Page 21 of Ringmaster (The Kingdom of Shadow & Bone #1)

The Kingdom of Ash and Iron houses Lucifer’s armies, guards the most dangerous prisoners, and forges weaponry.

The Kingdom of Desire and Deceit was built to lure souls into an eternity of servitude in the pleasure houses.

It’s also responsible for inciting corruption in the human realm by creating greed and lust, thereby condemning the souls to their domain.

The Kingdom of Blood and Bonds is responsible for issuing contracts—for deals, servitude, repayment, and sentencing.

And last, the Kingdom of Agony and Penance.

Better known as the torture realm. A place where sinners are tormented and punished.

Shaking off the recap, I continue toward the oldest section and locate the shelf where the book is supposed to be.

There’s one book, wrapped in heavy chains, etched with runes that drink my blood to open.

Of course. These books are dangerous, and I’m not surprised when I brush off a layer of dust and reveal the title.

It’s definitely the book I was looking for.

I pick it up and carry it to a long table near the center of the library, where the catalog grimoire is located.

I repeat the process twice more, finding the other two books with no issues.

With that search complete, I go back to the catalog, press my finger to the open page, and say, “Show me books about Divine curses and prophecies.”

Once again, the catalog sets to work arranging the letters on the page, revealing two titles: Edicts of Heaven: What the Divine Forbids and The Cost of Crossing the Divine.

These books are both enclosed in a glass case beside one another, making retrieval much easier than I expected.

With five books totally splayed out over the table, I settle in for a day of research, combing through each one for answers.

Hours later, all I’ve gleaned from my reading is that Seraphim half-breeds exist—and their powers are inconsistent.

Some can go an entire lifespan, though the length of life span is unclear, without ever manifesting powers.

Others manifest at certain human ages, and some abilities awaken after immense trauma or other situations that break the tethers on the magic and release it.

In one book, I found information about the types of powers half-breeds can possess, which vary entirely and essentially left me with more options than I feel equipped to handle.

Abilities range from shielding, truth detection, healing, oracle-type visions, and blood magic to seeing the future, inhuman strength, and immortality.

But many powers are unreported. Seraphim half-breeds are significantly rarer than Nephilim, and most of the documents focus on those offspring.

There’s only one documented record of a Seraphim half-breed.

He was said to be able to walk all realms, captured by the Fates and used for hundreds of years, hunted by demons, and eventually enslaved by the Divine.

He fractured the courts of Hell, swayed the balance between good and evil in favor of the Divine, and trapped Lucifer in our realm.

The only reason Lucifer can appear here at the circus is because it’s tethered to the underworld via the runes scattered around the perimeter.

Many of the texts offer vague details about the different wars between the Divine and the Infernal Courts.

One particular text, The Cost of Crossing the Divine, warns of a bloody war that has yet to happen.

I can see why. It predicts the Infernal Kingdoms joined under one Lucifer, one ruler that unites them all and forces the Divine from the human world, trapping them to the heavens where they belong, and restoring balance to the world at last. Uniting the kingdoms, though, is a fool’s errand.

Something that will never happen. I slam the book shut. The answers I seek still elude me.

The research wasn’t overly helpful, but I did find a prophecy that I think has to do with Mercy… and whatever curse I’m trying to break. I write it down and tuck it in my pocket to show Zora later.

It says: The girl born of grace and ruin will tip the scales. But whose side she tilts them toward is yet unwritten. True love’s sacrifice will set everything in motion.

One by one, I return each book to its rightful place.

All that remains is to close the grimoire to protect our secrets.

Before I do, I gently run my fingers over the pages.

I wish I’d found the answers I came here for.

I need to uncover the prophecy we’re meant to break.

It’s very clear now that whatever I’m supposed to do will involve Mercy and me—together.

The book pages quiver and shake against my fingers. I look down, in surprise, as a singular entry appears.

“Find me,” a raspy voice whispers. “Find me and discover the truths that await you.”

I freeze, fighting the urge to shiver. The book calls to me, but laced in its words is a hint of malice. I get the sense nothing good will come from this book.

“For Mercy,” I sigh, setting my jaw and heading in the direction the voice called from.

Its magic hums in the air, leading me right to it. Encased in its own display—surrounded by the thickest glass and bound in chains both inside and out—the book pulses, filled with immeasurable power.

“Azrael,” it hisses. “Open me. Wield me and fulfill your purpose. Together, we can be unstoppable.”

I’m desperate, crazy, and obsessed with finding answers, but I’m not reckless enough to free something of this magnitude.

I step back, refusing to turn my back on it.

“Don’t go,” it calls. “Azrael, we belong together. Read me. Take me with you. I house the answers you seek.”

I shake my head. Time to go.

Retracing my footsteps, I return to the dais where the grimoire rests open, awaiting its next command.

The book, sensing my intentions, screeches. “Only you can ascend the throne!” But it’s not enough to lure me back.

I press my finger to the page and command, “Forget I was here. Leave no trace of my research. Close.”

The pages blow in an invisible wind until the cover snaps shut. The entire stand descends beneath the floor, sinking into a warded chamber below ground.

My jaw aches—a subtle reminder it’s time to feed. I hurry out of the library to complete my chores in the barn and confide in Marblas.