“I’ll try.”
He retrieved a slip of parchment from a pocket. “Here’s the spell.”
She looked at him in surprise. “Did you plan this?”
“Not in any nefarious way,” he said easily. “I had a wee think back in my study whilst I was making your coins and suspected this might come in handy. I’m unfamiliar with Seannair’s safeguards, so I thought it best that I not even whisper the words of any spell lest even that identify me.”
She supposed she didn’t need to point out that Prince Astar might already have rushed off to find his grandfather and tattle, so perhaps all she could do was set aside her unease and do what needed to be done.
She followed him across the beginnings of the library shelves to a deep-set window. She took the paper he handed her and looked at what he’d written.
“Four words,” he said. “Drop the appropriate name—you know which one—right in the middle, and there you have it.”
She read them to herself and was absolutely appalled to realize they made perfect sense to her. She looked at Acair, open-mouthed.
He smiled. “You see.”
“I do.”
“Try it, then, and let’s see what comes of it.”
She took a deep breath, forced down a vague feeling of dread, then repeated the words, inserting Sladaiche’s name where Acair had told her it should go.
She was certain the whole library would come down on top of them and bury them, but she only heard a handful of books drop in the distance and a trio right next to where they were standing. It definitely could have been worse.
She realized only then that she had actually used a spell that had done what she’d asked it to without any complaint. She felt a little ill, but she supposed that might have been from the magic, not from her surprise.
Acair bent and picked up a thick tome that she was rather glad hadn’t fallen on her head, then frowned at her.
“Headache?”
“Stomachache, rather,” she said, putting her hand over her belly.
“That’s dwarvish magic for you,” he noted. “Brutal stuff, even the most pedestrian of spells, which that one was not despite its length. Do you want to sit?”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Is that anything interesting?”
“Nerochian Axioms for Healthful Living. Heavy, of course, so it doubles as a means of rendering one senseless before the cover must be opened.”
She smiled. “You aren’t serious.”
“I’m not.” He squinted at the title, then handed it to her. “’Tis a lexicon, which I’m guessing will be just as dull as the other would have been. We’ll have a look at it though. If you can fetch the other stragglers here, I’ll go find what I heard fall in the distance.”
She nodded, holding the book close to her.
He smiled and leaned closer to kiss her quickly. “That was very well done, darling.”
She watched him walk away and could scarce believe she’d managed to do what she’d needed to. She was half tempted to make werelight, just for the sheer sport of it.
She refrained, though, because she feared she might just burn the place down in her enthusiasm.
She picked up the other two books lying there on the carpet, then made her way across to a shadowy spot near the fireplace to wait. It was unsettling to be touching something that Sladaiche of a place yet to be named had apparently touched at some point in the past, so she set them down on the floor and waited.
It was only moments later that Acair found her, his hands full of other books. He stopped next to her, then apparently caught sight of her expression.
“What is it?” he asked carefully.
“You were right,” she said. “He was here.”
“I’m as surprised as you are,” he admitted. “I knew it. Damn that Soilléir. He could have done this himself.”
“I don’t think he had put that name to that mage, though. Remember his surprise in the glade?”
“I daresay I’ve forgotten most of that morning and that is on purpose. There’s a corner over there near that library ladder that looks discreet enough. You can try your werelight and we’ll see what we have here.”
She happily settled in on the floor with him, as hidden as possible, and took a deep breath before she used the spell of Fadaire he’d pinched from Sìle of Tòrr Dòrainn. Perhaps it was the magic knit into her forearm that made it work so well, but she had no trouble with it and it didn’t even give her a headache.
“You are a wonder.”
She felt herself blush. “I’m trying not to think about it. I was half afraid I would burn the library down.”
“I don’t think Fadaire would do that to you,” he said with a smile. “Well, we have seven books, an interesting number on even the most ordinary of days. Let’s divide and conquer.”
“I don’t know what to look for,” she protested.
“I’m not sure I do either, but why don’t you keep those two and I’ll look through these. I suppose we’re simply looking for pages that aren’t there.”
She shivered. “How did he get in, do you think?”
“That is a very good question,” he said. “An equally interesting question is when.” He turned to her. “Soilléir didn’t say exactly when the theft had occurred, did he?”
“I wasn’t at my best,” she said slowly, “but nay, not that I remember.”
He sighed deeply. “I’m not sure knowing that would have changed things. I’m guessing once Soilléir discovered the threat, he encouraged his grandfather to put up some sort of safeguards.” He looked at her in surprise. “You know, now that I think about it, that may very well be the case.”
“What do you mean?”
He rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m an idiot. He put that spell over the entire country two decades ago. Before then, it was an open secret that Seannair hardly knew who came and went. He’s famous for hiding his crown in a bloody bin of dried beans, which left his kitchens ransacked more than once.”
“As well as this library?”
He shook his head. “Nay, it has always been a bit difficult to get into.”
“You would know, of course.”
“Of course,” he said with a smile.
“But what about Prince Soilléir’s spells?” she asked. “Were they just left lying about?”