The imperial library towered ahead, its grand doors rising like silent guardians. Anwen adjusted the ribbon Laia had tied into her hair and tugged at her lavender dress, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Today wasn't just any day—they were here to study. Aimes had classes lined up for academy prep and Elijah tagged along because had been persuaded by his father to write the entrance exams along with his cousin.
Anwen…well, she was here to research everything she could about the things adults didn't want to talk about.
Dressed in his usual refined crimson attire and a scowl, Aimes glanced at Anwen, lips twitching as if he wanted to scold her for some imagined mistake. "Stay close," he said finally, his tone flat, but the weight of responsibility behind it was unmistakable. "I don't want father nagging me because you wandered off."
"I'll be fine," Anwen replied quickly, gripping her little satchel tighter. "I won't leave the library"
"Better not," Elijah teased, elbowing her lightly. "You'll get lost among all these books. And trust me, you don't want me to find you in a stack of tomes, screaming for help."
The boys departed for their classes, leaving her to wander the grand halls of the library. The ceilings seemed impossibly high, and the walls stretched endlessly, lined with books of every size and color. The scent of old parchment mixed with polished wood made her chest tighten in delight.
"I'll just…stay right here," she murmured to herself, setting her satchel down on a marble bench.
A kind-faced librarian noticed her standing awkwardly and approached. "Looking for something in particular, young lady?" she asked, tilting her head with a soft smile.
"I…I'm looking for…books on…conditions and how to…heal them," Anwen said carefully, keeping her voice innocent. Inside, her mind was racing. She needed information about vampire corruption, but saying that aloud would raise eyebrows. "Um, all kinds of conditions, really. Vampire ones…and, um, human ones too."
The librarian arched a brow. "Vampire conditions?"
Anwen blinked rapidly, placing her hands over her cheeks in an exaggeratedly worried way. "Oh! Not really, I mean…I want to be a healer someday! I'd like to understand everything…so I can help anyone who's hurt. I…I really want to help…" She tilted her head, adding the tiniest puppy-eyed look she could muster.
The librarian's eyes softened instantly. "Well…a young lady with ambition and a heart like that? Very well. Follow me."
Anwen barely hid her triumphant grin as she trailed behind the woman. Yes! She followed the librarian through the aisles, books, stairs and towering shelves. This is amazing. I can learn everything here!
The librarian stopped in front of a section with leather books that looked really old. "Here you go," she said. "These have rare cases and unusual illnesses. They might help you if you want to become a healer."
Anwen's fingers traced the books. She felt excited, like she was holding tiny secrets in her hands. "Thank you so much Auntie!"
"It's alright" She smiled at Anwen, adjusting her glasses. "I'll check on you in about an hour," she said. "I'll bring some snacks too in case you get burnt out."
"Okay!" Anwen clapped her hands and waved as the librarian left.
As soon as the door clicked shut, she hurried over to a large cushion on the floor, flipping through the pages of a book she picked from a table. Nothing about corruption or…Fae.
With a sigh, she jumped and tiptoed towards the shelves, her eyes scanning for anything that might mention corruption. Her fingers trailed along the spines until something cold and metallic pressed against her palm. She touched it—and suddenly, the floor beneath her groaned and shifted.
Anwen's little heart was thumping so fast she thought it might leap out of her chest. "T-this… what is this?!" she squeaked, staring at the floor that had suddenly opened beneath her.
She took a cautious step back…but then she lost her footing and hit a piece of paper. No, no, no! Before she could steady herself, she tumbled forward.
"Aaaahhh!" she screamed, flailing her arms as she grabbed a book from a nearby table, hoping it would stop her fall. But the book slipped from her hands and plunged with her into the darkness.
The walls of the rabbit hole whizzed past her like a blur. Her hair whipped around her face, and her ribbons flew loose. She tried to scream again, but her voice caught in her throat.
Thump…thump…thump…
Finally, with a plop, she landed on mossy wet grass. Her legs were all wobbly, and her dress was ruffled, but she was…okay. Somehow.
She blinked, trying to take in where she was. The hole had led her somewhere…a forest. A dim light shone from above, casting shadows that danced along the trees.
"W-where…am I?" she whispered, her voice trembling. The book she had dropped landed a few inches away. She crawled over to it, clutching it tightly.
This…is definitely not the library. Aimes is going to kill me.
The forest stretched all around her. Trees rising tall like dark, silent towers, their roots twisting across the ground. A faint mist curled between them, making everything look like a dream she couldn't wake from.
How…how did I end up in a forest after falling down a hole in a library?
Her brow furrowed. Teleportation, maybe? she guessed, her small hands clutching the compass she always kept in her satchel.
She checked the needle carefully. North. That was her choice. I'll go North.
She trudged forward, weaving between thick trunks and tangled roots. Mist swirled around her, curling like cold fingers around her ankles. Every rustle of leaves made her heart skip a beat. The forest was eerily silent—no birds, no squirrels, just the occasional snap of a branch.
Hours—or maybe minutes, it was hard to tell—passed, and Anwen's small legs began to ache. Her steps became sloppy, dragging against the soft ground. She needed water. Just a little water…
Leaning against a tree to catch her breath, she wiped the sweat from her pale forehead. Her feet throbbed painfully in her shoes as she took a deep breath, steadying herself, when suddenly—
An arrow whizzed past her face with a sharp whistle, burying itself deep into the bark of the tree beside her.
Anwen froze, eyes wide. Her trembling hands flew to her chest as she glanced around wildly, mist curling like a ghost around the trunks. "Who's there?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
Somewhere in the fog, a shadow shifted. And then another arrow thudded into the ground just a foot away from her.
Her heart pounded. She wasn't alone.