28
Killian
The next day, Killian felt as though he had endless energy. Partially to thank was the massive plush bed he and Elyse had shared. It was a far cry from the slender bed they’d shared back at his mother’s. As much as he enjoyed having her body pressed against him, his muscles didn’t appreciate the confined positioning. Last night, he’d been able to stretch out his legs while still keeping an arm draped over Elyse’s back. He was almost convinced Sera’s parents had doused their linens with sleep enhancers—or maybe he had just been that bone-tired.
Their task for the day was the other reason for his vigor. They’d taken two carriages over and down the rolling hills, which had brought them straight to the local university. Every piece of landscape and architecture was beautifully curated, with winding cobblestone walkways that wove through luscious gardens, and buildings with grandiose arches and columns—somany columns. The whole place appeared to have been plucked from the mind of a spirited dreamer.
The library—a four-story structure made of peachy stones—cut into the horizon ahead of them. It stood like a beacon, promising hope in the form of knowledge. Killian’s heart pounded with excitement as they rolled to a stop at the entrance. They wasted no time scrambling out of the carriage.
A wide staircase leading up to grand double doors awaited them. Killian and his friends had only made it a quarter of the way up the stairs before a shriek pierced the morning. A woman came barreling straight toward them, hardly more than a blur. To Killian’s surprise, instead of reaching for the dagger he kept in his boot, he flexed his hands and prepared his magic. Oh, how things had changed.
The woman collided with Sera, wrapping her arms around her and nearly knocking her down the stairs. “Sera, you chit!” the woman hollered. “Those aremyshoes!”
“Jealous? They look so much better on me,” Sera countered with a laugh.
Killian relaxed. There was no danger here, only sisterly strife. Sera and the woman swayed as they embraced, both squeezing so tight Killian swore he could hear bone crunching.
They finally released one another, and Sera offered a proper introduction. “Everyone, this is my baby sister, Camilla. She’s one of the head archivists at the university—but she’ll be running the whole place here soon enough.”
Camilla bowed her head as a rouge tinted her pale cheeks. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said to the group. Her features were similar to Sera’s, though Camilla didn’t share Sera’s toweringheight. Her black hair was cut at an angle, so that the left side was level with her chin, but the right nearly touched her shoulder.
Camilla and Sera chatted away as they sauntered up the stairs toward the doors, and the rest of them followed.
Killian had never noticed the scent of books before, but as he strode into the enormous library, he realized that was what he was breathing in. It was like warmth, and sleepy afternoons, and maybe a hint of vanilla.
The library was built as a mezzanine with an enormous skylight spanning the ceiling. It gave the entire place a bright, cheery atmosphere. Killian counted the rows of shelves and tried to calculate how many books were in the building, but he quickly gave up. Directly below the skylight were at least two dozen tables, half of which had open books spread across them and a patron busily scribbling down notes.
Killian was so busy craning his neck to inspect every marvelous inch of the place that he nearly ran into Manny, who had stopped short to stare up at the ceiling. Elyse laughed and gently took his elbow to steer him around the still-stunned Manny.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she asked, her voice hushed but filled with awe.
Killian paused his gawking for a moment to look at Elyse. She gazed at row after row of books. There was more than just wonder in her eyes, though. For the first time since Lazarus had come alive, Killian spotted optimism in Elyse’s face as she trailed her fingers along a stack of books.
“We’ll find what we’re looking for,” he said, mirroring her assurance.
As Camilla led them toward the back, each person they passed acknowledged her with enthusiasm. They reached an alcove at the far end of the building where a desk littered with books and parchment sat tucked between three walls. In the corner was an armchair, its ochre-colored fabric faded from wear.
Camilla rounded the desk and began gathering supplies from a drawer. “You’re researching wards, right?”
Everyone stiffened at her question.
“Not exactly,” Sera replied with an apologetic look.
Elyse took a step closer to Camilla until her thighs pressed against the front of the desk. “I need to learn more about demons,” she corrected, glancing over each shoulder to make sure no one was listening to them. “Specifically, how to incapacitate one.”
“A corporeal demon,” Killian added in a low tone.
Camilla’s lavender eyes shot to her sister, one brow arched.
“I didn’t want Mamay and Papa to worry,” Sera explained.
Camilla let out a haughty breath. “You do remember that Mamay is a seer, too, right? She’ll probably figure it out.”
Sera rubbed a hand on her arm, folding in on herself. “Then I’ll face that possibility if it comes to that,” she remarked, her voice sounding brave despite her posture.
Camilla chewed on the inside of her cheek, and Killian feared she was going to refuse them. But she plucked a stack of parchments off her desk and began handing them out.
“These are maps of the library. All of the shelves are labeled with letters, the rows with numbers, and the books are organizedalphabetically by title.” She strode to a shelf near her desk that housed nearly a hundred identical, massive leather-bound books and tore a seemingly random one off the shelf with confidence. She set it on her desk and propped it wide open. As she flipped through the pages, her finger hovering over the script, she jotted down a few notes on a loose piece of parchment. Then she turned and shoved the parchment at Manny.
