“No, sister,” I say. “There’s something to what she says. Now that I know our history better, it’s changed everything. Hasn’t it impacted your opinion at all?”
“No,” she says flatly. “My stay in their dungeon cured me of any possible sympathy I might feel.”
“I’m with Zandria,” Remy says. He runs a hand through his dark hair. “They just obliterated the Chambers. They murdered women and children, even those who weren’t spies. They don’t deserve our sympathy.”
My heart sinks. Their argument is undeniably tempting. The wrath that swells within me every time I think about what happened to the Chambers rushes back to the surface. Yes, I do hate them. But if they’re only fighting because they’re misinformed, don’t we have a responsibility to try to make them understand the truth? Our numbers have dwindled to their lowest point ever. I don’t see how we could possibly destroy them as our people had been planning for decades.
“Can’t we at least attempt to bring some Technos over to our side first?” I plead. “They’re not all bad.” Zandria glowers. “I know that sounds bizarre coming from my lips, but I’ve seen it.”
My sister scoffs. “You’ve done exactly what you were forbidden to do: you let them in. You fell in love with one of our mortal enemies. That’s treason. You’ve betrayed your own people, and now you’re not thinking clearly.” She straightens up and a new, strange light shines in her eyes. “We’ll use this place for our own ends. The spells here must be ancient and powerful, and some are just for you and me to wield, sister. We can topple the Technocrats’ terrible regime and make them pay for what they’ve done to the Magi.”
Remy nods at her words.
“We’ll make the regime pay dearly—on that we are of one mind, always,” I say. Zandria smiles, a wild, terrible smile.
Catoria appears carrying a thin book that looks like it might crumble to dust if one of us were to sneeze within five feet of it. “I’m going to work on finding the right sort of alchemical recipe that will neutralize the ones Darian put into the water. The next time you journey near Palinor, you can add it to the water supply.” She heads toward the laboratory, leaving us alone once again.
“Time to explore,” Zandria says. I can’t help grinning, even though her motives unsettle me. This is what we’ve been waiting for ever since we first learned about the Magi’s lost library.
Remy starts on the main floor, but Zandria and I go straight to the top level. The shelves here are filled with scrolls in varying states of decay. Some are remarkably well preserved while others are crumbling and visibly missing pieces. I run a hand over one pile, almost willing my magic to pick the scroll with the most useful spells for me. Zandria takes the other side of the room.
We pore over the information, testing spells here and there for hours. Periodically, we call down to Remy or across to each other to share what we’ve discovered. Soon all the spells begin to blend together. Some have more mundane purposes, such as growing plants quickly, while others are alternate versions of spells we already know, like the light spell or water spell. But scattered throughout are spells that could unleash powerful magic on the lands. Of these, most don’t have any relevance to our cause—we don’t need to realign the stars in the heavens to defeat the Technocrats—but others have great promise.
One ancient scroll I find is in terrible condition, but I manage to hold the pieces together using a spell. A thrill trickles over me when I realize the ancient Magi definitely recorded spells for magic like Zandria’s and mine on this parchment. I uncover two incantations I’m determined to master. The first is a means of bottling up a spell to release it at a later time. We could plant these spell bombs in the Palace and other strategic locations. Depending on how the spell is crafted, they could be released at a specific moment or detonated when disturbed. Imagine all the spells we might need, painstakingly set in place over the course of a few days or weeks, all erupting at once. We’d have to plan carefully and deliberately, but it might give us a real edge.
And a real chance at success.
The second spell should also prove useful—allowing us to infuse magic into something without the need for a binding spell. Zandria will be furious when she hears this exists, and will no doubt use it as another reason to claim I wasn’t thinking clearly about Aro at the time I performed the Binding rite. But the truth is, I don’t regret binding myself irrevocably to Aro; I only regret leaving him behind. Though I’m not fool enough to tell my sister that at the moment.
This spell is tricky and time consuming. Like many of the other spells from the ancient Magi, it requires the caster to use a combined hand and song spell, something that until now I’d never known was possible. We were always taught hand spells and incantations were simply variations on a theme. But once upon a time, the Magi used them in conjunction to sharpen their ability to manipulate matter and accomplish incredible feats of magic.
Now so can we.
I’m so engrossed in practice that Catoria manages to sneak up on me—something no one has done in a long time. I startle when she clears her throat, then summons Zandria and Remy over as well.
She gently spreads out an ancient piece of parchment on the reading table in front of her. “I must show you something. This parchment, a city record from the time when the Sanctuary was in its heyday, mentions a spell I’ve always wished I could find.”
Zandria peers over her shoulder, curiously. “What does it do?”
Catoria sighs. “It’s called the Heartsong. It can heal a heart.”
The weight of her words presses in on my chest. “I thought that wasn’t possible. That the heart is the limit of magic because that’s where it resides in our body.”
“There are many things I thought were impossible until recently,” Remy says.
“There is much the ancients could do that hasn’t survived. But you two give me new hope.” Catoria glances at me and Zandy meaningfully.
