by Marisa Mills
My, the princeling certainly seems rather adept at getting into places he shouldn’t be, doesn’t he?
Lucian was right. Alexander did seem pretty skilled at getting through locked doors. And why would a prince need to be sneaking around at night, anyway? Surely he could gain access to the forbidden archives if he asked. But I wasn’t about to complain about him opening doors for me. I hurried towards the door and turned the knob slowly, exhaling a breath as it clicked open. It was very dark inside, although I caught sight of a dim light in one corner. That was probably where Alexander was, so I moved away from it and darted behind a shelf. I waited to see if Alexander would come and inspect the door, but he didn’t.
I held out a hand and traced the outline of the shelves, moving deeper into the archives. As my eyes adjusted I could see tall shelves of books fading into the darkness, illuminated only by the light of the moon falling through the high, gothic windows. Hopefully, Nicholas Armenia’s journal wasn’t right behind Alexander’s head or something. I stepped behind a shelf and squinted at the books, but it was too dark to see. While I could make out shapes, I couldn’t read individual names.
I was considering whether I could use my device without giving myself away, when a hand grasped my arm and shoved me backward. My eyes caught the flash of steel as a dagger rushed towards my face.
Seventeen
I RAISED MY HAND, SQUINTING against the bright light Alexander was holding. He pressed close against me, pinning me against the bookshelf painfully. “Why are you here?” he hissed.
Very princely behavior. I clenched my jaw.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I replied, trying to copy the haughtiness in his voice.
“Tell me,” he said, shoving me again into the bookshelf, “or I’ll shout for help.”
He’s bluffing, Lucian said.
“I’m just trying to find something,” I stammered.
“Like what?” he raised an eyebrow.
Don’t tell him, Lucian said.
“Something written by Nicholas Armenia,” I stammered. It was a risk, telling Alexander the truth. But he shouldn’t be sneaking around either. Maybe we could help each other.
Alexander released me and broke away abruptly. He studied me for a long moment, before heading towards the center of the room. “Follow me,” he said, waving an arm.
Alexander walked to a place on the floor, covered with books and a single lantern. He swept the lantern off the ground, lit it with a match, and continued down a narrow gap between the bookshelves. My heart beat quickly as we walked farther into the archives. This place was much bigger than I imagined.
“You’ve heard of him?” I asked, finally.
“Not exactly, but I know where to look.”
Alexander finally stopped. His finger moved along the spines of books and bundles of papers, but there was no mention of Nicholas Armenia so far.
“Why are you interested in this man?” Alexander asked.
“I read his name somewhere,” I replied.
“So you decided to break into the library, at night? I’m not a fool.”
I frowned and pulled a stack of papers free as Alexander’s finger passed over them. One bore the name Nick written in thin, slanted handwriting. This wasn’t the journal, but it might be something related to this Nicholas guy. Something was better than nothing, wasn’t it? Dorian had said the journal and anything else I could find.
Nick isn’t exactly an uncommon name, Lucian said. You probably want to check.
That was a good point. I untied the ribbon binding the stack of papers together and unfolded the top one. Alexander held his lantern up and peered over my shoulder.
“Is this it?” he asked.
“Shh,” I said, raising a finger. “Be quiet so I can read.”
My Dearest Gwen,
I’m afraid I’ve not been in Argent until recently, so I’ve only just received your letter. Despite Amelia’s assumption that I’m somehow responsible for Dorian’s disappearance, I haven’t the faintest idea where he is. I wasn’t even aware he was gone until I received your letter. I can ask around to see if anyone in Argent recalls seeing him, and I’ll certainly pass along anything I find. However, considering how much time has passed, I doubt I’ll have much success. But I wouldn’t worry too much. Dorian has magic and wits enough to look after himself.
As for me, my travels have taken me to northern Plumba. I’ve found a place that I simply must show you! I know you don’t carry the same love for nature that I do, but I’ve found the most remarkable forest. It’s just beyond the region’s walls, about two day’s journey from the ocean. It’s the greenest place I’ve ever seen in my life, and completely isolated among the trees and ruins. A crystal clear lake hides statues beneath its surface, like a mirror into humanity’s ancient past. I spend my days drinking tea by the shore, reveling in the expansive sense of liberty.
I expect to be returning to Reverie soon. Perhaps, I’ll even arrive before this letter does. It’s been far too long since I’ve seen your face or heard your voice, and despite my resolve to keep learning, I fear I can’t bear to be away from you for much longer. Send my love along to your family, those of them who are willing to accept it.
Yours,
Nick
I wondered if those were the same forests Sterling sometimes went to, and if they were, why would a mage go to them?
Was this letter written by Nicholas Armenia? It seemed like a good bet. He definitely knew Dorian and his family, but this wasn’t what I’d expected at all. Had Dorian sent me to get his family’s letters or something related to them? Why were these personal letters even here in the forbidden archives? It’s not like they were dangerous.
