CHAPTER 16
A n impressive building, with multiple pillars that reminded me of something out of Washington D.C.
, identified the campus library where I’d been assigned work-study duties.
Once past security and the metal detector, a soaring vaulted ceiling, adorned in gorgeous frescos of angels in battle, seized my attention as I entered the open space.
Balconies stood at either side, converging into a winding staircase at the center of the main floor.
I’d heard there were multiple levels, with an impressive gallery of baroque paintings and artifacts in the library’s attic.
I’d also heard of other things known to go down in the attic—a hotspot for campus hookups, so I’d have to be careful venturing up there.
Fancy chandeliers loomed over long hardwood tables, which made up plenty of study spots, each with multiple desk lamps, outlets, and pencil cups.
I’d always had to carve out times in the day when no one was around to get any quiet study. Yet, there, I could’ve heard a pin drop.
I followed the signs to the second level, passing private little study nooks–tables amid walls of bookshelves.
The upward path led me to the beautiful rotunda room, where white marble floors and banisters gave a bright contrast to the dark wood of the other rooms. Impressively carved stone heads on pillars stood about the room in small alcoves, giving it a Romanesque look.
Through the windows of the Adderly memorial room, I took in the gorgeous view of the yard, with its magnificent oaks I imagined would soon be snow-covered, making for a cozy scene.
The room itself held the history of Dracadia, from what I could gather of old photographs and glass cases that held artifacts.
I looked forward to perusing more of the school’s history when I got the chance.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how many secret places this magical school held. I could’ve probably attended for years, and I’d never explore the many wonders of it all. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see and know.
As I entered the Stirling room, dedicated to science texts, I found an older man, with dark skin and graying hair, reaching to place a book onto the shelf over his head.
“Excuse me,” I said on approaching. “I’m looking for Kelvin Reed?”
The man spun around, his spectacles halfway down his nose as he regarded me with a tip of his chin. “I’m Kelvin Reed.” The articulate nature of his voice matched his appearance of sweater vest over a gray shirt, looking like a lifelong academic.
Smiling, I gave a respectful nod. “Lilia. I was assigned work study here.”
“Ah, yes. Miss Vespertine. Very good to meet you. I’m the Master Librarian for the Adderly Memorial and Stirling Science wing.
” Truly, I could’ve listened to the man talk for hours, his voice was so pleasant to the ear.
“I’m assuming you’ve acquainted yourself with the Adderly Memorial room already? ”
“Yes. Is that the same Adderly as the statue in Thresher Bay?”
“It is. Lord Commodore Adderly was a widely respected pillar of Dracadian history.” His comment brought to mind Mel’s irritation over the memorial. Maybe I’d learn what had brought her to those opinions.
“I’m looking forward to learning more about the history of the school.”
“Well, you’re in luck. It so happens to be a requirement for working in this department. It’s our duty to preserve the precious texts we managed to recover from Adderly’s ship. So, your job for the next week is to familiarize yourself with our history so that you might be a resource to others.”
“Would I have access to these texts, as well?”
Brows knitted, he sighed. “For the most part. Some texts are restricted and require certain permissions to access.”
Those were suddenly the ones that piqued my curiosity most.
With a nod, I followed Kelvin back to the Memorial room, which was decorated to look like something out of an old ship, with all the nautical details–ropes with thick knots, a porthole, and oars. Perhaps items they’d recovered from Adderly’s ship.
“We’ll start here,” Kelvin said, gesturing to the many books in the room. “Leave any books that you read on the table. I’ll take care of them. It’s important they return to their proper places.”
“Got it. I just … spend the couple hours I’m here reading?”
“Yes, exactly.”
I couldn’t have picked a more perfect job. Except maybe one that required sleeping.
Kelvin left, and I perused the room, looking for an interesting place to start.
I came to a halt before a painting of a woman with fiery auburn hair.
She wore a plain white dress and held white lilies in her hand.
The name below read Sister Mary Elizabeth, though she didn’t wear any religious garb in the painting.
Beneath the painting a thick book sat cracked open on a table lectern, a bible given the looks of it.
Romans 12:17 had been underlined: Do not repay anyone evil for evil .
