“If it hadn’t been for Sankesh’s betrayal, Rahaim and his son wouldn’t have had to flee the city. I feel sorry for his granddaughter, little Serra. I saw her once. She was cheerful, like a flower that had somehow sprouted from the sand...”
This time, Hadjar was unable to avoid cutting himself. A myriad of thoughts flashed through his head. They clumped together, rushed around, took sharp turns, and rammed themselves against the walls of his skull, giving him a headache.
Emerging from a whirlpool of his wild theories, Hadjar clung to the only sure knowledge he had — Serra wasn’t human. She was the key to the library of Mage City.
“Rahaim raved about Mage City his entire life.” Ramukhan put a blade of grass in his mouth. He chewed it, grimaced, and then spat it out. “In the Pearl, thou
