by Linsey Hall
“Keep an eye on that,” she said, then disappeared between some shelves. Her voice drifted back. “I’ll only be a moment.”
I shared a look with the others, but before we could speak, she’d already returned, a key clutched in her hand. She slipped the key into the box, twisting it carefully. The lid popped open.
Carefully, she removed a stone from the box. It looked average enough, and I frowned. “What’s that?”
“Shh.” She hovered the stone right over the pages, standing so perfectly still that she was obviously holding her breath. The stone glowed gold, and she heaved a sigh. “Amazing.”
“What is it?” I leaned closer, trying to see whatever it was that she could see.
But nothing had changed about the book. It was still indecipherable.
“This isn’t quite a book. Not in the way you are used to.” She pointed to the words. “And this isn’t another language. It was written in English.”
“So it’s code?”
“Not exactly. It’s a spell. The book was written in English, and then enchanted so that the reader could go back in time to visit the events that were written about.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.” She looked up, her face bright with excitement. “These books are incredibly rare. We had several in our collection, but they were stolen ages ago. This is the first I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.”
“How do we use it, then?” I asked.
“Come, I’ll show you.” She turned, leading us deeper into the library. We wound our way between shelves, getting lost in the recesses of the cavernous building. It grew darker and gloomier, the air chilling.
Finally, we reached a section of bookshelves that appeared empty. The wooden shelves formed a narrow aisle that led into the darkness. A faint glitter filled the air between the shelves, and I stepped toward it.
Seraphia reached out and gripped my arm. “Stop.”
I halted immediately, staring at the space with rapt attention.
“The library no longer has any of those books,” she said. “But we still have our portal. If you carry the book between those shelves, you’ll be taken back in time to whenever the book was written.”
“For real, back in time?” Beatrix asked, skepticism in her voice.
I couldn’t help but feel the same. I’d seen amazing things in the magical world, but time travel?
“Yes.” Seraphia nodded. “You’ll arrive in this very library, but in the past.”
“Likely in the time of Rasla,” I said, suddenly feeling Beatrix’s confusion. I turned to her. “Around 1642. He was a bastard, but it’s a very long story.”
“I can tell you over breakfast,” Mac said.
I looked at Seraphia. “So I can take this book and go back to get my answers?”
She nodded. “Yes. But I don’t know what you’ll find. And it will be dangerous.”
I’d seen enough movies to know that. Time travel was no joke. “Once I’m there, how do I know what I’m looking for?”
Seraphia frowned slightly. “From what I understand, certain scenes or people might glow with magic. A golden sparkle or faint aura. Those are the things that are written about in the book. Theoretically, at least. You’re going to have to wing it, for the most part. Your magic should help, though.”
I thought of the dress the book had been wrapped in and the image of the woman I’d seen when I’d touched it. We needed to find her. “When it’s all done, how do I come home?”
“Return to the portal. It will remember you and send you here.”
“What if the library is destroyed?” I asked, mind racing.
She grimaced. “You may be stuck. I’m not sure.”
I looked at Grey. “Worth the risk, don’t you think?”
“Of course. I will accompany you.”
“More people might be more dangerous,” Seraphia said.
“I lived in Guild City in the mid-seventeenth century,” he said. “She’ll need my help.”
“That’s true,” I said. “I have no idea how to get along back then. And who knows what we’ll find? We’re doing this to fix our situation, so it’s better if we stay together.”
“Fair enough,” Seraphia said. “And it’s not my place to tell you what to do. But it is my place to warn you. Do not change anything. Just observe. Blend in. People will be able to see you.”
I nodded. “I know the drill. I mean, I learned it from TV and movies, but I assume all the same rules apply?”
Seraphia nodded. “From what I know, yes.”
“We’ll need a good plan,” Grey said. “I shouldn’t see my former self. But it would be good to make use of my resources in the past.”
I nodded, liking the idea of having a place to stay.
“Don’t forget about clothes,” Beatrix said. “You’d stick out like a sore thumb in those.”
We’d need potions too, certainly. Things to help us along when things got sticky. I looked at my friends. “All right. Let’s get moving.”
Hours later, we were ready. Grey and I had come up with a plan with the help of the others, and then Beatrix and Mac had gone to Eve to get the potions we would need. Grey and I had headed over to the Fae dress shop. The proprietor had connections with the antique costuming community, and we’d found proper attire for the seventeenth century.
I pulled at the bodice of my heavy black dress. We’d gone as simple as possible, as far as fashion was concerned, but the skirt was still wide and the three-quarter-length sleeves full. The dress exposed much of my shoulders, though we’d topped it with a cape. It was enchanted like my other dresses had been, giving me a bit of extra strength and protection.
The plan was for me to blend in as a possible acquaintance of Grey’s. He was meant to be himself, though we’d have to deal with the past version of him, which would take some doing.
We stood in the library, just the two of us in the small waiting room at the side. Seraphia was off doing something else, and Mac and Beatrix hadn’t arrived yet. I looked over at him, attired in all black—breeches, tall boots, and a doublet that looked a bit like a stiff, formal jacket. He held a wide-brimmed hat that he would put on when we arrived. It wasn’t his usual look, but it wasn’t bad, either. “I can’t believe you ever got rid of your old clothes.”
