Page 37 of Shadows and Runes

“No.” I shake my head. “This is exactly what they would want. I may not know who the traitor is among us…yet.But Iwillfind out.”

I give them each a firm stare. “Until then, everyone is to stay inside the main Library room and answeranyquestions from Ilyric and Cole.”

“Why those two?” questions the grump from Aileen’s Library,Harold or something.

I sigh, tired of all the questions and bickering.

“Ilyric is aLibrarian. Cole is aGuard. I presume you all know what those positions mean?” I snap. “Any other objections?”

Another woman to the back opens her mouth before I quickly cut her off, raising my hand to silence any incoming questions.

“I’ll be looking into thismyself.”I turn and make my way to the doors, not willing to waste any more of my time listening to their obnoxious voices.

I reach the door and bump into Mirin.

“Where were you?” I question the tiny witch.

“Bathroom.” Her brows furrow. “Why? What did I miss?” The small witch peers around me, looking at the groups separated in the room.

“Aw. I missed something good, didn’t I? Was it the old Fae hag?” A cheeky smile tilts her lips. “She’s been starting shit all day. I hope to be like that when I’m a million years old too…a hard bitch.” She titters before heading into the room and toward the reception desk, taking out a black nail file and sharpening her tips.

I shake my head, leaving the room. I’ll have to check and secure the spells in the Vault and the Records first but after that…I’ll search every inch of the Library and uncover ourrat.

There had to be something, a crumb, a clue left behind from the pest scurrying about.

And Iwouldfind it; the evidence I need to clear Jace’s name and who ourrealtraitor is.

When I find him, and Iwill…

He’ll wish he never came to my Library.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

All this informationis giving me a headache.

From people turning up to an impending attack, and now a rat scurrying around my Library that I have to hunt down.

I shake my head of all the tiresome thoughts and make my way down the stairs to the Vault.

First and foremost, I had to check the security of the Vault and Records.

If we have a traitor in the group, they might have already tried to tamper with the spells and runes around them to get into the Records.

If I was lucky, maybe they would have been stupid enough to leave behind a bread crumb for me.

I reach the end of the stairs, entering the Vault. The room is darkly lit, its normal somber atmosphere flooding the room. The magic still potent, lacing the air.

I scan the area for anything unusual or out of place, checking each wall, floorboard, and artwork. Searching for something that wasn’t here this morning or has recently been moved.

I slowly make my way around the room, trailing my eyes across every inch of it. I check the runes and sigil markings throughout the area, making sure that nothing had been changed or tampered with.It would take a pretty powerful mage to be able to deal with the Vault's magic anyway, but there was no harm in being completely sure.

As if reading my thoughts, the magic in the room flares to life, light wisps of magic dancing in the air like little flames, as if telling me all was okay and untouched here.

I smile at the sight of the wisps as they slowly recede into the walls.

I make my way to the large marble door, wanting to check the incantations and spells around it when suddenly, I feel a prickling chill on the back of my neck.

I turn to find Gregori on the last step of the stairs, one of the asshats who accused Jace so definitively. He stands there, his eyes clouded as he gazes past me.