Page 2 of Unraveled
I push an errant strand of hair behind my ear, and the warmth of my breath fogs the glass as I press my cheek to the window. The moon hangs in the air, glowing in shades of pale pink. It mocks me. Even though the fae are gone, the ancient power of the unseelie is approaching the veil.
I should’ve been out of here at least two hours ago. I jump back and turn when a shrill voice startles me.
“Mia, what are you doing here?” A petite woman with a curvy figure dashes from the farthest staircase across the massive room toward me.
Harper wears librarian regalia much like I do. A red cloak that reaches the floor contrasting against the simple white dress underneath. The dim light catches on the librarian’s emblem stitched with gold thread on the front of the cloak. A shield between two olive branches, and in the center, a stack of books with a glowing star floating above.
With Knowledge, Power
The words are embroidered inside scrolls at the bottom of the crest. It’s the motto we librarians live by as we study ancient writings seeking the reason for this blood moon phenomenon.
“I lost track of time.” Dust motes float in the air, tickling my nose, and I choke back a cough. Reaching over the wooden bench, I slide the forbidden grimoire from the table and shield it from view under my cloak.
Harper clicks her tongue and glances at the sky behind me. “You know, curfew starts at sunset during the full moon. Especially the blood moon. You don’t want to be caught outside if?—”
“If a fae breaks through the veil to prowl the streets of Penumbra?” I say, repeating the words I’ve heard a dozen times before. “I know.”
The legends we were told as bedtime stories say the blood moon exists because the god Cronus, who loved a fae named Amelia, cast a spell. The fae once lived among the gods, but the fae were so wicked, they were kicked out of the deities’ realm and into ours.
Every three months, the spell Cronus cast on the moon thins the veil dividing the realms enough for the gods and spirits to roam the land of mortals.
So he can find his fae lover among the riders of the Wild Hunt.
“The fae might not come here anymore, Mia, but even though they’re gone, they left behind their hungry monsters.” Harper grunts, her disdain for the unseelie—and the fae’s beasts—clear in her tone. Her blue eyes settle on me, and the strain in her jaw eases. “I’m the guardian of the library tonight, and only I can stay. You know that. It’s on the schedule.”
I lower my face to hide the flush on my skin and tighten my grip around my stolen book. I’m not ready to let it go, not yet. But that doesn’t matter because a warning spell will alert the head librarian if someone—me—were to take a grimoire out of the building. I have to leave it behind.
“I live close by,” I say, walking to the lockers where we keep our belongings. “I should be home in no time.”
Placing the book inside my locker, I ignore the fingerlike traces of the grimoire’s magic. It holds on to me. Beckoning meto not let it go. I sigh, lock the padlock, and whisper a spell that will guard it from everyone but me.
The flicker of a gas lamp hanging from the wall reminds me how late it is.
“Actually—” Harper’s breath stutters out as she meets me in the middle of the room, her eyes search my face. “It might be best if you stay the night. No one has to know.”
“Alana will know.” I straighten the cloak over my shoulders, the soft fabric gliding over my tan skin. “Only one librarian may stay in the building when the cursed moon presses upon us,” I parrot, something that’s been drilled into my mind ever since I ascended to guard the grimoires.
The elders believe the magic of the librarians can call the beasts toward the books. One person’s power is too small to detect, but multiple clustered together in one place, well, we’d be a magnet for them.
Harper clenches her jaw, shaking her head. Her silver hair flows out from under the hood of her cloak. “Can’t you feel it, Mia? I’m practically vibrating with anxiety. Something is happening tonight, and the veil is too weak to hold it back.Stay.”
I reach for Harper’s hand. It’s cold and damp in my grasp. “I’ll get you in trouble if I do...”
We stare at each other in silence, understanding passing between us.
Harper should’ve found me before nightfall. It’s the guard’s duty to ensure all librarians are out of the building before sunset. Guilt makes my stomach churn. Perhaps she checked but couldn’t find me because I was in the forbidden area.
This is my doing, and I won’t drag her down with me.
Harper swallows and dips her gaze to the floor. “I messed this up, however, I insist. If a beast makes it past the veil tonight, I won’t be able to forgive myself if it takes you.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m three blocks from home.” With that, I drop Harper’s hand and head toward the grand staircase that leads to the bottom level.
The heels of my boots click over the polished marble floors, echoing in the quiet. The pressure of what’s coming grows, and the surrounding bookcases only increase my sense of being trapped.
“The veil is cracking. I don’t know what they are doing to keep the shield up, but whatever it is, it’s strange—and weak. Isn’t your sister one of them? Has she said anything about it?” Harper’s voice is harsher than before.
My steps slow to a stop, and I turn toward the smaller woman behind me, raising a brow. It isn’t a secret Irene’s one of the scientists in charge of maintaining the veil that protects the city.
