"You know you could ask me for whatever it is that you are searching for?"

  The gentle voice broke Dyani from her focus, causing her to fumble with the ancient scroll in her hands. There was a chuckle and the scroll floated up before it could crash to the floor. It swayed in the air as it was placed on an old study table. Dyani turned to greet the Goddess.

  "I know, but sometimes the thrill of the hunt overrides my desire to ask for help."

  "Very well then, at your pleasure." The Goddess twirled away, the low rattling of the chains hitting the floor the only sound being made as she strolled from the room.

  "No one says that anymore!" Dyani called after the white-haired Goddess. The woman raised a hand over her shoulder just before she disappeared. Dyani shook her head and gazed over the scroll once more.

  "Where is it..." she trailed off. "I need this for my paper."

  Dyani rubbed the bridge of her nose and sat down at the table. She had scoured all through the scrolls, but something needed to be found. Stretching out, Dyani felt the pops in her back as her feet kicked out. The scrolls piled around her and yet there was nothing to be found. How was she to write about the Siege of the Elves, falsities or not, if there was no reference? Where had they come up with this event if there was nothing to base it on?

  Her head thunked against the table and she groaned in frustration.

  "Are you sure that you do not want my help?"

  Dyani turned to look at her, leaning against the doorframe of the study. The Goddess looked at the woman and came back into the room to sit across from her.

  "If you are going to use my library, at least tell me what you are looking for?"

  "If I have to learn all this material, at least I can study in my sleep. Might as well take advantage of it instead of using waking hours."

  The Goddess gave her a hard stare, "I would prefer company at times, you know."

  "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just so frustrated with this research for one of the classes that I am taking."

  "Then let us see if there is anything I can help you with. It may not be in the scrolls."

  Dyani sat back and gave her a stare, "If it is in a book, I would be very surprised. I'm supposed to look at an event that supposedly happened during the Great Divide."

  White eyebrows rose, "Oh really? What is the purpose of studying during that time? I thought you would have moved past that onto newer times."

  "History class. We are learning about the supposed Siege of Elves."

  "Siege of Elves? What in Magic's name is that?"

  "Did you just curse with your own name?" Dyani asked. A dismissive wave was her answer.

  "Ignore that. Tell me about this Siege of Elves. I have not heard of it."

  Dyani stared at the Goddess, who had been one of the key figures of the Great Divide. If this deity did not know the event, how could she learn enough to get a short paper out of it? Dyani growled. She was going to throttle Britt the next time that she saw him. 'Keep the two separate,' he said. How was she supposed to do such a thing when even the Goddess of Magic could not tell her about it?

  "It was an event that took place during the Great Divide. In our History class, the teacher spoke of the Americas being one of the few remaining out of the conflict. It changed when the Siege of the Elves occurred and the Americas were thrown into the midst of the battles. It was the catalyst for their joining. Except that I cannot find a reference to this Siege anywhere."

  The Goddess frowned in thought for a moment, "Is this Siege an event that you believe to be accurate?"

  Dyani shook her head, "No. Not at all. I cannot find a reference to it anywhere but in books that are under three hundred years old. Anything older and they paint a different story. The issue is that books over two hundred years old have been removed from Dalition's library unless they are world-renowned and kept under lock and key.

  "Hm," she paced back and forth in front of the table. "The issue is that this library is a storage of all information pertaining to the magical world. Everything written goes here. If you cannot find accounts of the event, it is most likely untrue. I have modern books in a different part of the library. Would you like to look at them?"

  Dyani stood up and carefully gathered the scrolls into her arms, "Maybe some other time. I've spent a long time here and have encroached on your space as it is."

  "I prefer the company, even if that means tracking you down through the shelves. At least it is being used."

  The scrolls were placed on a cart that would return them to their original spots. After disappearing when activating a return ward, Dyani turned to the Goddess.

  "I cannot thank you enough for your help and for giving me space."

  "You did agree to help me with my problem. I should think it is only fair that you get some form of compensation in the meantime," she responded. "You might want to wake up."

  Dyani turned to look at the Goddess, "Excuse me?"

  "You might want to--"

  "Wake up!"

  Dyani screamed as Kavan slammed his hands down next to her head. The others in the group were laughing their heads off.

