Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
Kyrith
“So you see the problem,” I finish, finally meeting the seven concerned and confused gazes before me.
We’ve gathered around the altar in the Vault to discuss the issue.
The fractured dagger gleams atop of the black granite between us.
I separated Mathias’s phylactery from the hilt.
Without it, the blade looks oddly unfinished.
The red gem rests innocently a few inches away.
Two deceptively beautiful problems in one place.
“The dagger can destroy soul vessels, but it’s broken,” Eddy surmises. “But because it’s not broken broken, you can’t give the Arcanaeum back its magic.”
“I still dinnae get it,” Jasper admits, rubbing the back of his neck. “I thought it was a key.”
“It is. Or, rather, it was.” Magic, how do I explain?
“It’s always been the mechanism through which the power of liminals was funnelled into the Arcanaeum.
My best guess is that when the Library reversed the ritual on Mathias a few weeks ago, it created a seal to keep us separate.
In essence, it’s both a key and a lock. If the dagger is destroyed completely, the building’s magic will rush back to where it belongs, and I will be returned along with it. ”
At least there’s no need for me to be sacrificed again.
The purple flames cast odd shadows over Dakari’s frowning face. “But you can’t know for sure.”
I shake my head. “I’ve been studying the magical theory and the bonds extensively, but no. I don’t know anything for certain. I’m not sure I can fix the dagger either.”
“Liches have been killed without it before,” Leo argues. “If the dagger breaking is what needs to be done, then I say do it.”
“It will stop Mathias from being able to control you again.” North shrugs. “So why haven’t you done it already?”
“Because she’ll be stuck here if she rebinds herself to the Arcanaeum.” Lambert knocks into his friend with his shoulder. “And she doesn’t want that.”
“I’ve made my peace with it.” I tug at my sleeves.
“I’d rather have the Arcanaeum back than my freedom.
That’s not even a choice. No, I’ve held off because as it stands, the only ones with a bond to the Arcanaeum, besides the dagger and me, are you six.
Were I to destroy it, there’s a chance it wouldn’t even work and… ” I trail off.
“We’ll be affected somehow.” Pierce spreads his fingers across the surface of the altar. “If we aren’t already.”
“How?” Jasper asks. “It cannae be that bad, surely?”
“It wouldn’t break our bonds, would it?” Lambert presses. “Because I like being tied to you, boss.”
My heart does a poignant little flip.
“The Arcanaeum was treating you like a part of the collection before. Books can leave the Library, it’s just uncomfortable when they do.
It probably would’ve also given you a tiny boost to your magical reserves.
” I take a deep breath. “Severing me from the building took a lot of power.
Then Mathias used what remained to heal himself and redecorate.
Both the Arcanaeum and I were drained almost completely.
“You each fed me vast amounts of your magic. As a result, I recovered, and now our bonds are far stronger than they were before. No one did the same for the Arcanaeum. It usually would regenerate by itself, but because its well is so large, it needs to reach a critical mass to do so at any kind of speed. If I destroy the dagger, all of the power inside me will rush to fill the void on the other side. With luck, I have enough power to speed up the Library’s regeneration, and I’ll be restored as the Librarian, but there’s a significant chance that your wells will be dragged along with mine. You may also end up unable to leave.”
And there it is, my great fear out in the open.
Silence falls, the long explanation sinking in slowly.
“Unable to leave…ever?” Eddy finally clarifies. “Like you?”
I nod once. “I’m not willing to risk that. You have lives to live. There’s no guarantee that the Arcanaeum will regain consciousness, even with the return of its magic. So my next quandary is how do we hide the—”
“Wait. That’s it?” Lambert’s question is laced with hurt. “You’re giving up?”
I shake my head. “No. Not at all, but the obvious plan is somewhat morbid.”
“You’re going to wait for us to die,” Pierce realises, leaning back. “Of old age, or whatever. Then you’re going to break the dagger and things will go back to how they were.”
Me alone, possibly without the Arcanaeum to keep me company for the long years that follow.
