Page 56 of Librarian

“Pierce has been on our side and reporting on his mother’s activities since he was far too young to carry out the task,” Benny dismisses. “And Anthea wouldn’t have given you anything useful. At least she’ll keep Isidora occupied chasing her across the country.”

Halinor’s wise gaze hasn’t left Pierce. “And how much necromancy has he learned?”

“None.” Benny’s lie is so bold that I can’t help checking his grandson’s face.

No reaction.

“Necromancy is vile,” Pierce adds calmly. “I’ve witnessed my mother use it, and that was enough.”

More lies. My jaw locks, gut curdling as I wonder whether I should speak up, offer the truth.

It’s only the memory of the scars hidden across his skin that makes me hold my tongue.

Pierce knows necromancy. I’m certain of it. However, I don’t believe he was ever in a position to refuse to learn. If he’d told his mother or Mathias no, he’d likely have died.

I can’t blame him for surviving, which puts his use of it into more of a grey area than I previously believed possible.

If that changes, if I even suspect that he’s using it now that he’s free of them, then I’ll reveal the truth. Until then, he deserves a fair chance.

“What are your thoughts, lass?” Jasper asks.

I’m so lost in my musings that it takes a long while for me to realise I’m being spoken to. Even the loudest of the McKinleys has fallen silent as they await my answer.

I straighten, my head leaving Dakari’s shoulder. “What’s done is done. Benny acted without consulting anyone, but I’m certain that won’t happen again.” There’s enough warning in my tone that the older man bobs his head in reluctant obeisance. “We need to move forward as allies. There will be plenty of timeto pick apart blame if we survive this. Right now, we have bigger concerns. Mathias knows I’m here. He will come for me, and we have to prepare for that.”

“We need to leave,” Dakari says.

At the same time, Halinor replies. “Let him try. Our walls have withstood more than one disgruntled Ackland.”

“Were our ancestors all dicks?” Eddy asks of no one in particular.

“I can’t ask you to shelter me.” I take a deep breath. “As long as he has that dagger, I’m less than useless when it comes to helping defend your home. It would be wiser for me to leave.”

“And go where?” Benny pushes. “I evaded Mathias for years by travelling to the farthest corners of the world, and it still almost wasn’t enough. You’d be taking all six of the most powerful arcanists we have with you, two of them parriarchs. It would weaken the defences here, leaving us at a disadvantage, and your absence would slow or stop any efforts to stop Mathias.”

He’s right.

If I leave and the others come with me, there’s no one to stop the liches.

Halinor’s posture sinks. “No one is asking you to leave, Librarian. You’re a friend of the clan.”

Jasper stands, cutting both of them off. “All in favour of continuing to shelter the Librarian, say ‘aye.’”

The resulting yells fill the room, splitting my head open anew. My shoulders creep towards my ears before I can help it, then I jerk.

Pierce’s hand has wound behind me to rest, warm and hesitant, against my lower spine. I can feel the heat of him through Leo’s coat, an anchor offering comfort in the storm.

“Thank you,” I murmur, both to him and the clan.

“We need to continue to build up our strength and reach out to our allies,” Jasper concludes. “I think we can count on Talcott?—”

“And Ó Rinn,” Leo adds. “I’ll talk the old man around.”

I know he means well but hearing him speak up only makes me tense. Pierce notices, and his thumb strokes up and down in the subtlest of caresses.

“The problem is the other houses,” Benny adds. “Carlton is obviously against us, Ackland is tied to Mathias, and Winthrop is leaderless. All Isidora needs to do is install another puppet vicegerent, and they’ll fall in line.”

There’s another outpouring of discontent at that.