Page 110 of On Wings of Blood

“He’s giving you private lessons, isn’t he?” she said, lowering her voice so no one else could hear. “That’s going above and beyond, I’d say. He didn’t have to do that.”

She was right. I’d been an ass in his class, but he seemed to have forgiven me. He had insisted I be trained in thrallguard and he was patient with me in our lessons, if not exactly warm and friendly.

“He might be able to tell you if there have been any blightborn consorts. Even what they did to survive,” Naveen said. “It’s worth at least asking about.”

“Maybe they just liked their fellow consort and actually worked together,” I said. Deep down I knew that wouldn’t be happening with Regan.

“The person who would really know the most is Professor Hassan. But I don’t think you should approach her,” Florence said regretfully. “She really doesn’t like you.”

“Not the biggest Professor Hassan fan,” I acknowledged. “Though she is certainly knowledgeable.”

“I think she’d be more likely to accuse you of trying to cheat than to give you any helpful information,” Naveen said. “I wouldn’t bother.”

I nodded and pushed my plate away. “Well, no use putting it off.” I rose from the table.

“Now?” Florence looked surprised. “You’re going now?”

I shrugged. “May as well see if he’s in his office.”

When I got to Rodriguez’s office, the door was ajar.

Usually I’d wait in the hallway if I arrived at one of our lessons early and he’d always come to the door of his office and beckon me in.

But now, when I peeked through the crack in the door, it looked as if the room was empty.

Rodriguez’s tall shelves lined with books caught my eye. He had quite the collection. I knew his interests went beyond restoration magic. He knew a great deal about dragons. What else was he interested in?

Ignoring a slight twinge of guilt, I pushed the door open, then shut it behind me exactly as it had been–slightly ajar.

I was just waiting in his office, I told myself. I wasn’t going to touch anything. I knew I shouldn't be in there, not without his permission. But desperation was gnawing at me.

I glanced around the room, taking in the dark wood bookshelves that lined the walls from floor to ceiling.

My gaze locked onto a row of books that seemed older than the others. They were at the top of one of the shelves in the far corner.

I was tall but not that tall. I’d need a rolling ladder just to reach them.

Fortunately, Professor Rodriguez had one built in alongside the shelves.

I grabbed it quickly and slid it over to the shelf. Climbing up, I scanned the books quickly, keeping my ears open for sounds from the hallway.

Some of the volumes were on dragons. Others were on blood magic. One book calledBlood Magic and the Serpents of Flamecaught my eye, but I kept scanning, hoping to find something more relevant to my immediate situation.

I had almost reached the end of the shelf and was running out of titles to read when I saw it.

The Dark Art of Eternal Bonds.

My fingers brushed the edges of the cover. I felt a cold tingle pass through my hand, as if the book itself might be aware of my intentions.

I froze for a moment, listening for any sounds from the hallway. But it was quiet.

Carefully, I lifted the book from the shelf and cracked open the cover. The parchment was brittle and as I flipped through the pages, the words at first made no sense. Just a jumble of letters, shifting and moving like smoke.

I blinked, feeling panic rise in my throat, but then, the text suddenly sharpened and became legible.

This was the right book. I could feel it.

My fingers flew to the table of contents, my eyes scanning the page. And there it was: “A Ritual to Undo the Binding of Souls.” The words jumped out at me, like a beacon in the dark.

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