Nelek instinctively clutched the books to his chest. “Magus Silvanus, always a pleasure to see you.” The librarian didn’t sound pleased in the least; he sounded terrified.

So this was Carnades Silvanus, senior mage on the Seat of Twelve, Ailia Aurillac’s faculty advisor, and parental brownnoser.

I sensed Vegard and Riston come to reluctant attention behind me. They had to. The Guardians’ main duty was the protection of the archmagus and the mages of the Seat of Twelve.

Silvanus was as tall as Mychael, which put the top of my head level with his jaw. He looked down on me—in more ways than one. I’ve always made it a point not to dislike someone on first sight, but I was willing to make an exception for this one. Gleaming against the black silk of his robes, a mirrored disk dangled at the end of a silver chain. A high elf and a mirror mage—no wonder I didn’t like him.

“You must be Raine Benares, the seeker we’ve heard so much about.” Silvanus smiled, revealing perfect teeth. The smile was as fake as the charm he tried to put into his voice. “I’m Carnades Silvanus.”

He extended his hand for mine, palm up, his long fingers slightly curled. He was going for a hand kiss, not a handshake. I was brought up to believe that it’s rude not to shake someone’s hand. I was also brought up to trust my instincts. The touch of a hand was all it took for some mages to assess another’s magical strengths or weaknesses. I didn’t want Carnades Silvanus knowing either of mine.

I inclined my head; I tried for gracious. “Magus Silvanus.”

He left his hand out a moment longer, then slowly lowered it, never taking those arctic eyes from mine. “I understand you’re assisting the city watch in their investigation of Ailia Aurillac’s disappearance.”

“I understand it’s a kidnapping.”

“So it appears. Have you made any progress in your investigation?” he asked politely.

“The paladin and chief watcher are aware of my findings. Since the investigation is ongoing, I can’t discuss them publicly.”

His smile was back. “But you are a private consultant— and I’m hardly the public.”

“The paladin or chief watcher will have to determine who knows my findings.” I tried a fake smile of my own. “That decision’s not mine to make. I’m only a consultant on this case and a guest on this island.”

“My apologies, Mistress Benares. I meant no offense. I merely asked out of concern for Miss Aurillac’s safe return.”

“We’re all concerned about that. I understand you’re her faculty advisor.”

“I am. Miss Aurillac is a splendid young lady and one of our top scholars.”

I glanced at his mirror pendant. “So her specialty is mirror magic?”

“Ailia is gifted in many areas and has yet to choose a specific area of study. But yes, one of them is mirror magic.”

“And the others?”

“She has an interest in spellsinging and alchemy.”

I snorted to myself. Like her daddy’s coffers didn’t have enough gold. I’ll bet I knew what he wanted her to major in.

“I want to thank you for what you did in the square yesterday,” Silvanus said. “I was on that stage. Your skills are very impressive—your strength even more so.”

“You’re welcome.” Thanks was the last thing I expected from him. It’s been my experience that if one hand is extending an olive branch, the other hand is about to stab you in the back. “I’m glad I was there to help.”

Carnades saw the books in Nelek’s hands. “Ah, Rudra Muralin’s journal. I understand you’ve been studying all afternoon, Mistress Benares. Study is admirable.”

One of my hands curled into a fist, ready to fight for that journal if I had to. “You’re familiar with Muralin’s works?”

“I have a keen interest in goblin history. It’s a hobby of mine.”

“An elf studying goblin history. That’s unusual.”

“Understanding your enemy is the first step to defeating him. Education is the key to that, not ignorance. We bury our past at our peril.”

I could add bigot to the list of reasons why I didn’t like Carnades Silvanus.

“My interest is academic,” Silvanus said. “What is your interest?”

“The same as yours,” I shot back smoothly. “Education.”

A boom shattered the silence and I almost jumped out of my skin. A black-robed librarian quickly bent and scooped up the massive book that had landed flat on the marble floor.

I felt the barest touch on my wrist. Silvanus.

My memories of the past week flashed through my mind in an instant.

I reacted instinctively, which meant in the next instant Silvanus’s hand was twisted at what I knew to be a painful angle. Any hand that touched me without permission got treated the same way; it didn’t matter if he was man or mage. No means no.

Vegard and Riston weren’t at attention anymore, and I think Nelek was about to faint. I held up my other hand indicating that they should not interfere. To my surprise, they stayed put.

“I’m not that kind of girl,” I told Silvanus quietly. “If you have a question for me, ask it.”

The mage’s breath came in a pained hiss. “You’re infected with that filthy goblin rock.”

I leaned in close. “And you’re rude. You don’t touch anyone with a questing spell. If I wanted you to know my memories, I’d tell you.”

Silvanus thought a word. It wasn’t a very nice word. I’d also been called worse before.

Neither one of us moved or blinked. After another moment or two, I released Silvanus’s hand and took a step back. I liked Vegard and Riston, and I didn’t want them to magically bite off more than they could chew. Carnades Silvanus was the senior mage on the Seat of Twelve, and if the power I’d felt coming off him was any indication, my two Guardians would be in way over their heads. I didn’t want a fight. I wanted to take my books and get out of there.

Silvanus’s pale eyes glittered. “You are a danger to everyone on this island. You should be locked up—and I’m going to see to it that you are.”

With that, he turned and left, the heels of his boots echoing sharply on the marble floor.

Vegard stepped up beside me. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

I never took my eyes off of Silvanus’s retreating back. “Never been better.”

The big Guardian shifted uneasily. “If anything happens to Justinius Valerian, he’s in charge.”

That was one more scary thought.

“We try to take really good care of the old man,” he assured me.

Silvanus’s silk robes swept around the corner. I kept my eyes on the spot. “Let me know if I can help.”

Lucan Kalta’s meeting must have ended early. He was waiting for us at the front desk. Nelek’s good friend must have been the sick-looking librarian standing behind Kalta.

Crap.

On the upside, Carnades Silvanus couldn’t lock me up until Lucan Kalta unpeeled me from the ceiling. I glanced up. The student wasn’t on the ceiling anymore, which left plenty of room for me, my inner pessimist chimed in.

I turned to Nelek. “Give me the books. I’ll take it from here.”

His eyes went enormous under his spectacles. He presented the books to me like I was condemned and the books were my last meal.

I sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s not going to be pretty.”

I turned and stepped up to the desk and Lucan Kalta. “I would like to check out these two books for the paladin.”

Kalta smiled. I’d never thought of Death as the smiling sort, but give this guy a scythe, set him at the gates of the lower hells, and no one would know the difference.

“I understand checking out books for the paladin is done quite often,” I said reasonably. “As I’m sure you know, the paladin is a busy man.”

Kalta’s smile broadened and he held up two sheets of paper. I recognized them.

The chief librarian leisurely glanced at one, then the other. “Let’s see, Mistress Benares. The first is a letter from the paladin granting you access to the Scriptorium. The second is the list of the books the paladin requested that you see.” He carefully folded both pages and put them in the envelope we’d brought them in. His black eyes narrowed gleefully. “Neither page mentions allowing you to remove any book from this Scriptorium.” He held out a skeletal hand. “The books, if you please.”