Page 125 of As Above, So Below

“I don’t think we get much of a choice,”he counters, and I canhearthe smirk on his lips,feelsparks of his amusement.

The brush clatters into the sink once again as I pitch myself over the third empty sink, gasping for air.

I should notfeelhisemotions.

Nothing about this is anything like the demonic channels I’ve read about.

If my life is a barely controlled wildfire, it’s just hit miles of drought-riddled forest. Weaving together what little resolve I have left, I sense for the channel, looking for that golden rope I’d seenlast night. In the back of my mind, I find the darkened end of the hallway that had appeared.

But the window won’t close, and the rope is cemented in place.

Bending my innate to my will, a billow of shadows amasses over the open window, encasing the rope. The light is dampened, hidden by the shadows, leaving the hallway engulfed in blackness.

Heaving a sigh, I set the brush on the counter beside the sink and dry my hands. I didn’t expect to have to maintain a mental ward either, but I have no choice. I cannot let Ryc become more of a distraction than he already is. Not right now.

“I’ll be back, Cora,” I say, throwing the towel down.

“Everything okay?” she asks, watching me head toward the door.

“Yeah,” I call over my shoulder. “I have a few questions for Eve.”

A lie. I don’t have questions for Eve.

I have questions for Druka. But Cora doesn’t need to know that.

“She should be up in the library,” she offers, and I catch a quick glimpse of Cora’s smile before the kitchen door swings shut behind me.

Setting a brisk pace, I make my way through the temple, finding the spiraling stairs in the eastern wing. I could ferry—I should ferry, but I need time to think.

Heaving a sigh, I begin my climb.

And two rotations up, I lose my patience, letting my shadows take me the rest of the way. As the darkness vanishes, I’m left standing before Eve and Sybille—the head librarian—at the desk near the library entry doors. Their eyes grow wide, especially Sybille’s.

“Ves?” Eve’s face pinches with confusion.

Sybille, sitting behind the desk with Eve standing beside her, quickly sets the pen in her hand to the paper lying between them. In seconds, she pushes the paper toward me, spinning it around so I can read.

There’s a whole conversation between Eve and Sybille that’s been crossed out, a single line through each hastily scribbled sentence. As my eyes scan over the page, it becomes clear they were talking about the upcoming eclipse. The last line on the page, the one Sybille wrote for me, are the only words missing a bold strike.

I love seeing your shadows.

Meeting her stare, her face is alight with a smile as her eyes gleam.

With my frequent visits to the library, I’ve met Sybille a few times but haven’t spoken to her much—mostly because I don’t know the gestural language she uses. I’ve learned a couple words, pleasantries really. But despite the language barrier, she’s always greeted me with a smile on her face.

Eve doesn’t know it either, which explains why their entire conversation is taking place on a sheet of paper. Snagging a pen from the mug on the corner of her desk, I write out my response and hand it back to her. Her face lights up and she begins to nod excitedly. Eve peers over Sybille’s shoulder and rolls her eyes before giving me a flat stare.

With a gentle nudge against my innate, a billow of shadows swirls into existence between Sybille and me, and standing, she reaches out gingerly. Her brown eyes grow wide as the shadows respond to her touch, twirling themselves around her fingers. As she turns her hand over, the shadows pool into a ball in the palm of her hand.

Cupping the shadows, she drags the paper across the desk and scribbles again. I pull the paper to me as she sets the pen aside to carefully play with the sphere of shadows in her hand.

They’re so cold.

“Are they?” I ask, my brows furrowing. “I’ve never noticed.”

“Don’t let the rarity of your innate go to your head, Ves,” Eve teases with a smirk.

“It’s not considered rare in the hells, Eve.” I shrug playfully. “I’ll gladly show it to those who want to see it.”