“Faylinn, please. There’s something . . . not right about this place,” Rohak’s voice shook, and I turned in alarm, brow furrowed. I felt none of the malignant vibes he was apparently absorbing.
I opened my mouth, intending to tell him as much, but the obvious sweat on his brow that had dripped down to soak through his tunic and the skittishness of his eyes had me snapping it closed just as fast.
“Would you like to come with me? It’s just around this corner,” I said, holding out my hand for Rohak to take. Surprisingly, he shook his head with vehemence.
“No. I’m fairly certain the shop doesn’t even want me in here, but I’m allowed to stand here since I’m with you.”
A . . . sentient shop?The idea was laughable. More than likely, Rohak wassimply nervous being around so many artifacts—or I hadn’t dismantled all the runes appropriately.
“Okay,” I said softly, turning away quickly. Retracing my steps to the golden book was like breathing; I shouldn’t have been able to remember each turn or where the book was hidden on the shelves, but it felt like knowledge I’d possessed my entire life.
A few short steps later, and I was upon the bookshelf, gently moving tomes and scrolls to find the golden book hidden at the very back. It shined with an otherworldly glow despite the fact that little light permeated the space.
“There you are,” I said softly, the overwhelming feeling of rightness washing through my soul as my skin made contact with its cover. I sighed happily, tucking it hard into my chest, before retracing my steps once more.
The desire to see slowly faded, my eyes no longer scanning the shelves in earnest, as I made my way back to Rohak.
“Is that it? Are you ready?” he asked rapidly. I nodded and had no time to formulate a response before Rohak grabbed my elbow with a sweaty palm and ushered me outside. The door to the Curious closed behind us with abanglouder than should have been possible. Rohak took discreet gulping breaths as we descended the short staircase, wiping his palms on the pants of his tunic.
“Never ask me to go in there again,” he grumbled, running his hands through his hair and making it stick on end.
I chuckled at his relief as my attention was drawn to the lines of runes once more.
“No worries about that,” I mused quietly. “It appears that there was a ‘time’ and ‘person’ rune engraved in that line that I missed. Look, it’s changing.”
Rohak took a tentative step closer to me as he watched, wide-eyed in fascination, as the line of runes outside the Curious began to fade just as another set appeared.
The degree and intricacy of that type of Blood Magic far surpassed my infant knowledge; in all honesty, it was probably beyond that of my mother’s as well.
“That’s . . .” Rohak trailed off, unable to find the right words to describe what we’d witnessed.
“Impressive. And not something we are going to touch,” I said, backing away in reverence.
The pressure on my chest abated the further we fled, and Rohak’s expression lightened with each step.
“Absolutely bizarre,” he mumbled as we walked. I giggled slightly, my gaze stuck on the book in my arms.
“What is it?” he asked as we ground to an unexpected halt. My feet simply wouldn’t carry me further until I’d looked inside.
With trembling fingers, I pulled open the cover of the book to reveal . . . blank pages.
I frowned, thumbing through the entire book to reveal thousands of the same—blank page after blank page.
“What in Fate?” I exclaimed, paging through the book faster this time, in hopes that I’d missed something. A Concealment Rune, a Reveal Rune,something. But the book was woefully empty.
“Perhaps it’s a journal? Or a book you’re meant to complete?” Rohak suggested as I slammed the cover closed with a bit of a bite, perturbed and frustrated that all ofthatwas simply for a journal.
“Better be a fucking magical journal,” I groused, much to Rohak’s amusement.
I tucked it beneath my arm before lacing my fingers with Rohak’s once more. He smiled down at me, love and contentment erasing all previous discomfort from his face.
“Now what?” I asked, swinging our hands between us as we walked.
“There’s one more place you need to visit, Faylinn,” Rohak said quietly. I felt his stare like a hot brand on the side of my face, but I pointedly ignored him.
“Faylinn,” Rohak grumped after a moment, and I sighed in defeat.
“Lead the way, Rohak.”