He gave me a perplexed look. “I’m hardly the sentimental type. And we’re lucky that ruffs had gone out of fashion by the time that book was written.”
I laughed at the idea of him in a tall, fancy collar. He didn’t wear a wig, though they had been popular then. He never had, apparently.
The door to the library creaked open, and I looked out, spotting Max and Beatrix. Max held up a leather bag. “Got your potions.”
“Thank you.” I stepped out of the small waiting room and saw Beatrix more fully.
Her eyes were wide and sparkling as they met mine. “This place is phenomenal.”
“Glad you like it, because you need to live here now that all of London thinks you’re dead. I have no idea how you’d get along back there.”
“That’s fine with me.” She looked down at her hands, her brow furrowed as if she expected to see something there. “I just wish I knew if I had magic.”
“You do,” Mac said. “You turned into a raven, for fates’ sake.”
“That could have been Carrow,” Beatrix said.
“Nah.” Mac shook her head. “Her magic did something to you when you died, that’s for sure. But I doubt it turned you into a raven.”
I nodded. “That’s my bet, too.”
Seraphia appeared from the back of the library, her hair a bit messy from whatever she’d been getting into. “Ready?”
I cut my eyes to Grey, who nodded. “Looks like it.”
“Good.” She gestured for us to follow, then turned around. “You’re going to want to be as quick as possible. The longer you stay, the more dangerous it will be. And whatever you do, don’t lose that book.”
I nodde
d, clutching it tightly. The Fae seamstress had sewn a special pocket into my heavy skirts for it, and I tucked it in, buttoning the pocket closed. I also had Rasla’s seal, though I had no idea what to do with it.
The library grew darker and quieter the deeper back we went, until finally, we stood in front of the empty aisle. The air sparkled with pale golden light, beckoning.
“Be careful,” Beatrix said. “Being dead sucks.”
I cracked a smile and looked at Grey.
He held out a hand.
I took it, unable to help the faint shiver that ran up my arm, filling me with heat. Together, we stepped toward the light. Magic pulled at me, sparking against my skin. Nerves fluttered in my stomach, my breath growing short.
The magic tugged harder the deeper we went. I pulled the book from my pocket, hoping that the portal could tell where we wanted to go.
“Open the book,” Seraphia said from behind us.
Carefully, I flipped it open with one hand, choosing a page at random. I couldn’t read any of the pages, so I figured it didn’t matter which one I opened to.
The lights around us glowed more brightly, the magic pulsing. It yanked at me, pulling me into the ether and spinning me through space. I gripped Grey’s hand tightly, terrified of losing him.
My head whirled and my stomach pitched as we traveled, my vision going dark. Finally, hard ground appeared beneath my feet, and I stumbled. Grey caught me, pulling me against him.
Panting, I opened my eyes.
We stood in the library. It was even darker than it had been before, the golden light faint.
“Did it work?” I whispered.
“I think so.”
We left the aisle, moving silently. What would the librarian think if she saw us? Would she know we’d come from another time?
The main part of the library wasn’t quite as empty as it was in our era. Several patrons strolled through the aisles, their clothing ornate and heavy-looking, just like ours.
I looked up at Grey, noticing that he had put his hat on and tilted his head down. He needed to remain unnoticed until we’d taken care of his past self. Two Devils of Darkvale walking around town would be problematic.
We ducked back into the aisle, and I reached into my bag, pulling out one of the face-altering potions Eve had given us. It wouldn’t change our looks much, and it wouldn’t work for long, but it would make him slightly unrecognizable as the Devil if one were to only glance at him. We hadn’t wanted to use it unless necessary, but the library was busy at this hour.
I handed it to him, and he drank it. His face shifted only slightly—becoming slightly broader and his hair paler—but it was enough that he’d probably go unrecognized.
“That worked well,” I said.
“Good. Let’s check out the tower.”
I nodded and followed him through the library, trying not to make contact. Near the door, a woman stepped into our path. She wore a pitch-black dress like mine, though far more severe and high-collared. Her eyes glinted with suspicion.
“I did not see you enter.” Her tone was cold and quiet.
Grey inclined his head politely. “You were turned away at the time.”
She frowned, inspecting us. My heart fluttered. Just because the library had the portal didn’t mean that all librarians approved of its use.
“If you will allow us to pass, we would be greatly indebted to you,” Grey said, his voice vibrating with his power.
The woman’s eyes unfocused, his magic forcing her will, and she nodded, stepping aside.
He strode past her, pulling me along. I hurried to keep up, and we stepped out onto the streets of Guild city in the middle of a dreary, cloudy day.
“Whoa.” The word slipped out on a breath. “This is different.”
The street was lit by magical lamps, the contents of the shop windows not terribly different than in the modern day. Supernaturals still roamed the streets, but their clothing was so stiff and staid compared to what I was used to. Horses filled the streets, pulling narrow carriages. According to Mac, they’d fallen out of favor when motorbikes had become popular, and probably because they smelled. In fact, the whole town bore a stench.
