Page 37 of Librarian

“We won’t have to find him.” Benny shakes his head. “Mathias will come here as soon as he realises this is where Kyrith is. He needs her if he’s going to restore the Arcanaeum’s magical well.”

“He can’t have her,” Dakari grumbles. “Has anyone figured out how to kill him yet?”

Pierce clears his throat. “I have a theory about where his soul vessel is, but it’s not going to be easy.”

“You do?” The disbelief colouring my tone makes him roll his eyes.

“If I’m right, it’s been sitting in the Library for five hundred years. Now he doesn’t let it out of his sight.”

My jaw drops. “The dagger. The ruby in the handle. I thought it felt…”

Oily. So very similar to the necromantic magic the Arcanaeum sensed on grimoires. The blade itself wasn’t affected at all, but that gem…. Why did I not put two and two together?

Mathias’s soul was part of the knife pinning me to the altar for centuries. Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.

I had it all along. I could’ve destroyed it thousands of times.

Instead, I unwittingly protected it along with everything else in the Vault. I dismissed it as just another gaudy part of the golden blade.

Was it protected by the time loop, like I was? It would explain why the weapon never tarnished, no matter how long it sat down there in the dark.

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been able to destroy it, even had I known.

It’s a small comfort. Magic. How could I have been so blind?

I sway, but before I can catch myself, Jasper is there on my other side, his arm coming round my shoulders in a protective embrace.

“We’ll destroy it and him.”

How can we when the dagger has the ability to turn me into a puppet? When he invaded the Arcanaeum, I was less than useless against it. My head starts to pound, so the door creaking open is a welcome interruption.

“Food!” Hazel McKinley announces, hefting a tray on her hip. “Ma made enough for everyone.”

In short order, she and her parents join us, filling the table with more food than it could reasonably be expected to support. I swear, at one point, the wood starts to groan, but the sound is drowned out by the eager clatter of a dozen people digging into roasted meat and vegetables.

The pause in heavier conversation provides space for me to observe Lambert. He seems to be coping well with the loss. I’d hoped as much. He never speaks about anyone in his family besides his father, and he’s not the type to hide his feelings. The easy way he chatters with Jasper’s family is a good sign.

The meal also gives me time to think.

My task is simple and impossible.

Get the dagger, break the stone, and find a way to give the Arcanaeum its magic back, even if that means I never leave the building again.

My freedom was all I ever wanted, but I’d give it up in a heartbeat if I thought it would bring back the Library. Even ifI do find a way to merge our magics again, who knows what happened to the other librarians when they sent me away. Are they still trapped there? Are they…gone? Would it be better—kinder—for them to have finally found some peace?

Is it selfish that I don’t want that to be the case? The Arcanaeum was my best friend. I can’t even imagine re-entering the building to find it cold and lifeless.

My ruminations last until the plates are cleared and Jasper’s family have left, taking with them their good mood and easy company.

On my left, Benny rests his chin on his fist and continues where our earlier conversation left off. “Mathias’s aim has always been to possess the Library, and from it, rule arcandom. He’s ruthless in his pursuit of those goals. If he should achieve them, the world as we know it will cease to exist.”

Lambert frowns, lowering his fork. “What are you saying?”

“He’s saying Kyrith’s in danger,” Eddy interrupts. “Aren’t you?”

“Indeed.” Benny nods his head. “Without the Arcanaeum’s power to back you up, you are at your most vulnerable. One house won’t be enough to defend you. All six might not be sufficient.”

“I need to return to the Library. If I can restore my connection to it, and use that?—”