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He glances up. “Oh. Hey, Marra. Bash isn’t here, but I guess you can see that.”
“That’s okay. I’m here to see you.”
Rudder sets his guitar down. “Why’s that?”
“You know that cloaking spell?”
He groans. “I can’t keep doing that.”
“It’s just one more time.” I clasp my hands together. “Please.”
“For what?” He frowns.
“Same thing. I just need to look at a certain book in the library.”
Rudder glances around. “Last time, I could do it because I needed to practice the spell for a class. Now, I’m just breaking the rules.”
My heart sinks. “There’s nothing you can do?”
“What’s so important about this book?”
“It’s a long story, but it can help me figure out this Queen Sirena stuff.”
His eyes widen. “So crazy about your uncle—I mean dad.”
“Tell me about it. That’s why I need answers. And it gets weirder, but I can’t really get into it right now. I have to find out what that book says.”
He taps his finger on the guitar. “So, it’s kind of a matter of life and death?”
“It definitely is.”
Rudder jumps up. “Okay, I’ll do it. But let’s not make this a habit. I don’t want to get kicked out.”
“I’ll make sure you don’t,” I promise. “And I’ll find a way to make this up to you.”
“What? Like royal treasure?”
I shrug. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Let me see if I have the right textbook with me. Otherwise, I’ll have to grab it from my room.”
“Whatever you need to do.” My pulse drums in my ears as he digs through his bag. I wish Bash were here to go into the library with me like last time, but it’s probably for the best with him still being one wrong move from expulsion. I don’t want to do anything to put him at risk, especially since now the crown is paying his tuition—the one good thing my dad did.
“Got it! You’re in luck.” Rudder comes over, sets the book down, then flips through the pages. When he finds what he’s looking for, he turns toward me. “I’ve also learned a sort of timer spell I can add onto others like this one. If you want, I can put a time on it to wear off. If not, you can find me when you’re done again.”
“How long will it last?” The last thing I want is for it to wear off before I leave the library.
“I’m still pretty new at the timer. I can set it for an hour only. Talk to me in a week, and I can probably offer more variance.”
“You are practicing a spell,” I point out.
He shrugs. “If I do the timer. Will an hour be long enough?”
“If I can get into the library right away. Last time, we had to wait.”
“It’s up to you.” He glances at the spell.
I think about Bash and me going up. It felt like it took forever, but probably because I was so nervous. The whole thing probably lasted about an hour. “Let’s do the timer. That way, you’re still practicing and not just doing magic outside of class.”
“You sure it’s enough time?”
“I’ll make it work.”
