Page 61 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

Sage turned when she realized she was alone. “You coming?”

I swallowed, making myself move. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Chapter 20

Sage

This library was no joke. I expected a small storefront like the others had been. Instead, I was met with a massive building that looked almost like a castle. Spires curled into the sky on either side and the large set of black doors loomed, taller than even Shadowhart.

When they opened, the inside was filled with light from a large arched window in the back, containing a stunning view of the ocean beyond the port that I pretended were paintings. The sky was a vibrant blue dotted with clouds. Sunbeams danced from the ocean waves.

Before everything happened, I used to love the ocean. It was beautiful, but even beauty could be dangerous.

Rows and rows of shelves seemed to go on forever, and when I looked up, I could see half floors with shelves all along the edges and walkways stretching the length of them, creating a web directly above.

“Let’s find Bramwell first,” Shadowhart said, snaking down a row, on a mission now.

I felt a bit bad he was so loaded with things that weren’t his—save for the plant I’d thrust onto him. He didn’t seem to mind as he pressed on, even as the bags crinkled with every movement in the very quiet space.

We found Bramwell on the second floor, a stack of books already by his side.

“Find anything?” Shadowhart asked as we approached.

He glanced up, his eyes first finding the contents of Shadowhart’s arms.

I thought he might say something, but he was all business. “A few I think might prove helpful. There’s a whole section on ancient metalworks we should check.”

Shadowhart nodded, in full captain mode. “They will be the most useful, so two of us will search there,” he said. “Sage, could you check in the children’s section?”

I lifted my brow. “Children’s? Anything specific?”

“Classics,” he specified. “All fables stem from somewhere. There might be some truth in one of them.”

I wanted to be distrustful in the reasoning, but then I remembered Bramwell said the same thing when we were studying. “I can do that.”

“Let’s meet back at the table in an hour,” he said.

I nodded and strode off, holding up my skirts as I weaved through the small shelves. This place looked very open because of the atrium, but once you were inside, it was like a maze. And everything was sorted into the most specific categories.

Dragonology: How to Fire Breathe

At-Home Remedies for Magic Mites

How to Fire Breathe (NOT for Dragons)

And the further I got into the shelves, the harder I found it to get out. For a few moments, I worried that I’d just be... trapped in here forever. Until they found me in the Cooking Stews, Soups, and Chilis Without Accidentally Brewing a Potion section with nothing but my bones and this accursed necklace.

After a left at Contemporary Commentary on the Sixth Continental Negotiations and a right at Frogs and their Spotted Coloration Definitions, I was spit out near the upstairs rail around the atrium.

I wasted no time sticking close to it and following it around to the landing, where thankfully, there was another staircase that led me right down and towards a desk.

The fae woman behind it had her hair pushed up in a high bun that was neat as a pin, leafing through a book of her own on the counter.

“Hello,” I said.

Her eyes barely flicked up from her reading, peering at me from over her crimson scale-shaped glasses, perfectly matching her lipstick. It made me wonder if she had a pair of glasses for every lip shade.

“Can I help you?” she asked, like she had no real intention to help me.