Page 35 of A Healer's Wrath
“Dear Spirits,” I whispered.
The room was narrow, the width of five or six carts traveling side by side, but it went on forever. I sent my ball of Light ahead of us, hoping to glimpse the far wall but never did.
“How is this possible?” I breathed. “This room must extend beyond the Palace walls. Does it go into a mountain or underground?”
I ran my hand over leather tomes on shelves that lined every wall. The ceiling rose more than twenty feet, and rolling ladders stood sentry at regular intervals along each side. In the center, leather chairs and a few elegantly carved desks were the room’s only furniture.
“Am I to teach you of magic this night?” the King mused. His hand found the small of my back, and he guided me further inside. “I will pour us drinks. Take a look around.”
I was already lost in wonder by the time I heard ice hitting glass.
“I never knew so many books existed,” I said.
“The library in Sil boasts more books than any in the world, though I doubt that claim. Few outside the royal family have ever seen this one. As you discovered, our study received a bit of magical enhancement.” Melric chuckled. “At last count, there were more than six hundred thousand volumes here, but that was a decade ago and did not include official state records. I believe we may approach one million any day.”
“A million,” I repeated, unable to find my own words.
“Do you like it?” He stood beside me and held out a glass of brandy.
“This may be the most wonderful room in all the world. I could spend my life trapped in here and never feel imprisoned.”
He laughed, a booming sound almost as rich as his voice when giving royal proclamations from his throne. “We can skip the imprisonment. You are welcome to enjoy it whenever you like.”
I turned to face him, blinking away disbelief. “Your Majesty?”
He sucked in a breath, reminding me of how new apprentices braced themselves the first time they stood before our Master.
“Why don’t we sit and chat? There are things . . . well . . . I would like your thoughts.” He downed half his glass and stepped back to refill it. I had known the King for almost a year and had never seen him act so discomfited. If I didn’t know better, I would say he looked nervous.
We settled into oversized chairs, and I watched as Melric swirled the ice in his glass like a soothsayer reading the future in leaves. “Someone on my staff commented that you have visited the Palace every day for eight months. Were you aware of that?”
My eyes widened. Of course, I knew my visits were daily. He summoned me daily, and I was the King’s to command. What I hadn’t realized was how closely the staff paid attention to guests’ comings and goings. That was unnerving.
Melric eyed me, a grin forming. “I have worn this crown for twelve years. If I let the nattering nits get to me with their gossip, I’d never get any work done. You should not let their talk bother you. Besides, I have come to . . . trust your counsel.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I leaned back, trying to relax despite the creeping feeling that the ceiling might fall on my head at any moment. “Your trust means a great deal to me.”
“Good. That is good. Trust is very good,” he said, beginning to babble. He ran a hand over his beard. It was still mostly black, though snow would eventually cover his face as it did every corner of the Kingdom.
I studied him with my Healer’s gaze.
There’s something off about him tonight.
Then the King did the last thing I expected.
He rose, set his glass on a side table, and kneeled beside me.
What is he doing? My heart leaped into my throat.
Color flooded the King’s cheeks, and his gaze rose to meet mine. I wanted to reach out with my magic, to sense what he felt, to understand why he acted so strangely, but I dared not. He was my King.
“Irina, you were important to Asin. You know that, right?”
I nodded. “She was my friend, Your Majesty. I cared for her.”
He looked down, then back up. “You are loved by the people. I think . . .”
Again, he looked down, and gulped.