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Sokar pinned Lunara with a dark stare. “Especially not me. Come.”
Pick yourself up and remember why you’re here. It’s fine. You’ll be fine.
Finally taking in their surroundings, she discovered they were in what—hilariously—resembled an average library.
Average is…maybe a step too far.
The vaulted room was almost entirely gilded in gold. And silver. And jewels.
Laden shelves shot up into an arched ceiling, near-infinite in number. They stretched out as far as her eyes could see in every direction, disappearing into the distance. Balconies and staircases curved and jutted, their surfaces twinkling.
Cushions of silk and damask were piled before the stacks with abandon, low tables with warm lanterns in the spaces between. In the central areas, pads of down lay waiting for tired readers, woven blankets strewn over them. Even the floor was plush, layered rugs sinking beneath her feet with every wondrous step.
Fern whistled. “You could live in a place like this.”
“I do.”
Both of them turned wide eyes on Sokar at his bland admission.
“You live down here?”
“Someone must, and I prefer the solitude. Now”—he handed Lunara a slip of parchment—“these are the ones which are relevant to you. You may touch but not open any others.”
“And if we do?” Fern crossed her arms—a challenge.
“You die a swift and painless death without trial or hearing to preserve the secrets you had no right to.”
Her brows shot straight to her hairline. “Fair enough.”
“If there is something else you require, you may put in a request with Tahny. Whether or not you are approved is beyond my control.”
Sokar gestured for them to follow, leading them deeper into the library. “Do not open any doors. Do not eat or drink near the tomes. If you have need of the washroom, call for Kala and she will guide you the first time. If you must sleep, feel free to rest anywhere that looks agreeable, but know the dreams here can sometimes be…strange.”
He paused at a rounded opening, the yawning room beyond separate in a way she couldn’t explain. “This is where you will find the items on that list but remember—anything you discover may only be shared with members of the Imperial Line, and those responsible for their safety if the information is necessary for keeping their lives intact. You are bound to this. The moment you speak it to someone who should not know, both of you will forget you ever knew it.”
“If that’s the case, why would you kill us for looking around down here?” Fern ran her fingers along the spine of a book and shuddered. “Won’t we just forget it anyway?”
“I do not do the killing for that offense, Fae. The library does.”
Fern snapped her hand back and narrowed her eyes on the nearest shelf, as if it was about to pounce.
“Is there a limit on our time here?” Lunara asked, already feeling the distance from Brand. “Are we allowed to come back if we don’t finish?”
“You may take as long as you need. The duration is irrelevant, because the library is outside of time. When you return to the surface, all that will have passed is however long it took us to arrive at the final portal.”
What the…?
“So we could stay here for literal years, and it wouldn’t matter?”
“Only if you care about appearances, though you will age much slower than up there.”
Something about the way he said it…
“How long have you lived here, Sokar?”
“Long enough that many I love no longer remember me. Refreshment will be provided to you shortly.” He dipped his head and spun, disappearing around a corner.
Lunara and Fern stared at the empty doorway for a long time, the weight of all he said bearing down on them.
