Page 170 of Librarian

He goes quiet. “I’m not a good enough person to have that kind of power. I made stupid choices when I wasn’t even parriarch yet. Now I’m supposed to do all this shite. I was raised for it. I can manage. But rector? Responsible for all of arcandom? Nah. Can’t do it.”

I stop on the stairs, taking his chin into my hands. “You’re the smartest person I know. Yes, you’ll step into the role unprepared, but even the most experienced parriarch would struggle with the mess Isidora and Mathias have created.”

He pauses before answering. “The chaos doesn’t scare me. It’s kinda perfect, actually.”

I draw my robe a little tighter around me. “That sounds like you have a plan.”

A flash of sharpness enters his gaze before he looks away. “No plans. Not yet. Just…ideas.”

I leave the silence open, waiting for him to elaborate.

“It’s stupid.” He runs a hand through his hair, mussing the dark ruby-tinted curls as he resumes walking, slower this time. “I want to fix it. All of it. Parriarchs are chosen because we can execute necromancers and afford an expensive degree from UAA. Money and power are the only prerequisites for leadership, which is exactly why Mathias has waltzed to the top so easily.”

“True,” I muse.

“Isidora was only able to kick Lambert and the others out of the university because the division was already there. Adepts have the advantage from birth, and it’s so entrenched most of them don’t even see it. Nothing changes. There’s never beenmore than one liminal parriarch serving at the same time before. The last and only time one became rector, they were killed within a week.”

I remember that. Mostly I remember how quickly society moved on. I never thought about it before, but this is the only time in history where more than half of the parriarchs will be liminals.

“So you want to single-handedly fix centuries of prejudice?” My lip quirks.

“I don’t have solutions.” He droops slightly at the admission. “But I’m an adept. I can do things that a liminal would never get away with. If I see the problem and don’t at leasttryto do something about it, I’m worse than every single rector before me.”

Heaviness drips from his tone, and I sigh. “What you want to do is admirable, but you have a history of putting too much pressure on yourself.”

In many ways, the position of parriarch is isolating by design. Their role calls for them to be willing to execute anyone in their house for practising dark magic.

He dips his chin, accepting the comment.

“Of course, all of this requires the plan to work.”

“The plan will work. Don’t even think—” he cuts off, rotating his jaw, palm lowering. “Look, I’m smart enough to know that you’re not telling us everything—especially when it comes to destroying the phylactery. I get why. I suspect you’re sharing an awful lot of that side of things with Pierce. But all of us are determined to keep you safe, no matter what.”

It’s a vow, delivered with barely leashed violence.

I shouldn’t be surprised that he knows something is up with Pierce. I wonder if the others do too. Perhaps not Lambert or North, but Dakari is incredibly perceptive, he must have someclue. Did they make some silent agreement to not ask too many questions?

“Suspicions aren’t proof.”

“No. And no one will find any, will they? I certainly won’t be searching for evidence. After all, dozens of people saw those aegis agents search his grimoire. Can’t get much more innocent than that.”

My heart fists in my chest, and I throw myself into his arms without meaning to. “I can’t lose any of you.”

And because Leo won’t lie to me, he kisses me instead.

Forty-Seven

Kyrith

My nod to Dakari is slow. Reluctant.

It’s just the two of us up here. Everyone else either went to class or started going about their routines as usual so as not to arouse suspicion.

Everyone except for Pierce. I haven’t seen him since he came for the dagger in the early hours of the morning.

No one has asked about him, or why I no longer have the heart and Mathias’s soul vessel, further solidifying my hunch that they know what’s really happening. They trust me to make the right call, and they love me enough to let their suspicions go.

Pierce should be safe. He’s alone, but he’s strong and cunning.