The Betrayal

The Sunken Library was a legend among the students. Located three stories beneath the main basement, it housed the books that were too dangerous to be read.

The air smelled of ozone and dust. Silence was mandatory here—the books were sentient. If you spoke too loudly, the *Grimoires of Wailing* would wake up and scream until your eardrums burst.

Elara and Kaelen moved through the stacks, hand in hand. The physical contact was necessary to keep the bond dormant in such a high-magic zone.

"Here," Kaelen whispered, pulling a black tome from a shelf. " *The Lineage of Wardens* ."

As he opened the book, a shadow detached itself from the end of the aisle.

"Hello, Kaelen," a smooth voice echoed.

Silas Vane stepped into the dim light. He was wearing his trademark leather gloves and a smile that didn't reach his eyes. In his hand, he held a jagged crystal that pulsed with a reverse light—a Nullifier.

"Silas?" Kaelen stepped in front of Elara. "What are you doing down here?"

"Finishing what the Bride-Seeker started," Silas said pleasantly. "You were supposed to die in the woods, Kaelen. A tragic suicide. Then I would step in as President. As Warden. I would control the seals."

"You summoned it," Elara hissed. "You sold your best friend out for power."

"I sold him out for *potential*," Silas corrected. "Kaelen is too weak. He maintains the seals. I want to open them."

Silas raised the crystal. "This is a Severance Stone. It doesn't break curses, but it dampens magical bonds for exactly sixty seconds."

Elara’s eyes widened. "No."

Silas crushed the stone. A wave of grey static washed over them.

The ring on Elara’s finger flickered and vanished. The pull in her chest disappeared.

"Run!" Kaelen shouted, shoving Elara back.

"Take him!" Silas commanded the shadows.

The darkness of the library surged. Tendrils of ink erupted from the books, wrapping around Kaelen’s ankles, his waist, his throat. They dragged him backward, away from Elara.

"Kaelen!" Elara lunged, but Silas backhanded her with a wave of telekinetic force. She slammed into a bookshelf, winding her.

"The bond is muted," Silas laughed. "He’s alone. And the Horror is hungry."

The shadows swallowed Kaelen. He didn't scream—he wouldn't give Silas the satisfaction—but Elara saw the terror in his eyes before he disappeared into the dark maze of the stacks.

The sixty seconds were ticking down.