Page 25 of Her Shadow so Dark and Lovely
“Librarian, why were you in the scriptorium?”
“It hardly matters,” I say.
“The Dawn King strike me where I stand,” he mutters. “I’ll try again— why was Scribe Lorel in the scriptorium in the middle of the night?”
“I suppose she could not sleep,” I say with a shrug.
“And you followed her.” It is not a question.
“She would be dead if I had not,” I snap, flexing my fingers. I dislike the look on Mercias’ face. Something like pity. He shakes his head.
“Fine, your scribe is a touchy subject,” he says, moving to the nearest body. “They’ve not gone stiff yet, so it should be easy enough to take them to the guardians of the catacombs. They can deal with them.”
“Do you recognise the scribe?” I pick up the nearest of the assailants' bodies, throwing him over my shoulder with ease.
Mercias grabs the dead scribe's hair and pulls his head back. He bares his teeth in a snarl.
“Yes, I know this one. I’ll have to notify his kin.” He looks between the two bodies. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“No,” I say, moving to pick up the second man. Carrying them is nothing, but touching them makes my skin crawl. They hardly deserve the respect that the guardians will no doubt give them. “They got to him far before I could.”
Mercias hums under his breath. “That makes it easier, I suppose. And then there is no need to mention scribe Lorel.”
“It hardly needs reporting,” I say, as he picks up the scribe.
“The Head Librarian may be unwilling to interrogate you, but she’ll certainly interrogate me,” he says, gesturing me on. “What a mess. And in the scriptorium, no less.”
I lead the way out and down to the catacombs. We’ll come back to clean up the blood after. The thought turns my stomach. How easily I could be cleaning up my scribe's blood instead.
And I cannot figure out why, which is the worst part. I had suspected some plot with Striger, because it had all been far too neat. I had not suspected that Lightkeepers were involved.
Something about her had made her a target. The cursed book she spoke of had almost killed her. The poison had almost killed her. The scribe and the Lightkeepers had almost killed her.
I had almost killed her.
I had held my blade over her heart, like I had so many others before her, at the command of my queen. My tether to the queen had been stretched, taut and thin. It was what kept me anchored in the world— that prevented me from fading away— from losing myself. My constant companion for thousands of years. And then I had seen the mark on her skin, and everything had changed
Lorel had called it a curse mark. And maybe it is, in a way, but it is also a claim. A claim from someone else, something else. Something that was notme.
Something wanted her, but I wanted her more.
The tether had snapped, then, and I knew I had chosen, and I had chosen her.
She had woken a moment after, blinking softly at me, and I had known I would do anything to keep her safe. And so I will.
“Sila!” Mercias’ voice comes from behind me, loud, as if he’d been trying to get my attention for some time.
“Ah,” I say, realising I have walked too far. Missed the stairwell down. He just shakes his head at me, and says nothing more as he takes the stairs and I follow.
Chapter 14
Lorel
I am dozingwhen Sila returns. I had bathed and sat with my thoughts and I could only conclude that I am tired beyond measure. I cannot draw a logical conclusion to anything Sila said and yet nothing that is happening makes any sense. She was not the only one with an interest in my death. And now it seems she is the only one with an interest in me living.
If I had had more sense, I would have curled up in an armchair. As it is, I barely remember to pull my shift back on before I tuck myself into Sila’s bed. The sheets are surprisingly soft, if a little dusty. They have the memory of her perfume, sweet against my senses and tangled with the smell of salt and earth. It shouldn’t relax me, but it’s comforting as I drift off.
There is a shifting weight on the edge of the bed, and the thing in my chest stirs like a cat disturbed from its nap. After a moment’s pause, it settles itself again as if content that there is no threat.
