Chapter 53

Chapter 53 Ewonmiams

CA SSANDRA

The king of Yurene had saved my life.

I couldn’t help but let the phrase repeat through my head as I sat at the small dining table in our chambers. Today had been tough on my nerves, and it was taking all of my efforts to keep from exploding from confusion.

An attempted kidnapping… only to be saved by a foreigner from a land I’d never even heard of until today.

Finnick was fast asleep in his bed. After he’d washed up, he’d decided he was too tired to play and crawled right under the covers without me saying a word. I’d dutifully tucked him in and minutes later, he was out. I was a little relieved. My son. had been so brave today. I couldn’t blame him for feeling worn out.

Erika had served me some fragrant jasmine tea in an attempt to soothe my nerves. The warm drink was doing a little, but I needed so much more.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was scared.

The man in the shop had said he knew who I was. What had he meant by that? Did he know I was truly Cora? Or was there another explanation I couldn’t think of?

If he’d meant that I was Cora… how had he reached that conclusion? I no longer shared her face, her hair, or anything that could indicate my past identity. Even my voice had a different timbre than before. So how could he know?

The man had also mentioned Emmett. Had he known my late husband, and if so… what could that mean for us? Finnick and I were already in such a precarious position. If someone out there knew my true name, likely so did others.

My mind swam with the possibilities.

I pushed my teacup aside.

I needed to think but I couldn’t stew on this any longer. So, I decided I needed to distract myself.

I turned to Erika, who was knitting a blanket in the corner.

“Could you watch Finnick?” I asked. She nodded without further explanation, and I smiled. “Thank you.”

I quietly gathered some supplies into my backpack and ran a brush through my hair in an attempt to look presentable. Dark circles underscored my eyes and worry painted my expression, but there was nothing to be done about that.

So, I pulled my pack on and quietly snuck out of the room to keep from waking Finnick. Once I reached the busy hall, I sped down the stairs until I reached the

back door.

The royal library was located in a small building near the palace. A garden separated the two buildings, and as I walked down the path, I took a moment to sniff a tall flowering tree. I couldn’t place the scent but something about it was calming.

I stepped foot into the library building and was immediately met by a large front desk. A woman who I presumed to be the librarian offered me a kind smile. She was willowy and beautiful, with long blonde hair and huge round gla*ses that made her big eyes even larger.

“Hello,” she greeted me. “How can I help you?”

“My name is Ca ssandra Keller,” I answered. “The Alpha King gave me permission-”

“Ah, Mrs. Keller,” the librarian interrupted me. “Yes, His Majesty mentioned you would be coming. Please, follow me, and I’ll show you around.”

“Thank you,” I replied politely. The librarian rose from her seat and held the door open for me.

The

library wasn’t very large by any means. The walls were a rich cream color and the floors were a deep brown. The shelves were arranged neatly in rows and every book was clearly indexed by their names and subjects.

The librarian explained the system to me and once she was finished asked if I had any questions.

“I need the books about sorcery,” I explained. “Where would those be located?”

“They’re in a separate room,” she answered, and she retrieved a ring of keys. from her gray plaid trousers. “I’ll unlock it for you.”

She led me to the separate room and after she unlocked the door, she bade me farewell and left me on my own. I wasted no time and hunted through the books. I read each of the spines until I found one that read “Ewonmiams”

I plucked the book from the shelf and looked around the room. There was a small desk in the corner with a leather reading chair beside it. I brought the book over to the desk and sat down. I pulled out some of my notes, along with pens and bookmarks. I was ready to get some information.

I spent the next few hours reading.

The book I selected was interesting.

It said that Ewonmiams was co-founded by several sorcerers centuries ago. It was the first academy of sorcery on the continent and the most powerful one as well. They had invented many potions and poisons, including Udosyn. They also recruited many young werewolves who desired to be witches and wizards.

I was a little surprised. I hadn’t realized that had been a thing of the past. I thought wizardry was just a myth.

The book said it became something that every single Pack fought for. Anyone who owned the power of the greatest sorcery could be the king of the whole continent.

Then, to fight against the evil power, Wegalla was established. Soldiers in the

Myriad banished all witches and wizards out of the continent and wiped out

sorcery.

I was a little shocked by the information. I’d never known that Ewonmians was related to the establishment of Wegalla.

I wrote down as much information as I could and after a while, I heard a knock. on the door.

“My lady?” the librarian suddenly appeared and offered me an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, but the library is about to close for the day.”

“Oh,” I remarked, and I glanced over at the clock on the wall. Sure enough, it- was the end of the day. I needed to get back to my chambers to check on Finnick and see Erika off for the evening. “Thank you so much for telling me.”

I rose to my feet and gestured toward the book. “Do I need to reshelve this-”

“I’ll handle it,” the librarian a*sured me with a kind smile.

“Thank you,” I said again. “I’ll be back tomorrow to keep reading it.”

“Sounds great,” she replied. “Have a good evening.”

“You as well.”

I gathered up my things and tucked them back into my backpack. I could have continued reading all night, but I had other things to accomplish this evening. Hopefully tomorrow I could get a little further into my research and learn more about Ewonmiams.

I left the library quickly and stepped out into the garden. The chill of the air made me shiver and the cool breeze danced in my hair. The sun was setting in the sky, and the golden light k*ssed the flowers around me. I admired the beauty for a moment. There was such ugliness in Anemond but it didn’t exist out here in the gardens.

I continued down the path and then a pair of figures appeared. To my surprise,

it was Bert and Kaleb. I could overhear the head se rvant explaining the different flowers of the garden, and as I approached, Kaleb’s face lit up. He waved excitedly

at me.

“Ca ssandra!” he exclaimed, and his navy eyes sparkled. I was a little surprised he seemed so taken with me, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny a friend.

Even if he was the king of a foreign land I knew little about.

“Hello,” I said. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. I was just on my way back to the palace-”

“I told your king to allow you to join us at the banquet tonight,” Kaleb interrupted bluntly.

“Really?” I asked in surprise. “You… you didn’t need to do that.”

“I insisted,” he a*sured me, and then he smiled. “Besides, you still owe me an official thank you. Consider your presence my gift.”