Page 68 of Stars May Fall

I felt for pulses but found no sign of life—no faint drone on my detector from Stirling. I pressed my fist to my lips. Lord Lyrason was right. If I had been quicker and acted earlier, I might have saved them. I had never intended for them to die.

No doubt I would now be blamed for their deaths.

I allowed myself a moment of sorrow before real fear started to take over. I hoped Sophie hadn’t left that closet.

I took off at a run, leaving the slaughtered royals behind me.

VENERICK

Ilifted my kryalcomy lantern within the archives searching for any cases I could link to Lord Lyrason. Annabelle had put me to shame this morning. She was a much better person than me. She had seen the injustice and the discrepancies and was doing something about it. I had seen them and merely let them dishearten me into believing there was little I could do. She was risking everything by going straight to the root cause of corruption. I had focused on the cases where I could make a difference easily and methodically. She was bringing to light what I had ignored going on right under my nose. She was innocent and brave. I was complicit. James’s comments that I had to become a realist had been slowly wearing me down, making me forget my dreams of what was worth fighting for.

I hoped Annabelle would forgive me for my failing. I was determined to correct it. The vision she had was worth fighting for. Talking to her had reminded me of who I really was.

A hand on my arm made me jump. I had been so engrossed in scanning the case reports, I hadn’t heard anyone approach.

The archive girl, Jess, was looking up at me with a worried expression. She glanced over her shoulder at the staircase thatcurled up from the archives to the main library. I knew Jess well; we had spent many hours over the past few years finding documents together. And it took me a moment longer to realize she wasn’t worried, she was terrified.

Her voice was thin and breathy. “Two guards are looking for you, my lord. I don’t recognize them. Turn off your lantern and hide quickly. They were asking the librarian for you, and she pointed to the archives. One had blood on his doublet.”

Her words took a moment to sink in. What was happening for guards to be after me? Did they need me to witness something? Document an arrest or the layout of a scene? But why me? Plenty of people could do that. Jess was right. Something was off.

I looked at the case reports in my hands. Surely Lord Lyrason wouldn’t be after me so quickly just because I was looking at these.

“My lord!” The girl was pleading. “I think they mean to harm you.”

I nodded, my head spinning, and turned off my lantern. I ducked under the table, not the best place to hide, but in my half-panic, my body seemed to be operating by itself.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and started to crawl under the long trestle table toward the back end of the room where the light was even dimmer. The stone floor was so thick with dust, I had to breathe through my nose.

Heavy boots sounded down the stairs, and I froze.

“Lord Venerick? You’re summoned to attend to the king at once.” His voice was hard and demanding. Not a request, and not the sort of voice a guard would normally use with a noble.

The king? What if the request was genuine? But the king normally sent servants, not guards. It wasn't their job. And why would one have blood on him? I remembered the fear onAnnabelle’s face when she admitted how worried she was that something bad was about to happen.

Jess’s voice sounded very small. “I’m afraid he’s already left. He took some documents and left about ten minutes ago.”

The heavy footsteps got closer. Thankfully, there only seemed to be one pair. “Then why didn’t they see him go back through the library?”

Jess squeaked. “I’m not sure, sir. I wasn’t up there. All I know is he went up those stairs. Maybe they were distracted helping a visitor?”

I held my breath and gripped a table leg for support. What was I doing? Shadows sharpened on the floor as more kryalcomy lamps were turned on. I edged back ever so slowly, careful not to hit the table leg. Then I noticed the trail my body had made in the dust and my heart sank. If they saw that, it was over. It led straight to me.

Leather boots strode up beside the table before pivoting. I didn’t dare breathe. I didn’t move a muscle. Some primal part of me screamed that one wrong move would mean my death.

The edge of chainmail became visible as the guard’s knees bent. He was going to look under the table. He was going to see me. I scooted farther back on instinct and my hand hit a rat trap. It was occupied. The animal squealed and started to throw itself at the walls of the tiny cage. It was making too much noise.

I grabbed the cage and opened the door in the direction of the guard. His chest and chin were just visible when the rat ran straight for him and leapt up his front. I had never been so grateful for sheer luck.

The guard stumbled back and stood up, flailing to get the creature off him. It leapt, and I saw it scurry away to a distant corner. The man swore loudly.

“Disgusting! Isn’t it your job to clean this place?” The footsteps quickened as they returned to Jess. “Did you find that funny?”

“Of course not. I’m sorry. I’m…” Her voice cut off with a gasp. Something scraped against the floor.

Horror froze my insides. What was he doing to her? She was just a little girl. It wasn’t her fault the guard’s pride was damaged.

My safety might have been guaranteed by the distraction, but I couldn’t let her be harmed in my place. I stuck my head out from the table. The guard was enormous. He had his back to me, and he had lifted Jess up against the wall. “If my friend doesn’t find that man in the library soon, you’re dead, girl. You understand me?” He shook her so hard that her head hit the wall.

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