“It’s Councilman,” the man replied sharply. “And who do we have here?”
Xander crossed his arms, so Kyra remained silent as she spotted other druids moving a step closer.
Councilman?she thought. That’s all she needed.
“I’ll ask again,” Councilman Edwards said with a touch of impatience, the other druids closing in like wolves. “Why are you here, and with an outsider?”
“You want to try and remove me?” Xander tilted his head, the gesture almost animalistic. “Try it.”
Kyra could just see the councilman, a tall, slim man with dark hair peppered with salt. His face was handsome, but his lips were cruel, twisted.
“You have all made it perfectly clear you are no longer Guardians of the Order, so why are you here?” He held up his hand, and the druids all departed. “You’ve broken our first rule by inviting awomaninto our sacred place.”
Kyra tensed, and Xander must have sensed it because he stepped back, pressing her against the wall. He kept a slight cushion of air, enough for her to move if she needed. She understood his silent warning for her to stay out of the way.
She concentrated on the tight fabric that was flush against his skin, and not the growing panic at being trapped. But she wasn’t trapped, not really. Light glittered everywhere, reminding her she wasn’t in the dark, or alone. She reached forward, her fingers touching Xander’s spine, using his warmth to anchor her anxiety. If he could feel her, he didn’t react.
She was aware of her reactions, had been trying to control them even as her memories ravaged her personal shield brick by brick. She would build it up again, reminding herself that she was no longer a defenceless child. Years she hadn’t suffered a panic attack, and yet there she was trying to stifle another one in just under a week. She had no idea how she had faced down both Frederick and Dirk, but a little lack of space was what was splintering her control.
“So…” Edwards drawled, his words aimed at her. “What sort of witch are you?”
“Mine!” Xander snapped before she could reply. “She’s under my protection.”
“Interesting,” Edwards sniggered. “I wonder whether you’re one of Frederick’s personal ones. He was more pissy this morning than usual.”
Xander snarled, muscles like steel beneath her fingertips.
“Tell Riley I need to speak with him,” Edwards continued. “It’s important. Now go on, but don’t be long. You clearly believe you have the right to be here because of your birth, but I may decide to remove your privilege anyway.”
Kyra listened as his footsteps retreated, and then waited until Xander stepped forward before releasing her shaky breath. They were alone, the large corridor empty.
“I see you have many friends,” she muttered, more to herself.
Xander looked over his shoulder, lips set into a thin line.
“Why are you no longer Guardians of the Order?”Whatever that meant,she mentally added.
“The old Archdruid was corrupt, and did things to his own people that have been removed from our history, like a dirty secret. As a group we decided we no longer wanted to be a part of it. We’re still druids, so we’re able to use the resources here, but it makes sense to keep things… civil with Edwards.”
“That was civil?”
Those lips lifted into a small smile. “Come on, the library is only through there. We won’t have long once someone sees us entering, so we need to make this fast.”
She didn’t need to know more, the urgency to get the charm removed almost a physical force beneath her skin.
Xander explained anyway. “Outsiders are not allowed in here, or the abbey in general.”
“Then why bring me?” she asked. “You insisted that I came.”
Xander said nothing, instead waiting until the druid that passed by had disappeared down another corridor before slipping inside the room.
The library was large, the walls the same pale marble as everything else she had seen in the abbey. The entire room was dimmed, the temperature cool as the books that lined the eight separate floor to ceiling bookshelves were kept in a controlled environment. In the centre, the only source of light was a glass box, just large enough for one person to sit comfortably inside. There was no one else, the glass door closed but an open book was carefully pinned on the small desk.
Xander shut the doors behind them, flicking the lock. Patterns appeared from beneath his palms, the curves moving until the entire door looked as if it had been scorched. The runes glowed gently when he released his hands, as if they continued to burn even without his contact. Something clicked, the small echo bouncing off the walls.
Slowly he reached for his sunglasses, revealing his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” she asked with a frown.
