“With that blueblood asshole? Absolutely fucking not.”
“I’d rather converse with a maggot. It’d be more stimulating.”
“Eat my ass, weaver!” Lucas snaps.
“Begging is a good start. Keep going and maybe I’ll allow you to choke on my cock.”
I scrub my face. “Lovely. No regrets at all about this agreement.”
Lucas and Valen’s bickering soon grows old and I do my best to tune them out, focusing on the stacks, the books my fingers trail along, and the glory of the magic in this place. I try humming, anything to drown out the stupid pissing contest.
Finally, I reach the section I’ve been hunting for and grab one of the rolling ladders. I drag it over and quickly ascend it, mumbling to myself as I go, “Bestiary… bestiary. Okay, here we are.”
Lucas barks a loud, unkind laugh. “Are you fucking me? You wish?—”
My teeth grind and I try talking to myself louder. “Desert varieties. Where are the region sections?”
“Jealous, magician?” I nearly crack a tooth when Valen’s sneer slices through my concentration. “I would be. The things I know, you wouldn’t stand a chance?—”
I go down a step. “Maybe I’ll try searching by author. Hey!” I call down to the idiots on the ground, “Who is that one famous pre-Ascension menagerie collector? The one that funded the Yrin expeditions?”
“Yosef Lazzoure.” They both answer and then glower at each other.
Lucas steps up into Valen’s space and I gulp.Uh-oh. He pokes Valen’s chest hard with a ringed finger. “I don’tneedpractice. You don’t understand what we have. You’llneverunderstand.”
I sigh loudly and scrape my hand down my face. “Will you two shut up? I’m trying to think!”
They ignore me and I roll my eyes, head falling back. “For the mercy of the nonexistent arachnid gods, spare me this punishment. I beg of you.”
Valen laughs, “Poor magician. Doesn’t want to put action to his big words.”
I growl and use the edge of the shelf to drag the ladder farther away from them. “L…L… where isL. Knorf. Okay, getting closer… Lang…”
Lucas growls, “She’ll never agree.”
My eyes light. Lazzoure! There it is. The book’s spine snaps at my fingers and I smack it with the back of my hand, magic sparking in threat. I growl loud enough for the other books to hear in case they get any ideas, “Don’t youdare. I am not afraid of a challenge.”
Valen huffs a laugh, “I told you. How about it? A little contest before facing the sphinx?”
This time when I reach for the book, the spine shudders and keeps its sharp teeth to itself. I hook my arm around the ladder and prop on a step. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”
I flip through the pages until I get to the sphinx. The head of a woman, body of a lion, and wings of a bird; they come in various sizes and strengths. I doubt Vincentius will use anything that isn’t the biggest and baddest out there. My finger slides down the diagrams. A pity this wasn’t post-Ascension. It could tell me if there’s any kind of Soul Thread, but weavers weren’t as interested in magical creatures as the priests were. Even familiars, who do have threads that are wound with a weaver’s, are barely talked about.
My finger pauses on ‘psychic attack’ and I carefully read the passage.
Though commonly believed to be immune to psychic attacks, it is specifically the illusion that the sphinx is immune to. They have the innate ability to see through any enchantmentor trickery of the mind. That, combined with their enhanced senses, makes them formidable guardians and favorites among high priestesses. Often seen guarding their sanctums and tombs…
I stop reading and purse my lips. Does that mean Lucas couldn’t put her to sleep? Perhaps the real question is if putting the sphinx to sleep is considered an ‘illusion’ or not. Conjuring night terrors or inducing sleep paralysis definitely wouldn’t work. I chew on the inside of my cheek. Hypnosis might be riding the line a little too much. The sphinx might be more resilient towards it because it’s immune to mind tricks. What we would need is something that isn’t conjuring a falsehood, but creating a real, physical effect, like hypnokinesis would. The manipulation of sleep patterns is a physical type of magic that releases a true sleep within the brain instead of tricking the mind into falling asleep.
To know for sure, I’d have to run up two flights of stairs to find a text of theoretical magic, but that would take time we do not have. We might have to wing it and see.
Worse comes to worse, we’ll use Valen as a hostage. I’ll keep that backup plan to myself. I doubt he’d see the logic behind it.
Valen calls up to me, “Astoria, my dear, do you consent to settling this little debate?”
I sigh hard and slip the book back into its place. “Fine, but you better make it worth my time!” I’ll do just about anything to make the bickering stop. The sphinx won’t stay asleep if they can’t shut up for more than five seconds.
I climb down the ladder while Valen answers, “I swear, I’ll make it well worth it.”