  "Goddess, Kavan. What the hell was that for?"

  He chuckled, "You were dozing off again."

  "Excuse you! I happened to be doing very valuable research," Dyani snarked.

  "With the back of your eyelids?" Mari quipped as she sat down, tossing her bag onto the table. The others took their places at the table and took out their materials.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Sure. You try finding information on a damned event that doesn't exist. Then you tell me not to be frustrated."

  The others looked at her in confusion. It was Caleb who asked the question, "What do you mean, doesn't exist?"

  Dyani eyed them. She pushed over the books and her notes, allowing the group to study them.

  "I cannot find a single mention of the Siege of Elves anywhere in these books."

  She watched their expressions closely, waiting to see how they would respond. Caleb and Jorge shook their heads with a smile while Noemi and Mari pulled out their history books. It was Kavan's reaction that had Dyani curious. His eyes did not move from her face and he had not looked at the books or the start of her essay. It was Noemi who held out her book for Dyani to take. Breaking eye contact, though she could feel his gaze, she looked down at the text. There it was—the Siege of Elves.

  "Noemi?"

  "Hm," the girl in question looked up from her writing.

  Dyani waved the book, "How old is this version?"

  "It's the most recent revision. It has some new history in it revealed from a recent discovery."

  Dyani frowned and returned the book to the girl, "That's not good enough. Thank you, though."

  "Not good enough," Jorge asked. "It's considered to be the best resource to date. It's a compilation of all the Americas history. In fact, Noemi? Isn't that the self-updating version?"

  Mari rolled her eyes and made a face at Dyani, who smothered a snicker of amusement. Noemi perked up and grinned at the boy.

  "Of course! I wanted to make sure that I had the most up-to-date information for my research."

  Mari snorted, "Of course, you would buy a self-updating compendium of the driest material."

  Noemi punched her in the shoulder, "Excuse you, it's fascinating."

  "For history weirdos like you, sure!" Mari teased.

  "Wait. What about the older books? I need help finding a mention of the Siege before the sixteen hundreds. It's frustrating."

  The group stopped to stare at her in confusion before Caleb laughed, "Oh! You haven't been told. I didn't realize that you weren't aware of it yet."

  The rest of the group made a noise of understanding. It was Caleb who elaborated for her. Kavan watched with a wary expression.

  "It's rather simple why there is no mention. There was a curse on speaking about the Siege until it broke back during the sixteen hundreds. This is due to researchers finding old sites from the Elves that were marked with rituals of silence. It was after the destruction of the ritual sites that the knowledge could be taught."

  Dyani stared at them with horror and disbelief, "Are you serious?"

  The others were pulled up from their studies to look at her in confusion, "What?"

  "Are you serious or are you joking with me right now? I really appreciate it if you would not feed me false information when I've been searching nonstop all day."

  The group exchanged confused looks with one another.

  "What do you mean, Dyani? Caleb told you the truth. It's a well-known fact about the Great Divide." Jorge questioned.

  "That's the biggest bullshit lie I have ever been told."

  Jorge looked stunned and the others grew just as offended.

  "What is your problem, Dyani? Why are you accusing us of lying? We would have no reason to do so."

  "You're telling me the truth? Promise?"

  Mari looked at her with the most offended and hurt expression. Dyani winced and muttered an apology.

  "You have to understand that this is something that sounds more like a cover-up than the historical truth. Many governments are known to cover up knowledge or create things to achieve their political game."

  Kavan's expression changed instantly, and stood up, "Come with me. I'll show her some other material about the curse and the Siege. I'm sure she's just missed the section since it's not usually listed under the history section."

  "Thanks, Kavan."

  "I'm sorry, Jorge. I didn't mean to accuse you or offend you. This is so new and I never knew that it was possible."

  Jorge smiled and the others laughed, "We told you, Dyani, that we didn't expect you to know everything. Just be careful with accusations, yeah? Don't worry about it. Go get your resources to stop stressing over the stupid essay."

  They returned to their work while Kavan grabbed her elbow to guide her. His grip was tight, and one dark look silenced her of protests. When they turned down a corridor leading to the archives, Kavan slammed her against the wooden paneling.

  "Do you have a death wish?"

