Are we safe from the shadows here? Jez asked as he eyed the faint outline of the cage. It still seemed persistent in spite of the reality of the library.

Not really. This is still their home. They cant move about here as easily as they can outside, but thats largely a matter of degree. Its like saying you cant move around as easily at night.

What about that? Jez motioned at the cage.

We wont need it to maintain us anymore. The library itself protects us.

Jez nodded and raised his hand to release the cage but paused. He couldnt just dismiss it. He could practically hear the shadows screaming in his mind. Dismissing the working would just unleash them. He summoned his sword and held it in two hands. He drove it down into one of the shadowy bars on the floor. A pulse of energy ran through the cage. The screams in his mind intensified for a second and then vanished.

A bit of an overkill, dont you think? Lina asked.

Do you want them running around the library? For a second she looked like she was going to be sick, but instead, she shook her head. Jez turned to Mirel. Now that were here, how do we get the library back home?

This is just a thought, Osmund said slowly, but have you thought about burning it?

What? Mirel practically shrieked. No, you cant.

Were not going to, Jez said.

But we just want to stop Sharim from getting the information, right? Osmund asked. If we destroy it, he cant get it.

What would be lost if you do destroy it? Mirel asked. What about the workings that humanity has long since forgotten? What about the knowledge of the limaph that you so desire?

I dont want that knowledge if the price is the entire world.

Were not destroying the library, Jez said. Just because we know Sharim can get the information here doesnt mean he cant get it somewhere else. Well need it if were going to be able to stop him.

Fine, Osmund said. We find what we need, and then we burn the library.

Jez shook his head. He would just come up with another plan. Sharim is at war with us, and with the knowledge in this library, well be able to defend against him, no matter what he does.

Its a weapon he can use against us, just as easily.

This is a surprise, Lina said. You two never argue like this. Not when its serious.

Jezreel is a Shadowguard, Mirel said. Osmund is a limaph descended from the Shadeslayers. The two orders often agree but not always. One is focused on defense and the other on offense.

Jez blinked at Osmund. Hed never considered that, and judging from the expression on the other boys face, Osmund never had either. Still, it made sense.

Can you create a working to set the library on fire but will remain dormant until you set it off? Jez asked.

What? Mirel asked.

He has a point, and you know it. We cant let Sharim get this place. We have to be ready to destroy it.

Osmund nodded. That should be simple enough.

Do that. Ill work on the banishing.

What banishing?

We dont want the library here, right? I might be able to craft a working to banish this place back to the mortal realm, but if I cant, or if Sharims allies show up, we can destroy it.

No. Mirels face looked horrified. You dont know what youre doing.

Jez narrowed his eyes. Were stopping a human-form demon from bringing an army into the mortal realm. Im sorry, but thats more important than this library.

But...

Well save it if we can, Mirel, Jez said. For now, you and Lina look through the library and see if you can find what Sharim needs. Ill start working on the banishing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE.

Circle banishings were tricky, complicated things. They were among the most powerful workings a protection mage could craft, but Jez had never practice much on them. Except under very specific circ.u.mstances, they were incredibly impractical. Unless the demon was kept immobile, they could simply step out of it.

Of course, the library was immobile.

He didnt have any sand, but many different materials could be used to craft a circle, and the fire had left a layer of ash on the ground. He set about drawing runes in the receiving chamber, but after a few minutes, he realized he was in completely over his head. He knew the runes, or at least he knew most of them, but he had only the most basic understanding of how to make them work together to achieve a circle banishing on this scale.

I wish Besis were here.

He spoke a little too loud, and his breath obscured the partially drawn expanding rune. Normally, in order for a circle banishing to work, he would have to draw the circle around the entire object being banished, but the area outside the library wasnt really there, so he needed the expanding rune to link with the rune of stone. That, in turn, was interwoven with the rune for knowledge. Things just got more complicated from there.

Jez, Lina called from above.

Jez looked up. She was on the fourth floor, though her voice had sounded much closer.

Yes?

Sorry, I cant hear you, her voice came from close by. My illusion only works one way. Come up here. I found a section thats full of books on protection magic. It might help you.

Jez nodded and climbed the stairs. Each level was thirty feet tall and it took him a few minutes to reach the top. She led him through one of the doors and into a large chamber with a domed ceiling. Tall shelves made of dark wood covered the floor leaving just enough room between them for two people to walk side by side. The air smelled of paper and old books, and Jez realized this wasnt just a library. It was close to a temple, one dedicated to ideas and knowledge.

Lina stepped quietly, but even so, her footsteps almost seemed to thunder in the silence of the place. His own steps echoed even louder. She led him to the back and tapped a large leather bound book with a cracked spine. Jez squinted but took in a sharp breath.

Blood of Sariel? I thought all copies of this were lost.

She grinned. They were, and look.

She ran her fingers over the books next to it, and Jez just stared. He reached out and touched one, half expecting his fingers to pa.s.s through it, but they didnt. These books were real. All fourteen volumes. Besis would give his right arm to read these. Hed give both his arms.

Can you use them to help us?

He pulled out the eleventh book and began flipping through it. He could feel the smile forming on his face. Almost definitely.

