Page 37 of To Dwell in Shadows (Shadows of Aurelia #2)

S elene didn’t know if there were taverns in the Underworld, but if there were, they’d be packed tonight.

She carefully climbed down the scaffolding with the other trial spectators, the air buzzing like downtown Nashville after a Titans football win.

Sam had been swept away with the other winners, so she started the walk back to the palace alone.

She was nearly at their chamber door when a gentle tap on her shoulder made her turn.

It was Queen Thema.

“Asmodeus is taking me to Gaia in a few hours so I can go through one of my Aurelian portals,” she said. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Right. I nearly forgot.” A pang of grief caught Selene off guard. She hadn’t seen much of Thema during her visit, but knowing she was nearby had been reassuring. It was also nice to not be the only non-demon in the realm. Selene reached out to hug her tight.

“I’m going to miss you,” Selene said against her shoulder. “Did you enjoy your visit? ”

Thema pulled back. “I did, but… ” Her words faded into a bittersweet smile.

“But what?”

“I miss the person my sister used to be. She is still herself in many ways, but Lamia has been hardened by demonhood. Lilith was more compassionate. Charitable.”

Selene nodded, secretly grateful that it wasn’t just her who found Lamia hard to deal with.

Thema waved a hand as if brushing the thought away. “No matter. It’s still a comfort to know she’s alive and happy. And with your help, we can keep visiting! When will you and Sam be coming home?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe in another month? Sam has… a few things to sort out here.”

“Then I’ll see you soon,” Thema said. She patted Selene’s cheek. “Goodbye.”

The next morning, Selene woke up determined to find something to help Sam crown the Dark Sovereign.

After Sam walked her to the kennels and left to do whatever he did all day, Selene took off running toward the library with Zetta at her side.

If they only had five days before the next trial, she couldn’t waste a second.

Once inside the library, Selene surveyed the space, strategizing where to start.

Anything about the Dark Sovereign would be buried in the oldest texts, the kind of volumes that hadn’t been touched in centuries.

That’s where she’d begin. She grabbed a precarious stack of crumbling books she’d been putting off dealing with for weeks.

Balancing them against her chest, she made her way to a dusty corner table and began her search.

It was slow, tedious work. She took care not to damage the brittle, yellowed pages of each book she skimmed, though a few still crumbled into dust between her fingers.

Most were written in Old English, filled with words she didn’t recognize or using a dialect now lost to time.

She had to guess at meanings, piecing together sentences like a crumbling puzzle.

Her heart jumped when she spotted a minor reference to Baphomet in a battered book about the Knights Templar, but it didn’t give her any useful information.

A little later, she thought she was onto something when she spotted a few cryptic sentences about the Thronefall Flame, until she realized it was a reference book about astronomy.

As she continued to pore through the old books, the musty scent of aging paper filled the air more than usual. Motes of dust floated through shafts of dim, slanted light filtering through the high, grimy windows.

She had been working for several hours when she leaned back to rub her eyes. She blinked up at the ceiling, then let her gaze fall to the rows of sagging shelves and piles of books on the floor. The hopeful optimism she’d entered the library with had turned into complete overwhelm.

She was starting to second-guess her hunch that something about the Dark Sovereign could be found here. Why hadn’t she started with a more traditional place for storing records like the Halls of Demonic Canon or the Chapel of Mourning?

She blew out a breath. The thought of watching Sam compete in another pointless trial made her feel sick. Their plan had once struck her as inspired. Now, it just felt impossibly na?ve.

She absently ran her fingers up and down the cord of the traveler’s stone, reflecting on how life in this realm was nothing like she had expected.

Or like Sam had hoped. She was friendless and lonely; Sam was burdened and overworked.

She couldn’t wait for the day when they could finally settle into a normal routine.

She lingered in daydreams of planting a garden behind their house in Snowmelt and of Brunie patiently teaching her how to bake .

Then she sighed and chastised herself for wasting time.

Get back to work.

She pulled another old book toward her but then realized how dark the library had become.

Half the hanging lights in the room didn’t work, and the other half flickered terribly.

She rummaged through a nearby crate where she’d collected all the half-melted candles that she found.

Carefully, she placed them on the desk, nearly thirty in all.

For a moment, her heart sank as she realized she had no way to light them.

But a grunt from Zetta reminded her otherwise.

Grabbing what was left of a taper candle, Selene crossed the room to where Zetta was happily chewing on a book spine. She had somewhat successfully taught the dog the commands of sit , stay , and come , but they had never tried speak .

“Hey, girl,” Selene said, ruffling Zetta’s head.

Seeing Selene give her such close attention, Zetta shot to her feet, tail wagging eagerly.

Selene studied her for a moment and said, “Now, how am I going to get you to speak?”

“Woof!”

“Good girl!” Selene said, not sure if that was a coincidence or not. She held the candle toward Zetta’s snout. “Can you do it again? Speak!”

Zetta tilted her head in confusion, her tongue lolling.

Selene repeated the command a few more times, but Zetta only thumped her tail against the floor.

Finally, Selene grabbed an old book spine and tossed it like a stick.

Zetta bounded after it and dropped it eagerly at Selene’s feet, tail wagging.

As the hound let out a small, impatient bark, Selene thrust the candle near her mouth, repeating, “ Speak .”

The wick flared to life, burning with a vivid, hypnotic blue flame.

“Yes!” Selene repeated the command and Zetta obeyed, exhaling another blue flame into the air that quickly evaporated.

“You learned a new trick!”

Smiling, Selene tossed the book spine again, sending it tumbling into a pile of old curtains for Zetta to root through.

Using the taper candle, Selene carefully lit the others.

One by one, soft blue flames bloomed, casting an eerie glow across the library.

She stepped back to admire the sight. It reminded her of the house three doors down from where she had grown up—the one strung only with blue twinkle lights every holiday season.

Back then, the glow had turned her ordinary street into something magical.

She let herself savor the memory for a moment longer before lifting her gaze from the desk.

And froze.

Nestled in a bookcase carved with curling lion’s feet, a faint blue light shimmered behind a row of dusty volumes.

Selene moved closer, peering between the spines. One by one, she removed the books until only the bare shelf remained. Along the edges of the back panel, a faint outline of blue light pulsed subtly, as if breathing. Grabbing a candle, she brought the flame closer to illuminate the area.

In the bottom left corner, a tiny sigil was carved into the wood. When Selene moved the blue candle near, the sigil glowed softly. But when she blocked the light with her body, it vanished into invisibility.

She ran her hand over the back panel and pressed lightly. Nothing happened.

She pressed harder. Still nothing.

But when she pressed her thumb directly on the sigil, she felt a soft click behind the wood.

A shiver of movement almost too slight to notice.

Pulse racing, Selene pressed harder, and the panel shifted with a faint, grating sound.

Holding her breath, she hooked her fingers into the narrow seam that appeared and slowly slid the panel aside.

Behind it, a hidden compartment had been carved deep into the stone wall.

Dust poured from the opening, and the air that spilled out was thick with the scent of mildew and age.

Nestled among layers of muck and cobwebs rested a thick, ancient book.

Its leather cover was cracked and worn, the title barely legible beneath the grime: The Sovereign’s Reckoning.

Selene gasped.

This wasn’t just a clue.

This was the prophecy itself.