His discontent seemed to grow with each syllable he uttered. I had to hold back a cringe. I wanted to yell that I wasn’t the one who made the tears; I was just the girl trying to find a way to repair them.
When Telmis stepped forward, the flowing robe he wore dragged behind him. I followed quietly as he led me to a bookcase not far from the entrance of the library, the shelves bursting with ancient scrolls. I feared even touching them. What happened if they crumbled under my touch?
Timur stayed by my side as Telmis walked away without another word. My gaze flickered from the shelves to Telmis’s retreating back then back to the shelves.
“So, I guess I’ll start working here?” I asked. Timur shrugged his shoulder and reached over my head to pull out a scroll.
“There’s no time to waste. Start reading, kroshka.”
I rolled my eyes at him but moved to the other end and gently pulled off my first scroll. I unrolled it as carefully as I could, mindful of the brittle edges. The scent of old paper wafted from the scroll, and I breathed it in.
The words were written with strange, undulating letters that swirled and rearranged until they resembled something I could read. I pushed my glasses down a bit and watched as the words changed again. If I hadn’t just received horrible news, I would have thought it was a pretty cool trick, but now I was consumed with finding one answer so I could find the next.
Chapter 20
A jaw-cracking yawn hit me like a sledgehammer. How my eyes weren’t permanently crossed yet, I had no idea. Words started blurring together, and not because my glasses were falling off again. Exhaustion was getting the better of me. It was impossible to tell the passage of time in the library since it was lit with magical lanterns and there were no windows to show the waning of the day outside.
Timur left a couple of times to bring us food, but I barely tasted it. I didn’t notice the emptiness in my stomach because my mind was too full to think about the other demands of my body. So far, my findings were scarce. Most of the information I found in the scrolls Telmis originally led us to was on how to create a gate, not close it.
Many of the scrolls warned of the dangers of opening a gate. After a while, instead of reading every sentence and attempting to squeeze out every ounce of information I could, I started to skim. Even that was slow going, and after many hours, we still hadn’t finished with the first shelf.
I yawned again. Timur caught me mid-yawn.
“Alright, it’s time for you to stop,” Timur said, rolling his scroll back and nearing where I’d stationed myself on the floor.
I glared up at him. “No, thanks,” I retorted even though I was practically falling over.
“I think so. You are getting what Olezka calls, svarlivoye vremya.”
I squinted my eyes up at him with my best glare. “And what does that mean?”
“Nyet, I will not tell. But it is time for you to sleep.” Timur held out his hand.
Still glaring at him, I took his hand, too tired to argue. He helped me up and led me through the maze of the palace back to Olezka’s room. It was the same room where we’d stayed before, and I was overjoyed to find my bag of clothes sitting on the floor beside the bed. Yay!
Bidding Timur farewell and clumsily changing into pajamas, I felt sleep claim me quickly.
****
The next two days passed in the same fashion. I woke up. Timur came by to bring me breakfast and then dropped me off in the library. Telmis was always there, roaming the aisles and stacks, occasionally pointing me in different directions. I spent the second day rummaging through books, and the third day was a combination of delving into books and perusing scrolls.
I was concerned that Olezka still hadn’t returned, but Erebus, on the rare occasions I saw him, told me not to worry; he was on his way and would return after he’d accomplished his special mission.
His calm assurances frustrated me to no end, but I realized Erebus was dealing with a million little fires that were slowly gathering into an inferno. I knew that because every time I tried to speak with him, other fae were clamoring to get his attention. He looked more worn out as the days passed. I tried to stay away and not burden him further, but I was worried about my absent mate.
The same could be said for Timur, who was looking more fatigued than ever. After that first day, he rarely stayed in the library with me. I didn’t mind since I knew he had his own work. Telmis was quiet but offered me any books or scrolls he thought would be most useful. I learned early on that the library keeper didn’t have a filing system. I could open a scroll about gates, but the book right next to it would be about fae anatomy.
