A Court of Ash and Necromancy

6. Enticing the Truth

The artwork above is not mine.

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"What about this one?" Sienna asked, lifting a large green book.

Mikael eyed the title and nodded. "Add it to the pile. There could be something in it."

Celeste dropped her head onto a book, her hazelnut blonde curls bouncing with the impact. "Please tell me we don't have to put all of these away just to find them again tomorrow."

"We'll put away the ones we've gone through and leave the others stacked on tables," Mikael replied with a chuckle.

Truthfully, he was getting tired of searching for the same books daily too, although he knew every inch of the Palace library like the back of his hand. It never took him long to find what he was looking for. The process just seemed to grow repetitive.

It had been that way the first time Mikael began researching necromancy. There was little information available on the subject. It was a form of Black Magic, deemed unnatural and disastrous by scholars and magical practitioners of old. Mikael had only found a few books that even so much as hinted at the forbidden art.

"Is Estelle making any progress?" Calden asked, leafing through another book.

"I don't know," Mikael replied. "She told me she was waiting for Rhysand to dig up his old reports and papers from the original investigation. She wants to review them before anything else."

Celeste lifted her head. "How's Lysander?"

Mikael shrugged and flew over to another bookshelf, pulling down several thick volumes. It was an effort to hide the way he was bristling at her question. Estelle had told him some of what Lysander said when he and Celeste called off...whatever it was that had been going on between them.

He was finding it hard to forgive his friend for so carelessly toying with Estelle's brother's, his brother's, emotions. Mikael could only imagine how Lysander would feel when he found out that Celeste was already seeing someone new. He was just grateful that Seren Marzena wasn't quite as hot headed as Azriel, otherwise Celeste would've found herself burnt to a crisp already. It was a wonder Azriel hadn't confronted her either.

Maybe that would make her consider her actions, Mikael couldn't help but think. He shoved his frustration aside and flew down to the floor. He set his books on the table and selected one to begin searching through.

"This is so boring," Celeste groaned.

"I thought you liked to read," Sienna said with a smirk.

"I like to read novels, not boring texts on the history of magic and varieties of spells."

"This is quality reading material," Mikael protested.

Calden leaned towards him with a broad grin. "Yeah, you've probably read all of these books five times each. That means you can tell us which ones aren't even worth opening, right?"

Mikael rolled his eyes. "If I knew that, these books would still be on the shelves and not on this table. Anyway, we'll never get any work done if you all don't stop complaining. You're the ones who volunteered to help in the first place."

"We volunteered because we're good friends, not because we actually wanted to help," Celeste retorted.

"Yeah, that definitely adds to your good friend credibility."

Mikael returned his focus to his book. He ran a finger beneath the sentence he was reading, so that he wouldn't lose his place. He stroked the Mating Bond gently. Estelle returned the gesture, but didn't speak. He guessed she was busy with something.