Page 102 of Librarian

“I’m trying,” he retorts, glancing up from his grimoire. “I’m fecking trying. But we never expected it to be this busy. Do you even know how many wards are on this cell alone? Even Kyrith would struggle to break them. Five minutes is not enough time!”

“The only thing I need from you, Galileo, is a numbing spell, if you please.” Benny coughs. “Though I have no doubt my daughter intends to drain me to death rather than performing a true magical overload, I’d rather not endure the pain of either outcome.”

Leo is already flicking through the book again. Obeying. Letting this happen.

No. Fuck,no.

My mind is racing. Okay, so breaking him out of here might be out of the question, but… “What about the execution? Can we mess with it? The three of us could cause some mayhem?—”

“I can assure you, I’ve thought this through,” my grandfather continues. “This prison is well guarded and better warded than anywhere else in the country. Isidora has packed headquarters with her favourites. Most of my allies have been sent away, and I won’t let those who remain throw their lives away for my sake.” He softens, coughing again. “Come here.”

My feet carry me forward without my permission, and I crouch beside him.

“You are the best of me,” he says, reaching his bound hands up to wipe an errant tear from my cheek. “You’ve endured the consequences of my mistakes for so long. Of all the things I’ve done, that’s the one I’ll never forgive myself for.” He coughs again, this one wetter, staining his lips red. “I’m asking you to do one last thing for me: get out of here and live.”

I can’t even speak. All I can do is shake my head over and over, as if my denial will stop what he’s saying.

“Live. Make friends. Enjoy your life. Once Mathias is dead, you’ll have so much time. Treasure it.”

Leo kneels by my side, offering my grandfather his free hand. “I have the spell.”

Benny’s smile is thin but genuine. “Thank you.”

The casting is quiet, but the way his shoulders ease once it’s done is enough to make me weirdly grateful.

“I love you,” Benny tells me. “I don’t say it enough. No one does, really. Now please, Pierce. Follow Blanche out of here and don’t look back.”

My lips mime those three words back at him, but I can’t breathe. The noose around my throat is too tight.

This is all happening too fast. It doesn’t feel real, like it’s happening to someone else.

White noise fills my ears as the door swings open behind me. The harsh light of the fluorescents in the hallway beyond flood the cell. Benny’s eyes water in the sudden brightness.

Then that sergeant is back, blocking the glare with her shadow. “Five minutes are up,” she says. “They’re coming for you now.”

She aims the last at Benny, who nods once. “Keep him safe.”

Lambert’s hand lands on my shoulder, pulling me away.

We’re out in the corridor before I can process really getting there. More aegis stream past us, heading for his cell.

Benny cries out—faked. It must be fake. He was numb. Leo said he?—

I turn, but there are too many people between me and him now. The hallway is more packed than it was earlier. Other enforcement officers join us at the exit, giving Blanche little nods.

More of Benny’s people.

We cross the threshold. Someone—I think it’s Leo—grips my arm and forces me to turn right.

My feet stop moving.

“Pierce, man…” Lambert trails off like he’s not sure what to say. “We’re with you, whatever you decide, but he’s right. It’s suicide.”

“It’s not just us,” Leo reminds me. “If Mathias gets his hands on us, he gets his hands on Kyrith. You know the risks. That’s exactly why Benny?—”

They’re escorting him past us now. His smaller, grey-tracksuit-clad form is easily visible between the squad of eight aegis agents surrounding him. He catches my eye, offers me a final, resolute little smile and a wink.

Eight isn’t too many.