Page 103 of Hidden Kingdoms

I let myself wander through the room, contemplating my new show of magik, footsteps slow and quiet, hesitant now to reach out and touch the spines that stood waiting.

Tucked within the alleys of shelves, there were small spaces that would open up invitingly to an armchair or small sofa. Rugs covered the cold floor, a footstool or low table often there, too. Each time I came across one, the thought of finding someone sitting there had me holding my breath in anticipation, but I hadn’t seen anyone so far. I was sure if there had been anyone here, I would have heard them already. Unless they were keeping out of my way, which was an unnerving thought and one I didn’t linger on.

Lightly whispering my fingers over the books, I marvelled at how my magik responded. Brushing against another book, this one thin and brown with a shiny binding, I felt the pull at my mind.

I let my fingers linger on it, focusing my thoughts, urging the magik that was building inside me to do as it had before. The images came again, my mind filling with leafy green plants.

I blinked them away, pushing them out of my head before I picked out the book and opened it on a page at random. Hand-drawn sketches—that were so beautiful I marvelled at the skill—were there on the yellowing paper. Looping writing accompanied them, and as I flicked through, I realised it wassome sort of journal.The Properties and Uses of Artemisia Dracunculus by Professor Glennan Basil-Florianto be exact. Tucking it back within the shelf, a soft laugh fell from my lips. Echoing across the books, it seemed to fill the entire room, and I froze as the silence was disrupted.

As the quiet reformed again, I let myself sink into it, relaxing as my magik urged me on, and I found myself eager to follow, to see if this new talent would continue. Glad I was wearing the soft shoes that would keep my footsteps silent, I walked faster.

The books whispered to me, stroking at the edges of my magik, daring me to pick them up. So I did. Choosing one at random, I placed the lightest touch against its surface as I let my energy race to my fingertips, and instantly scenes of people riding on horseback over a vast field flew across my mind. It changed as they crossed a river, then again as they dismounted and stared off into the distance. Gasping down a breath that apparently I had been holding, I ripped the book off the shelf, breaking the flow of images, to check the title—The Journey to Sulinas by Larissa K Farley.

“Well fuck,” I whispered into the darkness, my words swallowed in the gloom beyond me, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I put the book back. I moved along the row reaching for book after book, allowing their stories to flood my mind before I opened each one to check.

There were books on everything, and as I continued my journey, I found no rhyme nor reason to the system here. The books were merely placed wherever they wanted.

A book dedicated to rubies—how to find them, cut them and imbibe them with energy—was sat next to a book calledThe Proper Care and Management of Air Sprites, whatever that meant. When I had touched that book, all that I had seen were thick wisps of smoke zipping all around. Not every bookresponded to me, but most of them did, and a thrill ran through my body each time.

Excited at this newfound power I delved deeper into the dark, the stone lights following my progress. Maybe I would be able to find the books I needed after all, if all it took was a brush of my fingers, and I could see what each book contained, it wouldn’t be long before I found something that could help me get out of this place, or at the very least tell me where the hell I was.

I’d happily settle for another copy of that little book of stories.

I wonder if they have a romance section; that will help keep my fantasies at bay for a while.

Sighing at the rush of magik that flooded me, I turned the corner ready to find more, when my feet brushed against one of the thick rugs which marked the small reading spaces dotted throughout.

I had no interest in sitting right now, my mind focused on the information around me. Plus, I had no idea how long I’d been here, nor how long I would be allowed to stay. As I started down the next row, feet touching the cold marble once again, a rustle of pages filled the silence, and I froze.

Whispers reached to me from behind, and as I spun around, panic seizing my thoughts, magik flooded to my fingertips before it stopped, unable to push past the barrier of my skin.

In front of me were three large chairs, all covered in thick crimson velvet, studded with large buttons—a low wooden table between them. Pale stone light from sconces at the ends of the shelves illuminated the area, casting shadows around the figure sat in one of the chairs.

“You’re too loud for a library,” his voice rumbled as he twitched his finger, and I felt the air around me rush past. “I’m surprised the Keeper has let you stay here for so long.”

My magik skipped through me and as the smell of crisp mountain air surrounded me, my heart easing to a steady rhythm, all the while urging me forward.

Marcellus took up an ungodly amount of space, broad shoulders silhouetted against the shelves behind him. His bright eyes glowed in the light that played over the pink scars that ran down his neck, still visible through the dark beard lining his jaw, before disappearing under the collar of his top. In his large hands, he held an open book, with a pile of others on the chair closest to him. I’d stepped towards him without even realising, catching myself as the light flared brighter as my feet hit the rugs.

I hadn’t expected to see him. To see anyone. Had I been so wrapped up in my newfound abilities, I’d missed the fact I wasn’t alone?

“The Keeper?” I found my voice, though I held in a wince as it echoed around us, and that thick silence I had first felt when I walked in here pressed down on me. I wanted to thank him, to acknowledge what he had done the other day, but I didn’t have the words.

“You mean Alouette?” I tried again, this time keeping my voice low, and I felt air shift around me.

“No. Not Alouette.” His searching eyes swept over me, and I wanted to squirm under his scrutiny.

“Full of answers, the lot of you,” I said in a huff, and could have sworn I saw his mouth twitch with a smile.

“What answers are you looking for? Maybe you haven’t been asking the right questions.” He closed the book he was reading, and the dull thud reverberated through the space between us. A whisper of wind ruffled my hair, and my heart tugged, urging me towards him. I rubbed the ache with my hand and his eyes followed the movement before flicking back up.

“I’ve asked plenty of questions,” I countered.

For all the good it’s done me.

“Like I said, you haven’t been asking the right ones.”

“Why am I here?” I breathed out, because that had to be the right one, and his dark laugh slid over me, sending shivers rippling across my skin.

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