Page 47 of The Incendiary

Mavic came closer and peered over the edge of my book. His brows shot near to his hairline. “Are you planning on poisoning someone?”

“Gods, no.” I looked down and realized what page I was on. “Lethal Poisons.” All I’d been able to think about was that vial of poison around Gavin’s neck and I’d ended up here. I slammed the book shut. Not a positive impression for an outsider to be researching deadly poisons on the second day out of her cell. “I’m looking at remedies. For healing. I want to learn to help.” In a way, all of that was true.

Mavic slowly nodded. “All right.” The way his eyes narrowed had me worried he didn’t believe me, so I was shocked when he asked, “Can we help you learn to help?”

I hesitated, unable to explain what I was looking for. What I really needed were more pairs of my own eyes to search through these books faster.

I thought about the upcoming tests, and how we’d be judged. Elias had made it clear there would be dangers. Worry for Mavic and Mina threaded through me, prickly and harsh. While I couldn’t tell them I was searching for ways to break a blood oath with Molochai, I could give them the opportunity to learn how to help themselves. They could do something productive, even if it didn’t aid me.

“I think it would be wise to prepare for the tests. We don’t know what the commander will challenge us with.” I started to list everything I’d already learned from Gavin’s books. “Splints, resetting broken bones. Cleaning and wrapping wounds.” I glanced down at Lethal Poisons. “Remedies for… poison oak?”

Mavic considered this. “I have to admit, though I tend to lean toward more active recreational activities than reading, you make a good point.”

“Ew, Mav,” Mina muttered under her breath on her way over to a table.

I laughed, then winced as the muscles in my side tightened and the ache from the hit I took yesterday grew sharper. I should have known better than to sit for so long. I spent the next half hour standing and flipping through pages while stretching.

The twins continued to bicker playfully with each other. Their chatter was amusing, but I couldn’t get rid of the nagging guilt that I still hadn’t found a thing. I’d sorted through books I thought might be useful and skimmed many of them. I could crack open a few more and say a prayer, or I could try again tomorrow.

The bell rang to signal curfew, and my decision was made for me.

The next evening, I was in the library rubbing the exhaustion out of my eyes after another day sparing with whatever mismatched opponent I was given. There’d been nothing slippery on the mat today, but I had a black eye to match my bruised ribs thanks to a tall eighteen-year-old male who felt too quick for his height. I’d miscalculated my movements and a punch had sent me tumbling straight to the mat. The bruises hurt, but I wouldn’t hide them.

Books were scattered across the table before me, everything from shallow-water spear-fishing guides to Rexus dynasty lineages to the history and evolution of northern Warrich bear breeds. I’d already made it through half of the library, and I had found nothing useful.

If it was Simeon’s intention to keep the knowledge of magic away from anyone besides himself, he did a damn good job.

Mavic and Mina didn’t join me tonight. Mina had taken her own blow to the ribs during sparring. She wanted to lie down, and Mavic refused to leave her alone. Part of me was relieved to have the quiet. I’d gotten used to it while living with Damond.

There was one voice I could stand to hear, though.

“Are you there, Shera?”

“If I ever answer ‘no’ to that question, we have much bigger problems.”

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “I miss you,” I told her. Being away from her felt unnatural.

“Can you escape the clutches of your commander and come outside?”

Her words were teasing, but I could hear her annoyance.

“I should make an appearance in the bunks but can try to sneak out once everyone else is asleep, past curfew.”

So I did. I waited until I could count to one hundred without hearing a single stir, grabbed my boots and jacket, and tiptoed through the cabin. The side door creaked shut behind me, but I was swiftly slinking through the shadows before anyone could see.

Gravel crunched beneath my boots, but I kept my steps light enough to go unheard. I waited for the guard to linger on the far end of the path before quickly picking the lock of a rarely used gate and sliding through.

“I’m outside of the fortress,” I told her as the light hum of Simeon’s wards around the fortress faded behind me.

“Can I come to you?”

A guard would only need to take one peek through the slits in the wall to see me. If we lingered beneath the torchlight, they would see us both. I could handle whatever the punishment was for being out past curfew, but I wouldn’t risk them seeing Shera.

“We need to meet farther out,” I told her.

“There’s a ravine about a mile northeast of the fortress. That’s where I’ve been spending most of my time.”

I couldn’t get to her fast enough. Running through the crisp night air numbed my cheeks but warmed my body, and there was just enough moonlight to illuminate my path. Ten minutes later, I deciphered the outline of a cliff beneath the pearly glow of the full moon.