He stopped on a page displaying a number of runes connected to each other in complex ways. One section even described different ways to draw the runes depending on what they were drawn in. The best, of course, was the white sand Master Linala had used. Jez hadnt realized it came from the crystallized remains of spirits, and he had no idea how such a thing could be made. Blood could also be powerful, though it had other side effects that made using it undesirable. Just below blood in effectiveness was the ash of something precious. Jez pursed his lips. The remains of the greatest library ever built probably qualified. He flipped through a couple of pages and could see where hed been mistaken, at least in part of the circle. It would take time for him to find all the problems.

Im going to need to look through these.

She pointed at a nearby alcove in the wall. There are empty rooms everywhere. I think they were used as reading rooms.

Where is everyone else?

Jez, this place is larger than the whole Academy grounds. We decided it would be better to spread out.

Jez started. Arent you worried about... He waved his hands at a corner that, in the mortal realm, wouldve been hidden by shadows.

She clenched her teeth before nodding. This is important, Jez. If it comes down to it, I think I can defend myself against one or two of them, at least long enough to send a signal one of you can see. She let out a long breath. I just hate feeling so helpless.

Dont feel bad because you dont have a mystical sword capable of banishing creatures from a place that isnt really a place.

She gave him a half smile. What about your sword? Can I borrow it?

It doesnt work that way. Im not sure I can even let it go without it vanishing.

No, not the crystal one. She pointed to his waist. That one.

Jez stared at the weapon for a second before drawing it. The veins of gold running through the silvery metal glimmered. Forged by his own power, it was far stronger than ordinary steel and could fight the forces of the abyss better than any normal weapon. He held it out to her.

Sorry, I shouldve thought of that myself. Im not sure how much good it will do. The shadows arent demons, and they dont have a physical form.

She took it and immediately, her hand dropped a few inches. He tried to hide a smile, but judging by the look on her face, he hadnt succeeded. He unbelted the sheath and handed that over as well.

Ill take whatever I can get.

Be careful. He pointed to the reading room. Ill be in there. Call me if you need help.

She looked like she was going to argue, but instead she shivered and nodded. She helped him carry all fourteen volumes, and he sat down to study.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR.

It didnt take him long to puzzle out the sequence of runes he needed for the banishing. The circle would require nearly three hundred runes to function properly. Hed been on the right track, but that was like saying taking a step onto a road was on the right track to reaching the next town. It was technically true, but it was only the smallest portion of it. With a dozen years to practice, he might have been able to craft the appropriate circle without the help of these books. Probably not, but it was possible. It would only take him hours to craft one now though.

He stopped to tell Lina to find the others and returned to the receiving room of the library. He drew a couple of dozen runes before she returned with Osmund in tow.

I couldnt find Mirel, she said.

Jez finished drawing a line that bisected a triangle and looked up. Did you finish the working to burn everything?

I found a room full of clay tablets. Im not sure those will burn, and there a couple of places that had pretty serious wards on them. I could get in, but Im not sure the runes will hold there. Other than that, I think I got everything.

How long will it take you to set it off?

A couple of seconds, but I need to be at one of the runes.

Jez glanced at the door. Put one there so you can do it faster.

Why not here?

I dont want it interfering with the banishing.

Can you really make that work?

Jez nodded and went back to drawing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Osmund raise a hand. There was an explosion of sparks and a rune appeared on the door. Normally, using magic to create a rune wasnt possible as the magic creating the rune would inevitably interfere with its function. In this case, however, both the magic used to craft the rune, and the magic the rune would release were ember magic. In fact, it would probably make the final working stronger. It also made it so Osmund could work a lot faster than Jez. By the time Jez finished crafting the circle, several hours had pa.s.sed, though he had no way of telling how many. His bones creaked as he stood up, and his back ached from so much time being hunched over. Lina paced back and forth, and Osmund snoozed in a corner. Mirel still hadnt returned.

Should we go looking for her? Lina asked.

Probably. Im not completely sure this will work, and we should have everyone together in case something goes wrong.

You know youre not inspiring a whole lot of confidence. Osmund said without opening his eyes.

I thought you were asleep.

The sound of you coming up with another plan gave me nightmares. His eyes opened. Where do you think she would be anyway?

Jez shrugged. What kind of knowledge would a Lightgiver want?

She wanted to preserve the library, Lina said. Maybe something to help us do that.

The Blood of Sariel probably helped more than anything she could find. Besides, you were in the protection section. You wouldve seen her.

Lina laughed. I was in one protection section, but I think youre a.s.suming this place is a lot better organized than it actually is. I found books on the abyss in half a dozen places.

Are you sure you werent in the same section? In a place like this, the sections must be huge.

She rolled her eyes. I know what Im doing, Jez.

Jez nodded. She mightve gone to the lower levels. Whats down there?

Cobwebs mostly, Osmund said. Its a scroll storage area and the room of tablets I told you about. I think it was kept dark, and I got the feeling that even before the Lightgivers took the library, not many people went there. I also found some big empty chambers, but Im not sure what those are for.

Summoning chambers, Lina said.