Neither of us is prepared to face the possibility that we could fail.
I resist a shudderas we pass through the school wards. Being back on this campus feels risky. The feeling of witch magic on my skin has always made me itchy. It was unpleasant when we attended class here, and I still hate it.
“I don’t really want to come here every day,” I admit with a sigh, easing into a designated visitor parking spot. “I don’t like leaving her at the compound.”
“What if we didn’t?” Gideon asks.
“Dude, have you not been listening? We need answers,” I say, thrumming my fingers on the steering wheel.
Then I clock the calculated, devious look in his eyes and groan internally. Every time I see this expression, I end up having to clean up a mess later.
“What are you planning?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“Maybe we check the books out instead of coming back every day.”
“You mean steal them?”
I glance around us just in case some wizened old hag from the faculty has materialized in the back seat. Since it’s summer break, we’re one of only a handful of cars in the parking lot,but this campus is never fully empty. Too many people have nowhere else to go.
“No, I mean borrow them.” Gideon shrugs. “To be returned at a time more convenient to us.”
I consider the idea, and it’s actually not bad. We pulled tons of shit like this while we went to school here, but we’re upstanding members of the community these days. I doubt they’ll suspect us of a heist now.
“We’ll have to stay a few hours. Do some bullshit research to make us less suspicious.”
“I’m very interested in the healing property of herbs,” Gideon drones. His voice is so dry and serious I choke on my laugh.
Now with a rough plan, we head to the library. I’m buzzing with nerves. I can feel Gideon’s energy bouncing around too, although the look on his face is so bland it’s impossible to tell.
The doors open automatically, then the floor shifts with a groan and deposits us in front of the reception desk. I feel a little nauseous from the sudden movement, but this school was constructed with more magic than actual building materials. Perfect for keeping tabs on unruly students.
“They told me you two were coming back.” The librarian’s tone is as dull as some of these dusty old tomes. “I prayed to the goddess it was a lie.”
Damn, these witches have long memories.
I remember her vaguely. She’s part of that boring coven that focuses on knowledge over everything else. Even though she’s a low level witch, she’ll still be able to notice and raise the alarm if I try to use my influence on her.
“I want to learn about plants,” Gideon speaks before I can say a word, leaning over the desk and smiling down at the old woman. “Healing didn’t interest me while I went to school here, but now I really want to know how to use herbs.” He beamsat her, and I watch in amazement as her shriveled heart grows three sizes.
“A worthy and expansive field of study, Mr. Therion. What remedies are you interested in?” She pulls a pencil from her hair, poised to take notes on his answer. I stare at the tight gray bun suspiciously. It’s perched on top of her head like a third eye, and I wonder what else she has hiding in there.
Gideon freezes. My heart pounds faster and faster as the silence stretches.Oh shit, we didn’t talk through our plan this far.I’m about to jump in and say gods know what when he finally speaks, saving me from a coronary.
“Sunburn, ant bites, and cholera,” he says, rattling off the maladies with purpose. All I can do is try not to gape.
If the librarian thinks his interests are weird, she makes no mention of it, scribbling at length on a piece of paper she conjures from thin air. After an impatient gesture for us to follow, she leads us to a table around the corner, and then bustles off to collect the books.
As soon as she’s out of earshot, I turn to Gideon and snort. “Cholera? Where the fuck did that come from? Isn’t there a vaccine for that already?”
Gideon shrugs. He’s so pleased with his improvisation that the dimples in his cheeks pop out of his smiling face.
“How the hell should I know? That’s why I need these books.” His voice cuts off as the librarian returns and drops a massive stack in front of us.
“These are on sunburn. I’ll be back with the others soon.”
She’s quick for her age, and within minutes, we’re completely buried in books. Once the librarian shuffles back to her desk, Gideon cracks one open with a grimace, then sneezes violently at the dust that blows up in his face.
At his long-suffering nod, I sneak away from the table and head to the creature section. It’s alphabetized by species—thankthe gods—so I skim past the entire shelf on demons, only to find myself immediately in another crowded section on elves.
