Page 194 of Librarian

Yeah. We did. Several times. Just looking at the wreckage of Botanical Hall is an awful reminder of how close we came. Over her head, I watch as Pierce mutters a spell over the corpse of the lich, disintegrating his body into a pile of black ash. Then he moves over to the revenants and repeats it.

No coming back from that, I guess.

“Nah, you wouldn’t have let us go splat.” Her grin falls as she looks around. “Wait. We have to find Kyrith. Do you think he was telling the truth?”

“I’m checking the Vault,” Leo says, already moving. “Someone else needs to take the Clock Tower.”

“I’ve got it.” Eddy wrenches free of my hug and sprints for the end of the hall.

“What if she’s still outside?” Dakari asks as the last of the flames are extinguished. “You can’t see anything out there.”

“She looked towards the Arcanaeum before she disappeared,” Leo calls over his shoulder. “If the dagger was fully broken, it’s possible she was reconnected, just like she wanted to be.”

Jasper rubs the back of his neck, glancing towards one of the doors, hesitantly. “Has anyone checked if we can still leave?”

Everyone stiffens.

“Only one way to find out.” I stride over to it, wincing at the scorch marks marring the front and knock. “My house.”

It doesn’t open.

“Shit.” Dakari’s shoulders sag. “The doors were getting temperamental before we messed with the Library. If we’re going to leave, you’ll need to use the transport beacons.”

Which isn’t something I know how to do. I grind my teeth together, but he doesn’t criticise. He just grabs his grimoire, manually flips it open at a dog-eared page, and murmurs a spell.

He’s gone in a flash of light.

I count the seconds as we all turn to stare at the Rotunda, where Kyrith left the weird metal pyramid thing she called a beacon.

Dakari reappears a full minute later with a shrug. “We can come and go. I felt no ill effects.”

Jasper visibly sags in relief, so do I. No one was looking forward to being stuck here if we didn’t need to be.

“Pierce,” Jasper begins awkwardly. “Just so you know, Anthea didnae make it. Something must’ve gone wrong with the spell, because when I got to her, the phylactery was destroyed and she was…gone.”

Pierce’s brow furrows. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Jasper shrugs. “I figured it was something to do with the?—”

Pierce is already striding away. “Where?”

“Kyrith’s office.” The Scot jogs to keep up. “It wasnae pretty.”

“Let me guess,” Pierce remarks dryly. “The body is unrecognisable?” He sounds more amused than upset, and it takes me a second to realise he doesn’t believe what Jasper is saying. “We’ll check this floor. Have you two got upstairs covered?” He aims the last question at me and Dakari.

“Yeah,” I answer for us both, already moving.

I need to do something. It’s like an itch under my skin, or maybe that’s Kyrith’s absence.

Dakari is silent, but that’s not unusual for him. Eventually, though, I can’t stand it anymore.

“Does this not feel…wrong to you?”

His black eyes look right through my soul as he answers. “Nothing has felt right since Kyrith disappeared, but you’re right. The building is…”

“It was already still.” I roll my shoulders, trying to dispel the chill creeping between them. “But now it’s almost like it’s…dead.”

The last word echoes around us, haunting. Dakari swallows once, then turns his attention to the Shrouded Hall.