Sorrow settles heavily into my bones. I can’t make myself voice the words, but my silence is enough confirmation.
“That’s not fair.” Dakari reaches for me, but I evade his embrace. “You haven’t even given us a choice.”
“I’m not really alive. This body was changed and remade by the Arcanaeum.
I don’t believe I’m capable of ageing. In the best-case scenario, that’s what you’ll experience.
You’ll watch your family die all around you.
” I pin North, Leo, and Jasper with a meaningful look.
“You’ll be apart from the world. Forever.
No more magiball.” Lambert’s shoulders slump.
“You won’t be able to travel or start families of your own. ”
I’m fairly certain that my magically made body is incapable of bearing children. I’ve had centuries as a ghost to come to terms with that loss. Can they say the same?
I hug my waist as I picture them slowly regretting their choice. Watching the love leave their eyes, their adoration souring into apathy and then contempt.
Is that better or worse than the idea of seeing their descendants walk through the doors? Of seeing a little boy with North’s eyes start his first year at the University, or discovering Lambert’s granddaughter is just as talented at magiball as him?
“You could grow to resent me for it in time. And that’s the best outcome. For all I know, I could be condemning you to join the other librarians. I’d lose you entirely.”
Jasper shakes his head. “You cannae just make that decision for us.”
“I’m not,” I protest. “But you have to understand, I can’t choose who will and won’t be sucked in. It would probably be all of you or none of you. And it might not even work.”
There’s a chance that the Arcanaeum’s consciousness is just gone. Dead. I certainly haven’t felt any stirrings of it since my return.
“And if we all say fuck it?” North prods. “You’d do it?”
My heart cracks. “Perhaps. If the decision was unanimous.”
I don’t believe in dictating their choices, but equally, I don’t know if I could live with the guilt.
“It would make it almost impossible to kill Mathias,” Pierce murmurs. “None of us would be able to leave, and he can’t enter. We’d be abandoning the rest of arcandom to the lich.”
“Exactly.” At least one of them gets it. “So it makes sense to spend our energy where it can be of use: repairing the dagger—if we can—and destroying the phylactery. Unfortunately…both are more complicated than I feared. It’s going to take time.”
Worse. I’m beginning to suspect that the only way to kill a lich is by using the very necromancy that killed them in the first place.
At the very least, the spell Mathias employed was definitely dark magic.
I’ve never created a runeform like it before.
I’ve only had a few hours to work on it so far, but my first attempt at deciphering one from the incantation was… poor.
“So we have to protect them,” Dakari says. “For how long?”
If only I had an answer for him. “I don’t know.”
“Mathias will do anything to get his hands on both.” Pierce shoves away from the altar and begins to pace. “He’s got enforcement in his pocket. They’ll likely come for the Library the moment you reopen.”
“Okay, so we make a plan.” Lambert has more optimism. “We have three families on our side, right? Three parriarchs who will tell enforcement to back off.”
“Isidora is still rector,” Leo points out. “And she’s now Mathias’s flesh puppet. Not to mention, we don’t have the Arcanaeum as backup.”
“I can’t use any of the spells in these grimoires,” I remind him. “I’m not sure I can banish people. Even if I was willing to use the dagger…”
“Can you not just…fake it?” Eddy asks.
“Fake it?” I echo.
Lambert grins. “That could work.”
“Let’s face it, enforcement has got to be pissing themselves at the thought of attacking the Library after what happened last time,” North reminds me. “There are seven of us. We could make it look like you’re still capable of the insane magical shit you pulled then.”
“Smoke and mirrors.” Eddy grins. “You don’t need to be flashy when you’ve got a reputation for being a magical badass, an awesome best friend, and the six most powerful arcanists in the world right here.”
It’s not the worst plan in the world, even if there are dozens of things that could go wrong. It doesn’t solve the last problem, however.
“And speaking of reopening…”
“You’ll need to use the dagger to do it.” Leo grimaces. “Which might break it.”
“I don’t believe it would happen immediately,” I counter.
