A Song of Silence

Chapter 79: A Discovery in the Dark

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I had one week to finish what I had started. The thinning deadline loomed closer to me and yet I was no closer to finding out where the Grand Assassin hid, nor a way out of breaking Azazel's heart and leaving the city. The last part was inevitable though, I knew that Azazel would never forgive me once he knew that I had killed his father. Nor would he care what we meant to each other. Anger and revenge would take over and I would be hunted until the ends of the earth by the man I had gone to love. I could only hope I took the Grand Assassin with me when I did go. That at least would be a slight mercy.

I awoke the next morning with a morose air about me. I was determined to find answers, to do anything to make myself forget the deadline that had been cut in half by my own foolishness. I had already informed Melanie that she would be taking over my role as Karasi's caretaker in a weeks time, or less depending on how things went. She was already preparing to leave her post as a servant and become Karasi's caretaker. No doubt Karasi would raise a fuss when she learned that I would leave, but with any luck I would be too far away to be found. Either was at the end of it she would loathe me for killing her King or hate me for leaving her alone in the palace without a goodbye.

Getting ready for the day, I pull my long hair into an intricate braid on my head and head out to meet Karasi at the library once more. Karasi and I had gone through many of the available book on the lower levels and we thought we would try some of the more indecipherable books on the higher levels. We weren't going to have much luck, they were indecipherable after all and knowledge could only get you so far, but it was worth a try. The books hardest to understand were often the ones that you most needed to read.

Karasi waited for me with a stack of worn, dusty books next to her. They would likely contain a cornucopia of maps and hidden information that I hadn't learned yet, or more likely they would be completely useless and I wouldn't be able to understand them one bit. My luck, it seemed, was as bad as I thought it was. The books were worn, dusty, and utterly impossible to understand. The few passages I could understand were full of gibberish and false teachings. Bah, useful indeed. Karasi on the other hand seemed to be engrossed in the time she was reading.

You can understand that gibberish? I sign to her after throwing my book at her to get her attention.

Karasi looks at me quizzically, "You can't?"

Obviously, I can't. I just threw my book at you. If that doesn't tell you if it's usefulness, I don't know what will.

"I can understand it perfectly. Right now, I'm reading the pedigree of the Alasandrel Royal family before they fell. It's quite interesting. I'm sure you'd enjoy your book if you picked it back up," She says.

I go to sneakily retort, but pause as her words filter in, Wait, wait, wait. You can actually understand that gibberish?

Karasi looks at me quizzically, "Yeah?" I stand and quickly go look over Karasi's shoulder. The book is in the same language as mine, but I can't understand a bit of the text in front of her.

Could it be a side effect of you being a seer? I sign at her.

"Wait, I thought you were being dramatic when you said you couldn't read it. You're telling me I can understand more of this than you." I nod at her and she giggles before saying, "Well that's a first."

You don't say. Reluctantly, I go and pick up my discarded book and continue to flip through its pages until I find something I can make sense of. Gibberish about stalagmites and stalactites and some cave networks in the Air Spires. Wait. Cave systems in the Air spires? My eyes zoom back to the pages I had been reading. The words were still as fuzzy as before, but I could understand enough of the passage to where I got the gist of it. Most of the cave systems in the air spires had been collapsed for peoples safety or had collapsed on their own. Coincidentally, the cave systems that had been reported to collapse on their own all surrounded the area that the Grand Assassin kept his base of operations at. The pattern was unmistakable.

I jumped out of my chair and threw my arms up in victory. Karasi cleared her throat and I looked back down at her to find her quizzically studying me. Sheepishly, I bring my arms back down to my sides and sign to her Sorry. Found a solution and got really excited.

"Really, What was your solution?" She asks, marking a page in her book and placing it down next to her.

I may just have found a reliable source that might lead us to the Grand Assassin. It's a long shot, but it's better than nothing at this point.

"You seem to be in a rush to find your piece of the prophecy? Any reason why?" She asks innocently. Damnit, I hate how perceptive she is. Of course she notices my rush to find my part of the prophecy, it's either that or I run out of time and have to leave the palace anyway.

I try to shrug noncommittally, Oh, I'm just trying to beat this prophecy, you know. The demise of Altreya doesn't really seem like something I'd want to wait to see what happens. My explanation seems to please her because she shrugs and returns to her book. I go to one of the older shelves and retrieve a map of Altreya. Most of the rivers and main cities are marked, so it only takes a little searching before I can pinpoint where exactly I should start searching for the caves. A bit of discreet searching would go unnoticed by the Grand Assasin, but that would only be if I disguised my search as something else. Giving food to the poor possibly?

Yeah, that would work. I doubt Azazel would mind if I gave food to the impoverished people in the Air Spires, and I could search the tunnels  at night for any sign of the Grand Assassin. I would have to be careful, though. If my father caught onto my activities, he would move his base of operations and then brutally retaliate against me. It was not something I wanted seeing as I knew many children would be killed in said retaliation. But if I did nothing, the children would die anyway. A sigh escapes me. What a mess.

Rolling up the map, I take out a smaller, more concealable piece of parchment and copy and he details I had discovered onto the map. If I got lost in the tunnels, the map would be an easy way to find my way back to my he surface before my absence was discovered. Additionally, I only had a week to search hundreds of miles of tunnels for signs of the Grand Assassin. If I didn't find him, well, I don't want to even think of what would happen then. Once the details from the larger map had been copied onto the small piece of parchment in my hand, I rolled up the bigger map and put it in its proper place.

Bidding goodbye to Karasi, I headed towards my rooms and changed into my assassin gear and a dark cloak one I got there. If I left now, I would be able to make it to my first destination by nightfall. From there it would just be a matter of finding the caves entrance, if it even had one anymore, and searching the cave. I would be losing much sleep over the next few days, but with any luck I would've able to return to the palace before my deadline with the High Queen. Hopefully. I sent a small note to Azazel saying, "Going on a little trip. I'll be safe. Be back soon." No boy t Azazel would be frustrated by the brevity of my note, but he couldn't exactly leave the palace again just after he had left. Heaving my pack over my shoulder, I kick open my window and jump onto the gardens below. Here we go.