Page 92 of Librarian

His tiny chin-dip is as much of an acknowledgement as he seems able to give, and my heart pangs with worry.

“Boss, you’ve got to see this,” Lambert calls, holding up his phone. “Enforcement is making a statement.”

The charcoal snaps in my hand. Before I know it, I’m leaning over the back of the sofa, focused on the too-small screen he’s holding up. Leo’s shoulder knocks into mine in his haste, but I hush his apology.

“Why is the volume so low?”

Lambert mashes a button on the side of the device as Isidora steps calmly into view. She’s still in Orkney, her people surrounding her as she stares down the camera with the same dispassionate demeanour usually reserved for generals briefing their troops. Behind her, thick grey smoke rises from the castle.

“A short time ago, with the support of our brave officers, we began a major operation to infiltrate Fort McKinley. Our objective was to protect arcanist lives by rooting out necromancy and the threat it poses to civilised society. Necromancers are vicious. They’re a terrible blight on our kind, and we gave Clan McKinley several chances to surrender the suspects they were harbouring. They didn’t comply. Now, House Carlton will be temporarily stepping in to oversee enforcement checks on every single member of the family. If there is dark magic here, we will find it and stamp it out.”

All of us are crowded around the sofa now. Isidora pauses to let her words settle in, strength radiating from her every pore.

“We have already arrested Parriarch Emeritus Benjamin Carlton for his part in harbouring my children, and our investigation has revealed necromantic runeforms in his grimoire. For this, the only acceptable punishment is death by magical overload. The execution will be done publicly tomorrow at dawn.”

“No.” Pierce’s head is shaking so minutely I doubt he’s aware of it. “She can’t.”

“She won’t,” I promise. “We’ll get him back.”

Isidora takes a measured breath as reporters shout questions.“His deliberate attempts to frame me andincriminate our upstanding enforcement officers were likely a smokescreen, designed to hide his own wrongdoings.

“There are some who believe I’m unfit to lead the charge, given that so many of those around me have fallen to dark magic. Let me be clear: I have devoted my life to building enforcement into the powerhouse it is today. The institution is my family. More than that, these brave officers are our shield, and they will not rest until law-abiding arcanist families are safe and necromancy has been wiped from our vocabulary forevermore.”

Behind her, the enforcers puff up with pride and nod sincerely. It’s either a very good act, or they’ve also fallen for the poison falling from her scarlet lips.

“For that reason,”she continues.“I’m announcing sweeping new powers that will allow them to do their jobs more effectively, including the creation of an elite aegis unit, whose sole purpose will be to investigate and track down necromancers.”

The chill living in my bones turns arctic with dread as masked, black uniformed soldiers appear on the edges of the screen, surrounding her.

“These aegis agents will have the authority to enter your homes without warrant, and it’s in your best interest to cooperate when they do. I’m giving them the power to stop and scan grimoires, and to question and detain anyone they need to. Without the bureaucratic burden of collecting evidence, submitting paperwork, and arranging jury trials, the aegis will become the most efficient shield against dark magic in our history.”She tucks an imaginary stray strand of hair behind her ear.“This may seem alarming, but if you have nothing to hide, then I promise you will not be harmed.”

Then she softens, offering a smile that might seem motherly if not for the words that just came out of her mouth.“We’redoing this to protect you and your children, in the hopes of a future free from the horrors that have broken so many good families, just like mine.”

“Turn it off,” I whisper. “I can’t?—”

What she’s saying… Magic, how cananyonesee that for anything other than what it is? A secret police, unbound by the rule of law and with powers to invade the privacy of citizens wherever they see fit.

Wrapped up, as always, in the guise of protecting the innocent.

Either Lambert didn’t hear me, or he’s too engrossed to listen because Isidora’s face remains on the screen.

“In addition to these measures,”she says.“I’ve made the decision to temporarily bar liminals and their direct descendants from teaching or studying at the University of Arcane Arts.”

“She can’t do that!” Lambert objects. “She—she can’t do that, right?”

He looks back at me, and my heart sinks at the hope in his voice.

If Lambert is no longer able to attend UAA, he’s no longer on the magiball team. His parted lips are soft with shock as his dreams slowly shrink before his eyes.

“She’s the rector,” I mumble. “Technically…yes. She can do whatever she wants to the university.”

Which means Jasper, North, Eddy, and Lambert have no way to get their degrees. Sure, they haven’t been attending classes in recent weeks, but this… This is purely another way to put Winthrop, Ackland, and McKinley firmly in their place.

Stars. Dakari’s father is an inept. This doesn’t affect him now, as he’s already a parriarch, but if Isidora keeps going along this path and starts retroactively rescinding liminal qualifications…that would plunge Talcott into chaos.

Only Leo and Pierce are adepts.

If it were simply a matter of attaining a degree, then there are five other magical universities across the world. But their degrees have different course lengths, subject matters, and requirements. The University of Arcane Arts wouldn’t recognise a qualification from the University of Arcane Sciences and vice versa. For Eddy, that wouldn’t matter, but as Jasper, North, and Lambert need to become parriarchs of UAA, it wouldn’t help us.