His face had changed, his expression pained.
‘I tried to get here,’ the Realmist said. ‘I wanted to come, but it wasn’t safe. I couldn’t risk being seen with you.’
Styerra recoiled.
‘You know what would happen,’ he said gently. ‘You know the penance would be worse for you than it would be for me.’
‘I don’t care,’ Styerra whispered. ‘I just want you, Erath.’
Ezer catalogued his name. Erath. She committed it to memory.
He reached for Styerra, but she backed away, still hurt.
‘I heard the Masters came to your dorm. They turned it upside down, looking for Zeban. There’s rumor from the other servants that he was ill. That he was caught speaking of something dark and dangerous.’ Her voice shook. ‘Something that defies the Five.’
‘Zeban is gone,’ Erath said. ‘He made it out before they arrived. Someone warned him.’
‘Who?’ Styerra asked.
He released a sigh. ‘I got him to safety. That’s what matters.’
‘Safety?’ Styerra’s eyes widened. She looked hurt that he hadn’t told her. ‘Where to?’
The Realmist chewed on his lip. He was tall and proud, as he stepped closer to her and whispered, ‘Somewhere far away.’ He took a breath, watching her carefully. ‘Somewhere we could go. Together.’
‘What?’ Styerra shook her head. ‘You mean to run? To bring him back?’
‘Zeban isn’t coming back,’ he said. ‘Not ever. And once we leave here … neither are we.’
‘But …’ Styerra’s cheeks were flushed. Her lower lip trembled like she was holding back tears. ‘There’s nowhere for us to go.’
He took her hands in his, holding them up to his heart. ‘Do you trust me, Styerra?’
‘With my whole heart,’ she said. She still had that ring on her finger.
And Ezer noticed he had a matching one.
‘And I trust you with mine,’ he said. He glanced over his shoulder and pulled her deeper into the shadows of the library. ‘So, I’m going to tell you something, Styerra. Something that nobody can ever know. Only us.’
Styerra nodded.
‘Zeban showed me something new and strange,’ Erath whispered. ‘Something he was given by Clarice.’
‘She died months ago,’ Styerra said.
He shook his head. ‘She didn’t die, Styerra. She ran. The Masters don’t want us to know of it.’
‘Why?’ Styerra asked,wide-eyed. ‘They’d never keep a secret. It defies the Laws.’
‘They’ve kept it for ages. Because it offers freedom. A new way for the Sacred.’ He reached into his cloak and revealed a small black book.
Ezer’s heart began to pound.
Because the book …
It looked so achingly familiar, but in her dreams, she couldn’t quite place it.
‘It was uncovered decades ago, when some of the looters dug up an Ancient’s grave, hoping for fine treasures. There were no bones in her grave,’ he said. ‘Instead, there was this.’
