Page 47 of Mirror of Vanity

We broke off the kiss instantly when an eerie sound echoed somewhere in the library, as if someone was dragging a body. My heart thundered, blood pumping between my temples. Had Garrick broken free, or was there something else in the library? The Grimoire? Maci? Or some new monster we hadn’t encountered?

“We need to get out of here as soon as possible,” Justice whispered in my ear. He had vampire hearing, and I caught the dread in his voice.

“Look.” I nodded as I pointed to the base of the picture, where a small plaque bore an inscription in an ancient dialect. I noticed a series of strange symbols etched into the frame. They were unlike any language I had ever seen, a twisting, serpentine script that writhed and shimmered in the dim light.

“What do you think it means?” I asked, tracing my finger along the curving lines.

Justice frowned, leaning closer to study the inscription. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s not any language I recognize.”

I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of the symbols. The image was clear, but somehow, the script seemed even more elusive and mysterious on the small screen.

“Maybe Garrick can translate it,” I suggested, though the thought of asking for his help made my stomach twist. “He seems to know more about the Grimoire and its secrets than anyone.”

Justice nodded grimly. “It’s worth a try, but we’ll have to be careful. Even bound, he’s still dangerous.”

I slipped my phone back into my pocket. Whatever those symbols meant, I had a feeling they held the key to unraveling the Grimoire’s curse and finding the mirror.

When we returned, Garrick was struggling to break his bonds, his face flushed with exertion. “Untie me this instant,” he demanded, his voice edged with a new note of fear. “There’s something in this damn place.”

A chill skittered down my spine. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. The tattoo on my arm burned, and a prickling sense of unseen eyes in the shadows made the hair on my arm stand up.

Then, a thought struck me, and I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe we had a bargaining chip after all.

I pulled out my phone and showed him the inscription. “We will if you tell us what this says.”

Garrick glared up at me, his eyes burning with resentment. “Why should I?”

Justice leaned closer, his gaze locked with Garrick’s. “Because if you don’t, we’ll leave you here, tied up and helpless, to face whatever is lurking in the Archive of Shadows.”

For a long, tense moment, they stared each other down in a silent battle of wills. Then, Garrick exhaled, his shoulders slumping in frustration.

“Fine,” he spat. “The inscription. It means ‘Beneath the eye of the eternal watchers, the key to the void is hidden. Only the chosen may stride forth, cloaked in night, to claim the shadow’s embrace.’”

The words sent a shiver through me, the cryptic phrases laden with dark promise. Eternal watchers, keys to the void, the chosen… It all pointed to a larger, more sinister game, one in which Justice and I were merely pawns.

At least now we had a clue, a direction to follow. Whatever secrets the inscription held, whatever dangers lay ahead, we would face them together.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Garrick brought his ankles down on the floor with a loud thud. The sudden noise made me jump. Justice and I turned to face him, our hands instinctively reaching for our weapons.

“I told you what the inscription said,” Garrick growled, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage. “Now untie me, as you promised.”

Justice and I glanced at each other. I saw the doubt and mistrust in his gaze, the unspoken question. Can we really let him go?

“I think we should leave him tied up.” Justice’s hand still rested on the hilt of his sword. “I don’t trust him not to turn on us the moment he’s free.”

I hesitated, weighing the options in my mind. Justice was right to be cautious. Garrick had already proven himself a formidable and unpredictable adversary. Yet, at the same time, he had upheld his part of the bargain. If we were going to navigate the dangers of the Archives and unravel the Grimoire’s curse, we might need his knowledge and power on our side.

“He helped us with the inscription, Justice,” I finally pointed out, making my decision. “We can’t leave him here. Cut the binds off his ankles but leave his hands tied. We’ll bring him with us.”

Justice frowned, clearly unhappy with the idea. But he trusted my judgment. With a curt nod, he knelt and sawed through the ropes around Garrick’s ankles with his dagger.

Garrick watched him work, a bitter smile twisting his lips. “How magnanimous of you,” he drawled. “The great heroes, deigning to show mercy to their fallen foe.”

I met his gaze steadily, refusing to rise to the bait. “Don’t mistake this for mercy, Garrick. We’re bringing you with us because we need you. Make no mistake, if you give us any reason to doubt your loyalty, any hint of betrayal, we won’t hesitate to put you down.”

The smile fell from Garrick’s face, replaced by a cold, calculating look. “Understood,” he replied softly, and I knew the true battle for his allegiance had only begun.

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