Without cracking open the pages like I wanted to, I recited the spell Ostera had taught me - the Spell of Enchanted Restraint. "Lock the words, bind the tale. With mystic threads, let magic prevail. Secrets hidden, pages sealed. By this spell, all knowledge concealed."

Threads of energy emerged from my fingertips, weaving themselves around the book's cover and gilded pages. The threads interlaced into complex patterns, resembling an intricate web of shimmering light. The book lifted ...