Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
“This feels wrong.”
I look around, taking in the vibe of the place. “Yeah. Can’t say I disagree. Let’s just get it over with and leave. We’ll be back at the train station in ten minutes and we’ll never have to come here again.”
She looks at me, nodding, but she’s apprehensive.
“You wanna wait here?” I ask. “I can do it alone.”
“No. This place is creepy. Don’t you think it’s creepy?”
I shrug, looking around. “I mean, I wouldn’t call it cozy but they’ve all been creepy, Jasina.”
She sighs. “You’re right. I think my imagination is just getting the better of me.” Then she turns back to the stairs and starts climbing again.
It only takes a few minutes to reach the top, and here we pause. Pressing our ears against the door. We have no idea what time it is, whether it’s day or night, or whether or not the Extraction Master is on the other side of this door sitting at his desk or doing something in the Looking Glass room, so we always listen.
Jasina shakes her head. “I don’t hear anything.”
I nod, agreeing. “Me either.” Then turn the handle and push forward just a tiny crack.
It’s completely dark inside. No sound. Nothing.
But we pause here anyway, just to make sure.
After several minutes, Jasina touches my arm. “I think it’s empty.”
I think she’s right, so I push the door open with more force, making the bookcase inside swing open. But it gets caught on something about a foot in, refusing to budge any further. “There’s something blocking it,” I say.
She squeezes past me, easing her body sideways through the door, then stares at the ground.
“What is it?” I ask. “What’s blocking the door?”
She bends over, picking something up. Then holds it in front of the door so I can see it. “Books.”
But the one in her hand isn’t just any book. It’s the book.
The Godslayer and his Courtesan.
8 - JASINA
Ihold up the book, showing it to Finn as my mind races with questions. “What is this doing here?”
Finn pushes against the door now that he knows it’s just books in the way, forcing it open a few more inches—enough to squeeze his body through sideways. He looks down at the pile of books, then back up at me. “It was on the shelf, I guess.”
“Yeah, obviously. It’s been on the shelf in every single Extraction Tower.”
My brow furrows. “Has it?”
“Yeah, I’ve checked. This book has been following me ever since my first day in the Little Sister dorm. I found it on a shelf there too. Then up in your tower, and it’s been in every tower we’ve blown up so far.”
He shrugs. “OK. So what’s the big deal?”
“What’s the big deal? The big deal is that it’s weird. Why is this book in all the towers?”
He cracks a smile, trying to lighten the mood because I’m acting… weird. “Because it’s about us, Jasina. It’s our history.”
“Well,” I frown. “That’s weird, right? I mean, these stories are about the most infamous couple in all of history. A couple that contributed to the downfall of pretty much everything. And this isn’t the story book, Finn. It’s an actual history. I’ve read some of it. It’s like… scholarly. Why would it be required reading for Extraction Masters?”
Now he just sighs. “I dunno. I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never even read the stories. I mean, I’ve heard of them. I know the basics. But I don’t have any answers for you.”
“I’m keeping this copy,” I tell him, tucking it into the makeshift hip sling. “I’m going to figure this mystery out.”
Finn just grins back at me like I’m cute. “You do that. But it’s a pretty serious book. What is it? Four hundred pages? I bet it’s fine print too, isn’t it?”
“So?”
“It’s gonna be heavy.”
“I don’t care. There’s something weird about this book.”
He offers me his hand. “You know what?”
I take it and let him pull me close to him. It’s still very thrilling to think that I’m the courtesan of the Tau City Extraction Master and that he and I are on a real mission to save the Spark Maidens. “What?” I ask.
“I think it’s perfect that you want to read that history book. Because if you’re gonna be a Tau City scholar’s wife, you’ll have to have your own research. And this is it.”
It also thrills me when he talks about our future. I’m not stupid. I know I’m just a fill in for the woman he truly loves and no amount of trying to convince me otherwise will ever change that. But Clara is gone. For good. Like, she’s never coming back and is most likely dead.
And that is enough for me.
Maybe it’s not entirely true, this love he’s professing.
But it’s true enough for now.
He puts an end to this conversation with a kiss. Not anything sloppy or demanding, just a really small one. The kind of kiss your lover gives you in a moment of encouragement.