Page 23 of Shadows in Bloom

The lovely scent of books filled my nose the moment I walked through the doorway. There was something strangely comforting about being surrounded by all of those books. Knowledgeboth ancient and new. Stories of whimsy and tragedy. I’d always loved to read, even if my options were limited back home. There was an indescribable feeling that could only be found between the pages of a book.

Tiny orbs of flame flicked into the air above us, illuminating the shelves.

I turned to Alandris. “Fire—surrounded by flammable books? Isn’t that an awful idea?”

He simply waved his hand in front of him, grinning. “I can control it. Are you questioning your magic teacher?”

The corner of my mouth curved up. “I would never.”

I followed him down the rows of bookshelves to a section that seemed to house books on magic. “What exactly should I be looking for?” I asked, trailing my fingers along the spines.

“Anything about rare types of magic. God-given magic. Maybe even occult mythos and lore. If you come across anything that stands out to you, let me know and I’ll take a look.”

Most of the titles were ordinary.Elemental Magics & Their Source. The Use of Conduits. Common Item Enchantments & Their Application. Books for beginner Mages studying the craft. I must’ve spent an hour scanning each and every row for something that fit Alandris’ description. I’d flipped open a few promising books, but they’d ended up being utter nonsense.

There was one spot I hadn’t checked because it’d looked like a windstorm had recently blown through it. Not only were books stacked in every manner possible—spines in, spines out, upright, on their side—there were also books without covers.I took a deep breath and braved the stack closest to me. And the next. And the next. Until I spotted an interesting stack of textbooks. One book stood out amongst them—a black leather cover with no title along the side. It was dusty, not recently disturbed. The front, too, was empty, but on the inside cover, the title was written in another language.Other Planar Magics.

I sauntered back to the center of the library and tapped on Alandris’ shoulder. “What about this?Other Planar Magics.”

He flipped the book open, scanning through the first few pages. “You can read Faerie? None of this is in the common tongue.”

“No. I mean… I don’t recall studying the language. I learned several of the more widely used tongues, but I don’t think I ever studied the Fae’s language. Maybe bits and pieces. It’s similar to Elvish, no?”

He scrunched his mouth, his eyes fixed on the text. “Similar in its syntax, but not much else. Faerie is not a widely known language. The Fae are rather protective of their own knowledge. We study Faerie at the Mages Consortium for the purposes of translating old tomes like these. Mine is certainly not perfect, but I may be able to translate some of this to the common tongue with enough time.”

I frowned. “Which we don’t have.” He raised his eyebrows, and I shook my head, knowing where his mind was wandering. “Because we aren’t stealing the book, Alandris.”

He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder and winked. “I wouldn’t dare. Keep looking. I’ll skim through these chaptersto see what is relevant and translate only what applies to your situation.”

But I didn’t have time to resume my search, because in the next minute Alandris had snapped his fingers, snuffing out the fiery lights above us, leaving us in complete darkness.

“Wha—”

A hand over my mouth interrupted my words, my body pressed into the pitch black corner of the bookshelves. The turn of a doorknob had my already racing heart thundering in my chest even more quickly. And that should have been my focus. That fear of who had just walked into the home. But it wasn’t. Not even a little.

How could I focus on that when Alandris was a mere hair’s breadth from me? So close I could feel his breath on my cheek, hear each shuddering exhale, smell the musk on his clothes and skin—something sweet and warm and wholly distracting. I’d never been this close to another person before. Certainly not a male. God, help me.

I looked up, meeting his crystalline eyes, barely visible in the dark. He was staring back down at me so intensely I thought I might shatter under his gaze. I nodded my head slowly, a silent acknowledgment that I understood the need to be quiet. He removed his hand from my mouth, though he didn’t step away. Instead, his hand gripped the bookcase behind me, ensnaring me further.

“Ah! Where did I put the damn thing?” the high-pitched voice of an older man grumbled. The flickers of a lantern bounced off the walls nearby.

We were screwed. Utterly screwed. As the lantern drew nearer, I squeezed my eyes closed and considered which outcome I would prefer—Kallistra gutting me or spending the rest of my life in prison—since clearly we were breaking and entering, a fact I would scold Alandris for the moment I had a chance.

“There you are!” A fumble of books sounded to our right, just around the corner.

I braced myself, squeezing my eyes closed even tighter and bringing my shaky hands up to clutch the front of Alandris’ coat.

Those footsteps at last retreated, and the front door swung open once more. Only after someone slammed the front door shut and I heard the lock click did I dare to open my eyes. Alandris was looking down at me, but took a few steps back the moment I met his gaze. My hands loosened from his coat and fell back at my sides in an instant. He waited a few more moments before lighting the room with those tiny orbs of flame again, and that was my cue to berate him for his reckless behavior.

“I thought you were going to be convincing, not have us break into the man’s personal library like thieves!” I shoved his shoulder without thinking.

Alandris didn’t flinch from my blow. “To be fair, I did convince his maid to leave the back door unlocked… I just hadn’taccounted for the man himself appearing out of nowhere tonight.”

I loosed a shaky breath, rubbing my hand over my heart, its pace only just beginning to calm. “I thought I was going to die.”

“What’s the fun of sneaking out without a little excitement?”

His beaming smile made it hard to stay mad at him. Both my frustration and the adrenaline coursing through my veins were fading, but I still had no intention of staying here any longer after such a close call. “I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

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