“Roane will banish the serpent back into the book with the ring.” Ardruna nudges me backward. “It’s the librarian’s ring. It has the power to bind books. Or perhaps it channels it, I don’t know.”
“Does it always work?”
“No, not always. Come?—”
“I’m not going anywhere without Olm. He’s frightened, like you told me earlier. He doesn’t want to be bound.”
“Girl, that’s not his decision to make.”
“Isn’t it?” I’m shaking so hard my teeth are rattling in my mouth. “If my life was at stake, wouldn’t you leave the decision up to me?”
“Not if you had the power to kill!”
“Killing is a choice,” I grind out. “Having the power to do so isn’t reason enough to condemn anyone. The serpent won’t kill us. Besides, Olm is my friend. He’ll listen to me.”
“Or he’ll eat you for supper! Move back.”
“Roane will hurt him!” I yell.
“Gods, child…” Ardruna sighs. “Really?”
Roane swings his curved swords at the serpent time and again, spinning inhumanly fast, ducking under the massive head and slicing with his blades. Light flashes from his hands, and the book skitters on the floor, pages fluttering.
“Olm! Stop this!” I struggle to move toward them, but Ardruna is once more tugging on my dress. “Let me go!”
My dress hem tears with a screech, releasing me from the lioness’s teeth, and I jerk away, starting toward Roane…
… just as the serpent slams into him, throwing him to the floor.
“No!” My breath catches. “Roane…” He’s lying there so still and my heart is in my throat. Then fury fills me. “Olm!” I snap. “What in the hells are you doing?”
The serpent’s head turns toward me and it rises higher. Its scales rattle on the floor, clicking and clacking as its mouth opens wide and its forked tongue flickers out. Its long fangs drip venom.
“It’s about to strike!” Talton shouts, flying around in circles over my head. “Run!”
“Olm wouldn’t hurt me,” I say but my voice trembles. “Olm! You wouldn’t hurt me, right?”
Roane rolls away and then he’s on his feet between the serpent and me, his swords back in his hands. The snarl on his face is more animal than fae or human.
The serpent lunges at him and he barely avoids getting skewered on those long fangs, rolling away again.
“Olm, stop it!” I suck in a deep breath. “I won’t leave you here! I won’t, all right? Just… stop!”
The serpent hisses, going still. It wavers, its form flickering, becoming transparent enough for me to see the wall of niches behind it.
Then it gets sucked back into the book with a sound like a slurp. The book gives a great shiver, pages rustling, and then falls still.
Silence spreads.
Roane growls, getting back on his feet and whirling on me, scimitars pointing down. “What have you done, making him more promises?”
I bend over to grab the book from the floor and lift my chin. “You’re the one who couldn’t drive the serpent back into the book.”
“Is that what you think? I was working on it, or do you think it’s easy, binding a book? If you had let me finish the incantation?—”
“I wouldn’t know. You’re the master of this place, aren’t you?” I’m still shaking, glad to see he’s okay, glad Olm didn’t kill anyone. I’m in disbelief that he almost did. “Mr. Warrior Librarian of the Areon, ordering me about, glaring all the time.”
After a long moment of silence, he sheathes his scimitars and rubs a hand over his face. “Aline… It’s not like that.”
