Page 2 of Tempest Blazing (The Dragonne Library #3)

Tess

I was still staring at the sealed wall when footsteps echoed through the restricted section. Multiple sets, moving fast and purposeful. My heart lurched—had the intruder come back? But these footsteps were too heavy, too coordinated.

Security.

I shoved the torn parchment deeper into my pocket just as three figures rounded the corner.

Two men in the deep purple uniforms of Library security, and behind them, a woman with the silver dragon insignia gleaming on her collar.

In my first weeks here, I'd rarely seen security—they usually kept to the background, invisible unless needed.

But since the Harbinger Forest fire attack, they'd become more visible.

A chill ran down my spine. If the intruder was from the Guild, could I trust these security officers? The Guild was technically part of the Library—what if they'd already infiltrated the Library's protective forces? My mind raced through what I should and shouldn't reveal.

"Miss Whittaker." The woman stepped forward, her voice crisp and professional. "We received an alert about unauthorized magical activity in this section."

"There was an intruder," I said carefully. "Someone broke in through the wall and attacked me. I defended myself."

The security leader—her nameplate read 'Commander Hayes'—exchanged a look with her companions. Something passed between them that made my skin crawl.

"An intruder," she repeated, pulling out a small device that hummed with magical energy. She swept it through the air, frowning at whatever readings it gave her. "Can you describe this alleged intruder?"

Alleged. The word hit like a slap.

"Male voice, dark clothing, fast moving. He stole a book from the restricted collection." I gestured toward the empty shelf where the tome had been. "You can see it's missing."

Commander Hayes barely glanced at the shelf. Instead, she stepped closer to me, her eyes sharp and calculating. "What exactly did you do when this... person... allegedly attacked you?"

There it was again. Allegedly. Like she thought I was lying.

"I created a Golden Shield to protect myself. It's a defensive spell—"

"A Golden Shield." One of the men spoke up, his tone skeptical. "That's advanced magic, Miss Whittaker. Quite advanced for someone who's only been bonded for a few weeks. Seems like overkill for a simple break-in, don't you think? A basic ward would have been more appropriate."

The implication hung in the air like smoke.

Too advanced. Too convenient. Too suspicious.

But what he didn't understand—what none of them understood—was that I couldn't cast basic wards.

My human magic was limited to whatever spells I could access through Thalon's power, and apparently that meant the complicated stuff came as easily as breathing while the simple protective magic remained completely beyond my reach.

My temper flared, golden sparks dancing at my fingertips before I clenched my fists to suppress them. "Are you suggesting I made this up? That I attacked myself?"

"We're not suggesting anything," Commander Hayes said smoothly. "We're simply trying to understand what happened. Sometimes, when people are under stress, they can misinterpret—"

"I know what I saw." My voice came out harder than intended. "Someone broke into the Library, stole a book, and attacked me when I tried to stop them. Instead of questioning me like I'm the criminal, maybe you should be figuring out how they got past your security."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Commander Hayes's expression went cold, professional mask slipping just enough to show something uglier underneath.

"Miss Whittaker, I understand you're new to our world, but there are protocols here.

Security protocols that exist for everyone's protection.

" She stepped closer, voice dropping to something that might have been a threat wrapped in silk.

"Protocols that require cooperation and.

.. discretion... from all members of our community. "

The words sent ice through my veins. Was she threatening me? Warning me to keep quiet?

Before I could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the section again. Multiple sets, but these moved with different authority—heavier, more deliberate. The security team immediately straightened, hands moving away from weapons.

"Stand down." The voice that rang out was unmistakably Silvius Ellesar's, cold and commanding. "We'll handle this from here."

Commander Hayes's jaw tightened, but she stepped back. "Lord Protector. We were just—"

"Dismissed."

The single word cut through any protest. The security team filed out without another word.

Into the sudden quiet came a parade of figures that made my stomach clench with new anxiety.

Silvius led the way, his silver hair gleaming and those piercing blue eyes already fixed on me with obvious displeasure.

