"Lugh?" Moments of silence hung between them as they lay on the bed in the dim light.

Avelon glanced at Lugh, studying the lines of his face and his closed eyes.

She could hear the faint, rhythmic sound of his breathing, but it only made the silence more suffocating. At some point she thought she might doze off, but her thoughts, kept her awake and alert.

Balor had struck a nerve within her. Poison. The Fae of Vexar were being poisoned, and she had no idea how many Fae knew. How many knew? Was it just Balor or were more Fae aware of what was going on right underneath their noses?

"Hmm?" His chest rumbled in response, eyes opening slowly to peak at her.

She frowned, considering her thoughts again and drawing a singular conclusion. Balor was powerful, but he would not be the only Fae to know about the poison. There had to be other Lords and Ladies that enforced the idea of poisoning the food.

"What's wrong?" Lugh mirrored her frown. His hand slid over to cup her cheek. A gentleness that made her breathing quicken.

"Do you know of a poison that has the ability to block affinities from being used?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it felt loud in the quiet room. She was not sure she wanted to hear his answer, but she had to ask.

Lugh's body tensed instantly, and his eyes sharpened. Lugh had been gone to receive a shipment on behalf of Balor- he had to know what was being received.

"Ciorra incapacitates anyone if they ingest enough...but it doesn't entirely block affinities." He said, his voice lower than usual, a dark edge to it. He was evading her question with an answer that would be sufficient enough for a Fae that did not know more than they should.

He knew something. Avelon blew out a breath.

"No, not ciorra." she said softly.

"Your father is poisoning food. Well, actually, the entire food supply in Vexar is being poisoned to stop the use of affinities." She sat up, her hands running through her tangled hair. Her frustration was clear in her voice.

"I don't think it's just him, though." She pinched the bridge of her nose as she waited for his reply.

Lugh was silent beside her, unnervingly quiet. She shot him a glance. His face was pulled tight in concentration as he stared at the stone ceiling.

"Are you hearing me? The Fae and Vexar are being fooled into going through the rituals. The awakening- Its some sort of sick entertainment. Or survival of the fittest to thin out the weak from the strong. I'm not entirely sure." She clenched her fists, her pulse racing as her thoughts spiralled.

"If word got out that the food is being poisoned." She considered.

Lugh's eyes widened.

"Mandaelin." He spoke the word in a hushed tone, sounding unsure. "It's the only spice that is vastly traded around the continents for its ability to enrich the food." Lugh murmured, "But I'm not aware of anything specific being used to suppress abilities."

Avelon shot him a questioning look. "What shipment did you retrieve for your father?" she asked, already suspecting the answer.

Lugh sighed, sitting up beside her. "A crate of pure Mandaelin. It's in everything—palace chefs are under strict orders to use it. Anyone who doesn't..." He did not finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.

"If it's the spice causing it, then not all Fae are ingesting it, though. Some Fae are still able to use their abilities. If ingesting a poison is the cause then there has to be something that counters it, something we're missing..." Avelon's mind raced, but then she stopped, standing abruptly.

"The library. There must be something in the library about Mandaelin."

Lugh lowered his gaze at Avelon, his forehead creasing with worry. "Don't you think, if something was used to suppress powers... That it would be erased from existence so that no Fae would question it?"

"Avelon's stomach tightened as the weight of his words sank in. "You're right." She bit her lip. Shit.

Avelon's mind raced. "I need to go to the library. There has to be something there about Mandaelin—its effects, its history. There has to be something."

Or someone that knows something. Though Avelon did not voice her thoughts. She could not allow Lugh to know that she had talked to Dana.

Lugh's face darkened as he shook his head. "The library is heavily restricted."

Avelon did not allow her emotions to show on her face as doubt and confusion filled her. Brianne had never mentioned that the library was restricted. Sentient, yes. Magical, absolutely. Restricted?
"And the tomes on anything remotely dangerous are usually... well, inaccessible." Lugh continued, raising more doubt within Avelon regarding his actual intentions.