I even found one about plant life right next to a book about the best way to syphon off the purest energy, which was a bit horrific. Just when my frustration was mounting and I didn’t think I could take anymore, I finally found a tome with information about unsanctioned gates. With wide eyes, I eagerly read the explanation that tears in the Veils were often caused by an excess of tainted magic.
It was eerily similar to how Telmis explained why Tess couldn’t return to the Veil. Her magic was drawn from their world, which they saw as untainted magic, whereas the magic found in the human realm was artificial and warped, changing and evolving as humans did. I learned that when a spot in the Veil was thin enough and a magical event happened near it, it could cause a tear. But those were very rare. The more common causes were ones that were forcefully opened by a magical being. The forced tears should only be strong enough to last for one trip between the realms, but if it was forced open and used constantly, it steadily grew and became stronger.
Either Key was sparking them by finding weak points in the Veil, or he was forcing them open himself. Neither way was good. I started skimming again as I read through the same warnings I’d read a million times before, but then my eye caught something interesting. I slowed and backtracked.
The nature of wild gates is to act as a chaotic and destructive force. The more the gate is used, the more powerful it becomes and the more difficult it becomes to close. The only way to close an open gate is with the help of a Light syphon and a Dark syphon.
Both magics can be used to pull back the type of magic that was initially used to create the gate. Dark syphons will not often work consistently next to a Light syphon, as they often inadvertently try to feed off the other’s energy force. The true danger comes once the gate has been weakened.
The tear must be repaired. This magic is dangerous and may cause ripple effects, the likes of which are not fully understood but that could be catastrophic to both sides of the Veil.
I was so engrossed in what I was learning that I hadn’t realized someone was standing right behind me. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned with a start, surprised to see Telmis with his forefinger pressed to his lips. His gaze flashed to the door, and my stomach dropped. Suddenly, it was too quiet.
If I strained my ears, I could hear pounding footsteps approaching the outside of the library doors. My widened gaze went to Telmis. What could he hear that I couldn’t?
He bent so his impossibly long, yet silky hair brushed over his shoulder and tickled my cheek before he whispered as quietly as a mouse, “They’ve arrived. Hide,” he said, his eyes never leaving the door.
If my heart wasn’t pounding before, it surely picked up speed after his ominous words. I looked up at him with every intention of saying we should both get out of there, but he shook his head, gripping my bicep and hauling me up.
I clutched the book to my chest as fear flitted through me. My gaze darted around the room. Where could we hide? There weren’t really any nooks or crannies we could squeeze into; though cluttered, the library consisted of nothing more than aisles and aisles of books.
Telmis dragged me along by the arm, pulling me to the nearest wall. He stood in front of it, closing his eyes and whispering words I couldn’t understand. In front of us, the shelf peeled away to reveal a hidden passageway. On the other side, there was no tunnel leading to a
secret exit. Nope. There was just a – gulp – coffin-sized nook. He shoved me inside in a rush. I threw one arm out to soften the blow, keeping the book clutched to my chest with the other. I twisted around to yell at Telmis, but his steely gaze met mine.
“They must find someone, or they’ll never stop. It’s been a pleasure, human.”
I stared at him with my jaw hanging slack, having every intention of asking what the heck that meant, when he closed the hidden room and I was enshrouded by infinite darkness. I’d never experienced an all-encompassing blackness before. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. My breathing echoed around me, and I closed my eyes. Suddenly, I was gripped by a fear that I wasn’t getting air. I wanted to claw at the wall.
How the hell will someone find me?
In the next moment, a hint of light hit my eyelids. I opened them to see small holes appear; most were covered by the books that lined the shelves. The light made me breathe a little easier now that I knew there were air holes, but fear still had a tight grip on me. I shimmied down as far as I could to peek through one of the larger holes. Telmis stood in his preferred robe, his long hair hanging halfway down his back as he stood with his back ramrod straight and his head held high.
