Phantom of the Library - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,64

dad didn’t marry a Hapsburg. So all this…stupid…misery…”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It’s in my DNA,” I said. Then I looked at Bevan. “Bevan, I release you from…” Now I faltered. That bold speech shot out of my mouth, purposeful and brave. When I looked at Bevan, I just saw my companion, the little bat who helped me learn magic, played with me, and scolded me when I did something dumb. And then I saw the man who was Bevan, the side of him that I had never seen until now: a man who could take care of other people, who had a life outside of me, and who could fall in love. “I release you from our bond. From…this covenant. I don’t want you to die when I die. I want you to…”

“No…” He paled. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I do…” I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. It felt really good. “I love you, Bev. But we don’t need each other. We haven’t, in a long time. Love never dies, though. It doesn’t matter if we go our separate ways.”

“Aren’t you going to stop her?” Bevan asked Byron.

“No…I’m going with her,” Byron said. “I’ll be her sword and shield. Don’t worry about her.”

“I’ve worried about her for her whole life,” Bevan said. “I doubt I can stop now. But…thank you. I’ll try my best to help out on this end of things. Do you need help getting to London?”

“I can handle that,” Byron said.

“Don’t die,” Bevan told me. “You’ve managed not to die on so many rooftops and it would really be stupid to end the streak now.”

“I’ll try.”

Byron brought out the Way of Paths and waved his hands over it. It vanished too.

“Oh, is that how you transport it?”

“Yes, it does have that ability. And now, Marisa will help us get to London.”

“Oh, you think she will? I didn’t know if she really cared about familiars.”

“They are somewhat beneath an Ethereal’s notice normally, but Marisa has a grudge against these people now. I think she’ll help protect us, but we have to pay her a visit first.”

He took my hand and pulled me into the magical realm. We were standing at the door of a beautiful castle with shining towers and, well, basically all the fairy tale trappings you would want out of a grand house, although it needed a lot of work. I could tell at a glance that it had seen better days. Byron didn’t knock; he flung open the doors and announced, “I’m home!” He was also in his demigod form now, and I was already struggling not to think about the wonderful beds this house must have for being ravished by your demigod lover.

“Someday we’ll tour the sex dungeon,” Byron whispered to me.

“Oh my.”

The house seemed almost empty. I had a good radar for these things. Hardly any servants, I’d guess. Marisa’s swans wandered around the large rooms. Gentle harp music stopped at the sound of Byron’s voice. I could tell Marisa kept to herself, just by the vibe of the cobwebs and the emptiness, although the layout and the rooms were very nice for such an old house. Good natural light, I thought, with high ceilings and exposed beams…very trendy…

“Byron! I wondered when you would finally come to visit! See, the house is back in one piece!”

“One piece?” I asked.

“Yes, it was split between Sinistral and Etherium. Right down the middle of the great hall like this—kcch!” Marisa chopped her arm toward the room.

“Oh, so that’s why it looks a little sad,” I said. “I mean, it is a gorgeous home, though. I love that candolier. Actually, it does remind me of Greenwood Manor, now that I think about it.”

Marisa waved a hand and all the candles lit at once, and she did it so casually that I could tell this was just her standard way of lighting the house. “The world is beginning to shift,” she said. “I sense the change coming. This is only the beginning. Magic is becoming stronger. Evolving… None of this unfolded quite as we expected, and now I realize that it’s been so long since the realms were whole that even I have forgotten how it felt.”

“Stronger? That’s a good thing,” I said. “All we’ve heard about is how magic is dying. I mean, is it actually possible that this could save magic?”

Marisa looked at me with her eyes so merry and mesmerizing that I think I looked at her for longer than I