“But yes. I’ll only be able to influence the building by using the heart to control it, like Mathias did.
Every time the blade has cracked, it’s been the result of him sending huge surges of power through it.
I’d be using much smaller doses of magic to open and close each day, but over time, it’s still likely to have an effect. ”
“So we’re fucked either way?” North says.
I pick up the fragmented tip of the dagger, turning it over and over in my grasp. “If it looks like the damage is becoming too great, I’ll close the Library.”
“For good?” Eddy asks.
I can’t meet her eyes. “For as long as it takes for you all to live long, happy lives, or for me to fix the blade.”
“Decades.” Dakari’s soft expression only makes the truth hurt more. “You’ll be alone for decades.”
“Do you have a better idea?” I demand, then gentle my tone. “I’ll be fine. I have my books. I…I would do it for you. If that was what it took.”
His eyes blaze, searing me from the inside out. “You’re speaking like an eternity with you isn’t something I want.”
My heart soars, and even though I try not to, I can’t stop the hope that’s surely shining from my gaze.
“It’s certainly not a hardship.” Jasper closes the gap between us. “The prospect of becoming part of the librarian hive-mind is a mite off-putting, but the clan could still visit us. I’m not running from any commitment you’ll give me, lass. We could have a hundred more door dates. A thousand.”
“What if you funnelled more power into the Arcanaeum before you broke the dagger?” Leo muses.
I stiffen in Jasper’s arms. “What?”
His lips thin. He’s been quiet since I explained everything. I should’ve realised that was because he was working things through, coming up with an alternative.
“The issue is that there’s not much power left in the building,” he reminds me. “But if the building had more power, there would be less risk of us being drawn into a vacuum.”
“You’re talking about resuming the sacrifices.” A shiver rolls down my spine.
He picks up Mathias’s soul vessel, turning it over in his palm. “No. I’m talking about one final sacrifice. Made without the spire, to lessen the chances of his consciousness being added to the Library.”
“A fitting end,” Pierce comments quietly.
“Necromancy,” I counter. “It’s necromancy.”
“Are you really going to pretend like it’s going to take anything less than that to destroy this?” Leo puts the phylactery back with a raised brow.
My gut sinks, and my eyes flick to Pierce without meaning to before I force them away. It had been my plan to speak to him afterwards, privately.
I’ve never used dark magic. None of us have, except for him. I’m not afraid to learn if that’s what it takes, but his experience could be invaluable. I won’t make him cast it—he’s endured too much already—but I’d be a fool not to ask for his input.
“I had hoped to protect you from it,” I finally say. “If you were ever questioned, or asked to swear under oath that you know nothing about necromancy, I would want you to be able to answer honestly, for your own sakes.”
“What if they asked you?”
I look at Eddy sadly. “My introduction to it was five hundred years ago. I have more experience with it than most, which is why I would never allow them to use a truth spell on me.”
Not reporting a necromancer to enforcement would end with them rotting in prison for the rest of their lives as it is.
“So we do what he did to Isidora,” Dakari confirms. “Use the dagger to destroy his phylactery and then him.”
“Wait, you mean we don’t just have to destroy this and he’s gone?” Lambert groans. “We have to commit actual murder too?”
North makes a face. “How else did you think this was going to go?”
Lambert shrugs. “Honestly, I was trying not to think about it too much, I guess?”
“Understandable,” Eddy says. “But isn’t that another problem? How are we supposed to get to Mathias once his phylactery is gone? He’s not going to rush here when it gets destroyed. If anything, surely he’ll just go into hiding until he can make another one?”
I’m not sure he can make another. He only has one soul, after all. But I understand her point. He’ll be vulnerable.
“I have an idea for that,” I venture. “And you’re not going to like it.”
“I haven’t liked anything you’ve said since we came down here,” Pierce mutters. “But by all means, do carry on…”
“We pretend the Arcanaeum is breaking.”
Dakari smiles, and it’s a chilling, predatory thing. “And let the arrogant son of a bitch come to us.”