“Olm wouldn’t harm people,” I whisper.
“Wouldn’t he?”
“You know I’m not like that,” Olm says meekly.
“Tell that to your serpent,” I mutter.
“Aline... think about what you’re doing,” Ardruna says. “You came here to deliver this book, as you should. Leave it with us. We know what to do.”
“He isn’t a villain.”
Talton flutters down to perch on Ardruna’s back. “You haven’t even read his story.”
“True, I haven’t.” I grip the book so hard my knuckles ache. “I wish I could.”
Talton’s croak sounds like laughter.
“Come on,” Ardruna says, “let’s go. Roane will do his rounds and we’ll check every opening, make sure nothing comes in or goes out during the night.”
I blink. “It’s nighttime?”
“One loses any sense of time in here, but yes. It’s the time nightmares come out to play.”
Don’t I know it…
Despite her ominous words, I don’t see any sign of a monster as we exit the sanctum and walk down the enormous main hall, with its colonnades and swaying lamps. Pressing the book to my chest, I glance up at the flickering symbols on the surface of the pillars.
“What is this place?” I whisper, my voice echoing faintly. “It’s enormous, and only one part of it is used for the books. If it’s a temple, then where is the altar? Which god or goddess was worshipped here?”
“Nobody knows. It was a long time ago.”
“Like I said,” Talton says, still perched on Ardruna’s back.
Figures.“And you, Ardruna? What’s your story?”
The lioness gives a low rumble. “I follow Roane and help him wrangle monsters and characters back into books. Or else kill them. We’ve been doing this forever.”
“Forever? What does that mean? Where did you come from? From the outside world?”
“I suppose.”
I frown. “You don’t remember?”
“Roane jokes that I was a pup when he found me.”
“And before that? Did you spring out of the air, fully-formed?”
Ardruna grunts. “Aline…”
“What about Talton? Was he an egg when Roane got him?”
The lioness barks a laugh. “Hear that, Tal?”
“I was the most beautiful egg, I bet.” The raven flies off her back with a flap of black wings. “We should check the doors. Come, Druna.”
The lioness watches me for long moments with her blue eyes. “Behind you is the nest. Go there and stay until we’re back. And don’t let that book talk you into doing anything.”
“People, and animals for that matter, have no appreciation of my nature,” Olm grumbles as I make my way to the nest in the wall. “I have traveled with you. I could have harmed you from the start, but I didn’t. Can’t they see that?”
