Chapter 188: The letter.

Adriana

I felt the stone that was now permanently glued to me, tucked safely in its sash beneath my dress. It was almost a reflex now—me randomly checking to see if it was still there.

Cody sat opposite me in the library, his face giving nothing away. Meanwhile, a part of me shivered with shame over my actions and reactions at midnight. After kissing Cody and letting him kiss me back, I had slapped him when his fingers reached beneath my robe to fondle my breast. We had ended up apologizing to each other, but I just couldn’t forget that I was the one who started the whole thing.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked him. Cody had spent the last two days in the library digging up findings about spirits in gems, and he had found this old announcement paper.

He had run to my room in excitement to show me, but I had been nowhere to be found, which had made him worry and wait up for me.

Now, back to the present. The papers were old and so was the language, but we both understood it, having grown up under the care of royalty.

The letter had been issued to the king before my father, just as he had taken the throne. Back then, the North was anxious to gain the high city’s favor. This was surprising to me because, presently, the North didn’t care about anything concerning the high city. I hadn't found a single piece of correspondence between my father and the North—including Nividia, which brought up the suspicious thought of how Norbert had posed as my suitor.

Something was fishy.

In the letter, the North praised themselves regarding the end of a plague and a war. No cause was written, but it mentioned that three spirits and a primal had been caged in the Seykia Gems. The three gems had been thrown into a certain sea, but the primal had been handed to someone. That part of the letter was torn. The gem holding the primal had been handed to someone for safekeeping.

“Who do you think it might be?” Cody asked me.

“I have no idea. But the person must have kept it safe, right?” I found myself asking.

Cody nodded, the tension easing from his body. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about. It would take a miracle to draw three small gems from a sea. I think this was just a fun research project.”

My heart began to beat faster. This was no fun research project. The gem in my pocket was proof that someone was intentionally seeking them out. I needed to find out what the gods could do through those gems before my city became plagued like the North.

Actually, I needed to find out exactly what had happened in the North at that time. I wished Jared were here, but he wasn’t, so I’d have to make do with the second best option.

“Summon Gerald Bale.”

Cody’s eyes looked like they held a million questions, but I was grateful that he let it drop.

I found myself squeezing the gem over and over. You little, shining yellow gem, I thought, tell me, what are you capable of?

I wasn’t a tyrant, so I didn’t expect Gerald Bale to show up in front of me immediately. Instead, I went about my daily duties.

At first, I let my hair fall like I used to, showing its true length, but I felt bare and exposed. It was almost like makeup—a shield women hid behind. I ended up curling it, and though it tumbled down to cover my face, it looked pretty. Instead of re-curling it or using pins to keep it in place, I donned my reading glasses to keep the strands out of my eyes.

I read the books Cody had picked out, but nothing mentioned the location of a primal or any ancient gods. However, I did find a passage stating that love diminishes with time and isolation, while grief, fear, and hatred grow. It read like a warning that whatever these gems held could not be good.

It became even scarier considering the gem was practically attached to me. I had spent the early hours of the morning trying to ditch it, but it kept coming back.

I was struggling to keep my sanity.

“Adriana.”

It was Cody. I almost rolled my eyes at the sight of him. My feelings were torn, especially since I knew the kiss we shared last night hadn’t been bad. In fact, what had given me the strength to pull away was the realization that I had kissed Jared that very same night. I felt disgusted with myself.

“Yes?”

“Did you meet someone outside the castle?”

I paused. “I’ve met a lot of people outside the castle.” I shrugged.

He took a deep breath. Then, he stood up. “I’m asking if you have feelings for someone outside the castle.”

Oh. Not really. Now, how was I supposed to answer that?

“You think I would risk my life sneaking out of this palace without a bodyguard, in the darkest hours of the night, just to dally with some commoner?” I asked incredulously, my voice heavy with sarcasm. It was meant to be a rhetorical question.

To my surprise, his face fell. “You know, I hoped… I hoped you were. It would mean you didn't care about marrying someone who wasn't noble. It would mean I stood a chance.”

I stopped. How did men's minds even work?

“You’re a good friend, Cody. Let’s not ruin that.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but I had more pressing issues on my mind.

“Promise you won't tell a soul about what happened last night.” I saw a certain shimmer in his eyes, so I hastened to correct myself, “About me sneaking out!”

“Oh, of course. My dad would have your head if he found out. You’d be guarded even in your sleep,” he chuckled.

It warmed my heart that Elder Kane cared so much about me.

Just then, the cries of baby Brian announced the presence of my visitors. My heart clenched with joy as the doors opened to reveal Gerald Bale carrying his son, and Chloe wearing a massive smile.

“Look who we brought!” she beamed.

Then, she pulled Jared out from around the corner.