Page 153 of Arcanist
“Don’t do this.” I lock eyes with Pierce. “Please, Pierce.”
But he does nothing. Simply stands there, rigid under the influence of his mother’s magic. I’m not even sure what hecoulddo besides flee and save himself. The magister holds all the cards now.
Mathias laughs. “Surely you should’ve learned that begging was useless the first time?”
“Fuck you,” I growl.
The dagger gleams in the purple firelight as he directs me until I’m lying against the stone again. At my ankles andwrists, the shackles squeak as they snap shut, but they’re superfluous. I’m not even sure why he bothered when the dagger’s command is so absolute.
I can’t move. I can’t even shut my eyes to spare myself.
The spire looms over me, magic still pulsing painfully through me as I flicker.
Ghost. Human. Ghost. Human.
On the outside, I’m stoic. Inside, I’m thrashing, horrified as his grimoire flicks through pages of runeforms until it findsthatspell.
Mathias lifts the blade, beginning a chant I’ve heard repeated every night for hundreds of years. The volume rises alongside my fruitless panic.
At least Lambert, North, Dakari, Leo, and Jasper are all far away from here. They’re safe. They know what they’re up against. I managed to confusticate most of the books.
The fight drains from me at the reminder, and I whisper a silent mental apology to the Library itself.
I tried.
I tried so hard.
We both fought with everything we had.
It just…wasn’t enough.
Then the dagger plunges down, punching into my chest like a lightning bolt. The spire above pulses…and I’m lost.
Librarian
