CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Forty

[MAGGIE'S PoV]

The light of sunrise streaming through the library window mocked me nearly as much as the massive fortress of dusty books I'd built around myself. On the up side, my Luminous comprehension had greatly improved in the past several hours. But that was all the good news I had. I'd found nothing about portals to other worlds, and nothing about necklaces to summon or control them. It's too late, oh lord it's too late.

I pulled the pendant off my neck and stared intently at it for the millionth time since Favaro gave it to me. No matter how I held it, how intently I wished or how loudly I begged for it to reveal a way back home, nothing happened. No flicker of promising light, no swell of warmth that may indicate whatever magic lived inside it was working.

Nothing—there was nothing, and I was out of time. Today, my engagement to Casimir would be announced at a public ball. Today, someone would die by my hand.

Someone rounded the corner on my little fortress of solitude and let out a surprised "oh!" loud enough to jolt me. I jumped, knocking one of my book towers down in a noisy, dusty tumble.

The person set their own stack of books aside to help me gather mine, and I recognized them as Ander Kúreki. Casimir's cousin, the knight who'd ridden alongside Julian on the day of my arrival in Realta.

He regarded me warily over the half-moons of his glasses before recognition flashed across his face. "Ah, Lady Jacintha, I didn't quite recognize you outside of your usual finery." He looked me over once more, then added with a frown. "Stars, have you been here all night?"

I nodded, stifling a yawn. This, I realized, was the first time I'd actually heard Ander speak. His voice was somewhat deeper than I'd expected given his build, and it held an air of superiority I was used to hearing from Raini, but he didn't seem malicious.

"Couldn't sleep," I said.

His attention turned to the stack of books and an eyebrow rose. He didn't believe me, of course. I had far too many books on one singular subject to be here for any reason other than a desperate attempt for information. But instead of calling me on it he said, "You should probably get back to your room."

I tensed. It really was too late. While I'd given up on finding any useful information, I was hoping to at least have some more time in the solitude of the library to calm my nerves and resign myself to what I had to do. "Must I?"

Ander shrugged. "I've no control over what you do. But I'm sure his Highness will be looking for you soon, and lest you'd like him to have a heart attack thinking you've changed your mind and—" He paused, considered, then gestured to the table beside us. "Chess?"

Seven insultingly quick games later, my mind was finally off the approaching evening's events. "Thank you," I said, rising to stretch.

"Whatever for?" Ander mused, "I simply wanted a living person to test a few new strategies against— this just had the added bonus of potentially sending my dear cousin into a panic."

Of course my relief was short-lived. At the mention of Cas, dread came back in full force. I felt the cold press of the pendant under my nightgown. If I knew how it worked, maybe that would have been a reassurance. But without that knowledge, it felt like a chain. A cold, shimmering reminder of the deal I'd made. "Why don't you like Casimir?"

"Why don't you?" He countered neatly. His gaze flicked over me, and he rested his elbows on the table, head atop folded hands. "I have no intention of marrying him."

"I do like Cas," I answered, any friendliness leaving my voice. Maybe I'd been wrong. Maybe he was malicious.

"And that's why you spent all night reading books on poison, portal magic, and the existence of other realms?"