Constantine (Daughter of War #1)

Chapter 29: Unspoken Oath

To my surprise, there's no visible damage to the scrinaius.

I half-expected the shrine to have some sections reduced into rubble, but everything is as it was when Gilbert and I had first come here. Of course, all Diomedes had really done was slam me against the wall with a maelstrom. All the objects within the room are protected by barriers of some sort, I can probably assume—a mere gust of wind wouldn't destroy the area.

"I can't see anything," grumbles Allura. Very remiss of us to have not brought along one of the unlit torches in the passageway leading into the catacombs. At least we could've improvised and try to coax a fire. I open my mouth to suggest that she stay here while I go back for a torch, since I have far superior eyesight, only to be stopped short when she begins chanting.

Staring at her in bewilderment, I unconsciously become entranced by the steady, yet erratic way she pronounces the words. It's like water plunging off a cliff, crashing into the rocks below, wild and unyielding in its strength. Then, it slows, it smooths out, the torrent reduced into a steady trickle, one river separated into several channels. It's some ancient language that I cannot recognise. At the same time though, it seems familiar.

Then the room explodes with light.

Runic scripts glow into life before me, travelling all over the surface of the scrinaius, from the bookshelves cut into stone, to the ceiling depicting the origin story of Gaiatea. They shimmer with unearthly radiance, scrawling, blinding words of red, gold, blue and every colour imaginable, making me feel as though the stars from the Seventh Heaven themselves have descended upon me. I stare in awe, totally transfixed by the sight.

"What did you do?" I ask quietly, in fear that sudden loudness may break the spell.

Allura laughs lightly. "I just said a few phrases in Ancient Cambirian to activate the bindings, of course." She says it so easily, as though it was as simple as breathing. However, the marks swarming around me state otherwise. I don't know whether to be excited by the prospect of discovering something like this, or to be frightened by this ancient, untapped power, as old as the earth itself.

I back away from the scrinaius, contemplating to bolt away as fast as I can. Yet something about the runes soothe me, compelling me to stay. With my fear growing untethered, I cast a quick glance at Allura; she seems equally entranced as I am by the runes, not even noticing my panic. Only when I don't speak for a long time does she notice that something is amiss. She turns towards me with a frown. "What's wrong?"

Forcing out a laugh in attempt to disguise my trepidation, I say, "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to...this." I sweep my hand over the room; she fills in the blank immediately, giving me an understanding look.

"It must be overwhelming for you," she says absently, stating the obvious. Her eyes take on a distant, faraway look; she's reminiscing about something. "It was for me too."

"How did you know? About the spells here, I mean."

Her eyes flick back towards the glowing runes. "There are a lot of secrets in the library, many that you do not want to know." Her voice is soft, but her tone clearly indicates that she doesn't want me to dig any deeper. I give a curt nod; no one understands the need for privacy more than me, I think.

To distract myself from the gnawing fear in the pit of my stomach, I walk towards one of the bookcases, a hand reaching out to take out one of the books. The runes react to my touch, swarming to gather at where my skin meets stone. The air here is warm and liquid-like, how happiness would feel. However, it forms a solid barrier all the same, not allowing my finger to get into an inch's reach within the books.

"I'd expected that." Allura has walked to my side, solemnly bobbing her head. "You have necromancer blood, that's why they don't attack you. Unless you're going to cast the spell that breaks the barrier though, it won't allow you to touch the books."