I glanced at her wrists and gently pushed the rest of the fabric up her arm with my thumb. Matching bruises wrapped around each of them.
“Selene …” I got off of her but stayed on my knees next to her. “Who …?”
I couldn’t get much more out because I bit down on the inside of my cheek, blood pooling in my mouth. I hadn’t meant to draw blood.
“I’m fine.” She sat up and brushed off her pants as if we had been rolling around in dirt.
“Who did this to you?” I tried to keep my voice soft, but I couldn’t help the edge of anger that laced it. I hadn’t known …
“I’m okay.” She stood and offered me a hand. “Really.”
I took it, surprised at the gesture despite us both knowing I didn’t need it. Hot rage flitted through my veins and I searched her face for any give, hoping she’d tell me who had attacked her. They had a death wish.
She glanced at the floor, then back up at me, sucking in her bottom lip.
“Vines,” she said, and I patiently waited for her to elaborate. Her magic and fighting skills were powerful—I couldn’t imagine another student being able to do this to her.
After a moment, she continued. “I was running in the woods when I was attacked. I didn’t see who it was.” She sighed. “You wouldn’t happen to know how to find all earth elementals that have attended or worked, or still do, at Fives Academy, and their levels? Basically, anyone that would have access past the wards?”
I thought for a moment and glanced over my shoulder out of instinct. “There’s an archive of students and the academy staff that’s updated at the end of each school year.” That was one of the meaningful things to come out of Ivy’s yammering.
“Where’s the archive? Headmaster John’s office?” Selene took a step forward, a glimpse of hope in her eyes.
“The library.”
“Okay,” she said and grabbed her water, brushing past me.
“Selene.” I grabbed her arm gently, and she whipped her head around. I half expected her to punch me in the throat for touching her. Instead, she stared at me, despair in her eyes as if she could not only hear, but also feel the doubt in my voice. “It’s in the basement.”
“The locked and warded basement that is completely off-limits and dangerous. That basement?” She nodded at her own question in understanding as she spoke. “Noted.” She headed forthe exit, not bothered at all by the impossible mission she was embarking on.
This girl was going to be the end of me.
Chapter Sixteen
Ender
Eventhelibrarianofthe academy, Mark Hastings, wouldn’t be in the human literature section—no one ever was. We were at a magical school to learn magic, and if students didn’t borrow books from this area, it wouldn’t need attending to. Mr. Hastings hadn’t seen Selene and me enter and sneak to the third floor, where we planned to wait for the lights to turn off, the sign Mr. Hastings had closed up for the night.
Because it was Friday, along with the Night Out event, students were scarce. If anyone entered, we were unable to see them from our spot behind the wall of mundane life books—a very quiet section of the library that smelled slightly stagnant from the lack of foot traffic.
“You said you knew pain?” Selene quietly asked. She sat against the stone wall across from me, our knees bent and feet lining up next to each other.
“From loss.” I moved my arms from my side and rested them on my knees. “More so the loss of past and future memories. My parents died when I was little. They got caught in a robbery.”
“I’m sorry. That’s terrible.” Grief filled her voice and it radiated off her, mixing with mine.
“It’s not so bad,” I added. Being so young, I didn’t remember the event—or I had blocked it out. “My cousin raised and trained me. She treated me like her own.”
“I never met my dad but lost my mom recently. She had trained me.” Selene’s gaze dropped to her hands, her fists clenched. “Losing someone no matter at what time of your life is hard.”
“That’s why you and your sister are here.” It started to make sense. She’d mentioned her mom had taught her a lot. Why start this late in high school at Fives—unless her sole guardian was gone.
“She—” The lights turned off, causing Selene to go quiet and pressing her lips together as if she realized she shouldn’t say her next words.
The moonlight from above shone through the giant glass dome and onto the shelves and vines, giving the vibrant greenery a mute, dark color. I glanced at my phone and showed her my screen. It was just after ten. I gently nudged her leg with my foot, hoping to ease the tension from the quiet of the library and sudden drop of conversation. She dipped her chin, narrowing her gaze at me, but the tight skin around her lips told me she was suppressing a smile.
We waited the next half an hour in silence until we descended the stairs toward the checkout desk. Behind it was a locked solid oak door, but Selene had said she had a plan. She asked me to keep an eye out, and when I turned back around, she was kneeling in front of the now opened door.
