The next morning Ravenna began her dangerous hunt for the truth. She left her guest chambers early while the rest of the royal court was still asleep. She wore a simple green dress that fit her role as a humble village healer. She kept her wild magic locked away tight beneath her disguise allowing her chestnut hair and hazel eyes to remain perfectly stable. She walked through the long stone corridors of Valerius until she reached the heavy wooden doors of the royal archives.
The archives were located deep beneath the main level of the castle. It was a massive circular room filled from floor to ceiling with ancient books and dusty scrolls. The air smelled of old parchment and dried ink. A few small windows near the very top of the walls let in narrow beams of pale morning light. The room was perfectly quiet.
Ravenna walked down the narrow aisles. She ran her fingers gently over the cracked leather spines of the old books. She did not need to open them to read their contents. She closed her eyes and let a tiny thread of her magic slip out from her fingertips. The invisible magic washed over the shelves like a gentle wave searching for the dark rotting signature of the blood curse.
Most of the books held only boring records of grain harvests and old tax laws. Ravenna moved deeper into the dark room. She reached the very back corner where the oldest texts were kept covered in thick layers of gray dust.
"You are up very early Lady Elara."
Ravenna gasped softly and spun around. King Draven stood in the shadows at the end of the aisle. He wore no armor today. He was dressed in a simple white linen shirt and dark leather trousers. The casual clothes highlighted the massive muscles of his chest and arms. Without his heavy silver crown and his broadsword he looked less like a fierce king and more like a rugged dangerous man.
"You frightened me Draven" Ravenna whispered placing a hand over her beating heart. "I did not hear you approach."
Draven stepped out of the shadows and walked slowly toward her. "A warrior learns how to walk without making a sound. It keeps you alive on the battlefield. Have you found anything useful in these dusty old books?"
Ravenna sighed and turned her attention back to the shelves. "Nothing yet. The books in the front are just financial records. I am searching the older texts now. The person who cast the curse on your family must have left some kind of trace behind. Dark magic always leaves a stain."
Draven stopped right beside her. The narrow aisle forced them to stand very close together. Ravenna could feel the intense body heat radiating off his solid frame. It was incredibly distracting. She tried to focus on the old books but her hazel eyes kept drifting up to the strong line of his jaw and the soft dark stubble covering his cheeks.
"My father did not allow magic in Valerius" Draven said in a low voice. He reached up and pulled a thick black book from the top shelf. He handed it to her. "He burned anyone suspected of practicing witchcraft. If someone cast a curse on my bloodline they did it in secret right under his nose."
Ravenna took the heavy book from his hands. Their fingers brushed together and the familiar warm spark of energy jumped between them. Draven did not pull away. He looked down at her with those intense stormy gray eyes. The heavy silence of the royal archives seemed to magnify the sound of their breathing.
Ravenna opened the black book to distract herself from his piercing gaze. She scanned the faded handwritten pages. "This is a journal. It belonged to your father's chief advisor. A man named Lord Malakor."
Draven frowned deeply. "I remember him. He was a cruel and bitter old man. He died mysteriously a few years before my father passed away. Why would his journal be hidden back here in the dark?"
Ravenna closed her eyes and pressed her bare palm flat against the open pages. She pushed a small pulse of her magic into the old paper. A sudden sharp pain shot up her arm. She gasped loudly and dropped the heavy book onto the stone floor.
Draven reacted instantly. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her his large hands gripping her tight. "Ravenna what is wrong?"
"The curse" Ravenna breathed out. She looked down at the black book lying in the dirt. "The rotting energy I felt in the walls yesterday is all over that book.
Lord Malakor was not just a royal advisor Draven. He was practicing dark blood magic. He is the one who poisoned your family tree."
Draven stared at the fallen book. Pure rage tightened the muscles in his jaw.
"Malakor was my father's most trusted friend. Why would he curse the royal bloodline he swore to protect?"
"Power" Ravenna answered simply. She leaned down and carefully picked up the book making sure not to use her magic again. "Dark magic feeds on greed. Perhaps he wanted the throne for his own family. If your father had no male heir the crown would pass to the lords of the court upon your death. Malakor likely planted the seeds of the curse to ensure your family died out."
Draven stepped closer to her his anger shifting into a fierce protective stance. "Malakor is dead but the curse is still active. How do we break it?"
"I need to read this journal carefully" Ravenna said holding the book tight against her chest. "He must have written down the exact details of the spell. If I can find out what kind of blood magic he used I can unravel it. But I must do it in secret. If anyone sees me with this book they will know I am not a simple village healer."
"Take it to your chambers" Draven commanded softly. He reached out and gently touched her cheek his rough thumb brushing across her soft skin. "I will keep the royal court distracted today. No one will bother you. Just promise me you will be careful."
Ravenna looked up into his eyes. His touch sent a wild fire rushing through her veins. The fierce king was showing her a tender side no one else was allowed to see. She nodded slowly her breath hitching in her throat.
"I promise Draven" Ravenna whispered.
Draven lingered for a moment longer. He looked at her soft lips as if debating whether to kiss her right there in the dusty shadows. He finally pulled his hand away taking a deep steadying breath. He turned and walked out of the archives leaving
Ravenna alone in the quiet room. Her heart pounded heavily against her ribs. She had found the source of the dark curse but she was quickly losing her own heart to the mortal king.