She focused on those things so she could focus less on what Corvin said. And how he’d said it.
Itwasa mesmerizing view from here. In the mayor’s mansion, the balustrades were trimmed in gold and often draped in ribbon in celebration of some frivolous event or another. The architecture of Mothlock Manor would not stand for that. It was comprised entirely of onyx, with sharp angles, blue fire, and dark woods, devoid of all frills. Though the detailing left her intrigued, it was unaccountably imposing.
“Where do you keep the things you’ve collected?” she asked while staring upward, the beams arching far overhead.
“In the vault, under lock and key.”
Lux glanced over her shoulder at him, a bemused lift to her brow. “Why? You said the manor is only open once every year and by invitation.”
Corvin shrugged. “Our society is careful with every original work. Those of us who don’t take to the roads in search of new finds spend our days on the press, creating copies of what we already maintain. Hence the robes, to protect ourselves from the ink.”
“Was this the compromise to your founder’s vision then?”
Corvin traded his shrug for a beaming grin. “You’ve caught on. Yes. Alixsander wished the manor would be a place of learning. After his murder, a pivot was done to safeguard the society. We collect what would otherwise be lost and revive it.”
“A necromancer of books.” Lux found herself smiling back, though once she realized she did, it faltered.
“I don’t think I can claim anything so accomplished as that.” He winked at her. “Maybe a healer of books.”
Lux’s smile vanished entirely, thinking of what she’d tucked away only for herself.The Risensuddenly weighed heavily in her pack. “So they’re kept safe from rodents and sea air in this vault?”
“It’s more the stealing of them we’re cautious over.”
“That happens?” She turned from the balcony in surprise, facing him fully.
“Once. A long time ago. Before you and me.”
“But why would—” Her stomach clenched. A sudden bout of nerves had her skin pricking with cool sweat.It can’t be.“What sorts of books?” she managed.
Flames danced along the ice in the collector’s eyes. “A rare book of necromancy. And an unbound manuscript. Arguably themost important discovery of Mothlock’s time. One we’ve never found another edition of.”
Devil take me.Lux rubbed her knuckles against her chest. Her pack grew heavier. “Who would do something like that?”
Corvin glanced at the shadowed wall behind him, and Lux followed suit. Paintings of a more respectable size hung unlit. There were no shrines for these. “The last member of the prestigious family of this estate.Her.”
Lux no longer sensed the pain in her stubbed toes. She didn’t register Corvin near her side nor the remaining frames on the wall. Her vision tunneled instead to a single portrait. She crept forward.
It was of a young girl. Her expression fierce, her raven hair perfectly pinned. Her eyes were scorching, framed by thick lashes, her irises colored a vivid—
Lux’s hip knocked against a pillar.
The portrait’s eyes—the exact shade of Lux’s own—watched her retreat. Seemed to judge her for it too. Inside that frame was a girl who would never consider abandoning a cause no matter what stood against her. No matter if that cause benefited her alone. No matter if it ruined others.
No matter if it was heinous to start.
Lux couldfeelthe child’s determination. She choked. “She did that?”
“So the story goes. Around that time, Mothlock was in the midst of being remade to better suit the society. And though her family had already surrendered the estate, she didn’t approve of the vision. Of course, there was also the family’s mind disease. No one should have been surprised when it surfaced in her too.”
“Mind disease?” Goosebumps littered Lux’s arms, her chest beginning to thrum.
“Talk of tragedy. That was a family of broken brilliances, driving them each to madness at different ages. I know I saidto you back at the Maidenway it’s extremely rare. Lord Artemis, our healer, says he’s never seen it surface. He believes it’s genetic—not caught or suddenly formed.” Corvin sighed over the frames. “Their gradual fall brought about the biggest change in Mothlock. Sometimes that’s the only way through though, isn’t it?”
Lux’s heart continued to beat as fast as a bird’s; she worried it might pulse right out of her chest. “Yet you still display their portraits.”
“Why wouldn’t we? This was their home first, and regardless of their unfortunate ends, they were the catalysts for propelling our mission. Many of the oldest volumes housed here were first collected by them.”
But this one stole and fled…And though the eyes weren’t what she remembered, that meant little when it came to the woman Lux knew. She would recognize that expression anywhere.
