They both looked bored in history. They had to have remembered what really happened in Fairy, but they didn’t utter a single word during Professor Kane’s lecture. My class wasn’t mindless assholes anymore. I might actually make friends with a few of them. Professor Kanelovedtheories, and she always left the last fifteen minutes of class open for discussion.
Usually it was just us, but the entire class seemed to enjoy throwing out theories about what really happened to Fairy. Itwas great, but I was barely paying attention and I really liked this class. I already knew what happened to Fairy, and I was trying to figure out Radames and Lola’s next move.
Ever since Adrian died, no one had a red aura. I understood why Adrian’s was different now, but we at least had a breather to figure out what they were up to and how to stop them instead of trying to protect someone.
I was starting to get some idea in Arcane Magic. That seemed to be the only class they were interested in and only once Professor Gefn started the unit on healing. I was listening to Professor Gefn because I needed to learn this, but I was damned sure listening to every question they asked.
“Can we healeverything?”Lola asked.
“No. Headmaster Mykene has asthma, and Sage will always have diabetes. Anything with a genetic component can’t be healed. Most of you will have noticed in magical combat that you may be stronger, but you didn’t wake up superheroes with unlimited endurance. Magic is the same. If you are bringing someone back from the brink of death or trying to rid someone of cancer that has spread to multiple parts of the body, it’s going to take a lot out of you. You may lose consciousness for days before you even finish.”
Lola just nodded and didn’t make another peep. Why were they both so interested in healing when all they’d done so far is kill people? Lola was an original so as far as I knew, she wouldn’t have the same healing abilities as a god or like Lucian or Ari.
They were clearly awake because they’d figured out how to use their magic to kill, so wouldn’t Radames also remember how to heal? Unless Apep was just such a shit the first go around he never bothered to learn that.
Unless she had just kept it private, Lola hadn’t said anything about having a chronic health condition. If she’d said somethingin private before the trials, Headmaster Mykene hadn’t brought it up after we realized she was one of the Forsaken Ones.
Lucian leaned in.
“She’s kind of scary, but I think we need to ask the librarian about the books those two have been reading. The supernatural dark web is vast and Iman already said she saw Lola using a burner phone, so I’m not going to find anything there. I can’t hack a phone without an internet connection unless I have it in my hands. We need to figure out what Radames has really been researching this entire time.”
I didn’t think it would tell us how to kill them for good, but it would tell us what their end game was.
Iwas so glad I was mated to people who didn’t need to be told not to bring their lunch in the library with some of these precious tomes. We ate our lunch in the dining hall and then walked to the library to talk to the librarian.
I was used to being every librarian’s favorite person. I was always there checking out books, and I was very respectful of them. I always used a bookmark, brought them back before they were due, and never caused any damage.
Thislibrarian really liked Liam and I couldn’t even blame it on the fertility god magnetism. She just got a kick out of his book requests. We’d go in to study and he’d ask her for some really bizarre books.
“So, Fern, before we seek your glorious assistance, I need help. I have a mind to read a book about a possum shifter, but I want cozy and funny. You haven’t failed me yet.”
Liam kept asking for books about shifters that didn’t exist. Sometimes, he wanted cryptids and Eldrich Terrors. I didn’t really know if he wanted these books or he was just taking the piss out of the librarian and trying to stump her.
“You’re in luck. I’ve got one where she’s a possum shifter with a little witch in her and runs a magical bakery. She frequently faints and ends up in the morgue because she’s a possum shifter.”
“I love you platonically and I want it.”
I started thinking about the time my baba took my camping in Canada and we got accosted by geese. What the hell…?
“Do you have any books where someone is a Canadian goose shifter?” I asked.
They both looked at me like I was utterly insane when Liam just asked for a possum shifter and that wasn’t even the weirdest thing he’d asked for.
“Not kink shaming, but why would you ask that, mate?”
I threw up my hands. Icould notwith Liam sometimes.
“Do you want more books on Egyptian gods today?”
“No, Fern. We actually need to creep on the books Radames has been checking out. He’s in our year, kind of quiet, wears a cross around his neck. We’re pretty sure he’s using this glorious library for nefarious purposes.”
“I know of him and you’re wrong. He’s checked out a few books on Egyptian gods, but he said he wants to be a healer. He’s been checking out books on that, but he’s looked at a few on ancient fertility rituals.”
Liam. He hadn’t figured out any rituals and as far as I knew, no one had gotten pregnant since he’d gotten here, but from what Saffron said, the gardens were doing better than ever. Hedefinitely took his protection of women to a murderous level. I still didn’t get why Lola attacked him like that.
“Are the books about fertility rituals returned?” Liam asked. “It’s kind of my domain.”
“So, full disclosure, some of these don’t work. Some involve dressing in animal skins and hitting women with whips. Some involve showing your genitals to a statue of a god and asking them to bless you with fertility. There are a few that are a lot darker and involve sacrifices. Like, old school sacrifices, not like donating blood or volunteering at a food bank like we do now.”
