Page 177 of The Fifth Heir

Light moved between the shelves.

I shifted one hand, forming talons again, and pressed them into the stone wall. If he entered my aisle, I could climb before he saw me clearly. That would still leave the open ventilation shaft and several difficult questions.

The second guard spoke from the corridor.

“Anything?”

“Thought I heard something.”

“You heard yourself snoring.”

“I wasn’t asleep.”

“Then I was.”

The first guard lowered the lamp.

He crossed to the issue cabinet and tested its lock.

It held.

Then he left.

The outer door closed.

I remained still until both sets of footsteps returned to their posts.

After that, I climbed.

The Fifth Wing admitted me without waking the others.

Or so I thought until clear light appeared beneath the common-room door.

Talia sat at the round table.

She had changed into a soft gray robe. Her hair fell loose over her shoulders, and a narrow line of color moved continuously through the scale at her wrist.

She looked at my boots.

Then at the dust covering my coat.

“Where were you?”

“Walking.”

“On the roof?”

“Part of the walk involved a roof.”

The wall runes turned orange.

I closed the door quietly.

“You went to the Trial stores,” she said.

“How did you reach that conclusion?”

“The headmaster sealed them. You questioned three runemasters about the delivery records after the review. Then you disappeared at midnight.”