Page 110 of The Witch in the Dead of Night

The librarian’s eyes widened as Enhart approached, his shadow trailing lazily after him. He leaned against the towering bookcase, watching the small man like he might pounce. After what I’d witnessed on the journey here, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

“My apologies, Your Royal Highness,” murmured the librarian, dropping his gaze to the floor.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” said Enhart.

“Of course not, Your Royal Highness.”

“I know how much you like to torture newcomers. Especially those who dare come from anywhere but Valnar.”

“I would never, Your Royal Highness.”

“Don’t lie, Sebastian. It’s unbecoming.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

Enhart leaned toward him, a wicked smile on his lips. “Run along now.”

The man didn’t hesitate, turning on his heel and fleeing from sight with his arms still full of books. I rounded on the prince. “I can fight my own battles.”

His smile widened. “I’m well aware of that, but you look and sound as if you’re about to spontaneously combust in the most flammable room at this school.” He gripped my hand and I gasped as my skin sizzled in his palm. “And here I thought you’d have a hard time accessing the Ealdorfyre.”

I grimaced, the heat draining from my skin.

“Sebastian is a horrible little man. Always has been,” he said calmly. “Don’t let him get to you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I grumbled.

I glanced up as Ivor appeared in the doorway, slowly making his way into the room. “I’ve just seen Sebastian running for his life down the corridor. Shall I assume it was something you said?” he asked Enhart pointedly.

“Assume away,” said the prince cheerfully, letting my fingers slip from his.

Ivor sniffed, settling into the seat I had just vacated. “Arboriculture certainly is a fascinating subject,” he said absentmindedly, thumbing through the chapter I had abandoned.

Enhart snorted.

“I dreamed about the forest last night,” I told the Chancellor, inclining my head toward the window. “I was trying to see if there was anything in the library that might point to why.”

“Dreams carry great meaning,” he replied. “They show us the things that haunt us, and sometimes can even show us what will come to pass.”

I was certainly haunted. Most of my dreams centered around the worst days of my life. “What will come to pass,” I repeated. “As in the future?”

“The ability to portend the future is uncommon, but perhaps one that you will come to possess. That skill, I fear, is not one you will learn from anyone alive today. You must instead let the instinct develop naturally.”

“In my dream, the trees whispered to me, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Do you think it means anything?”

He stared blankly out the window. “I cannot say.”

An uncomfortable silence passed between us. “Your Royal Highness,” the ancient vampire said finally. “What do you know of the Ealdorfyre?”

My heart sank. I knew that it was why we had come, but the dread that seeped through my bones was nauseating.

“Less than you, I’m sure,” said the prince, dropping onto a divan by the fire.

“Prince Enhart tells me that you’ve seen it before,” I said.

The chancellor yawned, staring out the window at the rolling hills shrouded in mist. “Indeed, although it was a very long time ago. Some arcane historians tell us that the first witch, Celene, created the Ealdorfyre. She lived on a lonely isle in the middle of the Great Sea at the beginning of time. It was during this period that the power of the old gods was at its peak and the polar night reigned.”

“Polar night?” I asked.