Maddy gasped as we were engulfed in golden light. We landed on our knees—painful as the courtyard target was paved in stone. But it was, as Havoc had theorized, empty at this time of night.
When I glanced at my hands in the darkness, nothing but normal fingers wiggled back at me. I caught Lucas giving me a strange look as we quickly scurried into the shadows, and waited to see if the energy surge attracted any attention.
If it did, we had a big problem. No way I could do the multiple Jumps necessary if Isobel, her coven, or her Bellatis sensed my initial one into the library.
After a few moments when no one showed up, we breathed easier.
“Does that light happen every time?” Lucas asked.
“I think so,” I replied.
He glanced to Maddy. “Can you Block us fast? That light will attract attention, for sure, if the guards are alert and nearby.”
Maddy’s mouth straightened. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Lucas didn’t look happy, but then, I’d already figured out he was a serious kind of guy. “Ready to go?” I asked them.
In answer, they took my arms again. The library was currently full of young Centaurs. To avoid us Jumping blindly into one, Havoc had given me a spot near the arbor in the garden. I took a deep breath, focused, and…
Snap.
We landed on our butts this time. But on the grass. Not quite so painful.
Lucas immediately dragged us into the bushes, and a second later, I heard voices.
“Maddy?” he whispered.
“On it,” she answered.
We pressed ourselves into the shrubbery, but the light that lanced out at us would have easily revealed us to those approaching, if it hadn’t been for Maddy’s talent.
Two Bellatis raised their lanterns as they pushed their way into the bushes.
“What could it have been?” one asked.
“Who knows? There are many strange things in this garden. Xumi was a collector of odd plants.”
The first Bellati slapped a branch out of his face. “It’s a bit wild back here. I don’t see anything. Must have been an insect.”
“Pretty big insect,” the second said, but he’d already turned away.
We waited as they retreated, and then Lucas led us in their wake. We ended up at the fringes of a row of prickly bushes, staring at a set of glass doors. They were closed, and the two Bellatis had regained their stations on each side of them.
I tried to see into the darkened room beyond, but it was hard to make things out. There might be room for us in the center… “How close can we get?” I asked.
“Little closer,” she whispered. “They might smell us if we’re unlucky. But they aren’t Dires.”
Smell. Right. Lucas moved us into the clearing. It was eerie as hell sneaking up to within twenty feet of the guards without them batting an eye.
From that distance, I could see through the glass to the large cushions scattered across the library floor, with distinctive forms stretched out on them. The young Centaurs, asleep.
I tugged on Lucas’s cloak, and we retreated into the bushes. I kept going for a ways in.
“Good,” Lucas said, clearly understanding my motives. The guards were facing the garden. If they came to investigate a second flash of light, they might not notice the one inside the library.
I folded my fingers around Tuli’s necklet in my pocket. I had a good enough visual that I likely didn’t need it, but it could only help. “Ready?” I asked.
They hung on to me, and I took us in.
