“Of course, this would pose no problem for a magic breaker.”
I narrowed my eyes at the book. “You’re assuming an awful lot right now.”
As the book so kindly pointed out, only the first generation was capable of shadow slipping. Last time I’d checked, I wasn’t part of the first generation.
“You never know until you try.”
“Very inspirational. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
Though he was right. It couldn’t hurt to try.
It’s not like I had any other options. There was also Alches’s behavior. He must see some potential in me. Otherwise, why else would he leave the book with me?
Slipping into my other sight, I examined the oubliette’s walls.
Gold lines converged into existence, covering every inch of the cell to form an intricate cage from which I doubted there was any escape. They were delicate and thin looking as they curvedand intersected in a pattern that was as beautiful as it was treacherous.
“This must have taken years,” I murmured, setting a hand on the wall.
Not to mention a shit ton of power.
The focus needed to create something like this went beyond anything I’d ever seen.
Even staring at it for too long left me dizzy and disoriented as the pattern blurred. It looped in on itself, giving me the optical illusion of falling into it.
I blinked, looking down to get my bearings.
The book was still open to the passage where I’d left off. A new paragraph had written itself while I was distracted.
“Be on your guard. Shadow slipping is highly dangerous. More than one Fae has become lost in the attempt. Never to be seen again.
The space between is deep and unending, marked by fearsome creatures never seen or imagined.
Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew.”
I grimaced. “Now you tell me.”
After I’d already mentally committed to this asinine plan.
However, the new information didn’t change the reality of the situation. Unless someone managed to stumble over me down here, I wasn’t leaving until Brin let me out. Who knew when that would be?
Liam and Connor would still be alive decades or centuries from now. I couldn’t say the same for my family.
I wouldn’t let myself be trapped here. Risk or no risk.
While I was lost in thought, the book flipped to the next page. An image of Inara, blood running down one side of her face came into focus.
I slammed the book shut before I could see more.
“Coward.”
I tossed the book into the middle of the oubliette. “Careful—or I’ll let Alches eat you again.”
This time there was no pithy response. Rather an image engraved itself on the cover. That of a fist with the middle finger raised.
“Real mature,” I huffed, giving the book my back to concentrate on my task—escaping.
How was I going to do this?
