The Ayadese were mostly indifferent to beasts, the Jacari were respectful, the Riviairens went so far as to live symbiotically with them, and the Miravi studied them. But while each realm had its share of dangerous creatures, none rivaled the perils of growing up in Kalthos, where you were as likely to die at the claws of a beast as to make it past thirty.
The only country that had ever compared had been Avaria, which worshiped beasts as gods. The stories said Avaria had dragons bigger than houses that would carry children off in the night, though no one had seen one in ages, just like no one had stepped foot in the northern nation. People had tried, but Avaria was ringed coast to coast by the Terasor Mountains, and those that attempted its few treacherous passes were never seen again.
By the time Airamay had shown her to the gardens, the portal room, and Allaster’s office—a location she made note of—Kasira had realized that space appeared to be relative within the Library’s walls. There was far more on the inside than the outside suggested, which aligned with her growing understanding of how magic operated here.
“Airamay, what is that?” she asked as they emerged from the cavernous arena where they had begun the tour. They were in the belly of the Library, where the new castle gave way to the old. In a far corner, an archway of slate-gray stone opened into an impenetrable darkness. A chill brushed the nape of Kasira’s neck, though there were no windows to allow a breeze.
Airamay brushed three fingers along the back of her opposite forearm twice as if dusting it off and muttered something in Riviairen. “The catacombs,” she said in the Common Tongue, and it was only the tone of her voice that told Kasira the motion had been something more. A ward of some sort? “And please, call me May.”
Catching her confusion, May explained, “An old habit. My mother is the superstitious sort, and the catacombs have always made me uneasy.”
Kasira peered over her into the darkness. “What’s in there?”
“I wish I knew,” she replied warily. “The Library is very old, and so are some of the things in it. The catacombs are full of lost rooms and artifacts, but also ancient beasts that have made the stone labyrinth their home. According to Library records, Lady Lucasia once spent an entire month in its depths, and when she emerged, she did not speak for a week.”
May’s voice dropped to just above a whisper as she added, “According to her Assistant, she found the Ryzitch trapped down there.”
“Ryzitch?”
May blinked at her, and Kasira realized it must have been something someone who had supposedly been studying to become the next Librarian would know. She quickly sought a way to twist the moment in her favor, and settled on looking bashful, as if embarrassed by her misstep. Sure enough, May laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Kasira fought not to stiffen beneath it. She didn’t like people she didn’t know touching her.
“I wondered if this would happen,” May said kindly. “It’s been so very long since Kalthos guarded the Library. The Kalish crown wasn’t always as vicious toward beasts as it is now, but Kalthos doesn’t train mages anymore, and I thought that might extend to its candidate for Assistant as well. They sent you here unprepared, didn’t they?”
This was the reaction she had wanted from Allaster and known she couldn’t have. Where he saw suspicion in her lack of training, May saw neglect, and that Kasira could use. She shook her head ruefully, eyes downcast, and May’s hand tightened reassuringly. “I feared as much. I would wager Allaster hasn’t been very understanding?”
“He wants nothing to do with me, and I have so many questions.” Kasira let a little frustration into her voice. “Do you think he’ll be back soon?”
May’s sympathetic expression told Kasira she wasn’t the only one forced to deal with Allaster’s irritability. It was the same of all the noblemen she had conned—their foul moods rippled through those around them without care for whom they capsized. “He has a meeting in Kalthos this evening, but I’m sure upon his return he’ll be moreavailable to you. For now, you are welcome to come to me instead. I will help you the best I can.”
An unexpected claw of guilt scratched Kasira at the thought, but she took what she was offered. “Thank you. I will.”
May lowered her hand. “However, superstition or not, you won’t catch me saying more of such a creature. Speaking its name already tempts the Fates.”
There was a truth to May’s words that Kasira couldn’t ignore. The catacombs did feel peculiar, as if that solid darkness was beckoning her in. But it also sounded like a forgotten place. The kind that could contain lost entrances, hidden truths, and secrets—perhaps even about what plagued the Library.
“No one ever goes in there?” she asked casually.
“Only the Librarian and their Assistant, and on rare occasions, myself. Though I keep to the mapped corridors I’m familiar with.” May gave a slight shudder, before gesturing them away. “Would you like me to show you back to your quarters?”
“I can find my way from here, thank you,” Kasira replied. “And I appreciate you taking the time to help me. The transition here has not been … easy.”
“I will do what I can to change that,” May replied, then bid her goodbye.
Kasira turned as if to return to her quarters, but rather than veer left toward the barracks, she went right, toward the easternmost tower. If Allaster would be out of the Library until later that evening, then he wouldn’t be able to detect her location.
It was time to see if she could still pick a lock.
CHAPTER 8
KASIRA
THE ANSWER, IT TURNED OUT, WAS YES.
The lock clicked, the sound drawing forth the memory of when Loraya had taught her to pick them. They had been tired and hungry and bitten to the quick by the cold the night they fled the orphanage. Watching the warehouse lock come undone in Loraya’s hands had felt like magic, and as they huddled together for warmth among the barrels of grain, Loraya had shown her the mechanism over and over again until Kasira forgot her misery, if only for a moment.
Loraya had always been like that, so quick to share her knowledge, to help. Even after they joined Thane’s crew, it had been Loraya who looked after the other members. She had only been a couple years older than Kasira’s sixteen, and yet it had been Loraya who taught the new recruits how to survive, she who made sure everyone came back safely. Kasira had been nothing but a Briarbeetle clinging to her for survival. Yet Loraya was gone, while Kasira persisted stubbornly on.
Tucking Loraya’s hairpin back into her boot, Kasira pushed open the door to Allaster’s office and almost ran straight into a pile of books. That proved to be the least of the room’s hazards. It was stuffed to the brim with knickknacks and artifacts from across the realms, teacups piled on every surface, and so many stacks of books they practically formed their own city streets. The only clear path was to the desk, and she nearly stepped on three different glass figurines on herway there, the statuettes covering every available surface. The whole room smelled faintly of old paper, a scent that already reminded her of Allaster.
