Those were his exact words.
But it’s not one book.
It’s two.
Book of shadow, and book of mists. A coded reference to a witches book of shadows and possibly the Journey to the Void of Mist and Spirit. A long shot, maybe, but the books are written so similarly… I have to try.
Back in my suite, I grab my mother’s grimoire from the dresser, kiss her photo once again, then race back to the library. Up the stairs, through security, then I’m sitting at the table in the archives once again, my hands trembling.
Kirin. I need to text Kirin.
I grab my phone, and suddenly, it buzzes in my hand.
Carly, of all people, texting through the student directory app.
Stevie, where RU?she demands.
Library, I text back, leaving off the rest of my thought, which is basically, what the fuck is it to you, and why the fuck are you bothering me?
I watch the three dots, see her next message pop up.Get the hell out. Something bad’s about to happen.
I send her the eye-roll emoji.
Immediate, my phone rings. What the hell does she want?
“Carly,” I snap, “I’m busy and it’s late, so—”
“Stevie, listen. I’m fucking serious. You need to get out of there right now before—”
The line goes dead.
Fucking Carly. It’s bad enough she barged in on my night with Baz. No way will I let her barge in on my work. Fuck her.
I decide to hold off on texting Kirin. Instead, I bring mom’s grimoire to the table, open it to the first page.
Next to it, I open the Journey to the Void of Mist and Spirit.
Immediately my hands begin to tingle, the books emanating a faint glow. With both books open to the same page, I run my fingers along the passages, just like I did with my mother’s notebooks.
Nothing happens.
On a hunch, I turn her book on it’s side, forming a right angle with the Journey book.
Suddenly, new lines illuminate both books, writing before my eyes between the lines of the old words, filling in the missing pieces.
“Ha!” I press my hand to my chest, my heart thudding, tears blurring my vision. “Holy shitcakes!”
“Stevie? What are you doing here at this hour?”
I look up to see Professor Phaines entering the lab, his eyes wide with excitement. “Have you found something?”
“I couldn’t sleep, and I had a thought, and there were all those twos in the Tarot cards and the books and I just…” I force myself to take a deep breath, then try again. “Professor, the Book of Shadow and Mists isn’t a legend. And isn’t one book, it’s two.”
“What ever do you mean?”
“Look.” I wave him over, then show him one of our original translations from Mom’s notebooks.
Between the space where black meets white
