by Linsey Hall
“Too risky to assume that,” Jude said. “They called Bree’s name. We need to attack this head-on. Assume they’re coming for us and bring the fight to them. We can’t let them breach the walls.”
“I agree with Jude,” Cade said. “We can fight a battle on our own turf, but the risk is too great. The armory is too valuable, and so is Hedy’s magical stockpile. We can’t let those things fall into the hands of outsiders.”
“Don’t forget the library,” Potts said. “Millions of priceless spell books and history tomes.”
Hope flared in my chest. Maybe they were just after all the goodies in the castle? This place was full of treasures.
Again—coincidence. Too convenient. Too good. And that monster had called my name. My name. This was connected to me.
“The good news is that the Fae boy Emrys said the portal is only a couple weeks old, correct?” Hedy asked.
“Yes.” I nodded.
“That means I can close it. It’s far easier to destroy younger portals than older portals.”
“What we need is a two-prong attack,” Cade said. “Someone to find out who is doing this, and someone else to close the portal.”
“I want to go after them.” I had to get into that building. Had to find out.
“She’s just a trainee!” Potts crowed. “Recon is one thing. But the attack op? Unheard of!”
Jude’s sharp gaze turned to me, considering.
“The monster called my name,” I said. “I want to find out who’s behind this.”
Jude nodded. “It looks like we’re advancing your training from recon to outright attack op.”
“I want to help her,” Ana said.
Jude frowned.
“We’re best as a team,” I added. “And I think we should bring the buggy. It’s a long way through dangerous defenses to get to that building.”
The directors all looked at each other, then turned to us.
“It could be destroyed,” Hedy said. “Emily can transport it, but there’s no guaranteeing it will make it back.”
The idea made my chest ache, but I nodded. If this was a sacrifice I needed to make to protect my new home, I’d do it.
“Good,” Hedy said. “If you can go through the portal to catch whoever is doing this, I can set up an explosive device to destroy the portal. That way we’ll ensure the curse can no longer hurt us. It’ll be dangerous, but it should do the job.”
Whatever magic Hedy was going to deploy—it had to be something crazy. That was a huge portal.
“Then we have a plan,” Jude said. “Cade, Bree, and Ana will go through the portal. Caro, Haris, and Ali will accompany them as backup. The rest of us will help Hedy with the destruction spell.”
I nodded, satisfaction spreading through me. I wanted this finished, though I was dreading what I’d find. “I’m sorry if we brought this here.”
Everyone turned to look at me. My face flamed.
“We don’t know that,” Jude said. “But we have your back. You’re part of the team now.”
I nodded, grateful. A weird kind of warmth bloomed in my chest. I’d only ever felt this kind of acceptance from my sisters and mother. The idea that there were more people out there—a whole organization—who might accept me was pretty freaking awesome.
“We’ll start in the morning,” Cade said. “Caro, if you’ll handle getting more potions from Melusine that will allow other members of the Protectorate through the portal, that would be excellent.”
Caro nodded. “On it. We’ll hit her up tonight.”
We finished our specific planning for the morning, then rose. Cade and I shared one look that lasted longer than necessary, then left the room, going in separate directions.
Ana joined me on the way up to our rooms.
“Are you all right?” She kept her voice low.
“Hungry, tired, totally freaked out.”
“About as I’d expect.”
We made our way through the winding halls toward our wing.
“What’s the deal with Cade?” she asked as we reached an empty section of hallway. “I noticed that look you guys shared.”
“The usual. Sexual tension out the wazoo, but we’re denying it. It’s the only smart thing to do.”
“True that.” She stopped at her door. “You want to grab a bite to eat—and definitely a shower—then meet me back here to go search the library?”
“Definitely.” I hadn’t yet told her about my changing magic, but she was reading my mind as usual. Didn’t matter how tired I was—I wanted answers.
“Thirty minutes,” she said.
I gave her a thumbs-up, then hurried up the stairs to my tower apartment. I’d only lived here a couple weeks, but I freaking loved my little place. I entered and flicked on the lights, the most amazing sense of home flowing through me.
The sight of the ghostly Pugs of Destruction made my jaw drop. “What the heck?”
As usual, Mayhem sat on the couch with half a ham in her mouth. That dog went nowhere without her ham.
Chaos sat in my clean laundry basket, the laundry up to his neck. He grinned, tongue lolling out and horns sticking up toward the sky.
But it was Ruckus who really caught my eye. The dog sat in my sink, which was full of water. His fangs glinted in the light.
“Are you taking a bath?”
He barked an obvious denial.
“There are bubbles in there.”
He looked away.
“Whatever.” I shut the door and went to the fridge, pulling out a leftover pizza we’d gotten in Edinburgh the day before I’d discovered the dark curse. I’d eaten all the PB&J in the house, as usual, and had to make do.
I opened the box and sniffed hesitantly. Smelled all right.
Three barks sounded.
The Pugs of Destruction surrounded me—even Mayhem with her ham in her mouth. They clearly thought the pizza was okay to eat.
I shoved a slice into my mouth and stared at their hopeful faces.
