The headless corpse was disposed of and the group was bustling around the clearing. I slid my sword carefully back in its sheath… Ruby had been right, that thing really was sharp. I hadn’t understood the flourish of activity until Ruby grabbed my arm to conduct me. “Come on, we have to get packed.”
She dragged me along as she rushed back to her house, excited. She was throwing things around her room, sorting and gathering. I didn’t really have anything to assemble. I had the one pack I’d acquired months ago, nothing in it but that stupid white dress and the pouch… the pouch. I hurried from the room, explaining to Ruby I would be getting ready for the trip.
“I already put your pack in the front room for Chevelle.”
“Oh, well, I’ll just check it. Thanks.” I found the pack with some of Chevelle’s things. As I started to open it, I knocked one of his bags over and went to pick it up. The flap was loose and a piece of fabric hung out. I thought I recognized it. I glanced over my shoulder to be sure Ruby wasn’t watching and then opened it to find it was the fabric that had covered the package she handed to Chevelle our first day here. The package he traded my stone for. I pulled the material back and found a leather-bound book. I was afraid Ruby would catch me so I slid the book into my bag and went to my room, closing the door behind me.
I’d already been in trouble for stealing one book but this was technically mine, it was swapped for my ruby. But I was careful anyway. I pretended to lie down and placed the book where I could quickly cover it with a pillow if I were caught. I removed the fabric and ran my fingers over the dark leather on the cover, tracing a scripted V etched there. Vattier? I opened the book to find the first pages had been torn from the bindings and then flipped through it, seeing several sections were damaged, some torn, some by water. I sighed. Wasn’t that the way of things? I went back to the beginning and started reading.
Today was the solstice celebration for the fairies. They are such idiots. They got all hopped up on dust and raided the castle. We had to kill like six of them before they sobered up enough to reason with. Then dad killed two more just for fun. He said he had to prove a point but I could tell he enjoyed it.
I straightened a little and blinked, uncertain I had actually read what I thought I'd read. What is this? I shook my head and continued.
My stupid sister was mad because he didn’t let her help. She started to throw a tantrum and he stiffened her tongue. It was stuck like that for hours. I laughed so hard I kept having to wipe the tears from my eyes. She tried to yell at me and it came out like “Thut uhp! Thop iht!” which made me laugh harder and she got so mad she screamed and busted a bunch of glass.
I kept reading, enthralled. It seemed to be a journal, written by a girl, but I had no idea who. Chevelle’s family? Why would he have a girl’s diary? It was filled with pointless stories as far as I could tell but after a few pages the writing matured and it seemed to jump several years. I wished it was dated.
I tire so easily of the formalities here. The only thing I have to look forward to are the few breaks I get to go out on my own, into the pines. Father has increased my work periods to every other day. Combined with my other duties, I am stationed in the castle almost all week. The magic practice exhausts me or I would sneak out at night, the way I enjoyed as a child. It doesn’t seem fair, my sister is practically ignored. Father clearly prefers me but sometimes I wonder if that is really better. She wanders idly around the castle, no practice, no duties, no formal gatherings.
Magic practice, castles, who was this girl? I read the entries for hours. Ruby must have thought I was actually sleeping. I had no idea what in this journal could be of interest to Chevelle unless he knew the woman, and that kept me reading. It continued on, her father’s strict schedule, their distaste for her sister, and then the entries got more detailed, more frequent.