Chapter 40
Lord Raine made no mention of the little red book, or the secrets it contained. I assumed that Neeve had made some kind of excuse and claimed she’d found it herself, as the king’s manner toward me remained unchanged. Although the thought rankled, I let the matter lie.
Neeve kept herself aloof, and I told myself I didn’t care. I didn’t want to be friends, anyway, not after she’d taken the book—the one thing that could have unlocked the power I’d always craved. Winter bled into spring, and I stubbornly continued my reading of the Studie, spending long hours with the archaic text.
A picture of the Dark Elves’ world slowly took shape in my mind: the star-strewn sky, the intricate customs of the courts, the strange flora and fauna of Elfhame. And, of course, the wonder of their ma
