Page 28 of Tempt

And for trespassers.

It’s going to be all right. Everything will be all right.

Growing up, every archer is introduced to the Hollow Chamber and required to study it. Built and fashioned by history’s original Fate Court, it’s an underground repository of the arcane and ancient, housing volumes of trivial importance, information that has overstayed its welcome, outlived its value.

If one discounts a certain forbidden area.

A restricted section that she knows all too well.

Wonder and Malice stand at the railing that overlooks the sphere and floors beneath, all these enigmas with the potential to unfurl like petals. She’s never been here with someone else. Absurd as it seems, she likens this feeling to mortals who join fandoms, eager to share in their geekery over a mutual love, all the while protective of it.

What’s his favorite section? Where has he spent the most time?

What about her? What sorts of formats intrigue her the most? Which repel her the most?

Wonder tucks a marigold lock behind her ear and then glances sideways, just as Malice swerves away from her, his eyes searching for someplace to land. Scanning the Chamber, he leans over—far over—while squeezing the bar until his wrist veins inflate.

She returns to the scenery. Flecks of silver glaze the corners and slopes, hinting at precious book spines, artifacts of eras gone by.

“Since I was little, the Archives has been my playground,” she whispers. “And my temple, and my school, and my home. Every safe and scandalous part of it.”

“Which do you care about most?” Malice asks. “The safe or the scandalous?”

“I’m starting to think they’re one and the same.”

“I’ve always thought that.”

“At first sight of the bookshelves, I became obsessed.”

“Obsession is healthy.” Based on his ghost of a smile, she’s unsure whether he’s being serious or sarcastic. “First time I ever came here, I made a beeline for the Chamber and tried to steal a book.”

“Naturally, when you could have borrowed it.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Why a text from this area? Was it from the restricted section?”

“Nah, I raided that place later. But the rest of the Chamber? These books aren’t given a chance; they’re dumped like piles of turds. I liked the idea of reading the outcasts that nobody else gave a shit about.”

“That’s what attracted me as well. The books that people underestimated.”

“Yeah. But then a scribe caught me. Fucker grabbed me right before I got outside.”

Wonder’s head bounces toward Malice’s profile. “You almost succeeded.”

“I hate to break it to you, but almost doesn’t count.”

“Well, I don’t condone thievery, but in other aspects of life, almost succeeding is better than never trying.”

His mouth twitches. “How didactic of you.”

Oh, why does she even bother?

Rest is the order of business. It’s been a trying journey, so they exit the Chamber and take advantage of the vacant librarian dorms. They travel up the north tower, which houses a spiral of quarters along its column. At one landing, neighboring doors with diamond handles greet them.

Wonder and Malice gravitate apart, each of them grasping a knob. Inside the room, the ceiling gleams with renderings of constellations, and a plate of glass slopes before her, offering a vista of the forest. Frothy linens encase the bed, its frame as slender as a finger. The simplicity is aerial and elegant, with its wardrobe, writing desk, and bookcase.

Wonder sets down her archery, her muscles sighing at the blissful loss of weight. There’s so much to explore, so much to see and do. But presently, she’s too tired to feel overwhelmed by anything, and that’s a godsend considering who’s bunking next door.

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