17. Paige

17

PAIGE

A ries grips my hand, and we both spin, scanning for Constantine among the stacks. But he's nowhere in sight, and the portal itself is gone—sealing us inside. A chill runs down my spine as I realize we've been cut off from Astronia and the others still fighting there.

Now, it's just me and Aries—and Constantine, wherever he is.

The air in the Athenaeum crackles with tension, thick and oppressive. The once-grand library is now a twisted labyrinth of darkened corridors and malevolent shadows. The walls, lined with books that contain the stories of countless worlds, seem to close in on us, each step forward echoing in the eerie silence.

"I can portal us out," I say quickly. "Back to the battle."

"No." Aries' voice is tight. "If we go back, he'll only follow, and more people will get hurt."

He's right, but fear holds me still.

He tugs on my hand, drawing my gaze to his. "You can do this."

I nod, not trusting my voice.

"Where is he hiding? The cavern?"

I shake my head. "He's close. I can feel it."

"Then let's find him and finish this," Aries snarls, his voice a low growl as his eyes scan the shadows. His dragon is close to the surface; I can feel it through our bond—his anger, his desperation. His rage.

I use it to fuel my own—and to chase away the fear that threatens. Leo's words ring out in my head: It's not about being fearless. It's about facing the threat, anyway.

We make our way slowly.

Constantine's presence is everywhere, his dark magic seeping into the very fabric of the library. The once-vibrant tapestries now hang in tatters, and the shelves, once meticulously organized, are now chaotic with books scattered and torn, their pages fluttering as if caught in an invisible wind.

Some of those pages are blank now.

I try not to think about what that means for the worlds that used to be written there.

The Athenaeum, once a place of knowledge and sanctuary, is now a battlefield.

As much as it makes my heart ache, I force myself to see past the mark Constantine has left on this place—to the memory of what it was before. What it could be again. A protector and keeper of stories. A sanctuary. A beating heart where all the worlds collide and exist as one.

The Athenaeum is more than just a building. Or she was before Constantine invaded her and stole her spirit.

Maybe I can steal it back.

"We need to find the heart of the library," I realize.

"Do you think that's where he went?"

"I don't know, but I have an idea."

Aries frowns, and I know every part of him wants to rush toward the monster, but he nods, trusting me. "Okay, how do we find it?"

I wince. "I'm not sure. I only ever visited there in a vision the library showed me. But I know it's the source of magic for this place. And if he hasn't siphoned it all away, it might give me the boost I need to defeat him."

But Aries doesn't scoff at my answer. He squeezes my hand. "Can you re-create it from your vision? Use your magic to get us inside?"

I nod, swallowing the fear that rises in my throat. "I can try."

Before I get that far, movement has us both whirling.

A blur of black cloak vanishes around the corner of the stacks. Books fly toward us, their pages ruffling as something emerges from inside them. A long, scaly body wraps around my wrist. Aries' sword slashes against it, cutting the snake in two.

It falls to the ground at our feet, still writhing, its viscous blood burning holes in the books it touches. The scent is vile, clogging my nostrils as the blood runs along the floor at our feet.

"Poison," I choke.

"Get back," Aries says, pulling me to safety.

I thrust my magic out, and the blood and snake vanish as I re-create the book back to its original form. A pile of unmarked, unbound paper. Their edges flutter in the wake of the magic's force.

I stare at it, stunned.

"No," I breathe.

"What's wrong?" Aries asks.

He looks left and right, no doubt searching for another threat.

But I'm the only threat standing here now.

Aries eventually glances at me, but I can't answer him. The poison might be gone, but so is the story it came from. An entire world—wiped from existence. Because of me.

Nausea rolls through my stomach.

I swallow, trying not to be sick at the thought of what I've just done.

Constantine's laugh echoes through the darkened halls, a low, sinister sound that sends a chill down my spine. "So brave, little mage," he taunts, his voice seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "You think you can defeat me? In my own domain?"

Aries looks over at me, his expression blazing with fury.

"Paige, the library's core. Can you get us there?" he asks sharply.

"I think so." My magic hums just beneath my skin, itching to be unleashed, but I'm afraid—afraid of what Constantine might do and afraid of what it might cost to stop him.

Then again, if we do nothing, every one of these books will be empty soon.

I take a deep breath.

My magic swirls to life the moment I call on it.

And just as quickly, I can feel it being drained.

Doing my best to hang on, I use it to recreate my vision of the library's central hub. There's no portal this time, no doorway to step through to take us there. Instead, the stacks around us fade away, replaced with the chamber I remember standing inside with Athenaeum herself.

