Page 7 of Librarian

Mathias leaves the dagger in her chest for a long minute, and I swear I see the moment her soul passes through it. A shimmer of light flashes down from the spire, and along the black and gold handle, before disappearing inside her chest cavity.

Odd. Surely the magic is supposed to travel in the other direction?

Mathias wrenches the dagger free, wiping it clean on the hem of her skirt in a callous final desecration of her corpse.

Is the golden blade cracked? He sheathes it before I can get a good look. I swear I just saw…

“Isidora, I trust your boy can dispose of the bodies while we make the necessary plans?”

I’m going to be sick. I yank my attention away from Kyrith’s face. Breathe, damn it, breathe.

My mother’s hand finally lifts from her grimoire, and my agony comes to an abrupt end. The sudden lack of pain makes me stagger, which earns me a derisive scoff.

“Of course he can.”

Her book snaps shut, her eyes narrowing on a silent warning as she follows Mathias up the stairs. I feign a wince, my hand flying up to cradle my cheek, and I know I’m not imagining the way the corner of her mouth tips up in response.

As far as my mother is concerned, I broke a covenant. I’m loyal.

Perhaps that’s why she’s decided to spare me one of her trademark exhaustion ensorcellments. Or maybe she’s just too preoccupied with her victory to think about it.

The moment they’re out of sight, I straighten and open my grimoire.

The revenant’s corpse is already degrading, and a quick spell turns it to ashes before the stench can become any thicker. I should do the same with Kyrith to spare her from becoming a puppet if Mathias changes his mind.

She deserves better than that.

The red grimoire the revenant left behind is covered in stickers. I know without asking that it’s Edlynn’s. Scooping it up, I take a limping stride forward, grimacing as residual pain shoots up my spine with each step. The stone beneath my shoes is slippery, and bile rises in my throat as I realise I’m stepping in Kyrith’s blood.

Stars, I hate this.

“I didn’t want this to happen,” I whisper at her corpse. “I tried.”

I’d hoped if I played along, I could get to Leo before Mathias managed to break through the Arcanaeum’s wards. Together we might’ve been able to escape before anything serious could happen. He had the knowledge to undo the tracking spell at the base of my spine. The two of us could’ve evaded them until the Library reopened.

I had no idea that the lich already had the revenant in place, working against us. By the time my mother and I reached his home, the Arcanaeum was already under siege from within. Magic only knows if Leo’s still alive. Last I saw, his body was lying on the floor of the Rotunda, and I couldn’t check for a pulse without arousing suspicion.

Robotically, I place Eddy’s grimoire on the altar and start undoing the shackle over Kyrith’s head, taking her right hand in mine as soon as it’s free. She’s already cool to the touch.

This shouldn’t affect me as much as it does. I admired her, sure, but she was frustrating. Bossy. We could barely even call ourselves allies. I should’ve known better than to allow us to geteven that close. Everyone I give a damn about ends up dead. She was never going to be the exception.

But she saw me, even when I was spouting bullshit. Looked down her nose and straight into my soul when I ripped into her for not dealing with Mathias earlier.

How long has it been since anyone looked beyond the Carlton heir and saw Pierce? The only other person in this world who’s ever bothered is probably my grandfather.

My head starts to pound, and I lift her hand to my lips, kissing her ink-stained knuckles before releasing her.

I’ve been raised around death, but somehow, hers cuts through the numbness I’ve cultivated over the years. The shock makes my hands tremble as I reach for her shackles.

The Arcanaeum stopped revolting once Mathias had the dagger. Now it remains silent as I pry apart the restraints. With each one, I can’t help but remember what my grandfather said; Kyrith relived her death every night for hundreds of years.

No wonder she snapped and begged me. No wonder her eyes were full of ghosts when she cried out my name.

Damn it.

Shoving those memories into the box of unpleasant things in the back of my mind with brutal efficiency, I take a deep breath. I need to survive long enough to find my grandfather. We’ve lost our most powerful ally. Things are bleak, but he’ll have a plan. He has to.

He trusted me to defend the heart of the Arcanaeum, and I failed.