"There's a way to save her. There's always been a way. We just didn't know where to look."
The library smelled like dust and desperation.
I stood in the center of it, surrounded by books I'd never read, scrolls I'd never touched, knowledge that had been buried for centuries. The fire in my chest was quieter now, like it was waiting. Like it knew something I didn't.
Mira's voice echoed from somewhere in the stacks. "Varen, come look at this. Now."
I heard footsteps, heard books thudding to the floor, heard Varen's sharp intake of breath. Then they both emerged from the shadows, their faces pale and gleaming with something I hadn't seen in weeks.
Hope.
"Your Highness." Mira's hands were shaking as she held out a scroll, its edges crumbling with age. "You need to see this."
"What is it
