Make two.
A lattice. A lattice. How was I going to unbind this?
Trying to ignore the stone woman lumbering toward me, I listened to the threads, seeking a section that could be undone. First, I coaxed each one until it relaxed and no longer tugged at the others.
Good, so far.
With my mind’s eye, I traced the network, following the lines of light in the air, feeling the energy quiver beneath my skin.
A strand snapped under my touch, and I let out a yelp that echoed through the big open room.
“Coming up with my sword drawn,” Lexie shouted, followed by the thud of her boots on the floor.
The lattice flared like a startled bird. My heart raced. Stone footsteps came closer, each thud a threat, while each vibration of the lattice was also a warning.
“Not too fast,” Kerralyn whispered from somewhere close by. “I did read a bit about wards, how they can sometimes present a challenge. You do know that this is a rare ability. In fact, I don’t believe?—”
“Let her fucking do it,” Derren snarled.
Kerralyn huffed. “I’m giving her simple directions. Let them settle, Isi. Learn their rhythm. Once they’ve relaxed, the solution will come to you.”
“Just like that?” Lexie asked, followed by her grunt and the clang of a sword striking stone.
“Yes, just like that. Do take care, Lexie.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let it near me.”
“I meant not to harm the statue. That’s a priceless object, one that?—”
I’d swear Derren had just placed his palm over Kerralyn’s mouth, but I didn’t look.
I exhaled, whispering encouragement to the threads as if they were frightened animals. A section of the lattice loosened, its vibration slowing, its color fading to a soft silver. Another followed. The wall’s pulse stuttered, then slowed even more, and I realized the lattice wasn’t unbreakable. It was alive, and it would respond if I respected its rhythm.
Finally, the last intersection trembled and dissolved, leaving the wall still, solid, yet subtly different, almost as if it had been exhaling for centuries, waiting for someone who would pay attention.
The statue froze before she turned and scraped across the floor, stepping back up onto her platform.
“Well done,” Kerralyn breathed. She shot her fist into the air. “I helped. Tell me I didn’t help.”
Pherin peeped, which seemed to be all Kerralyn needed.
I braced both hands on the wall and pushed.
It shivered under my palms, and a ripple raced up from the floor to the ceiling. It caught me mid-step, the stone beneath my hand softening like warm wax.
Then the wall…inhaled.
Before I could pull back, it sucked me through, plunging me into a chamber that shouldn’t exist within the library’s walls.
48
ISI
Iclimbed to my feet, sneezed, and waved my hand through the clogged air. It did nothing to settle what looked like years of dust and grime and…
A book lay on a low table in front of me, surrounded by nothing but circular walls made up of smooth, gray stone. The floor beneath the table matched the walls, and a thick layer of dust coated everything.
I approached the table and stooped down, blowing across the top of the book, moving layers of crud, revealing the title etched across the surface in a silvery scroll.
