I rubbed my tired eyes and frowned when the flame from my lantern started to flicker, threatening to go out on me. I’d been up all night, tucked away in this hidden room in the library. The more I read, the more my connection to Malcolm seemed to grow, though I found nothing on him, Broden, or Celandine. No mention of a Vindicar at all.
Everything in my readings spoke of a time after the realms had already been split apart. There were records of trade agreements, and several feuds between the Darrah and other dragon clans, but nothing that dated back any further.
The sun would be rising soon, and Magnus would be at the infirmary to check on me. My only chance to get close to our things was to act as if I was back to my old self. Hating that I found nothing, I glared around the room one final time when I spied a small wooden chest beneath a stack of loose pages I’d tossed over it hours ago.
“What are you?” I whispered, dragging it over to my spot on the floor. I brushed the dust and dirt from it and lifted the lid, or tried to. “Locked. Seriously?”
I pried at it with my fingernails, but it was stuck fast. My lantern nearly burned out, I frantically looked around for anything to help me pry it open and saw a few broken pieces of an old dagger lying around.
I snatched one up and attacked the lock. When it finally came free with a harsh crack, breaking the box completely, I flung back the lid and reached inside to pull out the single rolled up parchment inside. There was a wax seal still in perfect condition on it, bearing the sigil of the Darrah line.
Heart pounding, I debated on getting it to Kate first and letting her open it, but there was no time. Praying she’d forgive me, I broke the seal and unrolled a letter that no one had read since the day it was written.
And as my eyes devoured the words on the page, my mind raced with what had to be done.