Chapter 246: Episode 256.

Pain exploded across Aire’s scalp.

She didn’t even have time to turn before fingers buried themselves deep inside her silver hair.

The force behind them was so violent that her entire body lurched backwards.

The ancient book slipped from her grasp. It struck the marble floor once before sliding beneath one of Lysander’s tables.

Aire barely saw it disappear.

Morrigan’s hand tightened.

"Move."

The single word was followed by another brutal yank.

Aire stumbled forward with a sharp gasp as tears instantly sprang into her eyes. Her feet struggled to keep pace before Morrigan dragged her clean out of the chamber.

The doors slammed open.

Every dark fae servant in the corridor froze, and they watched openly.

Aire’s bare feet scraped painfully against the polished obsidian floor as Morrigan continued dragging her through the palace.

With every few steps, another fistful of silver hair tightened inside Morrigan’s grip. It felt as though her scalp might tear away completely.

"Walk." She commanded, with another yank.

Aire caught herself before falling. She refused to scream. She bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood.

The corridor stretched endlessly before them with black pillars, crimson banners, and living vines curled around the ceiling like sleeping serpents.

Aire forced herself to breathe.

She memorised everything every turn and the doors they passed, even when pain blurred her vision. It blurred her vision, but not her mind.

Every step mattered, and so did the corner and corridors. If she survived this place, she would need to know it better than those who lived inside it.

Morrigan jerked her again. "What?" Her voice dripped with mock concern. "No insults today?"

Aire replied to her with silence.

"I thought you always had something clever to say." She gave her another savage pull.

Aire nearly crashed into one of the stone pillars. Still, she remained silent.

That irritated Morrigan more than any reply ever could. They descended another staircase, and the palace changed here.

The grand halls disappeared, and the walls became darker.

The air itself felt heavier.

Aire recognised this part of the palace immediately.

Vaelor’s chamber.

Her heartbeat slowed from relief and preparation. She had learned one thing since arriving here.

Morrigan enjoyed cruelty while Vaelor enjoyed truth.

He rarely shouted, or threatened. At least, this pain in her scalp would disappear the moment Vaelor appears.

They stopped before enormous double doors carved from black wood, and two guards stepped aside instantly.

Morrigan didn’t knock.

She kicked the doors open.

They struck the walls with a deafening boom. The chamber beyond remained strangely peaceful.

Vaelor sat beside a low table with one hand rested lazily upon an open document.

He didn’t look up immediately. He finished reading the final line before calmly placing the parchment aside.

Only then did his eyes settle upon them. Entirely upon Aire, and upon the way Morrigan still held her by the hair.

A small crease appeared between his brows.

"Morrigan." His voice remained gentle. "What happened?"

She smiled triumphantly. "I found your little pet somewhere she shouldn’t have been."

Without warning, she released Aire’s hair only to shove her violently.

Aire stumbled several steps before crashing shoulder-first against the polished stone floor. Pain shot through her arm.

She caught herself before striking her face.

The impact echoed throughout the chamber.

"Ask her." Morrigan folded her arms. "Ask her what I found that little smug wolf with."

Aire pushed herself upright immediately.

Every muscle screamed in protest, but she ignored it. Slowly, she stood and loose strands of silver hair clung across her face.

She brushed none of them away.

Instead, she looked directly at Morrigan. The hatred inside her eyes was impossible to hide.

Her fingers curled, uncurled, and curled again. For one impossible heartbeat, she imagined crossing the room just to slap Morrigan hard enough to wipe that smile from her face forever.

The image vanished. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t. Not yet.

Vaelor watched the exchange quietly.

His expression remained unreadable. He finally rose from his chair.

He stopped several feet from Aire. Close enough for conversation, and far enough to never appear threatening.

His hands rested loosely behind his back. "What happened?"

He asked again.

This time, he asked Aire. Aire looked at him without speaking.

The fire crackled softly behind him as he waited. Outside, somewhere far beyond the chamber walls, thunder rolled across the dark sky.

Still, he waited.

At last, Aire spoke. "I was reading."

Morrigan let out a sharp laugh. "Reading?" she mocked. "Tell him what you were reading."

"I don’t know."

The smile disappeared from Morrigan’s face.

"You liar." She cursed. "You expect him to believe you found a forbidden book and don’t know what it is?"

Aire’s eyes left Morrigan and returned to Vaelor.

"I don’t know its name."

Vaelor studied her for several long seconds.

His voice remained calm. "What did the cover look like?"

She hesitated, and then, she answered truthfully. "There wasn’t one."

"No title?"

