Page 35 of Shattered Darkness
“So, did you find the object? There’s definitely another object that’s controlling the teachers?” Kai asks excitedly.
Maria nods her head, “Yes, there is definitely an object here that is being used to control the teachers. The spell wouldn’t have worked otherwise; I tweaked it after I found the controlling partners so that it only focused on that specifically. I managed to narrow it down to the library, but I couldn’t tell you what was in there, that was the thing that was controlling them. It could be a book or any of the artifacts that are on display in there.”
“That’s fucking amazing,” Erin exclaims.
“She’s right that’s so fucking cool, well done,” I add with a big smile.
“We have a smaller area to search now, and that is so helpful. In all honesty, we hadn’t even begun to search before now because the academy is so big, and it literally could be anywhere,” Hunter tells her.
“Thank you,” Levi adds.
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry that I couldn’t narrow it down more,” she replies, with a small smile.
“Don’t be. You’ve done more than any of us could,” Levi replies.
“We’re happy to keep an eye on the students and teachers still for you,” Dean offers.
“Yeah, that would be great. We’ll need to go to the library to see if we can find the object too,” Jax replies.
“Why don’t we go now?” I suggest.
The thought of ending the control sooner rather than later is incredibly appealing to me.
Everyone looks at each other, before Cole asks Maria, “Are you guys up for that? I know we said we were going to explore the grounds after we got the business shit out of the way.”
Maria nods, “Yeah, I’m definitely up for that, I might be able to narrow down the location today, since it’s the weekend and a lot quieter.”
“That would be great, but don’t worry too much,” Levi replies.
“Okay, I just need to stop off at my room first so that I can get the spell. I didn’t memorize it. I have a good memory, but I only used it once, and it’s complicated enough I want to make sure I get it exactly right. I can meet you at the library. It shouldn’t take me too long,” Maria adds.
“Okay, that’s fine, we can meet you there,” I reply with a smile.
With that decided, we all get up and head out of the door. Maria was right, the school is always quiet on the weekends, but even more so now than it used to be. I can't help but think that it has something to do with the teachers and their newfound interest in the Order, the students are most likely avoiding them as much as they possibly can. I do know that students who live near the academy are allowed to go home if they wish, and students are also allowed to go into town to get supplies or just shop as well, so there’s a chance that more of them have decided to do that as well.
As we walk through the hallways and down to the library, I do start to worry that we’re going to get seen by a teacher, stopped, and questioned, which could then potentially lead to us being watched, thankfully we don’t come across any at all, and I’m instead left thinking about whether I should be suspicious about that or not.
We’re just walking through the doors of the library when Maria catches back up to us with a small piece of paper in her hand.
“I’ve got it,” she smiles, waving it around. “I’ll try it again once we’re through the doors. I hit a brick wall, well, proverbially speaking, when I got to this point last time. So, I knew it was in there, but there were far too many people around for me to try the spell again without gaining any unwanted attention.”
“Okay, well, it’s pretty quiet now, but don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with, and remember that the library has a mind of its own and might either take offense or decide to help.” Erin reminds us all.
“That’s an excellent point,” Harry agrees, “if at any point you start to feel resistance from the library, stop the spell and let us know. Don’t push it; everyone knows that the library can be prickly and I don’t want you in any danger.”
“Definitely don’t risk it,” I add, “I have no idea how to fight a library, but I will if it hurts you.”
My response has everyone laughing, but quite frankly, I’m being honest. I really don’t want her coming to any harm helping us and I feel like the three of them have already risked enough helping us, and I’d feel awful if anything did.
“Don’t worry too much though,” Ty starts as he smiles at Asher, “the library has a soft spot for Asher so if it can, it might help just because we have him with us.”
As we walk through the giant wooden doors and into the empty library, Asher shrugs, “If you respect the books and artifacts, then the library is fine with you.”
Cole pats his arm, “I think there’s a bit more to it than that, Sweet, but whatever you say.”
Asher just smiles and grabs his hand and kisses the back of it, making Cole practically melt me and Erin share a smile. It's so lovely to see him happy. We head further into the library so that we won't be disturbed although I do note that once again the librarian isn’t in here. I say a silent plea to Nyx that she won’t pull us into a vision, which is what happened last time, and also note that Kai has a tight grip on my hand and the others are within grabbing distance.
I think if I were to be pulled into another vision they’d all be coming with me whether the Goddess wanted them to come or not. I do think it’s curious that she knows that we communicate through the Bond Lines and that if we can't reach each other, then, of course, we’re going to panic, and yet the Bond Lines still wouldn’t work. I’m starting to think that maybe that was something else that Kronos had a hand in.