Did he not want her to find anything regarding what was going on?

Listen to your instincts, child.

Dana's voice startled her enough to raise goosebumps on her arms. Avelon was already pacing, her fingers running through her tangled hair as she muttered to herself. "If Mandaelin is truly blocking affinities, it's not just about controlling the population. There's something bigger at play here—this could be about weakening the Fae so they can be controlled, or worse..."

Lugh's voice dropped even further, his tone edging toward the sound of his father's voice which made Avelon hesitate. "Do you think you can stop Balor..." He trailed off, looking over at her with a darkened expression. "How long do you think he has been planning this? He would've thought of everything."

Avelon paused, turning to meet his gaze. The change in his tone and aura had been unsettling, yet she shrugged it off. There was no time to analyse his mood swings or Dana's words. She had to find more information, find Fallon and stop Balor- all before Balor went stir crazy.

She sighed. "I don't know. But there has to be something that's been overlooked. If they're using Mandaelin to suppress magic, there might be something in the old texts—something Balor overlooked. It could be in the library, hidden. I'm going, so you can join me or stay."

Lugh nodded, though uncertainty clouded his features. "Then we'll go together. Like I said, I'm not leaving your side. You seem to be getting into too much trouble when I'm not around."

"We won't get caught." Avelon's voice was steady, though her mind was racing. Her words were more to convince herself than Lugh.

She watched him silently, carefully considering his change in demeanour and Dana's warning.

Trust my instincts? Avelon almost snorted. With gritted teeth she swallowed her frustrations.

"We just have to move quickly."

They had rushed through the hallways toward the Library. Avelon had recalled each step- the way had been imprinted into her brain. The entire journey, Lugh had been silently scanning the halls. His face had stayed the same shade of pale since she had awoken, and his eyes had not lightened to the gold she was used to.

"Is something wrong, Lugh?" Avelon whispered as they reached the staircase leading to the library. She shot him a glance over her shoulder, surprised to find his face set into a deep scowl. The moment he met her gaze, he offered her a tight-lipped smile.

"I've never actually been inside the library. It's been known to collect memories, and I'm not particularly fond of the idea." He mumbled, nervously swiping his hand behind his neck at his confession.

"You get the memory back, though. There's nothing to be worried." Avelon chuckled, slowing enough to fall into step beside him.

She slid her hand into his awaiting palm. She gasped at the coldness of his hands. She pursed her lips when he did not reply.

"You can wait outside- I don't think I'll be inside too long." Avelon offered, feeling the tension in Lugh's hand lessen.

"Are you sure?" His voice seemed calmer than it was seconds before.

"If it makes you that uncomfortable, then yes. I wouldn't force you to do something you're not comfortable with." Something flashed within his eyes at her words. Quickly, he reverted his eyes to inspect the stairs in front of her.

She frowned. Something was going on.

"Lugh..." She whispered. What was he hiding?

"I'll be waiting right outside for you." He smiled at her, nodding his head toward the onyx door in front of them.

She blinked, then blinked again. She would pry more answers from him when she returned.

"I'll be right back." She squeezed Lugh's hand, and walked toward the onyx door with all the determination she could muster.

At least she had met Dana. The library would not harm her, and neither would the Quillshifter.

She had walked through the onyx door, into the library, without thinking beforehand about which memory she would offer the library. She had felt her skull prickle at the loss of the memory it had chosen, but she had no idea what she'd lost.

The library could wipe her entire existence from her, leaving her a soul trapped in a shell, without so much as a thought. The thought sent shivers down her spine.

Avelon took a deep breath, calming her heart and easing her thoughts. The library would not harm her, she repeated. Casting a glance over the wide expanse of tomes and information, she worried about where she would even begin to search for answers. The library could show her something or give her another riddle in the process. She had no time for that.

An idea struck her. She clung to the hope that it would work.

