The window to the library burst open as the pair of young girls jumped across the sill and onto the floor. Nyxith and Kavi slipped through the library, searching for any signs of life inside. Luckily, they found none before Nyxith turned on the light, illuminating wrought-iron balconies and elegant arches reminiscent of New Orleans' French Quarter. Darkness dulled the stained-glass windows, which shimmered with emerald and amethyst hues against the mahogany floors. Long, rich drapes cascaded from the ceiling, muffling the sound of the wind and creating an air of secrecy.
Kavi paused, gazing up at the towering shelves that reached into the abyss above, filled with volumes old enough that their spines cracked with the passing centuries. It was only their first night in the castle, and she was already eager to leave. The atmosphere felt too dark and frightening as she followed closely behind Nyxith, who didn't spare a glance as she walked through, seemingly searching for Kapri.
"Where is Lady Kaprice?" Kavi questioned. Nyxith paused, staring at a series of paintings along the wall. The gilded frames were intricate, each image depicting variants of Count Lirael—a demon with tattered moth wings and shimmering silver hair—his unreadable expression mirrored by a woman with hair just as silver, and then a man who looked exactly like her.
Nyxith tilted her head. "That must be Count and Countess Lirael," she said, and Kavi looked at her in confusion, wondering how a demon could resemble a human. "Many demons can transform into human forms."
"Really?" Kavi replied, surprised.
"Like Lord Dazriel. That's just a disguise to avoid frightening us. I heard his true form is far more ferocious, and demons take pride in their original appearance, but Lady Kaprice convinced him otherwise," Nyxith explained. "I'm curious why Countess Lirael has her disguise on display instead."
Kavi shrugged. "Maybe she fell in love with a human?"
Nyxith chuckled as she looked back. "She'd be a fool if she did."
They continued deeper into the library, and Kavi ran her hand along the spines of several books, whispering their titles as she went. "Essays on Demon Nobility…County Taxes Second Century…Governance of The People," she muttered. When she opened one, she found it completely tattered, as if it had been overused countless times. "Nothing useful, and Lady Kaprice still isn't here."
Nyxith crouched by a shelf of scrolls on demon genealogy and glanced over her shoulder at Kavi. "We have to find something about the disappearance of Our Lord's heart. Like Lady Kaprice said, our priority is survival, and right behind it is gathering information. Besides, I'm sure she's fine."
"Still, it doesn't help my worry, because she says that," Kavi murmured, moving toward a stack of thick, leather-bound tomes. As she reached out, one book slightly shifted away from her touch, causing her to jump back. When she touched it again, it moved again, and she looked at the title etched in golden script: "The Unseen Bonds of Demon Lords."
"I think this may be what we're looking for," Kavi said to Nyxith.
"This?" Nyxith replied, picking up the book, but it flew out of her hand, sending her tumbling over a pile of floating books. She landed on the floor with a groan while Kavi rushed over to check if she was okay. "That's definitely it."
"I didn't know the underworld had all of this," Kavi said, glancing up at the books now out of reach before they suddenly soared through the library and shelved themselves high above them, disappearing into the abyss of the ceiling. "There are more books up there?"
"They could knock us down if we climb," Nyxith warned. "We need a ladder."
"We?" Kavi replied, skepticism clear on her face.
"You stay down here; it's safer," Nyxith said, wedging her foot between the books on the shelf. She began to climb, disappearing into the darkness of the upper level of the library.
Looking down, she saw Kavi far below, but light did not reach that point at all. A shiver ran through her as she felt cold; she lit a lighter, but nothing illuminated around it—not even her palm when she held it close. Suddenly, she felt as if she were crawling across the floor.
"I don't think I'm supposed to climb this far," Nyxith muttered before her hand brushed against something. It was a book, and when she clasped her hand around it, it glowed with the title: "The Unseen Bonds of Demon Lords."
Suddenly, her head jerked up at the sound of scratching nearby. A strong sense of Donn emanated from the source of the sound. Whatever it was felt aggressively unstable, the excessive Donn almost scorching against her skin as her heart raced, hoping she hadn't gotten herself into something she couldn't escape.
Slowly, she stood as she saw pale, trembling hands reaching toward her. She turned and dashed toward the light she had come from, leaping out with the tome tucked under her arm. Kavi looked up at her with fear in her eyes as Nyxith saw grotesquely elongated hands and long white hair flowing behind them.
