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22
Harper
I stayin my chair waiting for Liam to walk over to me. There is no way I want him to think I’m in any way looking forward to working on a project with him.
He’s grinning when he gets to my desk. “I was hoping we’d have a chance to spend some time together.”
“Don’t get too excited,” I say. “It’s just a research project.”
“Well, I do my best work in the long hours of the night. So we’ll be spending lots and lots of late nights together.”
“Or we can split the work and each do our share,” I suggest.
He laughs. “Nice try.”
“Your project is due at the end of the month,” Professor Perry says. “You may use whichever resources you find most effective but I expect you all to have at least five primary sources.”
The class groans and I wrinkle my nose. The primary sources we’ve been looking at are written in languages I don’t know. Most of the students here seems to know ancient demonic and goblin. I struggled through French class in high school.
“Library?” I suggest, ready to get this project over with.
“I’ve got something better,” he says.
“Like what?” I ask, already annoyed by his cocky attitude.
“My dad’s archives,” he says.
“Your dad?” I ask. “Prince of hell? That one?”
“Yes, King of The Kingdom of Keys,” he says.
The same man who condemned me to this place and wants me to serve him eternally. “I don’t want anything to do with your dad.”
“I thought you might say that,” he says. “Good thing his archives are stored here.”
“At the school? Not at his weird building with its own hospital wing and chapel of horrors?”
He smiles. “You really did meet him in the throne room. Interesting. I wasn’t sure how much was gossip.”
“Yeah, your dad and I are old pals,” I say.
“I’m going to like having you around. Maybe I’ll ask him if you can be a household servant after you finish here.”
I glare at him. That will never happen.
“Come on,” he says, “I’ll show you the archives.”
Reluctantly, I get up from my desk and follow him out of the classroom. We walk down the main hall, past the front doors. He leads us through the halls to the library.
“Library?” I ask.
“Just follow me,” he says.
The library is busy today. Filled with students reading books and taking notes at the tiny tables scattered around the expansive open floor space. The library is three stories high with open balconies exposing the upper floors. The main floor is full of tables and chairs while the upper floors are lined with books. It’s an intimidating sight. Thousands of books on shelves that span floor to ceiling. Ladders on rails are attached to each shelf, allowing for access to the books on the top.
There are no windows in here. The only light comes from the little lamps that flicker and glow on each table. At first, I’d worried about the smoke coming from the lamps damaging the books. But I learned that the flames weren’t from fire. They looked like fire, but it was an enchantment that came from a stone sitting inside each lamp. A simple spell activated the stone making what looked like flames.
It was one of the things I really loved about this place.