"Dana, I need your help." She called, her voice echoing and bouncing off the walls inside the library.

From a far corner she could hear the Quillshifter's call. Perhaps he was saying hello? She wondered.

"Dana, please answer me." She tried again, closing her eyes and envisioning the Goddess she had witnessed inside the dungeon cell.

"Yes, Avelon. I am listening." Avelon's eyes sprung open, expecting to be met with the face of the Goddess.

No faces greeted her.

"Where are you?" She frowned, turning in a circle before walking further into the library.

"All around you, child. Now speak. Tell me what it is you need?" Avelon's eyebrows shot up at her straightforwardness.

"I need to know what there is to know about Mandaelin." She shrugged, flipping her hands in question.

"The spice?" Dana's voice had turned grave. "You are too easily mislead, child."

Avelon paused, the side of her face prickling with confusion and caution. Lugh had brought up the spice- had suggested that Mandaelin could be the source of what was poisoning Vexar. Balor himself had said that the food they ate were laced with poison.

Too easy. The words rung hollow inside Avelon's skull. It had been too easy for her to fall for any scrap of information that came from anyone, especially Balor.

Elha had given her a wide-eyed look. Had she been trying to warn her?

"Spices are not what I'm looking for." Avelon had intended for the words to come out phrased in a question, but the moment she spoke them it had felt like the truth.

She ground her teeth as anger riled her. Whether Lugh knew he was misleading her or not- one thing stood out. She was too goddamned naïve.

"Be easy on yourself. The Fae in this world have generations worth of experience in lying. Your hope shines brighter, and that is why you clung to what was given to you." Dana's voice did nothing to soothe the humiliation spreading within Avelon.

"If it's not the spice, then what the hell is Balor doing to the Fae? Is there any truth in what he said at all?" Avelon felt like yelling and slamming the closest object to her. The library vibrated in warning.

She would be wise not to cause any wreckage inside a place a God had protected.

"The truth... Is something you need to find for yourself." Dana's voice was fading, but Avelon could hear the smirk in her tone. Avelon cast her gaze around, spying a lone tome that was begging to be thrown.

Dana could tell her exactly what she needed to know, but instead she sent her on a wild hunt for knowledge.

Dana's voice broke through Avelon's thoughts. "Prove to yourself that you have it within you to not rely on anyone but yourself."

She rolled her eyes. "Why waste time, when you can just tell me what I need to know? Tell me what Balor is doing, so that I can stop him. Tell me where Fallon is, so that I can find her!" Avelon snapped, yelling into the air above her.

Far inside the library, Avelon could hear the Quillshifter cast another howl toward her. It had heard her yell. The library vibrated again in warning. She had upset Dana.

"I cannot help you more than I already have. Destiny, fate and the alignment of the world needs to stay in balance. A balance of decisions and self-discovery. If Gods, intervene in everything the Fae, humanoids and humans do, then balance tips of the scale completely."

Avelon hated the fact that somehow, Dana's words had made sense. The only thing that had bothered Avelon, was the fact that she mentioned Gods- plural.

"Do other Gods appear to Fae, like you have to me?" Avelon started walking deeper into the library, curious to find what it was she needed to know.

How? She did not know but hoped that it would call to her like the riddle-tome had.

"I will leave you this last piece of information, Avelon. Gods walk and live among the Fae and humans. Be mindful of those who are in your company and pay more attention."

Avelon almost stopped again but forced herself forward, down into the spiral of tomes, parchments and letters.

Gods walk and live among the Fae and the humans? Avelon coughed, struggling to swallow the information.

Fae had believed Gods to be non-existent. At least, she had believed them to be. Living amongst them? That was information that made her anxiety dance in circles and do jumping jacks.

Dana wanted her to be mindful of those she shared her company with. She had a fairly small list of names, which worried her enough to make her stomach churn heavily.

She sighed deeply, leaning into one of the bookshelves for support as her knees threatened to give out.

Fuck.