Page 96 of The Book Reader
“I have a meeting, then you and I need to talk.”
“About?”
“How you got to Westrey.”
Chapter 35
ARIANNA
Gaelan went to his meeting about an hour ago; he set me up in the library next to his office with a massive pot of tea and a slice of lemon cake. I’m sitting in the window with the most perfect view of the gardens surrounded by daemon history books. I have the little daemon book I got from the boxes my aunt May had, but it’s small compared to what Gaelan has in here.
The library is enormous; it’s like something out of a bookworm’s dream. The wall-to-wall bookshelves, made of dark wood, are filled with an array of books. There’s a comfortable-looking sofa in the middle with another fireplace opposite—he even has a bar in here.
I found a book about ancient daemon clans. It stated that there was only one clan that lived in Westrey, but that they’re all gone. It said that they were a peaceful race of daemons—the same as my aunt's book, but this one goes into much more detail.
According to the passage I read, the clan of Westrey was the only clan powerful enough to defeat Tate, so he ordered them all to be slaughtered. The Blood Bringer came and destroyed thewhole village. The only one to survive was the Book Reader, but she later died from a poisoned arrow to the heart.
I wonder if she was the same “me” that Gaelan told me about. The first Book Reader
I turn the next page, and there’s a whole section about The Blood Bringer.
The Blood Bringer, born of Hell, is a soul that is deadly and unstoppable. If you cross her path, say your last goodbyes because she will kill you and think nothing of it.
The Blood Bringer was not born; she was made by the King of Hell himself. She was created to bring death and destruction and to aid him in controlling the evil he breeds. She is a firstborn of Hell, one who is ruled by none.
She moves from clan to clan, through villages and towns, killing all that stands in her way. Tate captured her when she was young, and because of her, Tate controls almost all the underworld now.
They call her the Blood Bringer.
The Blood Bringer bears a scar that runs down her left cheek, a mark given to her by Tate as a reminder of who she belongs to.
The only mark that will tell you who she is.
No one knows where he keeps her; they say she dwells in the darkest parts of the land, places only the horrors and reapers go, and that she is powerful.
The only hope for everyone is the Book of Power, but the Reader has been missing from this place for centuries.
I flip through some more pages, hoping that it will give me some kind of clue as to who the Blood Bringer could be, but it sounds like Tate keeps her hidden until he needs her. A part of me wonders when he’s going to let her out again. The other part is terrified of what will happen if he does. The book makes it sound like no one can defeat her. If what it says about the BookReader being the only one to survive her destruction is true, I need to find my booknow.
Picking up the next book, I scan over the first few pages, and I stop when I see a drawing of the necklace I have on. It’s a hand-drawn picture with words I can’t understand underneath; it appears to be written in an ancient language I’ve never seen before. I hold it closer to the light to get a better look, my eyes running over what looks like a mix of symbols and letters. I frown when the letters start to shake on the page, a golden glow emanating from each one before they shift and move into a new order.
The symbols start forming words, and the writing begins to make sense. I read out loud.
“By birthright I call to thee, by birthright I summon thee, by my birth I ask that you bring it to me, the powers that run through me. This key is my guide; this is my light and life. So, mote it be.”
I lift my head and look around the library, expecting some kind of breeze or power to suddenly rush through me. It sounded like a spell; I then remembered the cuffs on my wrist and sighed. No matter what I do, nothing is going to work while I have these on.
Then why did the letters shift like that? I didn’t do anything to make them move. It's like I have someone knocking on my door and I don’t have the key to open it. I’ve never seen a letter like that moving in a spell book before.
Everything keeps changing and keeps getting confusing. Frustrated, I almost throw the book across the room, but I stop, knowing I can’t do that to an excellent book. I place it down gently instead. It’s always one step forward and three steps back.
Rex comes padding into the library and flops down next to me, whimpering before lifting his head to lick my cheek. “Hey buddy, what’s up?” He licks my face again, then looks toward thedoor, where I notice Mark is standing, watching me. I smile at him. “Hey Mark, is everything okay?”
He walks into the library and then bows. “Yes, my lady.”
“Mark… please call me Ari.”
“My apologies… Ari. Lord Gaelan asked me to check on you. His meeting is taking longer than expected. Do you need anything?”
