Chapter 114 - The Golden Book

Evanna instantly slid away from the prince and walked towards a golden book in the centre of the room floating in the air, twirling in a circle, almost with a sign shouting 'read me!'. She reached her hand out and snatched it away after hearing Arawn chuckle from behind her.

"* It did not take the library long to present itself to you the book that you require.. *" He murmured. Evanna looked at him in confusion. That she required?

"* So this library has spells set on it? *" Evanna enquired, watching the prince step forwards and slowly bring his hand towards the book. Her eyes widened as she watched his hand go through the object in the air. "*What..*" She trailed off, unsure of what to ask. Why did his hand go through the book? Was it another gift of his?

"* This book is meant for you. As you said, the library has a spell upon it. I can touch the book after, but until the rightful owner receives it, it will stay there floating, *" Arawn explained as he watched Evanna's beaming face at such magic. 

"* What if I left without touching it? *" She asked as her feet automatically started taking her closer to the book, almost like a string was attached between the book and her, pulling her towards it. 

"* Then it will simply vanish and reappear the next time you return. You can touch it. It is meant for you, *" Arawn replied with a smile in his voice. She glanced at him and saw how much his face was brighter from talking about such things. Maybe he was relaxed because there was nobody else in the library besides them and the elderly elf roaming the trees above them. 

Evanna smiled and reached out for the book, "I do not know what book I am searching for, yet this library knows more than me," She muttered as her fingers wrapped around the edges of the relatively large book. She gasped as the weight of it fell onto her hands, almost immediately bringing the book to her chest. 

It was heavy because the beautiful golden book was made out of gold and blue jewels on the front. Evanna's finger slid down the side of the pages, her eye looking at it in awe as the paper shimmered with artwork going down the side of it. 

"Come, let us use the floor above where it is more secluded, though nobody else is allowed to enter unless I remove the spell on the doors," Arawn smiled down at her. He led her to the library's second storey into a little lounge area with a balcony that overlooked the rest of the room, with the view of the higher parts of the white trees. 

Arawn gestured a desk for Evanna to sit at, and as she sat down, he pulled another chair next to her. She could almost see him itching to open the book, his leg was shaking, and his eyes alight like an excited child. Evanna could not help but smile at him. Who was this man, and what did he do to the cold-hearted prince? Was he like this because he was sharing a part of his world with her? 

She shook her head at her thoughts, looking back down at the book now placed on the desk in front of them. "*Open the book, *" Arawn said calmly, though she could see the intrigue on his face. 

Evanna clasped at the edges of the book and pulled back the cover, it magically snapped open, and the pages flipped through rapidly until it stopped onto a blank page. Evanna frowned and looked at Arawn, but his gaze was still fixated on the book, so her attention returned to it. She sucked in a breath as shimmering green writing was being drawn on the page as though some invisible person was writing it. At the same time, one side of the page revealed the same shimmering ink in swirls of patterns and drawn flowers going up the side of it.

A title was being scribbled onto the top of the page. 

The title of the page read: The Gift Of Ilerium

Evanna glanced at Arawn, whose face went blank, and he stared at her. "* You have the gift of Ilerium..*" He whispered, staring at her like she held some crazy power. "* That's.. rare..*" He muttered an octave lower, but Evanna still picked up on his words. 

She parted her lips to question further, but the book was scribbling more, providing information about the gift, how to use it, and where to start. It was a gift to do with controlling the trees and flowers. But at the bottom of the page, it also had a warning about the side effects of using the greater powers of the gift.

Evanna scanned the page and read the warning aloud, "*If the scale of concession is not in balance, then the scales will viciously weigh down until the powers of life are equal once more.*" 

"What does that mean? The scales.." Evanna trailed off, and she remembered the dream she had in her feverish state. Evanna had been standing in the bathtub again in the prince's chambers, the black sticky substance stopping her from reaching the glowing tree that darkened, its leaves dying and falling as a crack formed in the middle of it. But once she touched it and felt a life force flow through her, the tree came back to life. 

"*I would suggest not trying the greater powers. It will take much of your energy, and without training, you could die..*" Arawn spoke to her sternly, his gaze unwavering from hers, making sure she understood the consequences if she tried these greater powers. "*Make sure you can run before you fly.*"

Evanna stared back at Arawn, utterly unaware of how close they actually were. She was so consumed by her thoughts and the book that she did not take note of their heads almost touching as they looked down at the page. Her finger trailed across the patterns on the page, and she halted instantly when everything vanished. She stilled and gaped at the book and looked at Arawn in panic, "* I didn't mean to! I-*"

His hand stroked the side of her face, "* It is okay. It means you have another gift..* He smiled, but she could see the surprise on his face. Another gift? How could that be? She was only part elf.. 

Black ink formed on the page, the sound of scratching once more filling the quiet space. Evanna watched as black splotches and swirling patterns in the black ink crawled up the page. For some reason, it made a shiver go down her spine, and goosebumps brush across her skin. 

The title of the page read: The Gift Of Malawai 

As the first sentence began scribbling onto the page, Evanna glanced at Arawn, who stilled and looked back at her with a burning, questioning gaze. She parted her lips to ask what Malawai was, but a loud bang suddenly echoed through the library, making the pair jump. Arawn stood up and walked towards the balcony as the princess looked back down at the book. 

But the writing slowly seeped into the paper and disappeared. "No, what.." Evanna began, but the book shut itself and suddenly vanished. Her eyes widened, and she stood up, spinning around then reaching forwards as though it might appear again. She looked up at Arawn, who turned to look at her, his face once again impassive; he motioned her to come forwards.

"The book will reappear when you need it-"

"I need it now!? What is the gift Malawai?" She asked impatiently. 

Arawn's eyes widened, and he glanced around. "Do not speak of what gifts you have. I do not know what the second one is. For now, I need to speak with Garrett. Will you be okay here?" He asked, his voice cool once more. 

Evanna narrowed her eyes subtly but placed a smile on her face, "Of course, your highness. I am surrounded by such books. I am sure there is much for me to learn.." She replied sharply. 

Arawn tilted his head to the side, she could see him trying to read her expression, but he sighed and turned towards the stairs. Evanna watched him, her smile dropping and her composure still intact. It seemed she was becoming far too comfortable with the prince. Usually, she could reply politely without her emotions reflecting in her voice. But just now, she revealed her annoyance clearly in her voice, though her face composed. 

Why didn't the prince want to tell her what Malawai was? Was this gift bad? 

She could tell he knew what it was by the way he had looked at her. By how his gaze burned into hers with a million questions. Why did he look at her like that? It made her anxious.