Page 14 of These Deadly Dreams

“Follow me.”

I follow her through the library, and I sense the others following at a distance. The vault is in the very back of the building, behind a massive wooden door. The librarian waves her hand over the wood and pale blue light flares from her palm. A mage then. Once whatever ward has been dealt with, she slides the key inside and unlocks the door.

Turning to me, she gives me a stern look. “Nothing may leave this room. If you need copies made of something, let me know and I’ll get them for you if I can. We have to keep a record of everything that leaves, and only certain things can be copied.” She points to my bookbag. “I’ll take that, and keep it at the front desk. I can’t risk you copying anything without my knowledge. I’ll also need your cellphone.”

I knew this was the policy, but I still balk at giving this mage my cell phone. I roll my shoulders but hand both of them over. We don’t have a choice.

“When you are ready to leave, stop by the desk to collect your things, and I’ll make sure the door is locked again.” She gives me a final nod, and turns back the way we’d come, taking my phone and bag with her.

When I’m sure she’s out of sight, I open the door and the others quickly file through the doorway. Once inside, I close the door and pull a chair over to wedge under the handle. We can’t risk her coming back and finding us in here with cell phones and notebooks.

“Okay, where is this book?” I ask.

Sterling pulls his phone from his pocket and scrolls through his texts. “The Complete History of Magical Races in Lustros.” He strides to a computer and types the name into the search bar. “History section, shelf 42, row G.”

With that information, it doesn’t take us long to find the book. Sterling sets it on a table, and we all stand around it, staring at it with varying expressions. Sterling looks like he’s going to battle, Cade looks nauseous, and Ellis looks like she’s about to bolt.

“Okay,” she says shakily. “This is it.” She nervously twists a hair tie around her wrist.

“Here, sit down.” I pull out a chair for her, and she falls into it, wiping her palms on her leggings.

I sit next to her and pull the book toward us. “Ready?” I ask, giving her an encouraging smile.

She bites her lip but nods. Cade sits on the other side of her and grabs her hands. “Remember, Ellis. Whatever we find in this book doesn’t change anything. It’s not going to make us love you any less. It’s not going to chase us away. We’ll be right here with you, no matter what.”

She takes a deep breath, and I see something settle inside of her. She needed to hear those words again, the reassurance we weren’t going to leave her.

“Here we go,” I say and flip the cover open. I run my finger down the table of contents, scanning the names of various magicals. “Elves, fae, gargoyles, gremlins, goblins … harpies. Page 376.”

Ellis’s fingers dig into my thigh as I turn to the page indicated in the table of contents. None of us have any idea what we’re about to read. All we know of harpies is what Aunt Madge told us, and the stories we heard that apparently aren’t real. How much will everything change with this new information we find?

I smooth the pages down with slightly shaking fingers. It’s not just Ellis’s fear I’m sensing, causing the tremors. It’s my own fear. I’m scared of what this will do to Ellis. Whatever we learn will either have a positive or negative impact on my girl’s life, and I’m praying to every god out there it’s a positive impact.

The first thing I see is a drawn image of a harpy. A beautiful woman, naked and glowing, with long hair blowing around her body. In one hand, she holds a massive sword with flames licking up the blade. In the other hand, she holds an ancient tome, open with glowing light emitting from the pages. But it’s the wings that catch my eye. Spread across the pages, the enormous, feathered wings sprout from her back and arch high over her head.

Ellis trails a finger over the image. “She doesn’t look evil,” she whispers.

Indeed, she doesn’t. Her face is expressionless, but she gives off an air of peace I didn’t expect to find.

“What’s it say?” Sterling asks from the other side of the table.

I take a breath, and read the words on the page. “Harpies were created as a means to keep the balance between good and evil. They do this using the powers given to them by their Shields. Harpies are only brought into the world when there is a need for them. In times past, harpies have been heralded and praised at their birth, but as the views of harpies have shifted, their births have gone unnoticed to the public. Only when they start to develop their powers does a harpy learn what she is.”

It went on to talk about the history of various harpies in the past, including the story of Maeryrea and Star Elves Aunt Madge had told us about. That was it.

Ellis slumps in her chair. “That didn’t tell us anything new.”

“Actually, it did mention powers. At least we know you being able to use mine isn’t a random fluke,” Cade says quietly.

“But, why? And, how? I have more questions now than I did before.”

“Shields,” Sterling mutters. “It said ‘powers given to them by their Shields.’What are Shields?”

I turn back to the table of contents and suck in a breath when I see Shields on the list. Quickly, I flip to the page and find a short paragraph.

“Shields are a harpy’s protectors. Given to her by the universe, they are destined to be her guardians and lend her their powers. A harpy may have anywhere from two to five Shields. It is up to fate to bring them together, and up to the harpy to secure the bonds. Oftentimes, her Shields will lay down their lives for her. Her life and her mission are their top priority.”

I look up from the book, barely breathing, and catch Sterling’s gaze. “Shields.” I spin in my chair and grab Ellis’s chin in my fingers, making sure she’s looking at me. “We’re your Shields. That’s how you’re bonded to all three of us. That’s how you can use Cade’s magic and my strength. We were meant to be with you from the very beginning.”

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