Page 111 of Librarian

Leo and I make it to the portal, but before we can pass through, a shadow fills the frame.

What the fuck is she doing?

I reach out, but Kyrith brushes me off, completely unaffected by the fire. Her lips press together in sympathy as she strides through the flames like they’re nothing, grimoire floating softly at her side. Jesus. I almost had a heart attack when she walked into the burning room, but it’s clear she’s got this. Bit by bit, she extinguishes the chaos around us with murmured spells.

By the time she reaches the man at the centre of it all, everything is back to how it was when we left. Photographs straighten themselves on the walls. The floral pattern on the sofa doesn’t have so much as a soot stain.

Behind him, the TV turns back on. The screen is consumed by a blown-up image of Benny on his knees, his face contorted inagony as Isidora grips both of his bound hands. Blinding white light pours from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Magical overload.

An execution reserved for necromancers.

Along the bottom of the screen, the news ribbon announces that the execution was at seven this morning.

Shit. No wonder Pierce lost it. They tried to rescue his grandfather, but something must’ve gone wrong. Now it’s being blasted all over the media.

The closer Kyrith gets, the more his flames retreat. They flicker along his shoulders, in his hair. Then they’re gone. Smoke wafts from his body as he stares at her, his shoulders heaving like he can’t get any air. His eyes are red rimmed, jaw trembling.

Fuck. I’m not sure he’d want any of us to see him looking so lost, but when she reaches for him, he breaks. There’s a thump as his grimoire drops to the floor, and then he follows, his knees slamming into the hideous carpet. Kyrith crouches beside him, wrapping him in a hug.

“She killed him,” he mutters, over and over on shallow, hiccoughing breaths. “She killed him. She killed him.” His voice cracks. “I couldn’t move. He’s…gone.”

I don’t hear Kyrith’s response.

Lambert drops his stone spell and heads straight for us, strong-arming his brother and Jasper through the door.

“C’mon, bro. He doesn’t want us to see this.”

He’s right. I busy myself with helping. By the time I look back, Kyrith is cradling Pierce’s face in both hands, speaking softly but firmly to him.

Lambert tugs at my sleeve, but I resist. “I won’t watch, but I’m not leaving them here alone.”

“We’re coming,” Kyrith says, never taking her eyes off Pierce. “Aren’t we?”

He grunts a confirmation, but I still don’t breathe easily until we’re all finally inside the Library and the door is sealed behind us.

Safe.

For the first time in weeks.

My shoulders drop, even as Eddy pipes up, asking the inevitable question. “What now?”

Kyrith releases Pierce’s hand as she drops to her knees beside Jasper. Her gaze remains diligently fixed on the unconscious healer, refusing to acknowledge the changes to her sacred Library. She flicks through spells until she finds the one she needs, then starts casting.

My heart, which hasn’t stopped pounding since I saw Mathias stride up to the desk she was hiding beneath, pangs softly.

She loves this place. The lich has turned it into something unrecognisable. Every single cell in my body wants to reach out and erase the pain in the stiff set of her jaw.

“We need to recover,” Leo says, breaking the silence. “Fortify the Library, in case he comes after us. And then…”

“Mathias and my mother die.” Pierce glowers at the closed door like he’s considering charging back through it and taking them both on himself.

“About that…” I hedge. “Your mother isn’t a problem anymore.”

He drills into me with those blazing grey eyes. “She’s dead?”

“Mathias drained her to gain access to the Arcanaeum,” Dakari says, still clutching his side. “She died painfully, if that helps.”