"Nyx!" Kavi cried, running to catch her as they both fell to the ground. Nyxith grabbed Kavi's hands and they started dashing down the library.
They didn't look back, too terrified that whatever was pursuing them would catch up. Nyxith stopped short when they found themselves face-to-face with a very pale, slender man dressed regally, his white hair flowing down his back. He looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see him.
"Count Lirael," Nyxith said, instinctively shielding Kavi from him in case he became aggressive.
"Ah, the humans that were with Lady Kaprice," he said, tilting his head thoughtfully.
Nyxith and Kavi glanced back, noting that the hands and hair had vanished before turning back to the demon.
"Lady Kaprice would be highly upset if I were to kill you, even though you were trespassing," he said, and both Nyxith and Kavi felt their blood run cold. They knew they couldn't defeat the count if he decided to eliminate them. "Why would she care so much? I wouldn't care if she killed my subordinates. Or is it that you're her offspring?"
Nyxith, confused by his muttering, quietly walked around while still holding Kavi's hand. Count Lirael suddenly grabbed Kavi by the nape of her jacket and lifted her from Nyxith's grasp.
"What are you doing?" Nyxith yelled, and he clamped his palm over Kavi's mouth, squeezing her cheek tightly.
"Quiet. I'm trying so hard not to kill you right now," Count Lirael gritted through clenched teeth as he eyed the book in her grip. "And stealing from me too. If Lady Kaprice and I were to have offspring, they'd be strong enough. She'll appreciate that, so it should be okay if I kill you two as long as I give her more children."
Kavi unbuttoned her jacket and slipped out of his grasp, drawing her dagger and slamming it into the ground before slicing his wrist. He hissed, releasing her as they both jumped out the window, crashing into a soft pile of ash and snow.
"How unruly," Count Lirael said, leaning out the window as he watched his wrist quickly heal.
They scrambled to their feet and started sprinting through the snow, which slowed their movements. It swirled around them as they pulled their coats tighter, unsure whether to turn back or keep going—especially since Kapri had said to flee if they ever encountered Count Lirael.
Behind them, they glanced back at the count framed in darkness by the library's open window. As the light behind him faded, he simply stared at them.
"I can't believe we actually made it out of that," Kavi said, still shaken as the wind whipped her nightgown around.
"Not yet," Nyxith panted, gripping the book tightly in her palms. The biting wind pierced through her clothes, and the ash stung her lungs. "He's just… watching, as if he doesn't even have to chase us."
Count Lirael's hair flowed in the wind, an amused expression on his face as Kavi continued to move with Nyxith close behind her. "By the way, why did he say that? I understand demons might mistake us for her children, but he said he could create stronger offspring with her? Isn't that strange?"
"It is," Nyxith replied, holding back her own thoughts about Count Lirael's intentions and what lurked in the shadows above the library. She glanced at the book in her hand. "Hopefully, it will provide some answers."
Before she could process her thoughts further, she noticed something floating beneath the ice nearby. Looking over, she spotted a hand pressing against the ice, cracking it slightly and startling Nyxith.
"Lady Kaprice!" Kavi exclaimed, recognizing her before Nyxith did. She took her dagger and slammed it into the ice.
Nyxith found a rock and began hitting the surface until it broke, and together they grasped Kapri's hand, pulling her to the surface. They fell back, gasping as Kapri lay on the ground, coughing.
"S-shit," Kapri shivered, sitting up as Nyxith quickly draped her jacket over her. "I think I messed up."
"We did too."
"We did too," Kavi and Nyxith said in unison, exchanging glances. "Count Lirael caught us in the library."
"What?" Kapri said, standing up quickly.
"It wasn't on purpose," Kavi said, shaking her head. "We thought we'd meet you there, but we saw something above the library. We needed to find more about Lord Dizrael's heart—and we think we did."
Kapri's gaze narrowed, settling on the book in Nyxith's hands. "The Unseen Bonds of Demon Lords. I didn't even think that tome would allow itself to be handled."
"It didn't," Nyxith replied, looking away. "I think something in the library allowed us to."
"Something?" Kapri asked, waiting for clarification.
Nyxith linked her arm through Kapri's. "Come. We'd better find somewhere warmer to explain." Kavi joined them, linking her arm with Kapri on the other side, and they walked together.
They eventually found a clearing amidst the trees. Nyxith and Kavi gathered wood, then started a fire with Nyxith's lighter. Kapri took a seat, looking over the tome Nyxith handed her. She examined it closely before trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge, no matter how hard she pulled.