Pizza probably wasn’t good for dogs. But these guys were freaking ghosts.
They barked again.
“All right, all right.” I tossed them each a slice, which they caught in their mouths. Even Mayhem managed to catch hers without dropping her ham. “You guys really are magical.”
I left them to enjoy the spoils of their victory and took a quick shower. I pulled on clean clothes. I’d favored a desert outlaw look back in Death Valley, with leather pants and strappy leather tops. Here in Scotland, I replaced the tops with a T-shirt and leather jacket. It might be late summer but I wasn’t used to the chill.
All dressed, I left and headed over to Ana’s apartment.
She wasn’t downstairs yet, so I climbed the stairs and knocked on her door. She pulled it open, revealing the apartment behind her.
Since each apartment magically decorated itself according to the tastes of its owner, hers looked entirely different from mine. It was a more classic style—lots of whites and creams but with crazy colorful paintings on the old stone walls.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yep.”
We hurried back down the stairs, and Ana took the lead. “I found the library while you were gone. But Potts doesn’t like me. So it’s better we’re going at night.”
“I’m not sure Potts likes anyone.”
She chuckled. “True.”
The sound of dog nails clicking on the wooden floor sounded from behind us. I turned. The Pugs of Destruction trotted along behind us. Mayhem’s ham was just a bone now, but she had it gripped fiercely between her teeth.
“Seriously, guys, you’re going to have to be quiet,” I said. “We’re going to the library.”
They woofed low.
“They have a great respect for the library, actually,” Ana said. “They accompanied me the first time. Potts actually liked them.”
Maybe Potts wasn’t so bad.
Ana led me through the darkened halls of the castle. This place was so big that I’d
never get to know it all. Every day, it seemed like there was a new hallway or room. And no two were alike. It was as if this place had been built in dozens of different phases. Some halls were all stone and flickering torches—others were gleaming wood wainscoting and silk wallpaper with chandeliers.
None of it looked like Death Valley Junction, which was kinda nice.
“We’re almost there,” Ana said. “It’s in the oldest part.”
Even though we were technically allowed to visit the library and move through the halls at night, it still felt like we were creeping through. The old stone walls, dark winding corridors, and flickering oil lamps made everything feel a bit surreal.
Ana stopped at two huge wooden doors. “Wait till you see this.”
She pushed them open, revealing a massive space within. I stepped inside, awe flowing through me.
“Wow.” I spun in a circle, absorbing it all.
The space was three stories high, and huge. Gleaming wooden shelves covered the walls, stuffed full of leather books with colorful spines. Ornate oil paintings hung on the walls—some even covering the books—and four large fireplaces burst to life as we entered. The ceiling overhead was shining, domed wood, and the furniture within was comfy and plush.
“This is amazing,” I murmured. I sniffed deeply, taking in the scent of paper and ink.
“The fires aren’t real,” Ana said. “Just magic. But it makes it so cozy.”
“Why is Potts such a grump if he gets to hang out here all day?”
“No idea.” Ana wandered the space, eyeing the shelves and the long ladders that reached toward the ceiling.
I could live here—and I’d never really been much of a reader, even though I’d liked the idea. There just hadn’t been money or time for books. I ran my fingertips over the smooth spine of one of the books, smiling.
“What are we looking for, exactly?” Ana asked. “Any clues?”
“Yeah. More clues.” I’d been holding it in, both wanting to tell her and not wanting to speak of the craziness. Speaking of it would make it real. “When I was at—”
“Ooooooooh, ooooooooh.”
I stopped dead, the ghostly moaning making my hair stand on end. I turned to Ana, who was frozen halfway up a ladder, her face white.
“Did you hear that?” I whispered.
“Yeah.”
I looked around. The Pugs of Destruction were gone.
“Quit it, Chaos, Mayhem, and Ruckus,” I said.
“Ooooooooh, ooooooooh.”
“I don’t think it’s them.” Ana slowly climbed down the ladder.
Shivering, I walked slowly around the massive room. “Hello?”
11
“Ooooooooh, ooooooooh.”
The ghostly noise echoed through the cavernous library.
I shivered, at once nervous and delighted. It was a weird feeling.
“Are you a ghost?” I asked.
“Well, what else do you think makes that kind of noise?” A transparent young man drifted out from the shelves. Thick glasses made his eyes look large, and his clothes were some kind of older style. Eighteenth or nineteenth century, if I had to guess.
“Um, hi.” How did one greet a ghost? Shake hands? “I’m Bree Blackwood.”
“I’m Florian Bumbledomber, the librarian here.”
“I thought that was Potts?”
Florian waved a hand. “Oh, that old hack. No, I’m the real librarian.”
“I’m Ana.” She waved.
“Good to meet you, Ana. Welcome to the night library.” He spread his arms out, looking more like he should be on a stage than in a library. “I’m the night librarian. The true librarian.”
“Nice to meet you. But why where you making the ghostly noises?” I asked.
“Entertainment, my dear.” He bowed low. “Not many people come to visit in the evening. But you’re a hard one to scare.”
The disappointed look in his eyes clued me in. If I wanted info, I wanted this guy on my side. Especially since Potts was no fan of mine.
