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Kira nodded, satisfied with my answer, and looked away, trailing her fingers along the spines of the books in front of her as she wandered down the aisle. I watched until she was out of sight, and then let out a heavy breath, turning from where she had left me and heading back through the library.
The books I was looking for were kept at the very back, where the light from the sconces and fireplaces and windows would not reach. There was a slight shimmer in the air, a glamour in place that made the shelves I was looking for look entirely unassuming, as though they were just part of the library and nothing at all special. The only person who knew about this part of the library aside from me was Leo.
Throwing a glance back over my shoulder, I scanned for Kira, but she was still consumed by the masses of fairytales and adventures that these shelves could offer her. I let out a breath, preparing myself for theuncomfortable shift that would happen when I stepped through the glamour.
A million bugs broke out on my skin as I passed through the glamours threshold. The brightly coloured spines that were visible throughout the rest of the library had turned dark, golden lettering standing out against the cracking leather of the old books. Grimoires, recipe books and books full of lore greeted me.
I shivered against the feeling of my skin crawling and began my search. It was a specific book I needed, the one that I had read as a teenager that had given me the idea for this whole plot in the first place. I had stumbled through the glamour at eighteen, sleep deprived and grieving my father, and once the initial shock had worn off — I began reading.
I spent hours sitting on the floor behind the glamour, pouring over books of magic I had no idea how to wield or control, but the fact that there was magic like this out there had filled me with such a feeling of comfort.
Leo had been waiting outside of the glamour when I finally rejoined the real world, a look on his face that I did not understand. He had taken me to his cabin and began to explain the ins and outs of dark magic; how it was forbidden from using within Fire’s shores, and how the last person that did dare to use it had been exiled from the castle.
Saffron.
My heart had burst in my chest at the mention of my aunt, and Leo warned me against ever, ever reaching out to her, claiming nothing good would come of it if I ever did.
Naturally, I did not listen.
Saffron and I sent letters back and forth for a few years, planning and cementing what was now in place. She had warned me it would not be easy, and she would need to be here for the spell being broken. Her warning had fallen on deaf ears at the time, but now she had shown, and I was nowhere near where I wanted to be, the panic had begun to settle in the base of my stomach.
I grabbed a stack of books I knew I would need and stuffed them under my arm, hoping the glamour would last on them until I got back to my chambers.
“Cyrus?” Kira’s voice floated through the library, and I cursed lightly as I threw myself back through the glamour, the feeling of it making me feel lightheaded with nausea.
Kira had her back to me as she looked down the separate aisles of books, her face confused at my sudden disappearance. I smiled to myself as I crept up behind her, poking her in the ribs and making her squeal loudly.
I laughed as she dropped the books she had been holding and spun around on the spot to glare at me. Her cheeks red with embarrassment and a vicious scowl on her face.I grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes, leaning down to pick up the books she had dropped.
“That was not funny,” She grumbled, and I laughed, bending at the knees to help her with her books.
“It was kind of funny.” I grinned, grabbing two paperbacks, and handing them to her. She rolled her eyes and huffed as she stood back up, stomping away from me down the library.
I continued to giggle to myself as I followed her, my eyes trailing over her wild hair and snagging on the exposed skin at the bottom of her thighs. Her night dress flowed gently around the pasty skin there, and I tilted my head at the puckered pink scar right above the crease of her left knee.
She pushed her way through the library door, and I reached up to hold it open for her. She glared at me, and I grinned in response.
“You are a menace.” She tried to grumble, but her voice cracked and gave way to her own fit of giggles.
“So you keep saying, Sweetheart.” I smiled, readjusting the books under my arm so I could slip my fingers through hers. A spark of magic flickered between our palms, and I grinned as she looked down at the faint golden glow coming from where our fingers joined. “Where did you get that scar on your leg?”
“Why were you looking at my legs?” She raised her eyebrow at me.
“You are walking around the castle with them bare. Forgive me for taking advantage.” I grinned, and she rolled her eyes again, but her face broke into a smile.
“My best friend and I stole a horse.” She blushed at the confession, and my eyebrows shot up to meet my hairline. It certainly was not the answer I was expecting. “His father owns a tavern and stables, so we stole one of the horses lodged there and took it for a ride. We rode through the forest until we found a hut that, supposedly, belonged to a witch. It didn’t, it was just old and abandoned, but we were fifteen and very, very bored, so we went inside and explored for a while.
“We were just leaving when we heard something crack, like someone had stood on a twig, so we ran for it. Dane got to the horse first and started to ride off, while I was left to jump the wall and catch up to him. I slipped on the moss and caught my leg on a sharp stone. There was blood everywhere.”
Kira’s voice went wistful as she spoke, as if she could still see the scene unfolding in front of her. I watched her face closely, her eyes seemed far away, and the small smile was, admittedly, beautiful amongst her freckles.
“Dane came back when he realised that I wasn’t following him, and he freaked out, so he took me home. Emily, oh Lides, Emily went feral. She screamed at us for being stupid and reckless, and then she took me to a healer to get me stitched up.”
I laughed at the picture she painted as she spoke, the angry auntie and the rebellious teenager.
She blushed pink as she looked up at me, realising she had been lost in her own world as she spoke. We had been walking long enough that we were nearly back to our chambers, and she squeezed my hand gently.
We walked the rest of the way in silence, Kira’s hand warm within my own.
