Page 82 of A Dawn Of Blood

“Phinelis?” the woman demands as soon as the subordinate disappears. “You know him? You know where he is?”

I try to be as gentle as possible. “I know he’s no longer with us.”

Her eyes rounding, she shakes her head. “No.”

Damn it, I was right. Throwing her a sympathetic look, I say, “I watched him breathe his last breath.”

She just looks at me for a moment, growing cold. “And you think this is going to help your case?”

“Itwillwhen you learn he’s the reason we’re on the mission we’re trying to complete here.” I pause for a second, lowering my voice. “A mission involving a certain sword.”

Something flashes through her eyes. She runs her hand down her face, muttering, “I told him researching that damn thing would get him in trouble.” She shakes her head, then looks up at me and gives a nod. “Anything on either Odin or Frigg, you said?”

Excitement floods me. “Yes.”

“After me, but only you, and I’ll need you to be as quick as possible.”

I glance at Cain. This shouldn’t be a problem, since it wouldn’t be him trying to escape. I see Nuala give me a firm nod. Alright then.

Still, it’s not without hesitation that I follow the woman. She takes me into a wide, winding corridor that opens onto a floor of the Library. It makes me breathe a sigh of relief, when I don’t feel the magic activate. It also allows some of my focus to shift onto the books all around me.

Each looks more interesting than the last.

“How long will we be walking?” I ask as I keep glancing at them.

She throws me a knowing side-long glance. “Not long enough for questions that require lengthy answers.”

I only give myself a second to think. “How is it that the books here have survived the fire?”

“This is where we keep the most important volumes — ones impervious to all kinds of damage, including fire.”

“What do you use to treat them?”

“We use our own shedded skin to bind them.”

I blink at her. “That’s insane.” Then I realize I said it out loud so I blurt out, “Sorry.”

She gives me a hint of a smile. “That’s alright. I gather from your tone that ‘insane’ must be conveying reverence instead of contempt.”

I nod, but it’s at that moment that she comes to a stop. “Here. Unfortunately, we only haveonevolume that matches your criteria, but there are plenty of copies, so you’re welcome to have it.”

She takes a large book bound in green snakeskin, and hands it to me. “I trust you can walk yourself out.”

“Thank you so so much,” I tell her. “And your friend was a brave man.”

She throws me a grateful look and disappears, the words, “Good luck,” echoing in my head.

I rush back to the group. “Is that what we’re looking for, Anna?” Raven eagerly asks.

Excited beyond belief, I crack the book open and start skimming the contents.

My shoulders slump.

“Anna?”

“Yes,” I say, forcing myself to snap out of it, “it must be, but it’s all written in a script no one has fully deciphered yet.”

Chapter 58

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