I frowned and flipped through a few more things as Alexander handed them to me. There were a few receipts for purchases and a couple sketches of people I didn’t recognize. One was a woman with pale, wispy hair. The other was a dark-haired man; something about his face reminded me of Gabriel, but I couldn’t figure out exactly why.
“Why are you looking through these?” Alexander asked. “The Rosewood family has enough secrets without you having to go digging. I mean, half of Reverie suspects Dorian killed his mother—”
“Killed his mother?” I said, looking up quickly.
Alexander rolled his eyes. “Do you really think a perfectly healthy woman just fell down the stairs and broke her neck? Really?”
It did sound a little hard to believe, and Dorian did really hate Amelia. But he didn’t seem like a murderer. And hadn’t he expressed his own doubts about her death?
I suppose that’s one way to get your inheritance! Lucian declared, laughing.
It wasn’t funny.
“No, I—I just saw the name in a book or something,” I said awkwardly. “I wanted to learn more about Nicholas. It’s for that essay I’m writing on…the discursive of sigils.”
Hegemonic discourse, Lucian corrected.
What did that even mean?
“I don’t see why it’s a big deal,” I added. “I mean, after all, you’re here.”
Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Why don’t you know anything?”
“Because I’m not from here,” I said.
“The archives are forbidden to everyone except grand mages, and the most powerful members of the Council. It’s not a place to come looking for—for frivolous things.”
Only grand mages? Dorian had failed to mention that little detail. But if that was true, why were Dorian’s family letters here? What could be so dangerous about those? Maybe they’d been taken with the journal and gotten separated somehow.
“It isn’t frivolous,” I said. Though I wasn’t entirely sure what the word meant, it sounded like an insult. “But it seems like what I’m looking for isn’t here anyway,” I said.
Alexander shook his head. “You…you’ve clearly never…ugh. These are only the ones that have been cataloged.”
“Catalogued?”
“The archives encompass the entire third floor,” Alexander replied. “Just—follow me.”
As he cut across the archives, I trailed after him, taking extra care not to drop any of the letters. We continued our pace across the floor until we reached another room full of wooden crates stacked in high piles. Hundreds and hundreds of them.
“Whatever you’re looking for, it’s probably in here somewhere,” Alexander said. “Assuming that it hasn’t already been moved or discarded.”
Great. These would take forever to get through.
“If it was moved,” I said slowly, “where would it be?”
Alexander shrugged. “Maybe somewhere on display. Maybe downstairs. Sold to someone. Borrowed by a visiting professor. I don’t know.”
I sighed, leaning back against the coolness of the wall, suddenly realizing the enormity of the task. It would take weeks for me to go through this much material, which meant I’d have to keep attending classes and pretending to be a pupil, despite sucking at everything.
“My turn for questions,” Alexander said, his voice low in the dark. “Are you still hearing the voices?”
I bit my lip, as Lucian practically shouted at me to keep my mouth shut.
“Yes,” I said quietly. Alexander was so close, the lamp sparkling in the intensity of his eyes. I had no reason to trust him, but something made me want to.
“How?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“How can you just hear them? I’ve had to work to understand them, and I can just barely make things out sometimes, if I really concentrate, and if it’s quiet enough. I’ve had to work for it, but you…you’ve just arrived here. And you can already do it.”
“What are you trying to say?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“It’s suspicious,” he replied. “I don’t know who you are, but I think you’re involved in something very dark and dangerous,” Alexander said, his voice soft, “And what I—”
My heart pounded madly in my chest. “I’m not involved in anything,” I said.
“But we didn’t have demons running around until you came here,” Alexander said. “Three attacks in as many days. And then you keep showing up where you don’t belong.”
“You think I’m summoning them?” I asked, my eyes widening.
“I don’t know what to think,” he said, frowning. “But there’s something about you. Something you’re hiding.”
“I’m nothing special; I can assure you of that,” I said.
“I don’t believe you,” he growled. “Not for a second.”
A faint, metallic thud echoed from the floor beneath us. Alexander gripped my arm and held his finger up against his lips. Someone was coming.
***
Who would even be awake this early in the morning? Alexander swore and shot across the room. I followed, stuffing the letters into the pocket of my cloak. Alexander cleaned up his area, roughly scooping all his books onto a shelf.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Alexander replied.
I glanced at the windows above our heads and wondered if it would be possible to open them or break them. Because we were on the third floor, there would be an overhang. If we dropped down, we could climb in on the second floor and run, which would put us ahead of whoever was climbing up.
“What happens if we’re caught?” I asked.
“I’ll likely be fine, but you’ll be expelled for sure,” Alexander said.
Panic rose inside me.
“Just for looking at some old books?” I whispered, feeling faint.
“Books meant for grand mages!” Alexander hissed.
My stomach lurched, and bile rose in my throat. If I was expelled, I’d have outlived my usefulness. Dorian would return me to the Scraps, and Gabriel would make me pay for it. He’d hurt Briar, and maybe Sterling, too. Briar had already taken a crossbow bolt to the knee because of me, and Sterling had lost a finger. I didn’t want to think about what else they’d lose if I failed.
