological document as it is a history.”

“I’ll take it,” I said immediately.

Gulde balked. “Well, Your Highness, this book isn’t exactly for sale. You see, we’re in my private collection.”

I pressed my lips together. “Well—there must be a reason you brought me in here, then? If not to sell me some of these books?”

He sighed. “It’s not often I meet another who is as interested in history as I am,” he said. “I’d be honored for my collection to aid you in your research, it’s just…”

“You want to make sure you’ll get it back,” I said with a grin.

Gulde grinned as well and said nothing. It wasn’t like he could ask the Queen of Frasia for collateral. But I knew he wanted it, and if this was a way for me to build trust with a connection like this, I was happy to do it.

“Here.” I pulled the fine silver brooch from my cloak and offered it to Gulde. “Take this. I’ll bring the book back before we leave Shianga.”

He nodded. “Your understanding is much appreciated, Your Highness.”

I left the bookstore with the heavy tome wrapped in canvas and tucked under my arm. Elias glanced at it with his eyebrows raised. “Find something interesting?” he asked as we strolled out of the alley.

“I must recuse myself from negotiations for the foreseeable future,” I said primly. “I have to bury myself in this book. The shopkeeper wants it back.”

Elias laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Absolutely not,” he said. “I won’t make it through another boring meeting without you.”

When we made our way back to the carriage, Fina and Adora were already waiting for us, seated at the edge of the fountain and chatting with each other. Adora sprang to her feet as we approached, grinning.

“You look excited,” I said. “Wasn’t I supposed to meet you at the tailor?”

“We finished already,” Adora said. “It went marvelously.”

“What all did you buy?” I asked.

“It’s a secret,” Fina said with a smirk.

“Oh, gods,” I said, laughing. “What does that even mean?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Adora said. “Now hurry up, I don’t want to be late for dinner. There’s this lord in the Shiangan Court I’ve been talking with…”

In the carriage, I settled into Elias’ side with the book in my lap, as Fina and Adora launched into a detailed retelling of their encounter with the evidently skilled dragon tailor. Being here, with my two friends, and in a suddenly improved relationship with Elias… I was beginning to think this whole queen thing might work out.

9

“H

ave you gotten anywhere with that book?” Elias asked. He padded out of the ensuite, toweling his hair dry, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to my bare shoulder.

We’d been in Shianga just over a week. It was mid-morning, and what had started as few lazy kisses exchanged after another breakfast had escalated into slow, unhurried sex—the kind I was really starting to get used to. I was almost ready to admit to myself that I didn’t just like it—I craved it. Not just me, but my wolf, too.