  His arm braced up against her neck and his eyes darkened with fury. Instead of his beautiful indigo eyes, the pupil was changed to a slitted shape and the color darkened to black. Around him, his magic gained a deadly twist to its everyday feel. Dyani grappled at the arm, trying to catch her breath as panic set in.

  "You risk yourself and everyone else with your questions. Have you lost your mind?"

  "What are you talking about," she rasped. "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "The lies! The need for knowledge before a certain time. Your questions and skepticism will draw attention to you. The very kind that you do not want to draw."

  Dyani grimaced as the pressure on her neck increased before he shoved off, not before slamming a hand next to her head.

  "You risk our lives and that of those you are not even aware of. Do you understand when I say you must keep your mouth shut?"

  Dyani frowned and rubbed her sore neck. Kavan turned back to her and his eyes bled into the ones that she was familiar with.

  "You truly do not know. You've been ignorant?"

  She rolled her eyes, "If I had an inclination as to what you are talking about, I would have kept my mouth shut."

  He ran a hand through his hair as he growled in frustration. Kavan stalked back and forth before her, rubbing his jaw in thought. He stopped after a moment and turned back to her. Dyani stepped back to the wall, bracing herself for being ambushed again. His eyes softened and he held out his hand.

  "I'm sorry, Dyani. You have to know that I am thinking of the lives that get put into danger when things are being spoken about."

  "I could have done without the bruising, but I understand being defensive of those you love. I would prefer an explanation to prevent further inquiries - or bruises."

  Kavan narrowed his eyes for a moment. The muscles in his jaw flexed and he snarled with a punch to the wall. "I'll speak with Britt about this. Just hold your tongue until he approaches you about it."

  Dyani placed a gentle hand on his arm to catch his attention.

  "Is this about the Light and the Dark factions?"

  Kavan's eyes changed briefly and he slapped a hand over her mouth. Backing her up against the wall, gentler this time, he leaned in close.

  "That's precisely what you need to shut your mouth about. The ignorance of the Siege is one thing. You're used to the nonmagical history and the well-known habit of changing it to suit, but the magical humans are not. They are told what they believe and that is the end of it. You'll keep silent if you want to keep your head and memories."

  The half-human stepped back and sighed, rubbing his jaw. She wondered if that was one of his habits when he was stressed. Dyani shook the stray thought away before nodding.

  "I'll wait for him to speak to me about it."

  "Good. Now take this book," Kavan summoned a book to his hand and glamoured it. It was an introductory book for all intents and purposes, "Now go back and claim to be stupid and ignorant due to your nonmagical background. Make sure to make that a point that you're used to lying nonmagical governments changing history and you're glad that ours is working to ensure that history is being recorded after so long being suppressed."

  "You're asking me to be stupid!?" Dyani gaped.

  "That's exactly what I am asking you to do."

  Kavan strolled away to the group and Dyani stared at the glamoured book in her hand. She could see the shimmering magic over the cover and wondered if her sight or knowledge allowed her to see the distortion. With a shrug, Dyani slapped on a happy face and skipped back to the table. Kavan was joking with the others, who had started a debate between each other. Dyani slapped the book down with a triumphant declaration. She could see the dark glint of danger in Kavan's posture out of the corner of her eye. It was brief but he eased into his natural composure.

  It was quite a display that Dyani put on, even if it meant fielding questions from those outside their group about the corruption of the nonmagical governments. It was tedious, but the nod Kavan gave her had Dyani sighing in relief that she had covered her tracks well enough. It was a silent and academic group that did not notice the shimmering of a figure that stood close to their group. Groups walked by the figure without a glance and it was a brief look of confusion from Dyani that had the person moving.

  Dyani blinked to clear her vision, chalking up the distortion as a lack of sleep. Returning to her work, Dyani did not notice Kavan's watchful gaze on the back of the Headmistress as she left the vicinity. He sneered when the woman's magic dissipated. Dark eyes watched the room and observed the others, listening to the conversation with half an ear. Dyani would glance up at him now and then, her curiosity teeming. The rest of the evening was spent with heads bent over their respective assignments and light jabs thrown at Dyani for being ignorant despite being intelligent. She took it in stride and would snark back at them with her own quip.