“I can’t be caught,” I whispered.
There had to be some way out of this.
There is one way, Lucian murmured.
The sigil he’d taught me? The one with my blood. I drew the sword and hesitated. This might not work. But the footsteps were getting closer and closer. I had to do something to escape, and if there was a chance Lucian’s sigil could save me, I had to take it.
Alexander blanched when I drew my sword, but then leaned in curiously as I slashed my palm and dipped my fingers into the pooling blood. I took a deep breath and stood on a crate to reach the window. My hand shook as I traced the symbol over the glass.
“What is that?” Alexander asked sharply.
“Something I read in a book.”
“With your blood?”
The symbol glowed bright red and then vanished. I frowned as a sort of heaviness entered my head. Nothing had changed. The footsteps became louder.
No, no, Lucian muttered. Touch it.
I reached for the glass, but where my fingers should have met a solid substance, they passed through as easily as they would have passed through air. Instead of unlocking the window, I’d made it intangible.
“How?” Alexander asked, his eyes widening.
“You really want to know, or should we get out of here?”
Gripping the metal frame around the window, I hauled myself up and onto the rough stone. Then, I held out my hand and helped Alexander pull himself up beside me. I was careful not to lose the letters as I crept along the edge, staying low to the roof.
Your princeling had best hurry, Lucian said.
I glanced behind me, where Alexander was still clutching the frame of the window, looking down at the rooftops of Reverie.
“Hurry!” I hissed. The roofing was wide and sloped, and for once, I was grateful for all the climbing over uneven surfaces that I’d done in the Scraps. But I’d never been this high up before. My heart seemed to lodge itself in my throat. If I fell, I’d likely break my neck. Or be in a lot of pain, at least.
Don’t focus on the height, Lucian muttered.
That was easier said than done. I moved further up, more quickly than Alexander, who seemed uncomfortable with moving at all.
“How long will that sigil be there?” I muttered.
Not long, Lucian said, And even if someone finds it, I doubt they’ll recognize it.
I rounded a tower and ducked behind it. I sucked in a deep gulp of air and fixed my gaze upward, trying to quell the panic rising inside me. Below me, the Academy grounds stretched out far and wide. The sky was dark but quickly approaching daybreak. A crescent moon hung low in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars and partially obscured by dark clouds.
Alexander rounded the tower and stood beside me, so close that I could sense every rise and fall of his chest as he caught his breath.
“Now what?” I looked across the roof and found a tower with a window.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing.
Alexander leaned around me. “Probably an office,” he said, “But I don’t know which.”
I kept low as I moved across the roof. Alexander followed. We stopped when we came to the edge of the room, and saw the tower was actually on another building, separated by a narrow gap. “Hold these,” I said, pushing the letters to him. I didn’t trust them not to fall out of the loose pockets of my cloak. He stuffed them into his satchel and tightened it around his chest. I nodded, then took a deep breath, before taking a running jump across the chasm and landing lightly on the opposite building. Then I moved out of the way so he could follow me.
Alexander’s landing was much harder. He banged his knee and rolled towards the edge before I caught his coat and pulled him back to safety. He collapsed beside me, and we lay still for a second, arms entwined.
“Um, thanks,” he said, clearing his throat and pulling away. I hu
rried to the window and drew the sigil once more. The glass vanished, and I stepped inside the tower. Spots danced in my vision as Alexander entered after me. The stone around us seemed to spin. I thought of Jessa and how tired she’d been after using her magic. But I couldn’t use magic, could I? Lucian must be powering the sigil somehow.
My steps grew clumsier as Alexander and I descended through the narrow tower. I stumbled and he wrapped an arm around my waist, guiding me down the spiral staircase. There were more steps than I cared to think about, but finally, we emerged on a flat, narrow corridor. I didn’t recognize anything, but Alexander seemed to know where he was going. He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. There were no windows here, leaving us in near darkness. I thought of reaching for the device in my pocket, but fire would draw too much attention. If these were professors’ offices, the last thing I wanted was to draw one of them out.
Laughter filled the air. Alexander darted close to the wall, and I followed his lead. The laughter continued, followed by a soft murmuring.
“I think it’s coming from inside one of the offices,” Alexander said, his voice low.
“Why is everyone awake this early?” I whispered.
In the darkness, I saw Alexander shrug.
“Stay here,” he murmured.
Alexander swept away from the wall and crept forward. He paused by a door, leaned his head against it, and then, motioned for me to follow. When I passed the door, I heard Professor Gareth’s voice.
“I’m telling you—” the professor began.
I wondered who he was speaking to so early in the morning. Perhaps, it was the same woman I’d seen him with, the one with the beautiful white hair, who had disappeared so quickly.
Alexander and I kept walking, keeping our heads low. Finally, the area opened and I recognized our surroundings. We were on the floor above the ballroom, and when I looked down, I could see the sunrise casting everything in a bright, orange hue.
“This is where we part,” Alexander said. “My dormitories are on the opposite side of the castle.”
