54. The gilded book's summons

Past the steps engraved with Old Fae was a wooden door, the first true door that Ada had seen in the Stone Circle's underground settlement. A simple slat bound the door to its frame, which Edmere slid aside before ushering Ada into the room beyond. She jumped when Edmere closed the door behind him, and the walls seemed to circle slightly closer in the quiet.

The room was round and cramped, with even less space between its stacks of books and sheaves of papers than there had been in the previous antechamber. It was a study of sorts, with no corners for shelves or bookcases, but with a ceiling high enough for a large copper ring to have been suspended and lit with tens of candles. Wax dribbled down the candles onto the copper, but seemed to cool and harden before it could fall, instead forming strange and malformed bubbles and baubles all around the ring.

Edmere shuffled to a desk placed in the centre of the room. More pieces of paper were scattered across it, their ink faded to flourishes of purple, though Edmere gathered them together before Ada could make out their words. He took a seat behind the desk and motioned for Ada to sit on a low stool across from him.

"First of all," Edmere began in a soft but steady voice, "I should tell you that there is no need to worry about my knowing your name, Adalyn. I am not here to control you, or to restrain you."

"I know how you have my name," replied Ada, glancing up at the ring as a candle flickered above her. "You have magic, like Min does. The wind told her my name before we met, and that's why we brought her to you. We thought the Stone Circle could protect her."

Edmere knitted his fingers together, his brow wrinkling up. "Min? That is the young child you came here with, I presume?"

"Yes, the Hounds attacked her. They attacked a whole group of people in a marketplace earlier today. We only just managed to get her away, but the Hounds burnt the place to the ground."

"Ah, yes." Edmere nodded sympathetically. "They destroyed the Este Lyceum. We did hear of their plans to do so. A very great tragedy that it came to pass, very great indeed. Of course, we shall do all we can to help the poor child."

"You knew the Hounds would burn it?" said Ada, aghast. "But then, why didn't you come to help? I saw the night sky the Stone Circle conjured, those dark clouds and stars you made down by the canal only a few days ago. It could've blinded the Hounds, or helped people to escape!"

Edmere waited patiently for Ada to finish, and only when silence fell again did he speak. "We can help your friend, but we cannot help those who have already suffered and perished. The deed is done, and magic can only do so much in the face of death. It is a sad event, truly, and one that will not be forgotten. I can assure you of that, at least."

"But you knew! You could have done something!" Ada repeated, growing angry now as Edmere continued to sit across from her, his pale eyes unblinking in the candlelight.

"Yes, we knew, but if we had done something, it would have posed a far greater threat to a far greater number of fae. The Stone Circle is not here to fight, Adalyn, it is here to survive. A growing number of the Circle dedicate their time to disturbances and reconnaissance, as you witnessed with their alchemical night sky, as well as their work to recover the Hounds' reports of magic in the city. But you must understand, that is not our purpose here.

"I am sure you know by now that many years ago there was a terrible massacre of this valley's faekind, in which those that were gifted with magic were hunted and killed by the one who now calls herself the Lady of Wysthaven. Few magical families were able to escape her tyranny. Those who were fortunate fled the city to become free folk of the valley, but those who were less so gathered here, beneath Wysthaven, where it was safe to practice their magic. Thusly was the Stone Circle was created. It is true that we grow stronger by the day, but each contact with the city above brings us closer to the very ruin that destroyed us before."

Ada sat in silence. This was not at all what she had expected of the Stone Circle. Solen had spoken of them like a legend from a fairytale, some fantastical power beyond belief. But buried beneath the earth and working by firelight was far from the magic Ada had pictured them to possess.

"Do not take this to mean that we are not pleased to welcome you here, Adalyn," Edmere continued, his voice's softness returning. "When I first heard of a Hound's report of an Agrestal dealing in the inner city, I hoped that it was you. The description of two women raised the likelihood somewhat, but the report of a young girl did pose quite the mystery. I surmise that it must be the child accompanying you now?"

Ada couldn't answer right away, for it felt as though her heart had fallen from her chest. She had been wrong before, when she had assumed that the Hound had only reported herself, Solen, and Diane. He had described Min to the Lady of Wysthaven, and perhaps that had been what had caused them to hunt her and Florentin down. Perhaps it was Ada who had laid the cracks that had eventually shattered Min's world.

"Yes," Ada said, quieter now. "Yes, that was Min. But she only gave me a flower for healing. She thought I was in danger. She's kind and good and they... they killed..."

Edmere nodded again, leaning forward over his desk. "The Stone Circle will help her, I promise you. The report of a child with magic was of large interest to us all, as magic outside of the Circle has become far less frequent over the years. It was a matter that we believe the Lady considered very closely also, entrusting the information with only her closest guard of Hounds, as well as the young Wolf, of course."

Ada's heart renewed its beating, fast and furious within her chest, though her words came out as a gasp. "Raeph knew they would burn down the lyceum?"

"I cannot say if he knew, though I do not doubt it due to his close workings with the Lady." Edmere watched Ada closely. "You are angry."

Ada's fingernails pricked into her palms. "He helped us escape," she reasoned. "He can't have..."

"Another's mind and motives can never be clearly divined. Though I understand that the sting may come twice as cruelly when the betrayal is from one that you trust."

"I don't trust him," Ada quickly replied.

Edmere watched her every movement. "Yet you defended him against Yue before descending into the Circle." Ada didn't answer, and so the old man continued, "All good people make a choice to be so. There is a light sprung from a candle burning within us all, and with each kindness, our flame glows ever brighter. But do not assume that there are those who cannot live without a candle; those who do not seek out the darkness."

Ada sat, simply staring at the pale eyes of the fae before her. The silence seemed impenetrable, but then there came a knock at the door. Ada flinched while Edmere straightened and called out, "Come in, Yue."

Yue entered, eyeing Ada as she passed before setting a large book down upon Edmere's desk. It was thick and straining against its bindings, as if more pages had been pasted between those already set within. Ribbons and markers stuck out from odd angles, though they looked flimsy beneath the book's cover, which was covered completely with gold leaf. The corners were protected by solid golden triangles, which Edmere used now to flip open the book.

"Thank you, Yue. You may go," Edmere said, as he began riffling through the book's faded pages.

"Yes, Master," replied Yue, and gave Ada a cold look before leaving the room once more.

"You must excuse the curiosities of an old man," Edmere said to Ada as he settled a long finger upon a page of elegantly scrawled script. "It is not my place to question your companionship, though I admit to finding your tale in Wysthaven most fascinating.

"But to go back to an earlier point, I should have told you that I cannot harness the wind to answer my queries. It is, in fact, a skill that is most sought after by those gifted with magic, but also rarely attainable. I myself know of only one who currently holds such a power, though I am most interested to see the abilities of your young friend."

"But then..." Ada felt a horrible sense of familiarity clinging to her mind. "How is it that you know my name?"

Edmere's finger finally stilled. There upon a yellowing page was a name, carefully inked though paled with age. Rosamund Kavanagh.

"Why, Adalyn, it was the Stone Circle who summoned you to Wysthaven."