"No."

"Only a symbol."

His gaze sharpened almost imperceptibly. "What symbol?"

Aire closed her eyes for only a second, as if trying to remember. She didn’t want to speak.

"A circle." She murmured, and opened her eyes again. "It had lines through it."

Morrigan folded her arms tighter. "She thinks we’re fools."

Vaelor ignored her completely. "What did the book say?" He questioned Aire.

Aire swallowed. "It..." She stopped. She couldn’t tell him. "It didn’t say much."

"What did it say?" He asked again, more calmly this time.

"I don’t remember."

Morrigan snapped. "You little liar!" She lunged forward but before she reached Aire, Vaelor stopped her just in time.

"Enough."

Morrigan stopped instantly. She looked furious.

Vaelor still hadn’t taken his eyes off Aire. "You remember."

"I don’t."

"You do."

"I don’t."

Neither of them blinked. The silence stretched until it almost became unbearable.

Then, he let out a soft exhale, and asked again. "What happened after you opened it?"

Aire froze.

He noticed. "What happened after you opened it?"

"Nothing."

"Aire." He called her name with no emotion. "You know what I can do to you. So speak."

"It was blank."

His head tilted slightly. "Entirely?"

She nodded. "Every page."

"Except one?" He raised a brow.

Her heart skipped slightly.

Vaelor saw it. He always saw everything. "What was on that page?"

"I don’t know."

"You’ve already used that answer."

"Because it’s true!" Aire cheat heaved. She almost yelled.

"What was on the page?"

"I don’t know."

"Aire."

Aire swallowed. "I don’t know!" She finally yelled at him.

His eyes lingered on her face, weighing every breath she took. Finally, he sighed. "I dislike repeating myself."

His expression softened strangely, almost sympathetically. Purple strings came out from his fingers in unison.

Another silence settled between them, and he walked slowly past her. He walked toward one of the enormous shelves lining his study.

Without looking back, he ordered. "Bring it."

Morrigan smiled immediately. She strode across the room. Aire followed her movements with growing dread.

Morrigan bent down, and picked it up.

The instant it touched her hands, nothing happened as it had happened with Aire. There was no glow, no symbols, and no warmth.

It looked ordinary.

She carried it toward Vaelor. "There."

Vaelor accepted it carefully. His thumb brushed the worn leather. The moment he saw the purple symbol, his breathing slowed.

His fingers tightened almost imperceptibly.

He didn’t open it immediately.

Instead, he stared at the cover long enough for Morrigan to notice.

"Brother?"

He didn’t answer.

At last, he opened it. The pages were blank. Completely blank. He turned another page, and it was blank. His jaw tightened.

He closed it again. His eyes lifted to Aire.

Morrigan frowned. "What is it?"

"A book."

She stared at him hard. "That’s it?"

"It is."

"You recognised it."

"I did."

"What is it?"

Vaelor looked back down at the cover. His voice became quieter.

"Something that should not have been outside the archives. It belongs to the Light fae. A means..." he trailed off, as if stopping himself from exposing valid details.

Morrigan’s confidence faltered. "You mean..."

"It has been missing." His words hung heavily inside the chamber. "For centuries."

Aire’s pulse quickened. Missing? No wonder it had hidden itself.

Vaelor looked at her again.

This time, with genuine curiosity.

"Tell me something."

She remained silent.

"When you opened it..." he took in a deep breath. "Did it remain blank?"

Her stomach twisted. She forced herself to nod.

"Yes."

"You understood nothing?" He asked.

"No."

"No symbols?"

Aire shook her head, going through with her words. "No."

"No words?"

She shook her head again. "No."

His gaze remained on her, long enough for guilt to begin creeping beneath her skin. Then, he smiled intelligently.

"You are protecting something."

Aire eyes sharpened. "I don’t even know what you’re talking about." She defended herself.

"I believe..." he murmured, "You know more than you realise."

Aire’s heart hammered. She lowered her eyes before he could see it. And then, warmth. The warmth felt so sudden, and familiar.

The world around her seemed to disappear.

Very faintly, she heard a voice.

"Silver dove..."

Her breath caught.

"It’s Alaric..."

Her fingers twitched involuntarily. She blinked rapidly in shock. The voice was in her head, and her chest.

The voice sounded impossibly distant, as though crossing oceans, and time itself.

She closed her eyes for a heartbeat.

"If this reaches you..."

A tear slipped free before she even realised it.

"I need you to take a deep breath..."

The warmth spread through her chest again. The warmth felt gentle, and safe. Like home.

"...and listen to me."