Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,28

went, but he ignored his grumbling stomach.

As he’d hoped, he was able to work steadily and without interruption, and soon he had both the first and second levels completely mapped out.

By now, the darkness was near-absolute. There was no need to turn on the electric lights, and Ves had no desire to attract the attention of a curious security guard. The only illumination came from the moon, filtering down through shafts to the lower levels. When he started back toward the ramp that would take him to the lowest floor, the only sounds were the whirring of the bats and his own steps.

“Binder,” whispered a voice in his ear.

All the hair on Ves’s neck rose. This was the same voice he’d heard while sketching during lunch on Thursday. Then, he’d assumed it was some trick of the acoustics.

But he was the only one here, now, unless someone was sneaking about without light, hiding in such a fashion even his night-piercing eyes couldn’t make them out.

It seemed unlikely, to say the least. He firmed his stance, scanning the darkness around him. “Who’s there?” he called. “Show yourself!”

“Binder.” The voice was more of a growl of hatred now.

The voice definitely belonged to a something as opposed to a someone. The skin on his back twitched and prickled. He was no sorcerer, but he wasn’t entirely human, either. “Be you flesh or spirit, in the name of the Black Goat and her thousand young, I command you to reveal yourself.”

The growl grew louder and angrier, sound turning into words: “Get out!”

A book flew off the shelves and struck Ves in the shoulder. He snarled and spun, his field of vision widening and sharpening as his eyes shifted form. “Reveal yourself, creature of the air! I call upon the Lord of the Wood, All-Mother, the—”

The words cut off as a heavy tome with an iron clasp smashed into the side of his head. “Get out!” the thing screamed. “Get out, GET OUT, GET OUT!”

With every escalating shriek, invisible forces hurled another book at him. He evaded most of them, but even as he dodged and ducked, a breeze began to ruffle his hair.

So deep within the building, there was no logical reason for there to be a breeze. But summoning wind was a favorite trick of sorcerers.

Whatever force had turned itself against him, he clearly had no ability to stop it. Ves stuffed his sketches inside his vest and ran toward the entrance of the library. The wind continued to rise, and books launched themselves at him as he ran. His heart pounded and his back ached. He took a wrong turning, swore at himself and doubled back. The wind tore his hair now, and the great stacks of wood and iron groaned and creaked. He had to get out before whatever was attacking him wrought true destruction.

The sense of something racing up behind him strengthened. Malevolent hatred beat against his back, and the scars there seemed to awaken to fresh pain. Whatever it was, it wanted him dead.

He burst into the reading area and sprinted across it without pause. For a terrible moment, he imagined the door to the library would be locked, and he’d be trapped inside.

The door swung open before he could even touch it. Ves staggered to a halt in the hall outside—only to have the door slam definitively shut at his back.

Ves put his back to the wall and regarded the library entrance. He wasn’t winded—it would take a great deal more to tax his stamina—but he was both confused and concerned. He shut his eyes, composing himself, so that if any security guard came to see what the commotion was about, he’d appear human.

“Binder,” the voice had said, as though the word were a curse.

A bodiless something that apparently hated bookbinders was hiding in the library. And the last binder had left under circumstances that were questionable, to say the least.

Had this been what the note was warning him of? Did someone else working in the library know about the voice and tried to frighten Ves away before history repeated itself?

Ves touched the paper hastily stuffed into his vest. He’d made good progress. Even if he confined himself to working hours, he’d surely be able to complete the final part of the map by Wednesday afternoon.

He'd finish the map, take it to Fagerlie, and leave. Then the spirit in the library would be someone else’s problem.

Chapter 10

Ves sat on the trolley beside Sebastian, trying not to brush against