A mixture of fae ranging from terrifying creatures with orc-like features; iridescent, glimmering High Fae; and those so fantastical I couldn’t even put their form into words stood in front of him, bristling. The orc-like creature held the pointy end of a wicked-looking spear against Telmis’s throat. They were speaking, but the sounds were muffled.
Before long, the group facing off with the librarian became increasingly agitated, hunching their shoulders in preparation for battle. Telmis said something in response to one of their questions, but the orc-like creature apparently didn’t like what he had to say. He reared back and lunged the spear forward, jabbing it into Telmis’s gut with a sickening squelch. The creature dropped his weapon and looked to the others in surprise as the heavy library doors swung open.
The first one through the doors was a massive beast with spiky black fur on all fours, spitting and snarling with gigantic horns sprouting from his head. Sharp, deadly claws clicked against the stone in a final warning an instant before a swarm of guards from the Dark Court filed after him. The beast roared then lunged off the landing and down to the ground floor. The others followed with less dramatic flair.
The group who attacked Telmis twisted around to put up a fight, but the battle was over before it began. The snarling beast whom I assumed was Timur slashed through half their group in seconds, and the few who managed to get around him were cut down by the others. I’d never seen so much bloodshed in real life.
I was unprepared for the hot, metallic scent that wafted and filled the tiny space in which I was crouched. I pounded my fists against the wall, needing to get out of this prison. My vision started to darken around the edges, and I knew I was close to passing out.
“Sixx? Where is she?” a voice frantically asked.
I couldn’t call out. I couldn’t think. The last thing I saw was Timur quickly morphing back into his human form, running toward where I was hidden.
Chapter 21
“Is she well?”
“She will survive. She has only been passed out for a minute; we need to get help for Telmis.”
“Telmis is already returning to nature.”
“He is the last elder; we cannot lose him.”
“He was protecting the human. She belongs to the ifrinn.”
“I will not invoke the wrath of the hellhound,” another voice said.
In a blink, everything flooded back as my mind regained consciousness. My eyes snapped open, and I jerked upward. I took a deep breath and blinked a couple of times to refocus my attention. My last few moments caught up with me as I took in the gore in front of me. One of the guards held Telmis with tears streaming down his face. The image broke my heart all over again.
“Sixx?” Timur asked from behind me.
I slightly turned to face him, feeling his heat against my back. In my lap lay the book I had been reading moments before we were attacked. “I’m...here,” I mumbled, my voice thick with emotion.
“We need to move quickly, Sixx. More drugged humans are running through the palace, causing havoc. We need to get you somewhere safe.”
“What about Telmis?”
Even though I’d watched him get stabbed in the gut, I’d seen fae recover from much worse.
“They used an iron-tipped spear. He’s gone.”
No. He hid me away, protected me when he didn’t have to. He didn’t even know me. Hell, I was pretty sure he didn’t even like me.
“Why?”
Why would he do that for me? He didn’t owe me anything.
Timur glanced down at the book and looked back at my glasses, and I realized they sent this group after me because they knew what we were doing. I remembered Telmis saying they wouldn’t stop until they found someone, but at the time, I didn’t know what he meant. They brought a weapon to specifically kill a fae. I gripped the book in my lap more tightly than before.
“We can’t let them get this,” I whispered.
Timur’s gaze went to the book. “We cannot let them get to you. Telmis was the only fae in this palace who could read all of the tomes in this library. This library is the oldest one in the Dark lands, filled with texts of dead languages. Telmis was the only elder who held that knowledge.”
Timur’s statement hung between us. What he didn’t say was that now someone else possessed the skill to read it—me. Or rather my glasses.
“Crap.”
“Da, let’s move, Sixx,” Timur said. He helped me stand even though my legs felt like Jell-O.
