Out of curiosity, she even researched the ancient Ryzitch that May had mentioned. There was little in the Library on it—a fact she learned by asking the leopard spirits. Iylis had explained the spirits were, like him, creatures of magic, born of the Library’s power and deeply in tune with it, which made them particularly suited to scouring its depths. They had brought her only one book. It contained a single paragraph about the creature, describing it as a beast of darkness and smoke, supposedly capable of answering any question asked of it—for a price.
Despite the Library’s vast collection, she couldn’t find anything that talked about the black metal ring she had taken from Allaster’sstudy. Even the geology texts she tried didn’t have anything that matched the material’s description, and she had to be careful of when she looked, considering Allaster himself was often among the stacks.
She was toying with the ring in her pocket when she first noticed the girl.
There were several tricks for discovering if you were being watched. Leading someone into a narrow alley to see if they followed, changing locations to make a tail stand out in a new background, even just making a run for it. Kasira needed none of those. The mage staring at her didn’t care if she was seen. In fact, Kasira was sure that she wanted to be, because when she finally pretended to notice her for the first time, the girl all but snarled at her, clutching a small black journal to her chest.
Kasira made a point of showing the bewilderment Eirlana would surely feel, letting it meld into a frown of distaste, but inwardly she recognized what was unfolding: This girl would be a problem. To anyone else, the encounter might have seemed benign, but trusting her gut had kept Kasira alive, and she wasn’t about to ignore it now.
She sought out May the next morning, finding her in one of the Library’s front rooms where they kept an assortment of equipment, including the tall, dark leather boots May was currently tugging on. She had her face turned away from them, as if trying to keep from smelling something offensive. A moment later, Kasira discovered why.
“Ugh.” She covered her mouth and nose with a hand. “Are those boots treated with Nematir oil?”
“Unfortunately,” May replied with equal displeasure. “But it’s quite effective at keeping the water out.”
Kasira shuddered. “Do you have a moment? I—”
But May was already on her feet and off toward the exterior door, a bucket in hand. “If you can walk and talk,” she replied, leaving Kasira scrambling to slide on her own pair of foul-smelling footwear. She jogged to catch up with May, who was already outside. The air was crisp and damp with mist from the falls when she emerged, following May down a winding path toward the river.
“Where exactly are we going?” Kasira asked.
“Mushroom hunting.” May hefted her bucket. “According to Warrin, there’s a type of mushroom that grows in the mud along the riverside that’s quite effective at stimulating memory.”
“Warrin?” Kasira questioned as they hit the sodden grass of the riverbank.
“One of our healers in training. He’s doing his first independent shift at the infirmary; you should introduce yourself when we’re done.” May offered her the bucket, which Kasira accepted. “The mushroom has a thick white stalk and a light blue cap that sometimes has gray splotches. Help me look while you talk?”
They sloshed along the edge of the riverbank as Kasira described the girl from the library. Slender; with sleek black hair and prominent cheekbones; her skin a soft golden brown; and a smooth, sloping face with a broad, flat nose. Kasira had marked every detail, down to the way the girl held her weight in her left foot.
May’s lips curled with amusement as she crouched to inspect a collection of mushrooms. “Elyae. She’s Ayador’s representative at the Library. Each nation has one.”
“She seems young to be in a position like that.” The girl hadn’t looked more than a teenager to her. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t judge anyone’s age around here by their appearance. For all I know, you’re sixty.”
May chuckled as she stood, empty-handed. “Twenty-nine. But yes, Elyae is young. She’s also a talented mage and very dedicated. She helps train new mages, and many of them look to her as a leader.”
Great. Kasira had been hoping that Elyae’s ornery disposition extended past how she clearly felt about Eirlana, perhaps putting her at odds with the other mages. But if they saw her as a mentor, and if she was a country’s representative, then she had a measure of power and influence here that made her dangerous.
“She’s not happy I’m here.” Kasira watched the understanding unfold across May’s face before adding, “Does she hate me because I’m Kalish? Do they all?”
May didn’t answer right away. Her normally warm expression had hardened, and it was with great care that she replied, “Elyae has alwayswanted more responsibility than she has. She came to the Library as a young child after losing both her parents, who were retired mages. For the others, you being Kalish is only an element of it. From their perspective, you are a potential threat to the thing they have dedicated their entire lives to and would lay down to protect.”
She returned to surveying the riverbank as she said, “But they take their cues from Allaster, who has yet to complete your naming.”
Kasira feigned offense. “They make assumptions about me without even knowing me.”
“Mm, as you do of beasts.” Only May could say something so critical without it feeling like an attack. Yet Kasira sensed a deeper emotion behind her words. May spoke with the restraint of one long practiced in controlling her feelings.
The sudden urge to know May as Kasira rather than as Eirlana flared beneath her ribs. May had an energy about her that reminded Kasira of Loraya, the sort of calm knowing that stood still in the eye of a storm. It drew Kasira in, and she had to steel herself against it.
There was nothing more dangerous for a con artist than getting attached.
Kasira trailed after May as they walked, scanning the grass for blue caps. “I don’t know why I even bother,” she said. “Allaster clearly has no intention of training me. Every day I spend here is another day closer to damnation and—” She cut off as May covered her mouth with her hand, smothering an uncharacteristically derisive snort. “What?”
Something slid into place behind the First Mage’s eyes, the closest to frustration Kasira had ever seen on her face. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Lana.”
“I think I do,” Kasira pressed on with a noble’s confidence, even as she marked the nickname, what it meant. “I’m Kalish; Allaster hates the Kalish, therefore he hates me.”
But May was already shaking her head. “I didn’t mean about Allaster.”
