Page 76 of To Dwell in Shadows
Get back to work.
She pulled another old book toward her but then realized how dark the library had become. Half the hanging lights in the room didn’t work, and the other half flickered terribly. She rummaged through a nearby crate where she’d collected all the half-melted candles that she found. Carefully, she placed them on the desk, nearly thirty in all. For a moment, her heart sank as she realized she had no way to light them. But a grunt from Zetta reminded her otherwise.
Grabbing what was left of a taper candle, Selene crossed the room to where Zetta was happily chewing on a book spine. She had somewhat successfully taught the dog the commands ofsit,stay, andcome, but they had never triedspeak.
“Hey, girl,” Selene said, ruffling Zetta’s head.
Seeing Selene give her such close attention, Zetta shot to her feet, tail wagging eagerly.
Selene studied her for a moment and said, “Now, how am I going to get you to speak?”
“Woof!”
“Good girl!” Selene said, not sure if that was a coincidence or not. She held the candle toward Zetta’s snout. “Can you do it again? Speak!”
Zetta tilted her head in confusion, her tongue lolling. Selene repeated the command a few more times, but Zetta only thumped her tail against the floor. Finally, Selene grabbed an old book spine and tossed it like a stick. Zetta bounded after it and dropped it eagerly at Selene’s feet, tail wagging. As the hound let out a small, impatient bark, Selene thrust the candle near her mouth, repeating, “Speak.”
The wick flared to life, burning with a vivid, hypnotic blue flame.
“Yes!” Selene repeated the command and Zetta obeyed, exhaling another blue flame into the air that quickly evaporated.
“You learneda new trick!”
Smiling, Selene tossed the book spine again, sending it tumbling into a pile of old curtains for Zetta to root through.
Using the taper candle, Selene carefully lit the others. One by one, soft blue flames bloomed, casting an eerie glow across the library. She stepped back to admire the sight. It reminded her of the house three doors down from where she had grown up—the one strung only with blue twinkle lights every holiday season. Back then, the glow had turned her ordinary street into something magical. She let herself savor the memory for a moment longer before lifting her gaze from the desk.
And froze.
Nestled in a bookcase carved with curling lion’s feet, a faint blue light shimmered behind a row of dusty volumes.
Selene moved closer, peering between the spines. One by one, she removed the books until only the bare shelf remained. Along the edges of the back panel, a faint outline of blue light pulsed subtly, as if breathing. Grabbing a candle, she brought the flame closer to illuminate the area.
In the bottom left corner, a tiny sigil was carved into the wood. When Selene moved the blue candle near, the sigil glowed softly. But when she blocked the light with her body, it vanished into invisibility.
She ran her hand over the back panel and pressed lightly. Nothing happened.
She pressed harder. Still nothing.
But when she pressed her thumb directly on the sigil, she felt a softclickbehind the wood. A shiver of movement almost too slight to notice. Pulse racing, Selene pressed harder, and the panel shifted with a faint, grating sound. Holding her breath, she hooked her fingers into the narrow seam that appeared and slowly slid the panel aside.
Behind it, a hidden compartment had been carved deep into the stone wall. Dust poured from the opening, and the air that spilled out was thick with the scent of mildew and age. Nestled amonglayers of muck and cobwebs rested a thick, ancient book. Its leather cover was cracked and worn, the title barely legible beneath the grime:The Sovereign’s Reckoning.
Selene gasped.
This wasn’t just a clue.
This was the prophecy itself.
Chapter 38
Sam’s eyes glazed over as he stood in the night-blooming garden, half-listening to a demon of Envy rant about his neighbor’s gargoyle statues. From the corner of his eye, Sam spotted Zetta bounding toward him. The urgency in her stride snapped him to attention. Around the hellhound’s neck fluttered a note, tied with a strip of green velvet—the same sash Selene had used to belt her dress that morning.
Sam excused himself from the demon’s tirade and knelt beside Zetta. He fumbled with the knot, his fingers clumsy with sudden dread, and yanked the note free. It was hastily scrawled across a scrap of torn paper:
Come to the library right now —Selene
A tremor ran through Sam’s limbs. Had something happened to her? Was she in danger? Without a second thought, he took off at a sprint toward the library. Zetta raced alongside him, her massive paws clicking against the ground.
