Serill knew because he’d stayed up and seen it.
He felt bad about it… but only because he couldn’t hold up his end of the bargain with Brela. She’d asked Serill to be Cason’s friend, to help him get over all of this. She didn’t care about being seen as the enemy. She was still looking out for Cason, even after he had practically spit in her face.
But Serill couldn’t do it. The man deserved to suffer a little bit, and Serill still wanted to punch Cason in the face. Repeatedly. Preferably with some sort of bludgeon.
Oh, those assassins had rubbed off on him.
Serill groaned and flopped onto the couch, staring through the fire.
Red fire. He’d never known fire could be another color until seeing Brela’s magic. If he was being honest, it was absolutely terrifying. Not because he didn’t trust Brela, but because it was so dark. So cold. New, and yet something incredible. While Serill was barely keeping Cason alive with his magic, those shadows of black fire and smoke hadshreddedthe noglida. They’d become slops of green and leather flesh in a matter of minutes.
And then she’d called the celvusa. It had sat next to her, looked at her like they were having a conversation, and thengrinned. They’d used their power to turn the lizards into ribbons together. Like they were the same creature.
Two shadow wolves protecting. Destroying. But when the beast had lowered itself to the ground and bowed to her, Serill hadn’t breathed for an entire minute. Until Elias had gasped and reminded him of the need to suck in air to live.
The rest of the night had been a blur. Brela hadn’t let anyone touch her wounds until Cason was breathing steadily again. Serill would never forget those purple eyes filled with so much worry and kindness. Never forget how carefully she’d explained her shade power and what it would be like to travel as an actual shadow. How incredibly… tingly and odd it had been to become something so cold.
Hadn’t that been something mentioned in the book she’d read to him? The celvusa could become shadow, just like the shade affinity Brela had used. How did that work?
Serill stood up from the couch and looked at the table scattered with Brela’s books. She’d stacked them neatly, each pile a coordinating subject. History and architecture, agriculture, Veil Worshipper texts, and the lone book about the shadow magic on top.
He frowned as he flipped through the stack of books. The children’s story was missing. He looked again, checking between the couch cushions and even under the desk. Nothing.
Well, perhaps it was better that he not read it and give himself nightmares again.
Collecting the books, he began making his way through the shelves, finding the alphabetical places he wanted to put them. He might be forgetful and leave books out every once in a while—or sneak them into Cason’s room to trick him into going to the library—but he was nothing if not meticulous when it came to sorting them.
He’d offered the books to Elias and Farrah as they had walked back to the orphanage that day. Elias hadn’t said a word other than shaking his hand and disappearing inside the building. With tears still streaming down her face, Farrah had squeezed him in a hug and told him the books were in better hands with him. That if anyone deserved their knowledge and could put it to good use, it would be him.
With the shadow magic book under his arm, he headed for the shelf across from the main table. He froze as he looked toward the upper shelf where it would go.
The books here had been moved recently. Not just the ones on eye level with him that were shifted, but the shelves above. He didn’t only see it because they were jutting out more than normal, but because they were in the wrong order.
He hadn’t done that. He wouldneverput them away so carelessly.
Serill pulled the stool over and climbed up, studying the titles.
He couldn’t figure out whether he should be shocked or just roll his eyes.
I still have a few schemes in motion, but we’ll have to wait to see if I’m as good as I think I am.
Oh, Brela was good. Too good.
The first letter of the book titles had been rearranged to spell her name. Exactly where the shadow magic book would have been filed. Her last little prank.
Serill grinned to himself, then pulled the first book out. That grin faded as he realized why the books hadn’t been pushed to the back of the shelf. There was another book wedged behind them.
Curious, he reached forward and wiggled it free.
The children’s book.
“What are you scheming here, Brela?” he whispered to himself, climbing down the ladder.
He fell onto the couch, setting the shadow magic tome next to him on the cushions as he opened the other. Wedged in the front was his sheet of paper with translations—the words he’d been writing while she read to him and explained the proper pronunciations.
So’neiwas shadow. That one was fairly easy.
Eisoqeiwas both wolf and celvusa, depending on whether the children’s book needed extra syllables to make the rhyme work.
