This is definitely not what I was expecting when I made the choice to join the Race. I thought it would be fame, glory, and most importantly, a way to keep my family alive. Now there's people telling me that:

     - there's an exiled Hunter who's been seventeen for thirty-two years and somehow knew Katie's dad

     - he got a prophecy that said Katie and I have to help him

     - there's a witch in the King's Forest

     - said witch wants to kill said Hunter because the Hunter stole the Vial

     - somehow the faery factors in there somewhere

     - the prophecy says we could save or kill the kingdom (which seems like a lot of pressure)

     - this is all a secret and we all might die and what???

     Confused yet? Me too.

     "Come on," Katie groans, trying to pull me away from the table. "We have work to do, remember?"

     I roll my eyes and shove another piece of bread into my mouth, but stand up and follow her out of the room like a puppy. She beelines for the library - which is impressive because we've been here for less than twelve hours and she knows where it is already - and pushes the large polished wood doors open.

     The library is a massive space, bigger than the dining hall and with a tall, sloped ceiling that makes the room look even bigger than it really is. Every wall is lined with shelves; every shelf is stuffed with books. Everything is spotless, no dust to be found, but there's a stillness to the room that makes it feel as if it hasn't been touched in years.

     "Woah," Katie whispers reverently. Of course she would love this - she was clearly booksmart, a quality that only made her more endearing. Stop it Jamie, focus. You're here to research, not flirt.

     Rheid pops out from behind a shelf, causing me and Katie to jump and nearly impale each other on our weapons.

     "You need to stop doing that," Katie reprimands.

     "What would happen if I accidentally gutted you?" I add.

     "It might not be an accident," Katie mutters, causing me to snort and then cover it up with a cough.

     Rheid shoots her a poisonous look and taps his chest menacingly. Right. He has magic.

     Katie holds up her hands and then turns her head to look at the library again. I don't like reading much, but this place is a bookworm's dream. Tall wooden shelves - clearly old, but shiny with resin and neatly removed of dust - are pressed up against the walls and in lines through the room, like soldiers standing attentively in rows. Books with bright, jewel-toned spines are placed in neat lines on the shelves, in an order that wouldn't make sense to me but probably is perfectly clear to Katie.

     She reaches out to run her fingers along the spines of the books nearest to us, breathing in the musty air, whose scent I can only identify as book, and letting out a relieved sigh. Rheid watches her, an eyebrow raised, as an expression flickers across his shadowed face. His eyes trace her movements, both seeing her and not, like he's watching a scene that happened years ago. Like he's lost in the past.

     As much as I hate to break either of them out of their little dazes, we need to get a move on if we want to make it into the Hunt. Rheid had said that he'd show us a map of the Forest (and, by extension, the area where the Race is held) and discuss tactics to finish the Race without "dying" or getting beat by the veterans.

     I clap my hands once, the sound echoing through the silent room. Oops. But it does the trick, since both Rheid and Katie turn to look at me. "Sorry," I apologize, "but I lost both of you for a second, and we kind of need to get things done instead of touching books-" This part is directed at Katie, "or staring at people." That one was aimed at Rheid. He flushes, then promptly spins around and walks around the shelf, disappearing from view.

     A moment later, his hand appears around the edge, beckoning impatiently. "Are you guys coming?"

     "No," Katie shoots back sarcastically, but she follows him, and I quickly hurry after them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

SPECIAL UPDATE BC (DRUMROLL PLS) IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!! (so don't get used to tuesday updates, sorry)

Written January 27 and February 1, 2024

Word count: 721

{ngl i feel bad for rheid every time i write a scene like this...maybe one day i'll write a prequel-esque thing that is focused on rheid & brian and their first hunts / races? would anyone want to read that?}