Chapter Text
The light spell on the desk illuminated just enough for Agott to keep her eyes on the reports. It swayed slightly from time to time, and the letters on the page seemed to sway with it, making focus difficult.
She let out a sigh.
It was late. She should have returned to her chamber by now. Her mother would disapprove of her staying up. But she would also disapprove if Agott failed to complete even simple report checks before tomorrow.
The later one seemed more heavy and impactful to Agott. So, even as most of the library workers had already left for their quarters, she remained behind, determined to finish quickly.
It was exhausting. Her body ached from hours of sitting, eyes growing heavy, words slipping from the page.
She leaned back into her chair, resting her head. Eyes closed briefly as she tried to sort her thoughts. Perhaps she could take the unfinished reports to her chamber and return them before anyone noticed. That seemed acceptable. At least she would not have to endure this stiff desk any longer.
Wind blew past her back, chilling her bones. If she remembered correctly, the window of the room had been closed. There should have been no way for the wind to enter.
She did not look back. She tipped her head over the back of the chair, her view of the room turning slightly upside down as she looked toward the window behind her.
The room was dark beyond the small circle of light cast by the spell. Within it, a human silhouette stood still. From her half-upright position, Agott could not make out its features.
The figure did not move. It seemed to have already noticed her presence.
It suddenly hit Agott what was happening. There was no way someone had stayed behind her. She had been the last one to leave. The guards outside would not have entered unnoticed through the window.
It was clearly an intruder.
Agott shot up from her chair, striking her stomach against the desk corner in the process. She caught herself on the edge of the desk, steadying her weight as she reached for the bell beside the stack of papers.
She could feel, without looking, that the intruder had moved.
Agott reached quickly for her cane, still standing beside the desk. Important papers were scattered across its surface. She could not afford to damage them.
She rang the bell and called for the guards. But her voice died in her throat as a hand pressed over her mouth, cutting the sound off before it could escape.
“Shhh. Be quiet,” the intruder said. It was a girl’s voice which somewhat felt familiar.
Slender fingers pressed firmly against Agott’s lips, tightening as she struggled against them. “I am only here for a small errand,” the intruder whispered.
Agott’s left hand tightened around her cane. In one sharp motion, she swung it backward, aiming to strike. She could not activate a spell. One wrong surge would destroy everything on the desk in an instant.
“Calm down,” the intruder girl said smoothly behind her, gently forcing Agott back into her chair.
“I am letting my hand go. Do not make any sound.” The pressure over Agott’s mouth eased slightly as the intruder loosened her grip.
Her heart pounded in her ribcage. Footsteps echoed outside her door. The hand moved up just as she was about to shout again.
A knock on the door.
“Lady Agott!” a male voice called out. It was the guard, Mr. Heather. He must have heard the bell. “You summoned me.”
“Oh my god,” the girl murmured, her hot breath brushing Agott’s neck. “Excuse him. I will take my leave quickly.” she urged, removing her hand from Agott’s mouth for the second time.
“I am done,” Agott replied, loud enough for Mr. Heather to hear. “You may leave.”
Mr. Heather was silent for a moment before answering, “As you say.” Footsteps faded down the corridor. Queue to his leave.
It was not that Agott could not fight back if someone attacked her. Even with her limp, she was capable. The problem was where she was right now. If she were to fight back (though the intruder showed no sign of attacking) she could not predict the damage it might cause.
“You startled me,” the girl huffed, leaning against the desk in front of Agott.
She could see the girl’s face now. She had seen her yesterday in the library, quietly absorbed in a book.
She looked different now. Yesterday, she had been in simple clothes with her hair tied back in a low ponytail. Now she wore a fitted gown and a brimmed hat.
A brimmed hat. Agott should report the presence of a fiend immediately. She said nothing in response to the girl’s sheepish excuse.
“I thought no one would be here by now,” the brimhat said.
“You are…” Agott murmured, her mind quickly scanning yesterday’s register of names from the library. “…Coco, are you not?”
Agott remembered her name. She had been the girl who helped Luma, her mother’s new apprentice, struggling with a glyph.
“You know my name!” Coco laughed softly.
“What do you want?” Agott asked, her hand still resting on her cane. This girl was dangerous. A brimmed hat should not be taken lightly.
“Want has nothing to do with it. I need it.”
Coco moved away from the desk, taking the light with her. Agott’s eyes followed her movement. She looked across the bookshelves, fingers brushing along the wood of the bookcase.
“I must ask you to leave at once,” Agott said, her voice as calm as she could make it. From her expression alone, one could not tell, but she was certainly anxious.
Coco stopped her hand over a book and looked back over her shoulder. She smiled, though it was not a kind one. It was the kind of smile that said she had already understood everything, and there was no need for further drama.
She walked back toward Agott, hands clasped neatly behind her back. Tilting her head slightly, she asked warmly, “Can you give me the key?” ignoring Agott’s warning.
“It would be unwise for you to attract the attention of the Knights of Moralis,” Agott warned, standing from her chair and steadying herself with a hand on the desk.
The key lay in the drawer. It was not the main archive. But it still granted access to certain valuables.
“I am aware,” Coco replied at once, meeting Agott’s gaze with her olive-green eyes. “However, you do not wish for any damage here either, do you?”
The brimhat witch held a small piece of paper in front of her, one hand still resting behind her back. A fire spell was drawn on it. Just a single dot away from completion.
At first glance, the girl did not appear threatening. If not for the brimmed hat, one might have mistaken her for someone gentle. Just by the serenity of her face.
“If you are not here to take anything,” Agott asked, taking the key from the drawer, “then why do you need the key?”
It was a wrong move.
The Tower of Tomes existed for knowledge. Anyone who had passed the third test could enter. There were no restrictions. They were allowed to seek whatever answers they came for.
Without doubt, Coco had passed as well. Or how could she cross the river? By law, she was permitted here. As the law stated, any witches with a hunger for knowledge were welcomed.
But there were also unwritten rules. Ones that had to be obeyed, because they upheld order. And Coco ignored them completely, appearing like a thief at midnight, asking for the key.
“Be assured, it is for no harm,” Coco said, taking slow steps toward her. The paper bearing the unfinished spell remained in her grasp.
“That sounds rather suspicious, brimhat,” Agott replied, her fingers tightening around the chatelaine.
Agott made a foolish decision. There were no forbidden magic books in that section of the library. Only the restricted records.
It would be safer to hand over the key than risk any damage that could spiral beyond her control. She simply could not allow that.