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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ladon
“What if you try—”
“Emilie,” I groaned. We’d been tampering with that gods-forsaken entrance to the tunnels for hours now. Despite every attempt I’d made, the wall hadn’t budged.
“I know you’re tired, but who knows the next chance we’ll get. We need to make the most of it.”
She was right. Our days in the Scholars’ Cavern were getting lesser and lesser.
“Give me your hands,” I said.
She didn’t hesitate to place her palms in mine. It was a position we’d grown accustomed to. Sometimes in the mornings, before we’d even got out of bed, I’d lazily play with her fingers, tracing the black ink on her skin. The rush of excitement I got from it went beyond siphoning the magic in those vines.
I pulled at the magic, absorbing every bit of it I could. She’d been right about one thing; I could store it. It took a while before I began to notice it, but I could feel the magic building up inside me. Like a muscle I’d been training over time. It was easier to wield my power now than when we’d first been abducted. I was getting stronger.
After a few more minutes, I released her hands. “We should probably get some work done, or Reyna will think we’re not doing anything here.”
“You’re probably right.”
I followed her as she made her way down the aisle and up the stairs to the second floor. We were almost done organizing this level, and then it was just a few more to go.
“Let’s take our time though,” I said. “Leave some work so we have to come back again.”
Emilie nodded in agreement.
“Have you done any more research on the runes?” I asked, sliding a book onto its proper shelf.
“There isn’t much more to be done. The runes are pretty clear. ‘Magic is key.’ But it doesn’t specify what magic. Is it a certain incantation or do you need a relic? At this point, it’s a guessing game.”
She sounded frustrated; her brows furrowed as she huffed. I knew it was driving her mad, not having the answer. In the time I’d watched her studying the various books she’d stolen, I’d come to learn that Emilie was incredibly intelligent. And she hated not knowing everything.
We continued to work throughout the afternoon, keeping a slow and steady pace as we made our way through the second level. Unfortunately, the higher we went, the less damage there was to sort through. I surveyed the third level, quite certain it would only take a matter of hours if we were to go at our best pace.
I glanced at Emilie, and she seemed to deduce the same thing. She bit her lip and frowned.
“What if we just pushed a few shelves over?” I asked, and she smiled.
“That will definitely get us in trouble with Reyna.”
I sighed and prepared to dig in when I noticed eyes peering around the corner of a shelf in the distance. I narrowed my eyes and stalked in that direction. The creature dashed behind the shelf and disappeared from my sight, so I picked up my pace.
I heard Emilie’s footsteps behind me. “What are you doing?”
She must not have seen it.
“Shh,” I said. For once, she listened to me without arguing.
I rounded the corner where I’d seen it, right as it slipped down another aisle. But I’d caught a glimpse of its black wings—the harpy. Why was the damn thing running from us?
She veered left and then took another turn right. Her knowledge of the cavern worked against me and eventually I lost her trail altogether. I slid my hands through my hair in frustration while I worked to catch my breath.
“What the hell was that?” Emilie asked.
“You didn’t see her?”
“Who?”
