Chapter 15: The Strange Book
>>Aelin
When I unlocked the door and pulled it open, the silence outside was almost louder than the banging had been. The hallway was empty, a yawning stretch of cold stone bathed in flickering light from the sconces on the walls.
No one was there.
My gaze fell to the door, now nearly unrecognizable. Deep claw marks gouged the metal, jagged and sharp as though an animal—or something worse—had torn into it with unrestrained force. The edges of the frame were warped, scorched by what must have been a blast of magic. The heat had melted parts of the door, leaving it sagging and brittle, as if just one more hit would have shattered it completely.
I stepped back, my heart pounding against the emptiness I’d felt only moments ago. My mind raced. Why would Draegon cause such destruction just to reach me? What did he want from me?
That’s when I saw it.
Right from the corner of my eyes, on the ground, just at the threshold, something small and familiar gleamed faintly in the dim light. I paused, then turned my head to look at it.
!!!
I knelt down, my hands trembling as I picked it up.
A bracelet. The wooden beaded surface was unmistakable, it was the bracelet I had given Draegon before he left for the war.
I stared at it, the cool wooden beads resting in my palm, my thoughts a whirlwind of confusion. Why? Why would he come here? Why now? After everything, after the distance, after the silence... why would he try to stop me now?