The day she named me Hoc's successor.

The day she revealed herself to me as the library's spirit.

I blink and look around.

The heart of the library is a vast chamber, its ceiling soaring into darkness. The first time I stood here, everything was lit in bright white, but now gray shadows press in from all sides. In the center of the room is a table. On it lies a massive, ancient tome, glowing with an eerie, pulsating light.

And there, standing before the strange book, is Constantine.

His presence is overwhelming, a dark shadow that seems to suck the little bit of light from the room. His eyes, glowing with a malevolent gleam, fix on me with a hunger that makes my blood run cold.

"You think you can stop me?" he sneers, lifting his hand. Dark tendrils of magic spiral out from his fingertips, lashing toward me like living snakes.

I barely have time to react. I throw up a barrier, but it shatters under the force of his attack, the impact sending me sprawling to the ground. Pain explodes in my head as I hit the cold, stone floor, and for a moment, everything goes black.

"Paige!" Aries' voice cuts through the haze, filled with panic.

I force myself to sit up, my vision swimming. Constantine's magic presses down on me, suffocating, and I struggle to breathe, to think.

"You are nothing," Constantine hisses, his eyes locked on me as he advances. "A child playing with forces beyond your understanding. Did you really think you could challenge me?"

My heart pounds in my chest, each beat a reminder of how close I am to losing everything. I reach out, trying to draw on my magic, but it feels distant, sluggish, as if Constantine's darkness is sapping it away.

Desperate, I reach for the library's magic, trying to draw from whatever's left. But there's nothing here. Only us and that strange book in the center of it all—pulsing as if alive.

"Get away from her!" Aries roars, and in an instant, he's between us, his body a protective shield. His eyes blaze with fury, the dragon within him barely contained.

Constantine's smile widens, his gaze shifting to Aries. "Ah, the dragon prince stripped of his birthright from his own people. So noble, so foolish." He flicks his wrist, and a wave of dark energy slams into Aries, knocking him back.

"No!" I scream, struggling to my feet. But before I can do anything, Constantine turns his attention back to me, his magic tightening around my throat, lifting me off the ground.

I gasp and kick, clawing at the invisible force choking me, my vision darkening at the edges. Constantine's eyes gleam with sadistic pleasure as he watches me struggle.

"This is the end for you, little mage," he whispers, his voice a deadly promise.

I can feel my strength slipping away, my magic fading as the darkness closes in. I'm going to die here, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

But then, through the haze of pain and fear, I hear Aries' voice filled with raw, desperate fury. "Let her go!"

Constantine merely laughs.

In the next instant, the entire chamber is engulfed in flames. Aries has unleashed his dragon fire, the intense heat and light searing through the darkness. The flames roar to life, consuming everything in their path.

Constantine's grip on me falters as he reels back, his dark magic retreating in the face of the dragon's fire. I drop to the ground, gasping for breath, as the inferno rages around us.

But the fire is uncontrollable, wild. It spreads across the floor, up the walls. The chamber vanishes, and the library itself returns as the vision I created bleeds away. A mirage only. We never left the stacks. And now, Aries' fire licks across the shelves, lighting the books—incinerating everything.

"No!" I scream, rushing forward, but the flames drive me back again.

The heat singes my clothes, my fingers. The smoke steals my breath, clogging my lungs.

The library is burning, the ancient tomes turning to ash in the flames.

"Aries, stop!" I cry, but he's beyond hearing, his dragon's rage unleashed in full force. I can see the anguish in his eyes, desperation driving him to destroy.

A beam above my head breaks loose, crashing to the ground near my feet.

The library is collapsing around us, the very foundation of the Athenaeum crumbling as the fire consumes it. Constantine, though wheezing, laughs—a chilling sound that echoes through the burning chamber.

"You think fire will stop me?" he sneers, but there's an edge of fear in his voice now, his eyes flickering with uncertainty as the flames close in on him. His shield is weakening.

My magic surges as it returns to me.

He's stopped draining me at last.

This is my chance.

Before I can attack him, another beam falls from the ceiling, this one larger, structural. It crashes down between me and Aries, cutting off my path to him. The heat is unbearable, the flames licking at my skin, and I know that if I don't move, I'll be trapped.

But there's nowhere to go. The fire is everywhere, closing in, suffocating.

And then I see it—a shadow moving through the flames, coming toward me. Constantine's eyes gleam through the smoke, his hand reaching out, and I know that this is it. I'm out of time, out of options.

Just as his fingers brush my skin, everything goes white-hot, and I scream as the world around me explodes in fire and light.