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Nim tips her head to the side, her hands tightening on the wheels of her wheelchair. “The title you’re seeking is only available to Archivists and the Grail Keepers.”
“The book contains information we need…” Caleb gestures over his shoulder. “I’m sure you’ve seen the sky.”
“We’re aware of the recent developments, and I’ve been recording it in the supernatural histories.”
Sylvan straightens. “The book we need contains the information that could lead to killing Orion once and for all.”
Nim presses her lips into a tight line. “Nevertheless, the book cannot be taken out of the restricted section. Nor can I allow you to read the volume you seek.”
“Why not?” Maddy says, reigning in her irritation. “We need it to stop Orion.”
“Because the book is a dangerous title. It’s in the top five books on the restricted list. We cannot allow the magic therein to escape. We wouldn’t be responsible Archivists if we knowingly allowed it.”
Maddy places her hand on Nim’s shoulder. “What’s worrying you about this? It’s just a book, isn’t it?”
Nim shakes her head. “It’s not a normal book. It was written by Faeries and has been imbued with their magic. According to my research about this volume, this book is also a portal.”
“We won’t trigger any portals,” Caleb offers. “Will you let us see it if we promise we won’t trigger any portals?”
“It’s not that simple,” Nim counters. “Members have disappeared while reading the book.”
Sylvan steps toward them. “Then what do we do? We have to stop Orion.”
Nim considers them for a long moment, probably working her magic as a seer. “Do you trust him?”
The muscles work in Maddy’s cheek, and she turns to Sylvan. “I don’t think we have a choice. It’s the only chance we know to end Orion. The Fae are strong, and they’re gifted with a great magic. They don’t want Orion free either. Everything else…” She swallows, her throat working with the first hint of nerves. “We don’t have a choice.’
Nim tucks her chin in. “Then I’ll check out the book.”
Caleb begins shaking his head as a strong foreboding crashes over him. Maddy is with him now, and it makes him feel more balanced, but Nim can’t possibly be willing to risk the mortal world on an obscure rule meant to keep ne’er-do-wells from having access to powerful books. They aren’t trying to end the world, they’re trying to fix what’s already been broken.
Maddy scowls, her hand falling away from Nim’s shoulder. “How does that help us?”
“Since I’m an Archivist, I’m allowed to take the title from the shelf, and I’ll make the call. If I feel it’s safe to allow you all to read it, I’ll give you permission.”
Her words fill the silence, the weight of each one heavy on their shoulders. They don’t have a choice. What else can they do?
“Wait here,” she says. She rolls out of the main room and down a long corridor, taking their hopes with her.
“This had better work,” Caleb mutters. If this really is the only way to beat Orion, he’s not sure they can accept a rejection from Nim. She must let them read the volume.
Sylvan says nothing, only standing silently nearby.
Maddy paces around them, and her eyes remind Caleb of thunderstorms building on the horizon.
He catches her hand when she walks by and gives it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay.”
She yanks her hand away. “Have you seen the sky lately? How can you say that?”
“Because this is the path forward—”
A rumble rattles the building and a whoosh follows. A rumble shakes the building, making thousands of books shudder on the shelves. Caleb rushes to Maddy even as a gust of wind blasts over them, knocking him back a step. He grabs her, adrenaline pumping, to find the world has gone still again. Sylvan tugs his carefully arranged clothes, the only sign that something just ripped through Veritas.
Something powerful.
Maddy’s gaze jumps to Caleb’s. “That can’t be good.”
“Come on,” Caleb commands, sprinting down the hall the way Nim had gone. “We have to find her.”
