Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,85
no obvious reason the rest of the museum should have been so bizarrely designed. Had the strain of the books bound to him cracked Dromgoole’s mind and led him to create such a distorted structure?
Fortunately, they saw no one else in the shadowy corridors as they made their way to the library. Unfortunately, the same held true when they stepped through the doors. Where Ves had expected to hear the sounds of conflict, or—if they were lucky—its aftermath, there was only silence. Most of the lights had been shut off, leaving the stacks in darkness, but his keener-than-human sight showed nothing lurking there.
Waite put his hands on his hips. “So where the devil is everyone?”
“I-I don’t know.” Dread turned Sebastian’s blood sluggish in his veins. “The first line of defense should have been here, while other librarians waited in the stacks in case the intruders got past. Or at least, that’s what I’d imagine, though obviously I didn’t attend Mr. Quinn’s emergency briefing.”
“Would that have been in the sword room?” Ves asked. He stood taut and alert, hands curled into fists, his orange eyes sharp. He looked magnificent, and the sight of him stole Sebastian’s breath away.
“Yes. You said you gave Fagerlie a fake map?”
“It was somewhat close to reality on the first floor, so as not to raise suspicion. If they’ve gotten any further, they’ll be hopelessly lost at this point. With any luck, Fagerlie is stumbling around cursing my name.”
Sebastian nodded, his mind racing. “I’ll go to the sword room and see if anyone is still there, or if there’s any indicator as to where they went, while you look for Fagerlie.”
“I don’t want you to go alone,” Ves said reluctantly. “But I’d rather have Mr. Waite where I can keep an eye on him.”
“Excuse me,” Mortimer protested. They both ignored him.
“If I see or hear Fagerlie, I’ll hide,” Sebastian said.
“And if they see you first?”
“Then I’ll run. I know this library, and they don’t. It shouldn’t be difficult to lose them.”
Ves looked concerned, but he said, “Very well. Stay safe, Sebastian.”
“And you, angel.”
Ves’s smile bloomed like the sunrise at the pet name. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
They made their way through the stacks, listening intently. The air felt odd: heavy, as though it had gained a strange density. It lay on Sebastian’s skin with a palpable weight, and every exhalation seemed to take more effort than usual.
There was no sign of anyone on the first floor. Once they reached the second level, they split up before reaching the sword room. Moving as quietly as possible, Sebastian slipped into the labyrinth. Despite his bold words to Ves, his heart rabbited in his chest, and he jumped at every creak from the laden shelves. The air seemed to be growing thicker and more humid, the atmosphere turning oppressive.
There—the door to the sword room. Shut tight, with a chair jammed below the knob.
What the devil? Sebastian cast about, but saw no one. Had the librarians trapped Fagerlie’s bunch inside? But if so, someone would have been left to stand guard.
Something was very, very wrong.
He yanked the chair free and threw open the door. The sweet scent of chloroform wafted out to greet him.
The librarians lay around the room, in varying states of sleep or grogginess. Irene sprawled by the door, the wood beneath her hand scorched, as though she’d been trying to cast a spell and burn her way out when the gas overcame her.
Holding his breath, Sebastian rushed inside, grabbed her beneath the arms, and dragged her into the clean air. He straightened, ready to run back in, when something struck him from behind.
Chapter 28
The blow caught Sebastian on the shoulder, sending him crashing into a bookcase. Though glancing, a shock of pain went through him, and he cried out in surprise. He spun, putting his back to the shelves, expecting to find himself confronted with one of the School of Night’s lackeys.
Arthur stood there, a look of fury on his face and a hammer in his hand.
Sebastian gaped at him, his brain refusing to comprehend what his eyes saw. Why had Arthur hit him? What was he doing with a hammer?
Oh God. Mortimer’s innocence meant someone else had tried to poison Ves and sent hired killers after Sebastian. But there hadn’t been any time to consider who the real culprit might be.
And even if there had been, Sebastian would never have considered Arthur. They were friends. Arthur was a good man.