"I hate the underworld," Kapri muttered to herself. "Everything is so hard." She dropped the book back into Nyxith's hands. "Open it."
Nyxith opened it effortlessly, looking at Kapri in confusion. "So… you didn't have permission to open it?"
"From Count Lirael?" Nyxith asked.
Kapri shook her head. "Doubt it. But someone did." She paused. "Maybe that 'something' you mentioned above the library was… a librarian."
Kavi shivered and scooted closer to the fire. "I'd rather not think about it."
Kapri leaned in close to Nyxith, her eyes settling on the demon language inscribed on the pages. She read aloud in English: "The Unseen Bonds of Demon Lords," Kapri murmured. "Known to cause feuds among demon nobles, even wars."
"Not like it's hard in the first place," Kavi muttered, poking a stick into the flames.
Kapri chuckled, then continued reading. "This tome holds the secrets of every binding, every contract, every pact ever made by a demon lord. Demon 'lord' is just another word for demon nobility. It records the ties that bind demons to their lands, to each other, and… even to humans."
Nyxith blinked, feeling the tome grow heavier in her hands. "So you think we could find information about Dazriel's heart in here?"
"No, because his heart was stolen by force. And I doubt he's foolish enough to have been tricked into giving it away," Kapri sighed. They shared a moment of uneasy silence. "Besides, you'd need someone's blood to get the book to reveal anything."
Kavi suddenly held up her wet, bloody dagger, which she'd been about to clean. Her eyes widened. "This is Count Lirael's blood!" She knelt in front of Kapri and Nyxith, grinning.
"You cut him?" Kapri asked, surprised. She chuckled as she took the dagger and, using her thumb, smeared Count Lirael's blood across the pages. "Lord Dazriel?"
Kavi and Nyxith exchanged a steely look as they watched Kapri's hand tremble, her face twisting into a scowl. Words emerged on the page, and Nyxith, able to decipher them, read aloud: "The Covenant of the Heart. The heart, once bound to a lord, is a seal of dominion. Without it, a lord is severed from their power, vulnerable to all threats. But when the heart is entrusted… it binds souls to one another, allowing one to take what it wants from the other—be it mind, soul, or even the heart."
Kavi whispered, "So… that means Lord Dazriel willingly gave his heart?"
"Ugh! I knew the bastard did something stupid!" Kapri yelled, pushing herself off the log and falling back into the snow. "Why wouldn't he tell me if he knew he did that?"
Kavi shrugged. "Maybe he didn't want you to get jealous."
"Why would I be jealous when he's known for fu—" She stopped herself, remembering that Kavi and Nyxith were still children, despite the situation. "I'd have to be a fool to get jealous over a demon, or fall in love with one."
"So, what do we do now?" Nyxith asked, closing the book.
Kapri sighed, sitting up from the snow. "We keep doing what we're doing—finding information to bring back to Lord Dazriel. About where his heart might be, and anything we can learn about Dizrael himself."
"Not that he'll kill us," Kapri added suddenly. "So don't panic."
"Why would we panic?" Kavi asked.
Just then, several demons and reapers in military uniforms emerged from the darkness, surrounding them. Kapri glanced around, and Nyxith and Kavi instinctively drew closer to her.
"Relax," Kapri whispered, her eyes settling on Count Lirael's smirking face as he stepped forward.
"There you are, my lady. I feared the intruder might have gotten to you as well," he said with mock concern, weaving through his guards to reach them. "Though… you do look rather like thieves."
He held out his hand for the tome, and Nyxith hesitated before handing it over. He tucked it under his arm and sighed.
"Intruder?" Kavi asked, yanked roughly by one of the guards as her hands were bound in front of her.
"One of our servants was found dead near the castle grounds," Lirael explained, leaning close to Kapri. "Our guards gave chase, but the intruder managed to escape. I wonder how?"
"Maybe he was faster than your guards," Kapri said, feigning ignorance, though she suspected that merely severing the servant's hand hadn't been enough to finish him.
Count Lirael's fingers brushed through her hair. "The face you make when you lie… is so appealing," he murmured into her ear.
"You didn't notice before?" Kapri chuckled, and Lirael's bemused expression hardened before he gestured to his guards.
"Escort the ladies back to their quarters," he commanded.
Kapri let her head fall against the shoulder of the demon who carried her, thinking rapidly. She had to find a way to get them out of this, especially now that Count Lirael was clearly suspicious of their true intentions.