The air around us suddenly grew thick with heat and the scent of sulfur as Moriyana's massive form materialized in the space behind him.

Theron followed, but something was different about his bearing—he wasn't here as my instructor.

He wore full Rider gear, sword at his side, moving with the alert readiness of someone on duty.

And behind them, two figures I recognized from news broadcasts and political coverage: Elara Windmere, the Fae councilor whose glamoured appearance couldn't quite hide the ancient power radiating from her, and Dorian Vail, the vampire whose pale perfection and crimson tie pin screamed old-world aristocracy.

My heart sank. This wasn't just a security incident anymore.

This was political. But why were all these high-ranking officials responding to what should have been a routine security breach?

The question must have been obvious in my expression, because Theron caught my eye and offered the briefest explanation.

"Council meeting," he said quietly. "Conference room three floors up when the alarms went off."

"Miss Whittaker." Silvius's voice could have frozen flame. "Perhaps you'd care to explain why half the Library's defensive wards are screaming about unauthorized magical combat in a restricted section?"

"Someone broke in," I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "They attacked me when I tried to stop them from stealing a book. I defended myself."

Dorian Vail stepped forward, his movements predatorily graceful. "How convenient that this alleged intruder left no trace. No magical signature, no physical evidence." His pale eyes fixed on me with unsettling intensity. "Almost as if they never existed at all."

The accusation in his tone made my magic flare, golden light flickering between my fingers before I forced it down. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"I'm calling this situation... curious." Dorian's smile was sharp as glass. "A human claims to have fought off an intruder using advanced magic, yet our security detected nothing until her own magical signature lit up every ward in the building."

"The situation is more than curious—it's concerning.

" Theron's voice cut through the tension with quiet authority.

"If someone breached the Library's defenses, that represents a significant security failure that affects all of us.

" He stepped forward, his posture alert and professional.

"Regardless of who reported it or how they defended themselves, any threat to the Library's collection should be our primary focus. "

Silvius shot him a sharp look. "Theron—"

"With respect, Lord Protector, this is exactly the kind of incident we've been preparing for since the Harbinger Forest attack.

" Theron's tone remained measured, but there was steel underneath.

"Someone penetrated restricted areas and accessed protected materials.

That's not a personnel issue—that's a security crisis. "

I felt a flicker of surprise at his support. He wasn't defending me personally, but he was taking the threat seriously in a way the others weren't. There was something reassuring about his objectivity, his focus on the actual problem rather than the politics surrounding it.

"Enough." Moriyana's mental voice carried quiet authority that made everyone pause. "The Library itself confirms an intrusion occurred. Its defenses were breached, and Miss Whittaker acted to protect both herself and the collection."

Silvius's expression darkened. "The Library's... opinions... aside, we have protocols for dealing with security breaches. Protocols that don't involve untrained humans playing hero."

Untrained. Human. The words hit like physical blows, and I felt my temper rising again.

Theron's jaw tightened. "Her job is to serve the Library."

"Her job," Silvius said with cutting precision, "is to organize books and follow orders. Not to engage in magical combat with mysterious intruders who conveniently disappear without a trace."

"Miss Whittaker is a bonded Rider and a Library employee," Theron interjected before I could respond.

"She had every right—and responsibility—to protect the collection when faced with a threat.

" His gaze swept the group. "The question isn't whether she should have acted, but how someone managed to breach our defenses in the first place. "

Elara Windmere spoke for the first time, her glamoured voice carrying subtle harmonics that seemed to settle the tension in the room. "Perhaps we should focus on the more pressing question—what was stolen?"

I hesitated. The book had been about the Heart of Creation, but something told me not to reveal that. Not with this group. Not when I couldn't tell who might be friend or foe.

"I'm not sure," I said finally. "It happened too fast."

Dorian's eyes narrowed. "Indeed. An intruder steals an unknown book, fights our newest Rider, and vanishes without leaving so much as a magical fingerprint." His tone dripped skepticism. "One might almost think—"