Page 49 of Magic of Sins

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Yes, Mrs. Byron. I’m sure.”

The dark circles under my eyes tell a different story. They’re probably also why Mrs.Byron sends me down to the archives, even though there are books in the reading room that need rearranging. I’m not angry about it. At least it gives me time to look for information about my powers.

It’s not easy to find the right books. There is one by a priest who warns in great detail against sin and its consequences, and I also find several papers on the riots, but nothing that actually helps me. What did I expect, a handbook for newlyminted sin mages?SinMagic for Dummies, Part One—How to Control Your Powers and Thereby Prevent Your Roommate from Eating Herself to Death with Taffy.

Not likely.

With an annoyed sigh, I put the books about the riots back on the shelf. By now, it’s lunchtime. My stomach growls. I haven’t packed myself anything to eat, but I decide to go up to the bay window room anyway and join the other readers. At least this way I still get some daylight, even if I feel like one of those creatures who should rather hide in the dark.

Upstairs, I hear Mrs. Byron trying to placate a customer.

“Please, moderate yourself.”

I’m still wondering what’s going on when rage sweeps over me like an all-consuming wave. It tastes bitter, and I have to cough while clinging to the banister. The ground suddenly seems awfully far away. Everything is spinning.

Not again. Please, not again.

“This book is an affront. Explain yourself,” scolds a voice I’m sure I’ve heard before.

“Sir!”

Mrs. Byron sounds both indignant and concerned. I take a few steps forward, only to see her with the short, stout man who was complaining about Jane Austen’sEmma afew days ago. Now he’s waving a copy ofJane Eyrearound while glaring at the librarian.

“Have you read this? A love story between an orphan and an estate owner. Such filth!”

The man’s anger brings me to my knees. I can feel it growing, fueled by my uncontrolled powers, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. If I don’t get out of here soon, I might have to spend the next few hours scrubbing the library’s carpet. But that’s probably not even the worst part. The customer is seething.

I raise my head with difficulty and watch him stomp his foot.Mrs.Byron’s back is to me, but I see her flinch. Neither of them has noticed me so far.

“Please, sir, you need to calm down,” the librarian says.

The man’s eyes widen.

“Calm down? You want me to calm down? Like hell I will, as long as this trash is on your shelves. All this stuff needs to be burned. And you… you…” He points a gloved finger at Mrs. Byron, threateningly.

“Sir, I must ask you to leave the library. Otherwise, I will be forced to call the Guard.”

“Yes, call them, you old witch. I’ll tell them what you’ve been doing here and how you tried to get my poor daughter to sin.”

The man tears his copy ofJane Eyreinhalf and throws it on the floor. The sound of the tearing paper feels like a blow to my heart. Mrs.Byron makes a small, startled sound.

I need to get out of here. If I don’t, the man won’t calm down, and who knows what he’ll do next. As I laboriously get to my feet, he pulls one book after another from the shelf. Pages fly through the air, papers and books raining down around Mrs.Byron. One of the bookshelves sways dangerously.

I stagger, crashing into the counter in the entryway and knocking down one of the desk lamps. The noise sends Mrs.Byron spinning around to look at me, and I’m sure she guesses my secret. She has to. Because there can only be one explanation for this commotion. The man’s anger is intensified.

By a sin mage.

Chapter Fourteen

I don’t think twice before hightailing it out of there. If Mrs.Byron calls the Guard and reports me, I’ll spend the rest of my days in prison. Or worse, get killed for it.

Without paying attention to the fallen desk lamp or the shattered light bulb, I run. Only a few steps separate me from the exit, and the farther I get from the angry man, the less dizzy I feel.

No one follows me. But even as I stand in the street, I don’t dare breathe a sigh of relief. There are so many people out here. People going from shop to shop. women pushing strollers around, men getting fresh air on their lunch break or jogging through the park across the street. If just one of them sins, I will taste it. And I will unleash a new wave of anger or lust or envy—or whatever it might be.

The limo’s driver door opens. Rey gets out and gives me a look.I told you,it seems to say. She holds the back door open for me.

---