My head spins. If we can heal hearts, then I could heal Aro—permanently. “Where’s the spell?”
Catoria fiddles with the crumbling edge of the parchment. “This is the only mention of it I’ve found thus far. I’ve searched for it for years, but with no luck. But I’ll keep searching. It must be here somewhere. If we can find it, you could use this spell to set right what the Alchemist Alliance accidentally wronged.”
I turn the idea over in my mind. “That could go a long way to earning trust and gaining allies,” I muse.
Zandria’s face is blank. I can’t tell what she’s thinking, but she isn’t as excited about this as I am. Though she hasn’t seen the Heartless children for herself. Until I did, I never gave them much thought. But the day I visited the Heartless hospital changed me. I hope when Zandria sees them, it will change her too.
“That’s fascinating, but as you said, that spell is long lost,” Zandria says. “If this is the only hint of it you’ve uncovered in all your time here, that isn’t very promising.”
Catoria stares at the parchment. “Once it was all that consumed my thoughts, but it has been a long time since I searched. With your arrival, I am renewing my efforts.”
“If it can be found, we will learn it,” I assure Catoria. Then I pull out the little book I’ve been carrying in my pack since we found it hidden beneath Palinor. “Now, I wonder if you might be able to shed some light on this.” I place it in front of her as she rolls up the ancient parchment and sets it aside. “We found it in the hidden room inside the old library. I assume the Alliance left it there for us to find, but we don’t know the runes well enough to make out what it says. I believe it might be a journal of some sort.”
Catoria examines it, running a hand over the first page. “Yes, it is a journal. From one of the founding members of the Alchemist Alliance. Anassa Viscuso. It was her idea to seek out the Sanctuary, and she led the expedition. She and her wife, Lela, a Technocrat, invented the challenges to access this place.” A cloud passes over her face. “Later, after they safeguarded the Sanctuary, they were t
asked with getting as many books as possible out of Palinor before the Technocrat army attacked. They succeeded in that, but when the Magi discovered Anassa was wedded to a Technocrat, they cast her out, erased her bloodline from the official histories. Anassa’s family went underground and survived to see another generation of their line. Regrettably, when their child grew up, he was captured by the Technocrats and . . . well, you can intuit the rest.”
“Anassa must have left it behind when they got the last of the books out of the original library,” I say.
“Yes, and I doubt it was a mistake. Perhaps there is information in there that will help you.”
Zandria snorts. “Sure, if we could read it.”
“I can help you learn the runes, if you’re interested,” Catoria says.
“Definitely,” I say, and Zandria nods too.
“Once you’ve finished spell practice, we can start on languages. Dinner will be down the western corridor in two hours. I trust you can find it easily enough.”
“Yes, thank you,” I say.
Catoria gathers her scrolls and places them carefully back on the shelves, then glides off to another section of the library. I place a hand over the journal. Its leather cover has a few cracks along the edges and spine, but it’s otherwise in decent condition. It feels mysterious and old under my palm. There are secrets inside.
I can’t wait to uncover them.
CHAPTER 9
THOUGH TIME IS HARD TO TRACK ON OUR own down here, an old clock that still works is located on each level of the library. Clearly, getting lost in books is a time-honored problem. When it’s nearly time for dinner, we close our books and head down the western corridor as instructed.
The passages all look very similar, and I can imagine it would be easy to get lost if you didn’t know where you were going. But I’m beginning to form a mental map of the place, as I’m eager to explore everything.
I suspect we’ve only just begun to uncover the Alchemist Alliance’s secrets.
The western passage leads us to the most surprising room we’ve seen yet. Half of it is divided into sectors, each one bursting with plants. Some are heavy with fruits and vegetables, while others hint at tubers and the like beneath the ground.
The other half of the room is a kitchen area, complete with several cold boxes and a baking box. The Technocrats call them ovens, but the Magi have been using them for far longer, only with a spell inside a concentrated area to cook things like bread. In the very center of the room are several long tables, one of which is laid out with enough food to fill us for days. My stomach rumbles. We haven’t eaten like this since we lived undercover in Palinor.
“Come, sit,” Catoria says. “I usually only cook for myself. I hope this is enough.”
Remy laughs. “I should think so.”
“Thank you,” I say as we take our seats. Remy and Zandy murmur their thanks as well.
There is everything we could wish to eat. Freshly baked bread and butter, a roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, and more. Cooking is not as labor intensive a thing as it is for the Technocrats. With our magic, all we need are fresh ingredients and the right spell. It is a craft Catoria has clearly perfected over the years.
“Are there animals here?” Zandria asks, glancing around.
Catoria nods. “A few. Enough to provide food for the Alliance while we used this as our headquarters, and now only a handful. I imagine you’ve deduced that each of these large rooms is a hill on the outside?”
We nod.
“There are a few cows and goats, and some chickens that live under one just through that door.” She points to a door behind the garden area. “In the heyday of the Magi, the animals and crops were not indoors. It is only secrecy that has made us create spaces inside to mimic outside conditions for the animals.”
“They did the same thing in the Chambers,” Remy says. “Though not with the animals.”
