“I will, and Rod? I’m the one who can regenerate.”
His way of telling me to be careful, without telling me to be safe, was cute.“I will. I have someone waiting for me when I finish. Can’t let getting injured or killed get in my way of seeing you.”
Chapter Eight
Cinaed:
Percy and Gio’s home had a different vibe from the energy I’d known my entire life. Our ancestral castle was saturated with the same primordial earth magic that flowed through every phoenix. The guardians’ outwardly modest cottage felt like I’d stepped into a new world.
They’d crammed their house with layers of magic that were academic, purposeful, and pervasive. There were so many different functions that my brain struggled to accept what my eyes observed.
“I had a similar moment of awe when I first entered,” Otto said. “As Gio told me when I asked, there are few things you can’t accomplish with centuries to work on a problem. At the risk of totally blowing your mind, wait until you see the basement.”
When the others said we needed to visit Percy and Gio because they had an incredible library, I had visions of a large mansion with an entire wing devoted to rare books. Or maybe a separate building to house their collection. Instead, we’d arrivedat a tiny bungalow that was barely as big as my suite in the palace.
“Basement?” I blinked. “They have a priceless library in a basement?”
“It’s probably best to see it before we try to explain,” Gio said as he led us down a narrow hallway. “Words fail to do justice to what Percy created.”
The fondness in his voice for his mate left an ache in my heart for what I couldn’t experience for myself. Telling myself it would happen soon didn’t make the hunger disappear.
We were led down a spiral staircase descending into darkness. Mage globes along the wall flickered to life as we approached. When we reached the first landing, I realized the vastness of their “basement.”
“Sweet mother of fire,” I muttered.
The underground library stretched in every direction, at least four or five times wider than the modest home above. Towering bookshelves created a labyrinth of knowledge, their ancient wooden frames bearing the weight of countless volumes. The air carried the comforting scent of old parchment, ink, and the faint tang of preservation spells.
“As Otto said, we had a lot of free time,” Percy said with a shrug. “We volunteered to create this library, and our fellow guardians helped us preserve the knowledge that might otherwise be lost.”
A mage and an ancient gryphon were seated at a massive table covered in books and scrolls. I’d never met the Eastern Guardians, but one look and I knew that’s who they were.
Percy took a minute to introduce me to Anso and Leifr, and I found myself hanging back slightly as the others greeted each other. They had the easy familiarity of beings who shared a purpose. I was the only being without a mate, and it highlighted Rod’s absence.
I stood next to Leo and Gund and felt overwhelmed by the task. Percy and Gio, with Anso and Leifr’s help, had pulled dozens of books and set them on a series of tables.
“We searched for anything that had even a passing reference to stone circles, druidic magic, or phoenix-specific spells,” Anso said. “There are twice this many or more we haven’t pulled yet, so we’ve got a lot to review.”
“We should split up,” Otto suggested. “That way we don’t duplicate work.”
We divided into groups and I was paired with Leo, Gund, and Cael to search for a clue to how Blackstone planned to permanently kill my grandfather. Fear and resentment churned inside me when asked to work on this task. I obviously didn’t want my grandfather to die, but I hadn’t forgiven him for the decades of forced separation from Rod. Guilt followed when it was clear I hadn’t given my full commitment to finding my kidnapped relative.
I took a seat at the worn wooden table and plucked the top leather-bound book from the closest stack.Harmonized Energies: Phoenix Fire in Combined Spell Casting. The author’s name had worn away, but I doubted I’d recognize the being. Especially since the date—1602—was still visible. Still, the mages wouldn’t have selected this treatise if they didn’t think it was useful.
Hours passed in relative silence, broken only by the rustle of pages or murmured conversation. Despite my best efforts to focus, my mind kept drifting. After I read the same paragraph three times without absorbing a word, I set it aside and got up to stretch.
Roderick would’ve been more methodical than me. I read the books, but since nothing was on point, I didn’t take any notes. Rod would’ve cross-referenced interesting points to othersources. I envied his discipline, especially now when it mattered most.
Where I struggled most was my motivation. I didn’t really care if I never spoke to my grandfather again, but if he died, Rod and I might not be able to complete our bond. In addition to how much I’d personally suffer if that happened, the world was at risk of being overrun with demons if we failed.
“Cinaed?”
The voice broke my thoughts.“Rod! Is everything alright?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,”Rod said.“I sensed you’re upset.
His presence had slipped into my mind like a warm balm. We’d grown closer since we’d spent that night together, but feeling my emotions was new.“I’m fine, just frustrated.”
“That feels like an echo of my thoughts.”His mental voice sounded amused and I could see his face grinning at me in my mind.“Is there something wrong, or just a lack of progress?”
