Ethereal as a Swan (Keepers of Enchantment Book 2) by Kendra Moreno

Author:Kendra Moreno [Moreno, Kendra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-24T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Despite every reason I tell myself not to, there’s an attraction to Vilkas that continues to plague me every time he appears. The more we talk, the more I grow fond of him until I’m certain I’ve lost my mind. I must have. With this bad decision and the insistent flute music constantly barraging me, I’ve well and truly lost any sense of sanity. And yet when Vilkas strides from wherever it is he busies himself during the day to join me at night, all of those worries disappear from my mind. I should have learned by now that betrayal always follows such things. There is no love without betrayal of some sort.

As I make my way toward the library, my eyes catch on the rats suddenly roaming the halls of the manor. I don’t know where they came from or why they’re suddenly here when they weren’t before, but someone should probably do something about that soon. With the sheer number I’ve seen in the past few days, I’m willing to bet it’s a whole colony of them. Then again, if they cause trouble for the Luminary, I’ll champion them on myself. Strangely, no one else seems to react to the rats, as if they don’t see them or can’t be bothered to notice.

The library in the manor is something I never expected to find here, certainly not intact. I can’t imagine a cult enjoys books that counter their ideals. Judging by the dust on everything in the library, no one else uses it, a fact that both makes me sad and happy. Sad because these people are practically killing themselves. Happy because it means I get it to myself most times.

Well, myself and Vilkas when he shows up.

Today, he appears within the first few minutes of my arrival, as if he was expecting me to be here before I was even conscious of wanting to be here. The guard that normally follows me stands outside the library, nothing but a watcher. He doesn’t stop me from doing anything. I’m certain his only job is to report back to the Luminary of whatever mischief I’ve gotten up to each night.

When Vilkas appears, I smile at him despite my worries and settle into the large couch I’d managed to dust off. “With all these books here, certainly this place was something far better than it is now.”

Vilkas nods. “It was.” He trails his finger along spines, reading titles. “From what I understand, before it became the Followers of the Crimson Merge, it was called Euphoria. It was a haven for families. Those who have suffered a great loss or lose their coin suddenly, or anything that ails them, they were able to come here and gather themselves without fear of starvation.”

I straighten. “That sounds lovely. We had something similar back in Vaivaria. Well, a very long time ago. What happened that made it so this cult could take over?”

Vilkas stills in his perusal. He looks over his shoulder to meet my eyes.

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