“Oh, no. I was terrified.” I pointed to my face. “See how pale I am?”
He squinted, inspecting me. “I suppose it will do.” He clapped his hands together. “So, what are you here for?”
“I want to know more about Njord, Rán, and Eir.”
His brows rose. “Ahhh, interesting.”
“You can help us?”
“To an extent. But you’ll also have to help yourself.” He gestured. “Come, come. You won’t find your answers in this section.”
I shared a glance with Ana, who shrugged. We followed him toward the far wall.
Which wasn’t a true wall at all. He went to the left, where there was a large, wooden door hidden in a nook.
“Hardly anyone comes back here anymore.” He pushed the door open.
A waft of cold air blew out, bringing with it the scent of leather and paper and magic. Tiny golden sparkles floated on the air.
I followed Florian through the door.
Awe spread through me, fierce and strong.
This was a library. It made the massive space we’d just come from look puny.
Florian swept out his arms, indicating the cavernous space filled with millions of books. It soared stories above us and dropped down stories below. We were somewhere in the middle of ten separate levels that surrounded a giant open space in the middle. It was much grayer and darker than the other library—but it was huge.
Light shined down from above, almost like streams of sunlight. But it was nighttime, so that had to be magic. Dust motes glittered in the air. Shining golden balls of light—or something—floated near the ceiling high above.
There were hundreds of nooks and crannies and different sections. It was a maze my mind could hardly comprehend.
“Welcome to my domain,” Florian said. “The ghost library.”
“Are they real books?” Ana asked.
They did lack a lot of the color the other library’s books possessed.
“Of course they’re real books.” Florian scoffed. “I just call it that because it’s my domain, and it sounds quite impressive, doesn’t it?”
I nodded, not having to fake my enthusiasm. “It really does.”
“And most of these books are quite old, hence their color,” Florian said.
Ana walked toward the railing that protected us from falling into the pit in the center of the library. I looked for stairs, but found none. Here, we were blocked from the books.
“How do we get down?” I asked. “Or up.”
“Good things don’t come free, dearie.”
“What do you mean?”
“You must contribute to the library if you want to gain from its knowledge. That is one way that we have obtained so many volumes.”
My stomach dropped. I glanced at Ana, whose brow was creased with worry.
“What if we don’t have anything to contribute?” I asked.
“It hardly seems fair,” Ana said.
“Life isn’t fair,” Florian said.
He had that right.
“But you’re in luck—everyone has something to contribute. Just think.”
“That’s all?” Ana asked.
“Not quite. But you’ll have to figure the rest out for yourself.” Florian backed up and sat in a wooden chair that was pressed against the wall, crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest.
All right, then.
Ana and I looked around the platform, which was quite large. On the far end sat a table with a few chairs. Books were stacked on top, along with feather quills.
Ana and I approached.
“What do we have to contribute?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.” I frowned, searching my mind. “All we’ve ever done is fight monsters in Death Valley.”
“Ooooh,” Florian murmured.
I turned to him. “Is that a ghost noise or interest on your part?”
He frowned. “I’ve already scared you enough
for one night.”
I grinned, then looked at Ana. “I guess we were the only ones to successfully cross Death Valley multiple times.”
“So, we’ll give away our secrets?”
She had a point. Our monopoly on that information had set us up nicely to be the only ones transporting outlaws across the valley. It allowed us to command top dollar and keep up the payments on our concealment charms.
“We don’t need that job anymore.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t want a backup,” Ana said.
She had a point, and I couldn’t blame her. Except I only felt a tiny sense of worry. It tugged at me, but the Protectorate tugged at me harder.
Ana, however, had always been more of a worrier than me. She was a Plan B and C kinda girl.
“It’s like us symbolically cutting our ties with our old lives and committing to this place,” she said.
“I know.”
She sucked in a ragged breath, looking around. “You’re right. Our old life was crap. It had moments of fun. But this. This is better.” She squeezed my hand. “And we really need to figure out what the heck is happening with your magic.”
I smiled and hugged her. “Thanks.”
We sat down in the little wooden chairs. I grabbed a book and pulled it closer, flipping open the cover to reveal empty pages. “It’ll take weeks to fill this. We don’t have that kind of time.”
“Let’s just start. Maybe that’ll prove we mean it.”
“Yeah.” I reached for a pen. Magic sparked up my fingertips as I picked it up. “What’ll we call it?”
“A Treatise on the Monsters of Death Valley.” Ana grinned. “Sounds good, huh?”
“Very.” I put pen to paper on the title page, and the words magically appeared. They stretched across the paper in a fancy calligraphy that I would never be capable of. “Whoa.”
“Yeah.” Ana picked up a pen. “I’m going next.”
I passed over the book. She turned a page and pressed her pen to the paper. Words raced over the white surface, describing the different terrains that one would encounter in the valley and how best to survive them.
“How’d you do that?” I asked.
“I just thought of it,” she said.
“Cool.” I took the book back and imagined fighting the Salt Monster on the Bad Water. A half second later, there was a detailed explanation on how to take him out.