The first scream came from behind the shelves.
I turned toward the sound just as a masked figure emerged from the darkness, a curved blade glinting in one hand. Another followed close behind, then a third, all dressed in black with their faces hidden beneath dark cloth marked by a silver symbol.
Damien moved before I could breathe.
“Get behind me!”
He struck the first attacker hard enough to send him crashing against a stone pillar, then turned to block the second man’s blade. Steel rang through the archive, the sound echoing beneath the domed ceiling as the two men fought for control of the narrow passage.
Garran drew the short sword hidden beneath his coat and rushed to Damien’s side. Yselle grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the central table just as another attacker lunged t