Another glance at the woman drew me into staring at her. How much she reminded me of my mother. I nabbed one of the books from the shelf beside her painting and sat down at the table near the window.
According to the text, she’d come to Dracadia as a young nun to care and watch over those deemed mentally unsound and exiled to the monastery. The book described her as a kind and benevolent woman, particularly admired by Dr. Nathaniel Stirling.
The book included a picture of the doctor, known for wearing the infamous plague doctor uniform while caring for his patients, whom he believed were infected by bad spirits.
An unsettling shiver coiled down my spine as I stared at his image on the page, in his beaked mask and long black cape.
The sight of him must have given his patients nightmares.
It seemed the science wing had been named after him, based on him having unwittingly discovered Stirlic acid, an antiseptic made from the Jestwood plant.
It had apparently changed the outcome of surgeries he’d performed, and he’d been hailed the godfather of sterilization.
Except, he’d employed his discovery in a much more sinister way when banishing evil from his patients.
I found myself immersed in the history of the monastery as something of an early mental institution, where patients had been subjected to a number of experiments to exorcise the so-called bad spirits from their bodies.
By the time I finally broke my concentration, I noticed it was already dark outside. A glance at my watch showed that I’d stayed over an hour past my work study time.
“Shit,” I muttered, placing the books in a neat stack on the table, as Kelvin had requested. I gathered up my book bag and twisted around, knocking into the person behind me on an explosion of papers that flew up into the air before scattering over the marble floors.
“Oh, my!” Dr. Langmore stepped back, adjusting his spectacles. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Miss Vespertine.”
Cheeks red with humiliation, I dropped to the floor and gathered his fallen papers into a somewhat messy pile. “It’s my fault, Sir. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” I pushed to my feet and handed off the stack, which he received on a smile.
“Please, I insist on sharing half the blame.”
“I was just leaving. My work study shift ended an hour ago.”
“Ah! Ambitious. We like that.” His gaze skated toward the window and back. “It’s fairly dark outside. Will you be walking alone?”
“Um. Yeah. My dorm isn’t far.”
His eyes squinted with unease. “Still, I would advise caution.”
“Of course.” Movement beyond him caught my attention, and I looked past Langmore to find a shadowy man striding toward us, his eyes scrutinizing as he entered the memorial room.
Clearing his throat, Langmore seemed to follow the path of my gaze, twisting around toward Professor Bramwell. Seemed the man’s intimidation radius was fairly broad, as even the dean appeared somewhat uncomfortable in his presence. “Yes, well. Take care, Miss. I’ve a staff meeting.”
“Sure,” I said, still caught up in my staring. When Bramwell’s gaze flicked to mine, I finally broke my ogling and lifted my bag up onto my shoulder.
Bramwell didn’t say a word to me as he passed, in spite of my polite nod and smile, which quickly faded when I turned away.
What an asshole. It was a wonder he saw anything past his own nose.
With that, I made my way toward the exit.
* * *
T he moon shone high in the sky as I hoofed my way across the courtyard.
For the most part, the campus seemed to have settled in for the night, though a few students still bustled about.
I’d survived the first day, and even in spite of the crappy moments, I’d enjoyed it.
For all its faults, the school had a dark magic about it.
The history, the architecture, the mystery of the campus and its people–it spoke to me and inspired a longing to drink it all in.
Such a sense of belonging was foreign to me. Even though I hadn’t been born into wealth, like most of the students, there was so much to Dracadia that went beyond old money. It existed in its own little pocket of intrigue, like stories of Pan and worlds far beyond.
To imagine that I’d become part of its fabric had yet to sink in.
Vigilantly scanning my surroundings, I skittered toward the shallow stretch of woods that separated my dorm from the others in the square.
“ Lilia ,” a voice whispered from behind, and I startled.
Turning around showed nothing more than tree branches swaying in the breeze. I scanned over the courtyard, eyeing two students off in the distance. Another hustling toward a dorm.
As I turned back to my path, something caught my eye on the other side of an oak tree. A dark figure that I had to squint to see in the dim light given off by the streetlamp halfway between me and the tree. A long, black cloak. A long, beaked nose. Two black holes for eyes.
The plague doctor mask I’d seen.