“That grimoire was created long ago by a…madman in search of access to power he had no business wielding,” Nos explained. “He, through hisinfinite wisdom, created a single book through which he could access all magical knowledge at once.”
Ava stared down at the locked tome. “Wait. It’swhat?”
“He created a tome that can accessallspells that have been, or evershall be,created. Past, present, and future.” Nos finally turned to look at her, and Ava’s eyes went just a little bit wide.
The man was…stitched together. His face was made up ofmultiple faces,just likeFrankenstein.Multiple beautiful inhuman fae faces, sure—but multiple faces, all the same. One part was pale blue, the other pale purple, another a different shade of blue. One of his eyes glowed faintly white, the other faintly orange.
“I—um—” Ava stammered. “I—wouldn’t—it seems—kinda thin—to—to—to—to be?—”
With a deep, and irritated sigh, he turned back to the fire. “If you were able to open it, you would find the pages blank. Only by knowing which spell you seek to cast, are you able to call it forward from its pages.”
“But I don’t know how to use magic.” She frowned.
“If we discover you are lying to us, human, it will end very poorly for you.” Nos glared at her.
“Oh, come on.” It was Ava’s turn to snort in disbelief. “If I had magic, don’t you think I’d have used it to deal with the witch who was trying to eat my eyes?” She groaned. “Oh god, I was eatingeye stew.”She covered her mouth. “Shit—I think I’m going to be sick?—”
“Bathroom.” Ibin pointed through a door.
Scrabbling up to her feet, she ran for the door. Luckily it was a bathroom, and a fairly modern one at that. It had running water and a toilet that had a tank up on the wall. She lost what little she’d eaten of the eye stew into the bowl. Drinking some fresh water from the tap—it tasted clean, which was glorious. She flushed the toilet and headed back outside, feeling better for having had some cold water.
“Here, you poor thing.” Ibin handed her a plate with some bread and cheese on it. “Sit. Eat. And don’t thank me.”
“I know.” She stared down at the plate. It looked like normal bread and cheese. “I…don’t trust you, though. And I certainly don’t trust your friend here.”
“Good.” Nos had gone back to staring at the fire. “BecauseIdon’t know why we’re helping you. You are about to become exceedingly problematic.”
“Because I remember what it’s like to be human, and afraid, and lost.” Ibin flopped down onto a sofa by the fire. “You don’t have to stay with us. You can bugger off whenever you like, honey. But you’rewelcometo stay withme.”She shot a look at Nos.
“Why’s that?” Ava sat in the chair across from Ibin and put the tray of food down. She began to eat some of the bread and cheese. It looked normal. And it tasted normal. She was just not going to ask where the cheese came from. “Why’re you being nice to me, when it’s clear that I’m going to become a risk?” Serrik had told her things were going to start hunting her.
Looking down, she jolted in shock. The book was stuffed between her leg and the edge of the chair. She hadn’t put it there. She’d left it on the floor. “Sh—goddamn it.”
“Like I said.” Ibin chuckled. “Where you go, it goes.”
“Great. Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about forgetting it somewhere.” She picked it up out of the crevice and put it on the coffee table. She didn’t want to whack her elbow on it.
“To answer your question, two reasons.” Ibin’s jovial expression faded. “One, I’d honestly like the company.” She shrugged. “I’m curious how Earth has changed since I left it. I…miss being human, if you really must know. I miss having a human around. These bastards”—she gestured at Nos, who shot her a look in return—“oh, kisses, darling, you know how you lot are. These bastards are all pomp and circumstance, all highfalutin drama and self-important schemes. No one just wants to crack open a beer and justchat.It’s exhausting.”
“And…the second reason?” Ava was pretty sure this was going to be the one she wasn’t going to like hearing. She focused on the bread and cheese. She wasn’t sure when her next meal was going to happen. Or what it’d consist of. So she was going to take what she could get when she could get it.
“Let us begin with this—what did that mad bastard put before you for a contract?” Nos kept his back to her, choosing instead to stare into the fire. Now that Ava had seen what he was, and considering her poor instinctual reaction to it, she didn’t honestly blame him.
Ava felt kind of like a douche about having stammered at the sight of him. But she had a rough day. She tried to cut herself a little slack. “I’m not sure I should tell you.”
“Then allow me to guess.” Nos sounded like he was on the razor’s edge of losing his shit and shattering things. “In exchange for your freedom from the cagehe placed you in, need I remind you,he asked for your help in breaking the seals that keep him locked within the center of the Web.”
Well, fine. Shit. “In not so many words.” She paused. “Yeah.”
“And did he tell you why he was put here to begin with?” Nos’s hands clenched into fists. “And what he intends to do if and when he escapes this place?”
“He left that part out. I was too busy having a panic attack and reeling from the fact that I’d smacked my head and—” Ava broke off. “Do you think I have a concussion? Should I be worried?”
“No, human. You cannot die. You cannot become ill. Are you dense?” Nos turned to face her, finally unable to take it anymore.
“I am notdense.”This time she kept from blanching or reacting to the sight of him. “And I don’t appreciate your fuckingtone.”Ava stood, deciding she’d had it with Nos.
She’d had it with everyone, to be fair. “For the past five years of my life I have watched my mother slowly die. For the past two,I’ve taken care of her on my own, because my father walked out on us. Then, as soon as she’s dead and buried? He waltzes back in with his new wife and three kids. Which—by the way—arehis.I gave up everything to take care of her. My college degree. My friends. My career. My future. And he took all the rest I had. Kicked me out on the street like I wasnothing.Because to him? I was!” Now she was screaming. And crying.
