“No offense to your people, but they weren’t even looking in the right books. They don’t have a clue what they’re doing,” I said.
Arthur didn’t argue. Instead, he pulled up a chair beside me and started helping me sift through the books—the ones I knew would actually lead us somewhere.
A flicker of hope lit up inside me as I realized I was getting closer. Every page, every symbol, every half-forgotten ritual brought me one step nearer to home. All I could think about was Elias—what it would feel like to see him again, the look on his face when he saw me.
But alongside the excitement was a knot of fear. I knew he wouldn’t have handled this separation well. What if he hadn’t survived this long without me? The thought twisted my stomach. I didn’t know if I’d be able to live with that.
I t
