Page 72 of A Kiss of Flame
It was one of her favorite places in the world, even though it was housed in her least favorite place.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Levian stormed into the vast archival library of The Towers an hour after leaving Trislana, startling several students in the process, and headed straight for the section on Dragon History and Customs. There had to be some loophole in their mating traditions she could uncover—something she could bring to Queen Eithne that would entice her to let Barith out of his mating contract.
She wove her way through the labyrinth of stacks until she found the section she was looking for. Levian pushed a rolling rack over to fill it with every relevant tome she could find, her heart pounding with urgency. As she piled the books onto the rack, a face popped up from beyond one of the stacks.
"Mage Levian!" Maria's voice rang out, cheerful and bright. "There you are! Someone told me they saw you come in."
Levian looked up and found Maria flying down the aisle toward her, the young mage’s blue hair bouncing with each step. Maria was fresh out of The Towers and had somehow managed to retain her bright and sunny disposition despite her time there. She worked as a Wizen Council clerk, so Levian was surprised to see her in The Tower’s library.
"Am I needed for something?” Levian asked, her voice tinged with surprise.
Maria shook her head. The young mage reached into her thick robe and pulled out a small brown box, which she held out for Levian to take. “This came for you this morning," she explained. “I meant to leave it on your desk back at Council, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t had the chance to make it down to your office. I popped over to deliver a few other packages to Mage Tatiana before her class, so it’s my luck that you happened to be here.”
The Towers and the Wizen Council’s home office were connected by a portal accessible to specific staff, making it easy for the mages to traverse between the two if needed. Many of the professors of The Towers also sat on the Council. This had been the first time Levian had ever used the portal herself.
Levian had been given a tiny closet of an office in the basements of Council when she’d been issued her ambassadorship, but she never used it. She couldn’t imagine who would send her anything here except perhaps Gwendolyn. Levian had confided in Gwen about what she’d been going through with Barith, and her friend was just the sort to send her a thoughtful little gift to the Wizen Council to cheer her up. Levian took the package from Maria with a few words of thanks.
"I’ve never met a dragon before," Maria confessed, her tone curious as she looked over Levian’s choice of books. "But they seem pretty cool. One of the other clerks told me you were friends with a giant sun dragon and brought him here a few times."
“Indeed,” Levian replied coolly. She eyed the young mage, her patience wearing thin. “I’m sorry. Did you need something else?"
Maria blushed softly, her enthusiasm dampened. "No, sorry. I’ll leave you to your work." She turned to go, then waved with a wide smile. "Good luck with all the dragon stuff."
Levian shook her head at the silly exchange; she was truly beginning to feel old and looked down at the box in her hand. It was heavier than she’d expected for its size and addressed formally. It wasn’t in Gwen’s handwriting either.
Curious, Levian ran her nail along the tape sealing the box. The moment she did, her insides clenched, her instincts tingling with unease. Her veins filled with ice as she slowly pulled away the top and saw a small note sitting atop something at the bottom. She didn’t need to pull it out to read what it said:
Return what you stole to the place it all began.
Merlin will know.
Tomorrow at midnight.
Tell no one or his head is next.
Levian’s stomach fell to her toes as dread pooled deep inside her. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, her fingers trembling as she reached in and pushed the note aside. The end of Barith’s forked tail lay at the bottom of the box, wrapped roughly in a tear of bloodied fabric. Levian’s vision blurred with violet, her limbs going numb with horror. It took every scrap of power she had not to scream across the library.
Levian burst into Merlin's cell, her voice trembling with fury. "Where is it? Where is the place it all began?" she demanded breathlessly.
Merlin stopped scribbling notes at the table stacked high with books, looking up at her with a measured gaze. He put his pen down slowly, considering her outburst.
"Where?" Levian screamed, her desperation breaking through.
Merlin raised an eyebrow. "If you expect an answer, you'll need to give me more information," he replied coolly.
Levian knocked over a pile of books, the sound echoing against the frigid stone walls. "They took him," she snarled, charging further into the room. "Vane took Barith, and he'll kill him. And if he does, I'll kill you!" Her voice rose, shrill with emotion, her entire body trembling. "Where is it?"
Merlin's expression turned grim as he looked up at her. "What happened?" he asked, his tone cold and controlled. "Start from the beginning."
"I don't have time for this!" Levian hissed.
"Levian!" Merlin bellowed. She reeled back, startled by the commanding boom of his voice. "I can't help you if you don't tell me everything."
She glared at him, hatred and mistrust churning within her.
"I'll take the abridged version," he added, his voice softening just enough. "Sit down and tell me what Vane has done."