Page 71 of Dragon Unleashed
The moment Blossom seems satisfied that he actually left, she whirls on me.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
“I came up here and found Morris trying to open that book from the Vetus collection. When he saw me, he freaked and started babbling about me freeing him.”
“How’d he get the case open in the first place?” she muses, eyes darting to the glass cabinet again.
“No idea.” She looks back at me, and I know what she’s thinking.
The only creature remotely powerful enough to do it is a wizard. Which is why wizards are banned from the alchemy section in the first place.
“Did he open it?” she demands. “The book?”
For some reason, I hesitate. “What do you mean?” Blossom is on my side for now, but at the end of the day, she’ll always choose herself and her own freedom. Opening a book I shouldn’t have the power to open seems like a surefire way to put us on separate teams.
“I heard you yell the incantation to close a book. Did he open it?”
I swallow hard. “Yes.”
The lie is vile on my tongue. But she can’t know that I somehow managed to open it. Not yet. Not until I understand just how in the hell an intern like me was able to open a powerful book like that. Besides, who’s to say it wasn’t Morris pulling some trick? A whispered spell or a charm cast before I arrived upstairs? Not that any of his magic should be possible inside the library, but he did manage to open the case, so who’s to say he didn’t find a way to use magic?
“Shit.” Blossom reaches into her pocket and withdraws a small communicator. “Hoc, I need you upstairs in the alchemy section ASAP.”
“On my way,” he replies, the scratchy sound of his deep voice echoing through my ears.
Panic surges through my veins. “You aren’t going to sound the alarm so everyone can search for him?”
She shakes her head. “If he’s managed to get his hands on the Vetus collection, protocol dictates I alert only the librarian. This has to be handled delicately.”
Delicately. In other words, his fate will be determined by the library itself. And chances are, he’s not going to live much longer. I might have been fine with that if it didn’t mean getting caught up in the crossfire. And considering I’d been standing beside the guy when it happened, there’s a good chance I’ll have to answer for this too.
“He didn’t read any of it. I caught him just as the book opened.”
Her gaze lands on me. “That’s good news.”
A portal opens just beside us, and Hoc steps through right as it closes. His long robe dusts the floor, his leather shoes peeking out from beneath the hemline. His expression is hard, his brows furrowed in worry. “What is it?”
Blossom hands him the book, and Hoc’s eyes widen. “Where did you get this?”
Blossom nods at the unlocked cabinet, and Hoc’s expression deepens with worry.
“Paige walked in on Morris trying to open it.”
“Morris?” Hoc asks sharply.
“A visitor.” She sighs. He’s been requesting Paige show him around the last couple of days.”
Hoc’s gaze darts to me. “How did he get this?”
“I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. “He already had it when I came upstairs earlier.”
“What exactly has this Morris been looking for?”
“He said he was writing an article on ancient alchemy and getting back to the old ways of magic,” I say, my voice wavering ever so slightly. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
Hoc reaches out and clasps my shoulder. “It’s going to be all right, Paige. You couldn’t have known he had nefarious intentions.”
“Sir,” Blossom says tightly, “you should know that I have reason to believe the visitor might have lied about his origins.”