“I saw,” Catoria says with a smile.
We eat quickly, eager to learn more about the ancient runes as our new teacher promised. Catoria takes us back to the library and one of the small study rooms that branch out from it on the lowest level. Three small leatherbound books sit in front of a few of the chairs.
“Have a seat,” she says.
“What are these?” I ask as I gingerly pick up the little book before me.
“Primers. Long ago, the ancient Magi taught their children to read using these. I’m sure you were taught the more modern dialect with something similar.”
“We were,” I say, then frown, thinking again of Anassa’s journal. “Was this older dialect in common use in Anassa’s day?”
Catoria shakes her head. “No. But the Alliance had been working on reviving it for years. She must have written her journal that way to keep it safe in case it was stolen.”
“Almost like a code.”
“Precisely. Shall we begin?”
For the next two hours, we do our best to follow Catoria as she teaches us what the runes mean. Some are similar to the modern runes, others are very different. I quickly see that subtle variations and combinations can change the meaning dramatically. It is complex yet fascinating, and when she finally decides we’re done for the evening, our heads spin.
“We’ll continue these lessons tomorrow,” she says. “It’s nighttime now, on the outside. I suggest we all retire.”
She leads us to the dormitory wings, where there are separate structures built for men and women. Apparently, there are still other rooms under these hills with more private quarters, one of which Catoria long ago adopted as her own, so for now, these are all ours. Zandria and I settle in on our beds, and I can’t help but be a little hurt when she chooses a bed on the other side of the room from mine. All our lives, we’ve shared a room and slept with no more than a couple feet between us. Sometimes it feels as if the forced separation of the dungeons sliced the bond between us in two.
I don’t object or say a word about it. She’s healing, and she’ll have to do it in her own way. As much as I may like to, I can’t force her to talk to me. She knows I’m here when she needs me, and that will have to be enough.
Zandria drifts off to sleep faster than me. I can tell by her slight snoring. But my mind will not stop whirring with questions and replaying all the day’s surprises.
Suddenly, alone in the darkness, I remember something Masia Harkness said to us. The letter our parents left us must have our line’s alchemical recipe hidden in it. Their recipe is the only one that worked so far; we must preserve it. I sit up and dig through my satchel until I find the letter. Then I tiptoe back to the kitchen area.
I really hope Catoria has lemons here somewhere.
I examine the produce she has stored and smile when I find a lemon. Then I cut it open and hold it over the letter.
I pause before squeezing out the juice. This shouldn’t ruin the letter, but it’s all we have left of our parents. If the juice does harm the letter instead of revealing a hidden message, I should be able to pull the liquid out with a spell. If I can’t, Zandria will be furious.
I hold my breath and squeeze.
Juice sprinkles over the back of the letter and I use a quick spell to distribute it evenly across the page. The wait still feels interminable.
Then, little by little, words begin to appear.
It looks like a list of ingredients, followed by a spell that must combine them. And another spell for when the alchemicals are ingested. I shudder. My parents and grandparents were all so committed to the cause that they took this risk willingly. They knew what it meant, and they defied the Magi decree against using the Binding rite to do it.
And now this recipe is ours.
My hands tremble as I hold the paper. This is what created us. Made our powers possible.
Will we have to ingest this too in order to ensure our special magic continues? Assuming Zandria or I even survive to have children at some future point?
I don’t have those answers. I just know this is
important and worth protecting.
CHAPTER 10
WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE SANCTUARY several days ago, I thought it would mean a new opportunity for my sister and me to re-form our bond. To right our alignment and find the same path again.
I’m beginning to fear I was wrong.
Each morning we eat breakfast together with Catoria and Remy. Zandria is always up before me so she doesn’t have to speak to me while we dress. She talks to the others, and only occasionally glances my way to argue about something. When we go to the library to study spells, she and Remy work near each other, leaving me to my own devices. I don’t mind being alone. But I do mind that my sister is avoiding me.
So this morning, I’m determined to at least begin breaking down her walls. I went to bed earlier than usual last night so I could be sure I woke before her. That meant I didn’t get a chance to explore the Sanctuary’s network of caverns as I have done every evening after everyone else falls asleep. But it will be worth it if I can fix things between me and my sister.
I’m almost dressed when Zandria rolls over and stretches. She frowns when she sees me.
“Good morning,” I say.
“I suppose,” Zandria says as she pulls on her clothes as quickly as possible.
“Look,” I say as we head for the kitchen area, my sister walking a little faster than me. “I know you’re upset about everything that happened. So am I. Don’t shut me out. Please.”
She scoffs. “I’m not shutting you out. I’m being studious. We have a lot to learn, and I don’t need to talk about anything with you.”
“Zandy!” I call as she practically runs ahead. I trail her into the kitchen. Remy is already seated with Catoria, and he gives us a surprised glance.
Our new teacher smiles in greeting. “After breakfast, you will have time to study more of the spells. Then we will resume our studies of the runes.”
The last few days have made me feel as though I were back in primary school. The ancient runes are taking longer than I expected to master.
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