“That’s fine with me.” She looked down at her hands, her brow furrowed as if she expected to see something there. “I just wish I knew if I had magic.”
“You do,” Mac said. “You turned into a raven, for fates’ sake.”
“That could have been Carrow,” Beatrix said.
“Nah.” Mac shook her head. “Her magic did something to you when you died, that’s for sure. But I doubt it turned you into a raven.”
I nodded. “That’s my bet, too.”
Seraphia appeared from the back of the library, her hair a bit messy from whatever she’d been getting into. “Ready?”
I cut my eyes to Grey, who nodded. “Looks like it.”
“Good.” She gestured for us to follow, then turned around. “You’re going to want to be as quick as possible. The longer you stay, the more dangerous it will be. And whatever you do, don’t lose that book.”
I nodded, clutching it tightly. The Fae seamstress had sewn a special pocket into my heavy skirts for it, and I tucked it in, buttoning the pocket closed. I also had Rasla’s seal, though I had no idea what to do with it.
The library grew darker and quieter the deeper back we went, until finally, we stood in front of the empty aisle. The air sparkled with pale golden light, beckoning.
“Be careful,” Beatrix said. “Being dead sucks.”
I cracked a smile and looked at Grey.
He held out a hand.
I took it, unable to help the faint shiver that ran up my arm, filling me with heat. Together, we stepped toward the light. Magic pulled at me, sparking against my skin. Nerves fluttered in my stomach, my breath growing short.
The magic tugged harder the deeper we went. I pulled the book from my pocket, hoping that the portal could tell where we wanted to go.
“Open the book,” Seraphia said from behind us.
Carefully, I flipped it open with one hand, choosing a page at random. I couldn’t read any of the pages, so I figured it didn’t matter which one I opened to.
The lights around us glowed more brightly, the magic pulsing. It yanked at me, pulling me into the ether and spinning me through space. I gripped Grey’s hand tightly, terrified of losing him.
My head whirled and my stomach pitched as we traveled, my vision going dark. Finally, hard ground appeared beneath my feet, and I stumbled. Grey caught me, pulling me against him.
Panting, I opened my eyes.
We stood in the library. It was even darker than it had been before, the golden light faint.
“Did it work?” I whispered.
“I think so.”
We left the aisle, moving silently. What would the librarian think if she saw us? Would she know we’d come from another time?
The main part of the library wasn’t quite as empty as it was in our era. Several patrons strolled through the aisles, their clothing ornate and heavy-looking, just like ours.
I looked up at Grey, noticing that he had put his hat on and tilted his head down. He needed to remain unnoticed until we’d taken care of his past self. Two Devils of Darkvale walking around town would be problematic.
We ducked back into the aisle, and I reached into my bag, pulling out one of the face-altering potions Eve had given us. It wouldn’t change our looks much, and it wouldn’t work for long, but it would make him slightly unrecognizable as the Devil if one were to only glance at him. We hadn’t wanted to use it unless necessary, but the library was busy at this hour.
I handed it to him, and he drank it. His face shifted only slightly—becoming slightly broader and his hair paler—but it was enough that he’d probably go unrecognized.
“That worked well,” I said.
“Good. Let’s check out the tower.”
I nodded and followed him through the library, trying not to make contact. Near the door, a woman stepped into our path. She wore a pitch-black dress like mine, though far more severe and high-collared. Her eyes glinted with suspicion.
“I did not see you enter.” Her tone was cold and quiet.
Grey inclined his head politely. “You were turned away at the time.”
She frowned, inspecting us. My heart fluttered. Just because the library had the portal didn’t mean that all librarians approved of its use.
“If you will allow us to pass, we would be greatly indebted to you,” Grey said, his voice vibrating with his power.
The woman’s eyes unfocused, his magic forcing her will, and she nodded, stepping aside.
He strode past her, pulling me along. I hurried to keep up, and we stepped out onto the streets of Guild city in the middle of a dreary, cloudy day.
“Whoa.” The word slipped out on a breath. “This is different.”
The street was lit by magical lamps, the contents of the shop windows not terribly different than in the modern day. Supernaturals still roamed the streets, but their clothing was so stiff and staid compared to what I was used to. Horses filled the streets, pulling narrow carriages. According to Mac, they’d fallen out of favor when motorbikes had become popular, and probably because they smelled. In fact, the whole town bore a stench.