Several fae were already moving the bodies of their enemy away from the shelves in an effort to protect the priceless books. I glanced around at them all, realizing that my glasses might be the only thing that would allow anyone the ability to read the books. The others moved quickly and joined us as we headed toward the stairs.
I kept the book clutched tightly to my chest as my gaze continued to dart around the room. Somehow, Key knew what we were up to. I remembered Erebus’s caution upon our arrival that the walls have ears.
Erebus knew he had spies within his inner circle, and he made no secret of having spies in the Light Court and possibly with Key as well. I was nervous that Key knew we were trying to close the gates because that was fairly new information. Besides that, how were the intruders able to get into the sections of the palace reserved for specific Dark Court residents? It must have meant that those fae belonged to the Dark Court.
While my mind was reeling with the implications of having a traitor in our very close midst, those thoughts disappeared as soon as we stepped out into the hallway. The suits of armor were knocked over and splayed across the hall. There were scorch marks on the walls and gaping holes where rooms once stood.
I could barely hear the scuffles far below us, but it was enough to remind me to stop by my room and grab SOL Jr.
Instead of taking the hallways that led directly to my room, Timur and I headed in the opposite direction, using secret passageways and trying to avoid as much of the bedlam as possible. I was shocked to see hallways lined with the remains of paras crumpled alongside humans who had been dosed with Dreamscape. The usually pristine walls and floors were soiled and ruined.
It took a long time to get back to my room. We ran into several fae who were trying to find a place to hide until it was safe to come out, but for the most part, we dodged the melee.
I grabbed Timur’s arm as we raced down the hall, my room in sight. “Let me grab my stun-gun. Then you can take me wherever you think is best.”
“We need to find Erebus. He’s likely in the middle of the fighting, but finding him right now is best.”
He waited in the doorway as I darted to the bedside table and Pulled my stun-gun from the drawer. I should really make a habit of keeping it on me at all times. With that and my
book, I nodded to Timur. I didn’t know what was going to happen to us, and if I were thinking clearly, I may have grabbed my bag of clothes, but I had to trust Timur to bring me to safety and trust that Erebus would take care of his palace and Court.
Timur poked his head out into the hallway and gave me the all-clear. We darted down hallways littered with bodies and debris. Just as we reached the common area, Timur pushed me back and fought with a human who had the strength of a para and fought with a grace I’d never seen a human possess, fueled by Dreamscape. With a start, I realized Timur was in trouble.
Timur was preoccupied with his current opponent and didn’t see the second one creeping from the shadows to attack. A rage I couldn’t contain swept over me. Screaming, I activated my stun-gun and flung myself toward the other man. As I hit his side, I pressed my stun-gun into his shirt. He didn’t even scream; instead, he jerked, flinching at the shock before eventually grunting and falling to the ground with a muffled thump.
“Oh my God! Please don’t be dead,” I whispered. I didn’t have access to search engines here, and I had no idea if too much tasing could kill someone. My fear skyrocketed; I didn’t want to accidentally kill someone. Hovering over the man, I started to duck down and feel for a pulse when Timur pulled me away.
“He’s not dead; just unconscious. We need to keep moving, Sixx.”
We continued down the hall, passing by more unconscious, or more likely dead, humans lining the halls. Timur kept his grip on me until we rounded a corner. Then he pushed me back, trying to keep me out of sight. I pressed my back against the wall and listened.
Timur’s joints popped and snapped as he shifted into his other form. I closed my eyes and strained to hear the fighting in the next room, my heart clambering in my chest. When the scent of blood hit my nose, I squinted my eyes open.
As a body dashed around the corner, I had my stun-gun ready. The fae ran past me as I remained pressed against the wall and tried to will myself into invisibility. When another person raced past, I shuffled around the corner to peek at what was happening. Timur stood in the middle of the room while three beings attacked him. Two of them used magic while the third scurried around at an impossible speed, jabbing and punching.
Sixx Saves the World: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 13
