“That’s right,” she said.
She paused, looking around the room. She had worked her way down one entire shelf, peeling out books and finding nothing. She had figured that the histories of the Society would be found in an older text, but she hadn’t uncovered anything so far. She worked as quickly as she could, going book by book, and the more time she spent doing so, the more she began to wonder if any of the sorcerers would have a need to come into the library and inadvertently interrupt them. If Master Agnew found her here . . .
She would leave, but she didn’t like what effect that would have on Char.
“You’ve obviously forgotten other material too,” he said. “We were taught that when the Society was founded, it was as a way to study the world, trying to master the inner workings of it.”
“Yes, that’s what they tell us at the Academy,” she said.
She looked around the library. There was a single wooden chair set into a corner, and no desk or any other place to study. It was poorly lit, though the presence of sorcery was evident everywhere, from the pale glow that suffused the room to the pressure she felt all around her and the musty odor in the air that reminded her of her time in the Academy.
“And that doesn’t make it any less true,” Char replied.
Jayna nodded, pushing away the soft surge of irritation she felt. These days, irritation came more quickly to her. It had to be tied to the Toral ring, the power within it and the darkness it brought, but she worried about why she would continue to feel such irritation, especially toward Char. There was be no reason for her to be upset with him.
“You still haven’t told me what exactly you were looking for,” he said.
Jayna pulled open the book she was looking at and flipped through the pages for a moment before setting it back on the shelf. It was another list of inventory, though this one seemed to be an inventory of enchantments. Something like that could be valuable in the right circumstances, but not right now—not when she didn’t have the time to devote to looking through it, and not when she didn’t know if there was anything else happening in the city. If she had time, then maybe she could return to the library to try to understand the enchantments and how they were tied to the founders of Nelar, the dular who had taken up positions of leadership.
“I told you I was looking into the founders of the Society. The twelve.”
“I don’t know if it’s only twelve who founded the Society,” he said.
“Maybe not,” she said.
“And you still haven’t told me why that’s important.”
“There’s something more taking place within the city, something beyond dark magic us, but I don’t know exactly what it is.”
“Which is not at all helpful.” Char offered a hint of a smile. “It seems to me you’re trying to force me to help you, but you aren’t giving me any sort of information nor any reason to keep being helpful.” He paused, leaning on the shelf, one hand pushing a book into it. “What did you learn? Something triggered you to come over here,” he said. “Otherwise, I doubt you would’ve bothered to come looking for my help.”
“I would have come for your help regardless,” she whispered.
“Maybe eventually,” he said. “But something else happened—something that has you worried.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not going to keep looking unless I know more about what it is and why you’ve been upset.”
“I’m not upset with you.”
“But you’re still upset.”
Jayna needed to share with him. Maybe he could help her.
He’d been digging into Eva, and she understood the Ashara would help her with the other part of her search. It was not just about understanding the twelve and trying to determine if they had truly founded the Sorcerers’ Society, nor was it only about trying to understand why Nelar would be the focus of magic.
“It’s about my friend,” she said quickly.
“I thought you wanted to wait to talk about that.”
“Do you want me to share with you or not?”
“Of course I do,” Char said quickly.
She waved her hand toward the bookshelf. “Then get looking.”
“Just like that?” Char asked.
“Well, if you want me to talk, then you’re going to work. I’ll keep talking as long as you keep working.”
“I see.”
He turned his attention back to the shelf and pulled books out. He looked through each one a little bit longer than she did.
“I really should have spent more time in here before you came,” Char said.
“I thought you did.”
“Not so much. I have the books I brought with me. Those have been my references along with the sorcerers here. I don’t really have time to spend in the library.”
Jayna looked around. “I don’t think anybody has had much time to spend in the library. Looks like it’s been abandoned.”
“It’s more likely that they have simply neglected organization over time,” Char said with a smile.
“As I said before, it’s too bad they haven’t organized it better.”
“And it’s too bad you haven’t started telling me about your friend.” He paused, leaning on the shelf.
Jayna shook her head. “Eva and I met about a year ago. I found her on the roadside and offered her what help I could.”
“None of that is new information,” Char said.
“I’m starting there because I think it’s important for us to get on the same page, as it were,” she said, looking at the books all around her. “When I first encountered her, I thought she was injured. I told you I had attempted to heal her.”
“You did,” Char said. “You also said you didn’t know how injured she was.”
“I didn’t. I still don’t. I don’t know anything about Eva, other than what she has done with me in the time we’ve been together.”
“She’s helped you though.”
Jayna nodded quickly. “She has helped me. That’s what I keep trying to tell her, especially when she gets lost . . .”
“What do you mean, ‘she gets lost’?”
“I’ve been struggling with trying to help her. She has gaps in her memory. It’s amazing some of the things she does recall, some of the ways she can—”
Char grinned at her. “You can go ahead and say it. The way she uses her magic.”
“Fine. The way she uses her magic. I don’t really understand all of the power she has, but I know it’s different from anything I’ve ever seen before—even since I’ve left the Academy.”
“She uses smoke and heat,” he said.
“Something like that.”
“It’s exactly that,” Char said. “I’ve seen the smoke, Jayna. I’ve seen the way she uses it. She can control it.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how she calls on that magic, but . . .”
“Blood,” Jayna said softly.
“What?”
She nodded. “It’s her blood. She has enchantments, or something similar to them, that she uses to pierce her palms. When she does, she bleeds, and that blood drips on the ground, turns to smoke, and she controls it.”