“It stinks here,” I whispered.
“Hardly.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of Grey’s mouth. “We used magic to manage the waste and odor. It was not quite as good as the plumbing that replaced it, but far better than what the humans dealt with.”
I nodded. “If you say so.”
“Come, we will check the Shadow Guild tower.”
I nodded and followed him down the street. It was the first part of our plan, because it was the best way to know where we were, temporally speaking. Had Rasla hidden the tower yet? Did people here know of the Shadow Guild, or had he already erased it from their memories?
We moved swiftly through the small crowd, darting into a back alley as soon as we reached one. I could still navigate easily enough, but the differences in the city made it a slightly odd experience.
Within minutes, we reached the part of town where the tower stood. I stepped out of the alley and into the empty square, staring at the flat section of wall.
“He’s already done it.” I shook my head. “The tower is gone.”
“It’s truly incredible how he managed it.” Disgust echoed in Grey’s voice.
I looked at the quiet square. There were no weeds yet, just carefully placed gravel made of pale brown stones. The statue of Rasla stood in the middle, unencumbered by weeds. All around, the shops stared silently out at the empty space. Only half of them were closed, unlike in the present day, when they were all abandoned. A small boy swept the street outside of one, and Grey strode to him.
He crouched down, and the boy stepped back warily. Grey reached into his pocket and withdrew a small coin, holding it out to show the boy. It was money from this period, obtained from Grey’s private collection.
“This is yours if you can tell me what you know about this place.” Grey gestured to the empty square and the section of empty wall.
The boy looked from the coin to the square, confusion in his eyes. “Tell you what about it?”
“Anything at all. Does it seem strange to you? Like it has recently changed?”
The boy shrugged. “It’s just an empty square. Bad luck there’s no guild tower here or business would be better, me mam says.”
“Bad luck?”
He nodded, but confusion flickered in his eyes. “Just never been a tower here. Strange, that. But it’s the way it’s always been.”
“What about that statue?” Grey pointed to the stone Rasla. “When did that appear?”
The boy’s eyes brightened. “Just the other day. Big ceremony, and we sold rivers of beer.”
“Thank you, lad.” Grey handed him the coin and stood, then returned to me. “That’s that, then. It was recent.”
I nodded. “Shall we go to your place?”
“Yes. I’m not sure how much longer this potion will hold.” He rubbed his jaw.
Together, we slipped down the alley and back onto the main streets. We moved quickly through the crowd, avoiding people as best we could. The streets had filled more, the evening arriving with a biting chill to the air. As the sun set behind the clouds, the night grew dark. More streetlamps flared to life, magic filling their globes and casting a glow on the people crowding the lanes.
We were nearly to Grey’s side of town when a man stepped out of a shop, bumping into me. I stumbled, and he grabbed my arm, trying to keep me from falling.
A shock of discomfort flashed through me at his touch, his magic sick and dark. I looked up, startled.
Right into the face of Councilor Rasla.
11
Carrow
He looked just like the statue, with a heavy brow and long nose. But it was his magic I recognized. Evil. Reeking of decay and death.
My heart thundered as Councilor Rasla studied me with shocked eyes. His voice was cold as he demanded, “Who are yo
u?”
“No one of interest to you.” I wanted to yank my arm away, but this was too good an opportunity to miss. I used my power, calling it up from within me. It resisted at first, then finally flared to life.
What is going on with you? How do we find out?
An image came to mind—a woman, her face broad and wind-chapped. She held a mop in one hand and a bucket in the other. Brilliant blue eyes stared back at me. The image disappeared.
“Tell me, girl. You look familiar. Who are you?” he demanded.
Familiar? I yanked my arm away, scowling. “No one, sir.”
Grey stepped between me and Rasla. “You will leave us be.”
His voice echoed with power, and I peeked around his shoulder at Rasla. The man’s eyes weren’t really going foggy—not as much as a person’s eyes normally did when Grey used his power.
Rasla shook his head, trying to drive off the influence of Grey’s voice. “You’re familiar, girl, and I want to know who you are.” His gaze moved to Grey. “And you…there’s something about you.”
From behind, I could see the tips of Grey’s hair changing from light to dark. The spell was wearing off, and his face was returning to normal.
Damn it. We needed to get out of here.
“Forget us.” Grey’s voice rumbled with power.
Rasla’s eyes fogged slightly, but he shook his head violently.
Grey gripped my arm, and we strode away. I looked behind, spotting Rasla staring after us, his face twisted in confusion. He didn’t follow us, however.
“That’s going to be a problem,” Grey murmured.
“He’ll look for us.”
“I believe so. My power did not work on him this time. Not well, at least. I am not sure why. He may have taken a potion to protect himself from that sort of influence. Or perhaps he’s wearing a charm.”
I shivered, hoping we could get in and out of there before Rasla caused us too many problems. “He couldn’t have recognized me because the last time he saw me, it was in the future. And he was a ghost.”
“But he said you looked familiar.”