The first book she grabbed was on Aether Fabrication. She knew there were other volumes on it outside the restricted section, but she was not interested in advertising the fact that she suddenly needed it.
She'd done it unintentionally when she shielded Elara from Solara and Velkaris. She had a feeling learning it would help her control and channel her gold magic.
She glanced around to make sure no one was watching.
Her heart was pounding anyway, like she was committing a crime. Which was ridiculous, because she was not doing anything wrong.
Well. Except for the unauthorized access to restricted texts. Minor detail.
Absolutely not worth the panic response her body was having.
She opened the book and read at alpha speed. Her eyes glowed gold. Pages turned in a blur.
Thirty seconds.
She looked up.
Still nothing. No shuffling. No clearing of throats.
The librarians always watched her. She glowed gold nearly every time she stepped into this place. The fact that there were none hovering today, and that she was standing alone in the restricted section without Hyran anywhere in sight, meant only one thing.
They were all very deliberately not watching.
That was actually helpful.
She grinned at the realization and shook her head.
The next item she pulled free was a scroll written in Draken-Vorah. A language she technically only ever spoke while in trance. But she had heard it and spoken it enough lately that she knew she would be able to get what she needed from the text.
Draken-Vorah also heavily overlapped with her ancestors' language, Glaciovox. The parallels between Drakenfell and where she originated from were uncanny.
She unrolled it carefully at first, re-rolling the bottom as she went, and then shifted into alpha speed.
About half way through, she found it. Sort of.
It was similar to the mark on her arm. A token-sized coin with a dragon on it and Draken-Vorah written around it in a circle. But where hers was lithe and coiled protectively inward, this one was broader through the chest, horns heavier, wings spread wide. The Draken-Vorah script curved in the opposite direction.
She stared at it for a long moment.
Two sides of the same coin. Literally.
She grinned.
Brotherhood of the Hidden Flame. It had been founded before the inception of Drakenfell. High blood dragon king descendants were born with the mark. If marked, you take a blood oath when you come of age and are sworn to secrecy. The mark will only reveal itself at certain times. There was no information on when or why.
She would find more later, but at least she had a name.
Yet again, she found another parallel between where she and Elara had originated and Drakenfell. Her curiosity on that subject was starting to gnaw at her, and she knew she would ask Hyran eventually.
She gently put the scroll back, far too pleased with her own detective skills.
Last book. Back to Aether Fabrication, but this time through the lens of fae magic.
She needed clarification on the differences between fae and mage magic. She suspected she lived somewhere inconveniently in between.
She climbed the ladder at alpha speed, grabbed the book, and climbed back down.
It was dusty.
This time she did not bother to look around. She knew the drill. She immediately started reading at alpha speed, pulling the information in like a download.
More things clicked in her mind. Epiphanies stacked. Threads connected.
Her brows furrowed as she finished.
She would need clarification on a few topics. But, the conclusion she'd drawn from this book was her magic was closer to fae than mage.
Hyran cleared his throat, cutting into her thoughts.
Serena screamed, jumped, and dropped the book.
Mage-librarians on every level shushed her in unison, like a possessed flock of offended geese.
Her hand flew to her chest, her heart pounding like she had just been caught trying to hide the body of an elder she murdered behind a tapestry.
Hyran stood there with a smirk already in place.
"First this," he said mildly, "and next thing you know you will be robbing a bank."
She let out a laugh despite herself, the sound a little breathless as her heart finally started to slow.
"Your alpha speed reading is terrifying the mage librarians," he added, entirely unbothered. "They are afraid you will damage the books."
"I was very careful," Serena said earnestly. "Nothing was damaged, so they need not worry."
"I see that," he said, glancing pointedly at the book she had just dropped.
She bent to pick it up. "Right then. It was good seeing you, Hyran."
She turned immediately. She needed to get to the underground chamber, and she needed to do it quickly.
The moment she was out of his sight, she moved at alpha speed, heading straight for it.
✦✦✦
She entered the underground chamber and walked quickly toward the lake.
