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“Come now, Miss Brightminer. Let’s go home.”
The first thing Hali did when she returned to the bookshop was to draw a steaming hot bath in the copper tub that dominated her bathroom. She stripped out of her soot-stained clothes, wincing as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her face was streaked with tears and soot and blood, her curls a messy clump. She looked like she’d been through a war.
Well, in a way, she had.
She sank into the fragrant, frothy water, and let out a long, shuddering sigh. The heat of the water soothed her aching muscles, but it did nothing to ease the raw, gaping wound in her heart.
Hali scrubbed angrily at her face. She was not the kind of hero in the tales she so loved, after all. She was just Halizanth Brightminer, the bookbinder’s daughter, the lonely, stubborn, foolish old maid who lived in her books because the real world had never had much use for her.
She stayed in the bath until the water grew cold, and then she dragged herself to her feet and dried off. She tugged on a soft, worn nightgown, and made her way to the sitting room, where a fresh fire crackled in the hearth.
Sooty and Pippa were waiting for her, perched in her favorite armchair. Sooty held a steaming mug of tea, while Pippa clutched a tattered handkerchief in her beak.
“Oh, my dears,” Hali said, her voice a raw whisper. “I am so sorry. I know this must have been terribly frightening for you.”
Sooty snorted, and handed her the tea. “Please. I’ve been in more bar brawls than I can count. This was nothing.”
“Sooty,” Pippa scolded, but she didn’t look entirely convinced.
“I’m all right, truly.” Hali managed a watery smile. “But I fear things are only going to get more dangerous from here.”
“We can handle it, Miss Hali. We’ll face it together, just like always.”
Sooty’s words were a balm to her soul, but Hali saw the fear lurking in his eyes, in the tense set of his shoulders. He was brave, her dear Sooty, but he was still just a boy. He shouldn’t have to face the kind of darkness that was gathering on the horizon.
She reached out, and took his hand in hers. “I am so grateful to have you both at my side. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’ll never have to find out, Miss Hali,” Sooty said, his voice fierce.
They lapsed into silence, the crackle of the fire the only sound. Hali sipped her tea, the warm, fragrant blend of herbs and honey chasing away some of the chill that had settled deep in her bones. But the warmth was fleeting. Her heart still ached, a hollow, empty pain.
She needed to do something. To find a way to stop the Obsidian Circle, to save Osric from himself. But the truth was, she had no idea where to even begin.
She had spent her whole life lost in books, in stories of heroes and villains, of great quests and epic battles. But those were just stories, and she was no hero. She was just a lonely old bookbinder, with a head full of foolish dreams.
How was she supposed to fight against something like the Obsidian Circle? How could she hope to save Osric, when he didn’t want to be saved?
Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away, her gaze fixed on the flames. She would not let the darkness win.
But as she stared into the fire, the flames seemed to whisper to her, a sibilant, taunting hiss.
It’s already too late.
The shop was silent, the only sounds the fire and the hushed murmur of Sooty and Pippa. But then, just as Hali was about to answer him, a movement caught Sooty’s eye. He went rigid, his grip on Hali’s hand tightening.
“Sooty?” Hali began, but he was already on his feet, shoving her behind him.
“Someone’s out there.”
He moved toward the window, and Hali caught a glimpse of a dark shape outside. With a soft curse, Sooty dropped to the floor and extinguished the fire with a quick stomp. The shop was plunged into darkness, the only light the faint glow of the streetlamps outside.
“Get down,” Sooty hissed, and he and Pippa dropped to the ground.
Hali crouched down beside them. She could just make out the shape of Sooty’s dagger in his hand, the blade dark and deadly. He caught her eye, and gave her a quick nod.
The door creaked as the figure outside tried the handle. With a low growl, Sooty sprang forward.
“Stay away from her shop!” he shouted, and lunged at the intruder.
