Page 100 of Architecti
Midnight explains everything.The additional training in exchange for helping me break my contract.She tells them about my contract and the fact that when I orgasm, she can read the runes on my body.That garners several raised eyebrows but no further judgement, so she tells them about Malifax and how the Societas are convinced I am linked to Architecti’s resurrection.
Lex wipes a hand over her mouth and her lips move as if she’s whispering at a rapid rate of knots.
“What is it, Lex?”I ask.
“Ignatius trapped Architecti, and in a way he also trapped you.And now your body is covered in celestial contract runes, and Architecti is…”
“Celestial,” Midnight finishes for me.
I sit bolt upright.“Shit…”
“What?”Lex says.
“I’ve never seen my contract.I’ve always hunted for it in the demonic library because Ignatius is a demon.”
Bastien grins.“But the contract runes on your body aren’t demonic.”
“No, they’re not,” I breathe.
“So your contract was never going to be in the demonic library?”Midnight says.
“I don’t think so.”
All three of them grin.
“Then I guess we’re taking a trip upstairs,” Bastien says.
“Except the Celestial Library has been shut off for years.Even my sister’s cohort didn’t have access to it,” Lex says.
“Looks like we’re going to be breaking and entering,” Midnight replies, a devious glint forming in her eye.
“We can’t.There’s no direct access to it from the campus.The floor was magically sealed off when the angels left, and they added a ton of security,” I tell them.
“What kind of security?”Bastien asks.
“The dangerous kind,” I answer.
“Sounds like my kind of evening,” Midnight says.
“I’m serious.Encoded runes seal the doors, and there’s also the minor point of the angels themselves.If one of them were to find you, they’d erase your memories and probably wipe your entire personality from your brain to protect their knowledge.And that’s without the fact we have wraiths controlled by some ancient magic guarding the doors.”
“That is a lot,” Lex says.
“Yeah,” I agree and slump against the sofa.
“Let’s not give up.You said no direct access to itfrom campus.But that sounds like there might be direct access to it from somewhere else,” Bastien says.
I shrug.“In theory, there should be access to it from every realm.”
“Including the Veil?”Midnight says, sitting up.
“Theoretically, but there’s no way we can do that.None of us are trained enough, and even if we had someone like Alistair weaving for us, we’d be sitting ducks in the underworld.Even if we only stepped through it and cut our way straight into the Celestial Library.”
We fall silent.
Lex busies herself in my kitchen, opening cupboards and pulling packets this way and that until she finds more tea.I almost ask what she’s doing rifling through everything, but I find it endearing that she decided to make herself at home.
As if summoned by the thought of food, Mortem strolls into the kitchen and rubs himself over my calves.I scratch at his ears and under his chin.He plonks himself at my feet and falls asleep.