"Fae and mage Aether Fabrication," she said to herself, grinning at her own boldness. "I have read the instructions. Mostly."
She held out her hand. Nothing happened at first.
Then, gold shot from her palm.
It spilled across the surface of the lake and solidified, forming stepping stones in pure gold magic.
She looked at her hand, then back at the stones, pride flickering across her face.
She was entirely too pleased with herself when Hyran's voice cut through the chamber.
She jumped and screamed again, her heart hammering in her chest.
"Advanced Aether Fabrication," Hyran said, folding his arms and eyeing the golden path like it had personally offended him. "A discipline that takes most years of structured training to manage. And you expect me to believe you accomplished it because you skimmed a book."
Serena's face flushed. "I read two books on it. Fae and mage form. But, I have not had training on it."
"And you expect me to believe that," he said lightly, the grin curling in with unmistakable amusement.
"Yes," she said, holding his gaze. There was a thread of irritation there now. She did not enjoy her progress being stalled.
He studied her for a long moment, eyes sharp and calculating.
"Fine," Hyran said at last. "You are fortunate that I do believe you. No other mage would. So I suggest you refrain from doing that in front of witnesses unless you enjoy uncomfortable questions about your upbringing."
"Noted," she said.
She moved across the stepping stones. To her surprise, Hyran was behind her.
They made their way to the crystal basin.
She looked down at her hand and focused. A dagger formed, vibrating into existence, forged of pure gold magic.
She grinned despite herself. It had been easier that time.
Hyran was watching her, his lips twitching. She caught it and immediately schooled her expression.
"We will both have to bleed," she said. "And if you want to hear them, you have to touch me."
She did not know how she knew that. She just did.
She sliced her palm and let her blood drip into the basin.
To her surprise, Hyran reached out, took the magic fabricated dagger, and cut his own hand with it. He flickered a look of mild, reluctant approval when he felt the blade bite, then smothered it just as quickly.
He placed his hand on her shoulder.
The flame roared gold.
Born of the Moon Goddess, carved in flame,
You bear the Dragon Prince's mark, his claim.
This token grants what you now seek.
The First Dragon King's Blade you keep.
Return with King, Prince, and Mage.
Fate's design shall now engage.
In the golden flame, a talisman appeared, suspended on a fine gold chain.
Serena forced herself to not look excited. She reached out and took it.
The second her fingers touched it, a pedestal rose from the ground.
Resting atop the pedestal was a sword, fully sheathed. The hilt was gold, warm to the eye, set with a ruby at its pommel. The upper edge of the blade itself looked golden as well, though she could not be certain while it remained sheathed.
Her chest tightened with something bright and earnest. She had known coming here would help Dex. She just had not known how until now.
She was excited to give this to him. He had given her so much already, and she had not yet been able to give him anything in return.
Serena stepped forward and wrapped her hand around the hilt, lifting the blade from the pedestal with care.
"Alright. I am impressed," Hyran said. "Do not let it go to your head."
Serena looked up and caught his expression. He was grinning now, sharp and delighted, like a scholar who had just stumbled onto the greatest academic thrill of his life.
"Thank you, Hyran," she said, laughing. "You are not easily impressed, so I will take the win."
She made her way back across the golden stones, Hyran following behind her. The moment they both reached the shore, she blinked at the stones.
Had she been holding those the entire time without realizing?
"If you do not focus on releasing it," Hyran said calmly, answering the thought she had not voiced, "it will maintain itself for an extended period."
She nodded once.
Good to know.
They made their way back up the stone stairs, and Serena walked into the center of the library with the sword in one hand and the token in the other.
The mage librarians very deliberately pretended not to watch. She caught more than a few of them looking anyway, only to snap their gazes away when they realized she had noticed.
They were curious about the sword and the token. There was no question about that.
She smiled mischievously and shook her head once. She would absolutely tell them and let them inspect both items if they asked.
She moved to the spot on the floor where the dent had been in her dream.
But it was smooth.
No dent.