Rory's POV

The door to the archives groaned as I pushed it open, the sound echoing down the quiet stone hallway like a warning.

If they catch me here, I’m done.

But the need to know was greater than fear. Every word, every hot stare in the Academy halls they were all pieces of a puzzle no one wanted me to solve.

And now the puzzle led here.

Rows of shelves rose like towers, dust motes swirling in the dim lighting. Ancient tomes and papers slumbered in silence, the air heavy with ...