“It stinks here,” I whispered.
“Hardly.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of Grey’s mouth. “We used magic to manage the waste and odor. It was not quite as good as the plumbing that replaced it, but far better than what the humans dealt with.”
I nodded. “If you say so.”
“Come, we will check the Shadow Guild tower.”
I nodded and followed him down the street. It was the first part of our plan, because it was the best way to know where we were, temporally speaking. Had Rasla hidden the tower yet? Did people here know of the Shadow Guild, or had he already erased it from their memories?
We moved swiftly through the small crowd, darting into a back alley as soon as we reached one. I could still navigate easily enough, but the differences in the city made it a slightly odd experience.
Within minutes, we reached the part of town where the tower stood. I stepped out of the alley and into the empty square, staring at the flat section of wall.
“He’s already done it.” I shook my head. “The tower is gone.”
“It’s truly incredible how he managed it.” Disgust echoed in Grey’s voice.
I looked at the quiet square. There were no weeds yet, just carefully placed gravel made of pale brown stones. The statue of Rasla stood in the middle, unencumbered by weeds. All around, the shops stared silently out at the empty space. Only half of them were closed, unlike in the present day, when they were all abandoned. A small boy swept the street outside of one, and Grey strode to him.
He crouched down, and the boy stepped back warily. Grey reached into his pocket and withdrew a small coin, holding it out to show the boy. It was money from this period, obtained from Grey’s private collection.
“This is yours if you can tell me what you know about this place.” Grey gestured to the empty square and the section of empty wall.
The boy looked from the coin to the square, confusion in his eyes. “Tell you what about it?”
“Anything at all. Does it seem strange to you? Like it has recently changed?”
The boy shrugged. “It’s just an empty square. Bad luck there’s no guild tower here or business would be better, me mam says.”
“Bad luck?”
He nodded, but confusion flickered in his eyes. “Just never been a tower here. Strange, that. But it’s the way it’s always been.”
“What about that statue?” Grey pointed to the stone Rasla. “When did that appear?”
The boy’s eyes brightened. “Just the other day. Big ceremony, and we sold rivers of beer.”
“Thank you, lad.” Grey handed him the coin and stood, then returned to me. “That’s that, then. It was recent.”
I nodded. “Shall we go to your place?”
“Yes. I’m not sure how much longer this potion will hold.” He rubbed his jaw.
Together, we slipped down the alley and back onto the main streets. We moved quickly through the crowd, avoiding people as best we could. The streets had filled more, the evening arriving with a biting chill to the air. As the sun set behind the clouds, the night grew dark. More streetlamps flared to life, magic filling their globes and casting a glow on the people crowding the lanes.
We were nearly to Grey’s side of town when a man stepped out of a shop, bumping into me. I stumbled, and he grabbed my arm, trying to keep me from falling.
A shock of discomfort flashed through me at his touch, his magic sick and dark. I looked up, startled.
Right into the face of Councilor Rasla.
11
Carrow
He looked just like the statue, with a heavy brow and long nose. But it was his magic I recognized. Evil. Reeking of decay and death.
My heart thundered as Councilor Rasla studied me with shocked eyes. His voice was cold as he demanded, “Who are you?”
“No one of interest to you.” I wanted to yank my arm away, but this was too good an opportunity to miss. I used my power, calling it up from within me. It resisted at first, then finally flared to life.
What is going on with you? How do we find out?
An image came to mind—a woman, her face broad and wind-chapped. She held a mop in one hand and a bucket in the other. Brilliant blue eyes stared back at me. The image disappeared.
“Tell me, girl. You look familiar. Who are you?” he demanded.
Familiar? I yanked my arm away, scowling. “No one, sir.”
Grey stepped between me and Rasla. “You will leave us be.”
His voice echoed with power, and I peeked around his shoulder at Rasla. The man’s eyes weren’t really going foggy—not as much as a person’s eyes normally did when Grey used his power.
Rasla shook his head, trying to drive off the influence of Grey’s voice. “You’re familiar, girl, and I want to know who you are.” His gaze moved to Grey. “And you…there’s something about you.”
From behind, I could see the tips of Grey’s hair changing from light to dark. The spell was wearing off, and his face was returning to normal.