Page 81 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

But no librarian.

Something tickled the back of my neck, and I brushed it off. A sharp sting spread through my fingertips, and I hissed in a breath as I looked down at my hand. A thin line of blood slowly welled to the surface on the pads of my middle and ring finger. Bleeding around magic was never smart—you had no idea what it might feed. I stuck both fingers in my mouth and swiftly cleaned the blood with my tongue as I searched the floor for what had injured me.

A small card lay faceup near my foot. The same neat handwriting that had labeled the files covered the card.

133.43 SCAn1

Magic – Curses

An Analysis of Generational Curses and Their Effects on Inheritance / Mikel Schulz. 2nd. Ed. Spellwork Press

324p. : 22cm

1. Magic – Curses

2. Government – Inheritance

I gestured for Delilah and Maximus to look at the card, then pointed toward the shelves.

Between us and the shelves was the large, open area of the library’s lobby. For a few minutes, we could hunch down behind the information desk, hiding from the librarian’s line of sight. After that, we’d be exposed, so we’d have to work quickly.

I went first, keeping an eye out for signs of Fitz.

Halfway across the room, the weight of a watchful gaze settled on me. I froze, only moving my head to search the room. No one in front of me. No one to the right or left. Only Delilah and Maximus behind me.

Slowly, I tilted my head back to gaze up at the mural on the ceiling.

A painted woman stared back at me. Most of the lines and colors were faded with age, making the few that weren’t stand out in stark contrast. Lips as red as blood tightened in a suppressed smile. Eyes the color of midnight creased at the corners. She barely held back her laughter, like our sneaking around amused her.

Better amusement than anger.We won’t hurt the library, I silently promised.We’re just looking for our friend.

She didn’t respond. Her expression remained the same.

I stared up at her until Delilah nudged my shoulder, gesturing for me to continue.

We arrived at the bookshelves without the librarian catching us.

On the end of each shelf was a set of numbers. I remembered the numbers at the top of the dropped card and scanned the signs of the right self. The aisle itself was empty, but even from a distance, I could see the gaps of missing books.

Fitz had come and gone, probably taking a whole stack of books with him. But where was he now? Had the librarian let him leave after assisting him?

If so, I would feel like a jackass, sneaking around and messing up her files.

The light scrape of something sliding against wood drew my attention to another shelf. I looked over my shoulder to find Maximus with a stack of books in his arms.He’s choosingnowof all stupid times to research our problem?

As I watched, he took a book from his stack, searched the shelves, and placed it between two others.

Rolling my eyes, I gestured for Delilah to go knock him out of the spell again.

She crept up behind him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and yanked him down to her level. The books fell from his arms, scattering everywhere with thumps and ruffled pages.

Before the last page settled, the librarian appeared in front of Delilah. Her strained smile had finally snapped and broken into a feral snarl. “The library isclosed.”

Since we’d already been caught, I abandoned any attempts at stealth and broke into a run. The librarian shouted behind me, but I ignored her, head swiveling as I searched every aisle. Eventually, the bookshelves fell away, replaced by long tables.

And sitting at the first one, hunched over, surrounded by dozens of books, was Fitz.

Chapter Twenty-Three