Page 29 of Dawn of Hope
“I thought you were just studying to be a healer?”
“I am.”
His grin turns sly as he searches my face. “Then what is it you need to fix?”
Shit.
“It was a general it, not a specific it.” I keep my face trained. I may have let that slip, but that’s all he’s getting. My heart races with the lie and I breathe in slowly through my nose, trying to slow it down.
He eyes me, like he is trying to read what I am hiding. “Alright, alright, keep your secrets.” He glances across the room at the front windows of the tavern. “Looks like there’s still some light out. We can still get some work done if we hurry. Are you finished?” He gestures to my plate.
“Yes, thank you.” I take another sip of the drink and cough, and Dane’s loud laugh echoes in the room, mixing with the rest of the noise. I run my sleeve across my mouth, wiping up any of the drink I may have choked out.
Not very ladylike, Lennox.
“Don’t laugh. It’s good, just very strong.”
“I take it they don’t serve drinks like that at the castle?”
“No, they most definitely do not.” I stand and wrap my cloak around my shoulders, fastening it in front while Dane leaves a few coins on the table for the server, who has been watching us this entire time.
“After you,” he says, gesturing toward the door. I lead the way, weaving through the tables and chairs, and past Emilie waving from behind the bar. I look around the room one more time and feel the longing in my chest to truly be part of this one day. In a few days, once I am old enough to rule, Father won’t be able to stop me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dane and I weave our way through a mostly empty library as we head toward what has quickly become my table. After setting our things up and settling ourselves in, we get back to work so as not to waste the little time we have.
I scan through pages, reading more in depth the ones I find promising, but just as before, it is another night of building frustration as I come up with nothing.
I slam the book closed with a huff and drop it on top of my discard pile.
Dane looks up at me from across the table and mouths, “Are you alright?”
I nod quickly and stand, silently groaning at the painful stretch after sitting hunched over and focused for so long. I gesture to the other side of the library and whisper, “Need a break.”
He nods and looks back down at the page he was reading. I start toward the back of the room, hoping some movement will clear my head.
I take in all the murals painted on the walls and wonder how long they have been there. The colors get brighter and the images start to look lessrealistic the closer I get to the children’s section. The details are beautiful and intricate, and I even recognize some stories Edmond read to me growing up. The memory brings a smile to my face. I walk through the shelves and let myself be swept away in the memory instead of focusing on the stress of my mother’s time dwindling.
“Straying from your typical reading tonight?”
I startle, and turn to find Estelle standing behind me, holding a small stack of children’s books.
“Oh, no, not really. I just needed a little break.”
Her smile is kind. “Stories are a great way to clear the mind after lots of hard work. I could help you find something if you’d like.” She gestures to the shelves with the stack in her hands.
I am about to tell her no when something stops me. I can’t help but feel the story nagging at me, popping up in the back of my mind.
What if I am not actually doing the research I need to be doing? A lesson that Edmond always made sure I didn’t forget was to be a good leader, you have to see everything from all sides, take in as much information that you can, and then make your decision. I needed to see the entire picture.
“Actually,” I say, turning to face her. “Maybe you can help me.”
I’d gone my entire life hearing nothing of this mythical place, but Dawnlin has now been brought up to me twice. Am I making a mistake ignoring it, not looking into it? If it is a story that actually represents a real place with better tonics and salves, or more advanced healers, then it could be worth finding. The only way to know is to get more information, and if it isn’t true and this place doesn’t exist, I will have more to prove that this is just a myth and settle it once and for all.
“Are there any story books that have the myth about Dawnlin? I was told the story recently and wanted to read it for myself.”
“I believe we have one or two.” She waves for me to follow her as she heads down the aisle of children’s books. “That is a very old story, and there aren’t many places where it is written down. I remember hearingit as a child.” She crouches down and runs her fingers across the spines before pulling out a small, very brittle looking book. She hands it to me and moves farther down the aisle before selecting a larger book that looks just as old.