Chapter 31 THE LETTER FROM ESTELLE
“Your Grace, her body is changing," Imogen said, turning to Auren who had been watching him intensely for the past hour. “Her body attempted to shift, the fae spirit in her trying to take over. But she's still too weak and the transformation couldn't be completed.”
Auren stared at him blankly and he sighed. “The queen is fine, Auren. She just needs to rest and master her powers better."
With that, Imogen stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. After the incident with Haven a week ago, he had been keeping his distance. He didn't want to do anything to her when she wasn't ready, and being around her all the time made it so fucking hard.
He moved closer to the bed, and took hold of her hand, his mind going back to what Omniah had told him two days ago.
(Flashback: Omniah's hut)
“Your Grace, the queen is beginning to accept her magic. That's the first step in controlling it." Omniah said, raising her teacup to her lips and taking a small sip. “But she can't fully control it, and her magic is leaking."
“Leaking?" Auren asked to make sure he heard correctly.
“In an attempt to control her magic, she's going to lose control, and during times like this, her magic essence will travel far and wide, alerting the wrong people.”
(End Of Flashback)
Auren leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I'm going to protect you, Little Flame. From the world and from yourself."
With that he turned around and stepped out of the room. He moved to his private living quarters, where he met Draven seated and waiting for him. The man stood as soon as he stepped into the room and bowed before resuming his seat.
“What did you find out?" Auren asked, going straight to the point.
“Well, I found Elise like you asked me to, but you know how she is, always talking in riddles." Draven handed a scroll to Auren. " She said something of the night king and his army."
Auren carefully undid the ribbon around the scroll, and held it open. The unmistakable handwriting of his sister, Estelle stared back at him.
" Auren, firstly I want to congratulate you on finding someone who will finally break through that stone cold heart of yours. I heard she's a wonder, and I'm not surprised. But your new treasure will need some protection, especially with the forces hunting her. She needs to find the library of lost souls, and find a way to reactivate Vaeleria's power.”
Auren folded the scroll and held it in the palm of his hand. In no time it caught fire and burnt to ashes. There were too many risks involved with the wrong eyes finding the letter.
" What did she say, Your Grace?”
" Something about having Haven find the library of Lost souls.”
\~~~
" The library of lost souls?” Imogen asked, his face etched with equal parts shock and curiosity. " Your Grace, that's just a myth, a bedtime story told to fae children. No one knows where it is.”
Auren didn’t look away from the window. Outside, the sun was dipping behind the violet mountains, painting the sky in bruised shades of red and gold. His reflection on the glass looked every bit the man he had become—cold, relentless, haunted. “My sister doesn’t waste her time on bedtime stories,” he said quietly.
Imogen’s jaw flexed. “Even if it were real, how do you expect to find it? No one knows where it lies, or what it looks like. Those who claim to have searched for it…” His voice trailed off. “They never return.”
“That’s because they didn’t know what they were looking for.” Auren turned from the window and faced him fully now, the firelight from the hearth catching the sharp edges of his face. “Estelle said Haven needs it. Which means the answer lies somewhere between her magic and her past. It should be linked to the fae people.”
Draven, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, finally spoke. “If we’re to find it, we’ll need to see into her memories.”
Both men stare at him like he just lost his mind, so he cleared his throat and explained. " Lyra told me the queen sees memories that don't belong to her, lives she doesn't recall living. My hunch tells me these are Princess Athalia's memories. She was a high ranked fae, so if we tap into Haven's memories we can get access to the princess's as well.”
" And find the location of the library of souls,” Imogen finished with a proud smile. " You're becoming smarter. I see the child has an effect on you.”
" Fuck off.” Draven turned to Auren expectantly
Auren shook his head, his eyes darkening. “No. Not yet. She’s not ready to undergo that kind of a ritual..”
Imogen frowned, his tone softening. “Auren, she may not have a choice. If Omniah is right and her magic keeps leaking, then every dark creature with a nose for fae essence will be drawn straight to her. She’s practically a beacon for danger.”
Draven sighed. “I hate to admit it, but Imogen's right. Until her power is fully developed, we can't have people sniffing her out and hunting her down. She'll also need to learn how to control her magic, before it turns her into something worse than Athalia."
Auren’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I won't let anyone get to her. I'll burn them before they even think of coming close.”
Imogen didn’t doubt he would. The king had always been ruthless when it came to protecting what was his. But this was different. This was Haven.
“You can’t shield her forever,” Imogen said softly. “She'll have to stand on her own if she is to handle the situations ahead. You can protect her from fae hunters, but you can't protect her from herself."
Auren’s voice dropped, quiet but laced with something dangerous. “And when that time comes, she’ll be ready. Until then, she stays under my protection.” He turned around and faced both men. “What do the fae books say about the library?"
Well,” Imogen began, leaning back against the desk. ‘“The library of lost souls is where the fae people believe the faes who were lost during the great war got trapped. But till date
no one knows its exact location, or what it looks like.”
" I do.”