Ademar guided Tace into a private alcove, shooing Raseri away for the time being, and pulled the curtain shut behind them. It wasn't as secure as a door, but it would have to do. They weren't allowed in each other's chambers, and he wasn't willing to risk expulsion.
"What's this unrelated thing you’re looking for information on?" he asked Tace point-blank. He was growing weary of always tiptoeing around her explosive emotions.
Tace thrust her fist toward him, and Ademar ducked. But her fist didn't make contact. Instead, she held her arm out in the air, shaking. Biting her lower lip, she motioned toward the bandage on her wrist.
Ademar took her fist in his hand, and Tace unwound the strip of linen.
Ademar squinted, making out the faint lines. "Is that a tattoo?" he asked, surprised he hadn't noticed it before.
"Some days it's darker than others," Tace whispered.
"Tattoos usually fade over time. They shouldn't get darker." Ademar traced the lines with a fingertip. "It's the rune symbolizing Jokan."
He had first seen the rune on the strange stone they'd found in the forest. It was one of five. Each represented a piece of orc lore. It wasn't long after seeing that rune that they'd found one such relic, a relic only Tace could wield. A relic that had defeated the xarlug threatening to kill them all.
"How long have you had this?" he asked.
"It appeared on my wrist after I killed the xarlug." Tace lifted her arm. The tattoo darkened, as if it knew they were talking about it. "See?"
"That's bizarre."
"To say the least." Tace let her arm drop to her side. “I had hoped to find out more about it while we were here. We know the Staff of Jokan was able to magically trap the xarlug in the gem on the end of the staff, where it died. Well, maybe there’s more to the other runes, too. It was my hope that information would be tied in with Wru lore.”
“Why didn’t you tell us, or even just me?” Ademar said. “You can trust me.”
“I don’t feel like I can trust anyone, particularly after what I went through with the inquisitor.”
Ademar was hurt. After everything they’d been through, she still insisted on withholding information.
Tace didn’t even seem to notice his chagrin. "The inquisitor got very in depth with his questioning,” she continued. “He wanted to know about my past. About where I stood on the orc religion. Whether I had been indoctrinated into the Defiants or the Consecrated. If he'd seen this stupid tattoo, I might not be standing here right now. It was clear he wasn't comfortable with his decision to let me in. They don't want me here."
“The library isn’t open to just anyone,” Ademar said. “Some hallways are blocked by armed guards, and other are under magical wards. I don’t know what secrets they’re protecting, but it’s clear they’re concerned.”
"What are they protecting from me?" Tace sighed. "Yes, I'm a trained assassin. Do they think I'm going to kill a book? I'm here on a mission to help protect the orcs from further destruction, not to steal precious secrets I probably wouldn't understand anyway."
Ademar swallowed hard. He, too, had recently withheld something from Tace, but it was only because he was waiting until they were alone to tell her. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Tace grabbed his hand.
“Let’s go to Brax’s room. We can tag along with him to dinner.” She yanked him out of the alcove and whistled for Raseri.
The little dragon appeared from around a corner and came to rest on Tace's shoulders. Ademar marveled at the close bond they'd formed. Tace kept everyone at a distance—everyone except for that damned dragon.
They walked in silence to Brax's chamber. Tace knocked hard once, then flung the door open.
A willowy elf gasped, her hand resting on her chest. Her silver hair cascaded over her shoulders in big ringlets.
"Sorry," Tace muttered. She turned to Ademar. "I could have sworn this was Brax's room."
A cough came from behind the elf. Brax stepped forward with his arms crossed over his chest. "Yes, this is my room," he said. "Are the two of on your way to dinner? Melethiel and I were about to head to the dining hall."
"Nice to meet you, Melethiel,” Ademar said, holding out a hand.
She slipped her graceful hand into his, barely returning his handshake and refusing to meet his eyes. “I’ve actually just remembered another engagement. I’ll see you soon, Brax.” She swept out of the door and down the hall.
Ademar and Tace entered Brax's room and closed the door behind them.
"What was that about?" Tace asked.
"That was Melethiel. My inquisitor. She was telling me a bit about the history of the library," Brax said.
Ademar tried not to focus on the strands of silver hair strewn on Brax's rumpled bed. So much for rules in the Library of Filamir. It appeared even their permanent residents were willing to break them. Ademar also noticed the collar of Brax's shirt was a little too high—then laughed to himself when he realized the shirt was on backward. Rules and regulations, indeed.
Tace slumped into a chair and pounded the plush arm with a fist. "How hard can it be to look up information on Wru lore? I feel like we're being intentionally delayed."
"There’s a lot to go through,” Ademar said, “and it’s possible Frensia doesn’t really understand what we’re looking for. In fact, I—"
Tace cut him off. "I came here to get information, and damn it, I'm going to get it. I’m getting tired of waiting!”
“Can you be quiet and let me speak for a moment?” Ademar put a hand inside his vest. He'd done something earlier he wasn't proud of, but now he knew he'd made the right decision. "Maybe this could help."
He pulled out a small leather-bound book with a gem on the cover.
Tace jumped from her chair and snatched it out of his hand. "You stole this?"
"Borrowed," Ademar corrected her with a wink. "It's a library. Books are meant to be borrowed."
"The gem is exactly like the one on the Staff of Jokan!" Tace squealed. "I could kiss you!"
"What are you waiting for?" Ademar said, grinning.
Tace glanced at Brax.
He rolled his eyes. "As if I didn't already know. Kiss away."
Tace jumped into Ademar's arms and planted her lips on his. He hungrily kissed her back, loving the feeling of her body pressed against his. Raseri snarled at him, never content to share Tace.
Finally, reluctantly, he broke away. If it continued any longer, he'd have to carry her to his chamber and break a few more rules—without the dragon present.
"Do you think this is what we've been looking for?" Tace asked, her eyes sparkling.
"There's only one way to know. Open it," Ademar said. He was happy he had finally done something to bring a smile to her face.
Tace sat back in the chair, carefully lifted the cover, and flipped through the first few pages. "What possessed you to take this?"
"I don't know," Ademar admitted. As soon as he'd seen the book in the pile of books Frensia had brought them, he'd known it required more than just a cursory glance. And as he still wasn’t sure how much he could trust the umgar, he'd planned to study it alone in his room later that night. But now that he'd seen Tace's tattoo, he realized this book was rightly hers to read.
He looked over Tace’s shoulder as she turned the pages of the old book carefully. The parchment, browned and brittle, smelled even worse than it looked. Still, the illustrations inside told him they'd found something worth investigating.
"I think this is what we've been looking for," she said.
Ademar gave a slight smile. "I got lucky.”
He was too proud to take full credit. If she had found it in the pile of books, she wouldn't have stopped boasting.
True, he had risked getting in trouble with the powers that be in the library, but Brax had flouted the rules with Melethiel, hadn’t he? Perhaps their rules were only scare tactics. Maybe they could do as they pleased, with no one the wiser.
A harsh rapping sounded at the door.
Or maybe not, he thought.