Chapter 252
Ellie’s POV
The restricted section was tucked behind a heavy door at the far end of the library’s upper floor, sealed with a lock that required the pass to be handed to the librarian on duty before she would let you through.
The room beyond wasn’t large. It smelled like old paper and leather, and the shelves were packed tightly from floor to ceiling with books that looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. Some of them didn’t have titles on the spines at all. A single window let in a narrow strip of afternoon light, illuminating dust motes floating in the golden shaft.
I started at the left wall and worked my way around.
Most of what I found in the first pass wasn’t useful. A lot of it was did pack law, territorial records, documentation of wars that had been fought and borders that had shifted. There were a few texts on wolf biology that looked ancient enough to predate anything currently taught at the academy, and one very large, very unlabeled book that turned out to be entirely in a language I didn’t recognize.
I moved on.
It took me the better part of an hour before I found anything remotely relevant. It was on the lowest shelf of the back wall, spine cracked and faded to the point where the title was barely legible. I crouched down and pulled it out halfway to get a better look.
On the Matter of Souls: Death, the Afterlife, and Everything Between
“Seems useful,” I muttered to myself and pulled it out.
It was heavier than it looked. The cover was dark green, the papers gone yellow with age, and when I cracked it open, dust came flying up that made me cough and wave my hand in front of my face. The first page had a beautiful illustration of Death on it, although the ink had browned. I turned carefully to the table of contents and ran my finger down the list.
There were many chapters on various topics surrounding death. Eventually, I spotted one chapter labeled “ Religious Reincarnation”. Seemed like a good start as any, and by that point, the library was about to close.
I tucked the book under my arm and left. The librarian shot me a strange look as I checked out that book, but she didn’t stop me.
“Make sure this is back by the end of the week,” she said, sliding the book back to me. “Any damage will come directly out of your student stipend.”
I nodded, thanked her, and, unfortunately, had to head home.
The house was quieter than usual when I got back. I came in through the front and nearly made it to the stairs before I heard Dominic’s voice from the sitting room.
“Ellie. Come here for a moment.”
I stopped and considered pretending I hadn’t heard him, then thought better of it and dragged my feet over to the doorway.
The sitting room had two occupants. Dominic was standing near the fireplace with his arms crossed. And
1/2
+30 Bonus
beside him, perched on the edge of the armchair with her hands folded in her lap, was a woman I had never seen before in my life.
I paused in the doorway.
She looked up at me and smiled. She was maybe a few years older than me, dark-haired, with a pleasant enough face and very attentive eyes. The kind of attentive that made me feel like I was under a microscope.
“Ellie, this is Mara,” Dominic said. “She’ll be staying in the house. As your handmaid.”
I stared at him. “My what?”
“Your handmaid. She’ll accompany you when you leave the property, help manage your schedule, and assist with anything you need.”
I looked at Mara again. She was still smiling. I had the sudden and very distinct feeling that she had been briefed on me already, because there was nothing surprised or uncertain in her expression.
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