A Karthan's Kiss by C. E. Higgins

Author:C. E. Higgins [Higgins, C. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732452619
Published: 2018-12-11T16:52:19+00:00

Chapter 22

Elle jerked awake, throwing the blanket off her. She’d dreamt that her brother’s childhood plush snake had been chasing her through an ocean of razor-thin teeth and paper. A sound, like a shrill beep and low honk, sounded from Knowledge Keeper’s desk. At the moment, though, she thought it the most beautiful sound. Elle stood stiffly and stumbled over to the desk. It was the rootwave. Someone was calling Keeper.

Knowledge Keeper pushed through his stacks of diaries, somehow still wide awake. Had he even gone to bed? He pulled the beeping cord and plugged it into the receiver. A voice chimed. It probably had to do with keeper stuff. Elle yawned and looked at the time, not even bothering to listen to the message. She squinted to focus on the blurry numbers. 4:42 am. Elle groaned and plopped back on the bed.

“We’ll be there at 5:30 sharp, thank you.” He disconnected and hung up the cord.

Elle shivered as her soft blanket was violently thrown off her. “Rise and shine, bookling. Lady Lightbringer had an earlier opening and moved our meeting up. We need to leave in ten minutes to make it there on time. Up, up!” Then he trounced off to change his rumpled clothes, muttering about how he hoped his best scarf had been pressed recently.

Yawning and stretching, Elle rubbed her eyes, took off the red pajamas Knowledge Keeper had lent her, put her wrinkled clothes on and walked to her office. She kept basic necessities in her desk for the occasional all-nighters she pulled. She brushed her teeth and wet her hair to smooth it out. Her eyes were red and the circles under her eyes darker than usual, but she didn’t look that bad.

Maybe she could go check on the progress Royan was making with her bulb? The light was still on in his office.

Before she could knock on his door, she found herself pulled unceremoniously down the corridor by her hand. Knowledge Keeper yanked on her, threatening to pull her arm out of its socket. “Hurry, hurry. I have a car waiting downstairs to take us to the sky trolley. We need to catch the next car or risk being late to our meeting.”

“Ow! Keeper, I can run just fine without you pulling on my arm.” Her bulb would have to wait. Elle knew her sister was Royan’s top priority. She’d just have to trust him.

She massaged her shoulder blade and crushed hand as soon as Knowledge Keeper let go. Twice, Elle nearly tripped on Knowledge Keeper’s long green silk scarf until she finally moved farther back. It wouldn’t do to fall and break their necks in a heap at the bottom of the stone steps. At this hour, the keep was silent and peaceful, despite the fact that it opened at five a.m. There was the occasional early-riser who studied before work but not enough to give the appearance of life.

They exited out the side door. The main doors weren’t open until nine am. The street lamps cast a soft glow around them and the crisp morning air chilled Elle.

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