Page 95 of Lightlark
Her chest felt too tight. Her throat too dry.
This was it. The last library. The last place to search.
She stepped inside.
Sunlings had more relics than any of the other realms combined. There were shelves of them, sitting in the near darkness.
Isla didn’t waste a moment.
She was thorough. She picked up every single enchantment in the room. Held it for a few seconds. Pulled some apart, making sure nothing was hidden inside. There were dozens.
None of them resembled a giant needle.
None, besides a few swords, even had a point.
No. This couldn’t be right. They had searchedeverylibrary on Lightlark. The text had said—
It had said the bondbreaker was in a library centuries ago.
More than enough time for it to have gone missing.
Or to have been destroyed.
Or maybe ... it never even existed in the first place.
Her chest filled with fury, then worry, then sadness. Celeste and Isla had planned for years.Thiswas their way to break their curses.Thiswas the key to her freedom.
Thiswas the plan that guaranteed she would be off the island before the fiftieth day.
Now, the ball was just three days away.
And there was no bondbreaker.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
NEXT
Celeste took the news surprisingly well.
The Starling paced for a few minutes before saying, “There must be another library, then.”
Isla loved her friend. But in that moment, she felt like shaking her by the shoulders.
There was no other library. No bondbreaker.
“We need to consider another plan,” Isla said. “This one failed. We searched every library. Every isle. The fiftieth day is almost here.”
The Starling shook her head. “Exactly. The Centennial is just halfway over. We have time to find the library. We—”
“I don’t have time,” Isla yelled, cutting her friend off. She tensed. She had never raised her voice at her. But the words had come flooding out. Isla swallowed, and her tone became gentler. “I don’t have time,” she repeated. “Cleo means to kill me. She will, after the ball.”
Celeste frowned. Grabbed her hands. “I know, I know,” she said. “But didn’t I protect you last time? With the nobles?”
Isla sighed. “Of course. But you said so yourself. You can’t protect me from all of them. And I’m not sure Cleo is the only one who wants me dead.”
Her friend insisted on continuing their search for the bondbreaker. But Isla had made up her mind.
They needed another plan.
