“You’re just going to throw them all in there?” Mici asked.

“No, not quite,” Oz murmured. He consulted the books again, flipping to each of the herbs. Each one has best-handling conditions. Leaves should be added late, while stalks need to be added early, and the temperatures and pressures change… and best of all, I only have one chance to get this right. I’m handling a magical pressure cooker blind, without a single tool, and I’m making up the recipe as I go. I’d be lucky to make something edible like this, let alone concoct an antidote. I don’t even know what kind of poison I’m trying to negate. This is a terrible plan.

The problem is, I don’t have another option. Not unless—

A loud knock sounded in his ears. Oz jumped, then beamed. Right on time.

He set the herbs gingerly down beside the smoldering furnace. “Everyone, stay here. While the pill furnace heats up, I’ll let my friend in.”

“Eh? What about the person who hurt you? Aren’t they still out there?” Maggie asked.

“You’re going back out? Will you be okay?” Sim’s brow furrowed in worry, and beside him, his twin Sine frowned just the same.

Oz smiled, unable to stop himself. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be back before you know it, and with reinforcements this time. Everyone hang tight.” With a final wave, he cracked the door open and peeked out.

The library laid before him, still and quiet.

Slowly, Oz opened the door, looking left and right. No one stood in wait or leaped out of the shadows. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. Still nothing.

Quickly consulting his tattoo, he tapped the Lock command, and the door’s lock snapped into place. A moment later, gold light shimmered over the door. Oz let out a breath. The kids will be safe while I’m gone. Now, all I need to do is survive from here to the door.

He chuckled. Easy. E Z. No problem.

His nose flared. His legs tensed. He sprinted for the door, pulling on every ounce of speed in his body. What little qi he had remaining pumped through his legs. The poison might move faster through my body, but the alternative is getting a knife in the back, and that’ll kill me faster than anything else!

Little footsteps sounded behind him, quick and light. He sped up, his legs pumping harder than he’d thought possible, lifting up on his toes on pure instinct. His arm burned, tingling and aching all at once. The footsteps chased after him, never growing closer but never far behind. Oz blazed down the stacks, hurtling along at top speed. His chest heaved, breaths coming fast and short.

At last, the door came into sight. Oz threw himself at it and sent it flying open with the full force of his weight. It slammed open, blasting a wave of wind over Linnea that sent her hair flying and flattened Sid’s fur against the cat’s body. Sid squinted slightly from her spot in Linnea’s arms, then blinked up at Oz.

“Linnea, help!” Oz managed.

The light footsteps slammed down, more forcefully than before, then stopped abruptly. Oz’s eyes widened. They jumped! Unhesitatingly, he ducked, curling up into a ball in the doorway.

Linnea’s eyes glittered. She flicked her wrist. A chain dagger burst out from within her sleeve.

“Don’t kill them!” Oz shouted, still balled on the floor. If she kills them, how am I supposed to figure out what kind of poison they used on me?

Frustration flickered over Linnea’s face. She jerked her arm back, recalling the dagger. It landed in her hand at the same moment as small feet touched down on Oz’s back.

Oz threw his good hand up blindly and caught ahold of robes. The small figure jolted away, but couldn’t fight Oz’s weight. He yanked, throwing the figure to the floor.

A brunet boy, about the same age as the others, thumped to the ground. Stunned, he stared up at Oz and Linnea for a second.

Linnea made a strange gesture. White thread flew out from within her sleeve, forming a kind of rope. She grabbed the kid by the neck and lifted her hand to wrap him up.

Even as she did, the boy jolted back to life. He jabbed his hand into a pocket and threw out a handful of dust over Linnea and Oz alike.

Oz’s left eye instantly started burning. He staggered back, blinking rapidly. “Ow! Shit, Linnea, keep a hold on—”

Linnea ducked her head, struggling internally. Her body bulged, distorting strangely. From beside her, Sid chirped in surprise and ran off, vanishing into the library.

“Linnea?” Oz stepped forward, concerned.

The kid burst free of Linnea’s grasp and ran. Before he could get more than a few steps, Oz caught him by the shoulder. Not sparing his strength, he threw the kid to the ground and held him there with a foot, resting just enough weight on the kid’s back to pin him. Not that I want to hurt kids, but fuck this kid. He’s tried to kill me multiple times now.

Under his foot, the kid struggled. He threw his whole weight against Oz’s foot, but Oz pressed a little harder, and he laid still.

“Reveal yourself, foul demon,” the kid growled.

“Fuck off, shitty brat,” Oz snarled back.

Linnea jumped at the door, only for gold to rebuff her. She bared her teeth, her body still trembling. “Oz, let me in.”

“Uh—right! One second!” Oz pressed the symbol on his arm and called up that black console-like space again. Fenrir, let Linnea in.

>She isn’t weaker than you.

Let her in.

>Fine. Five seconds while the barrier recalibrates.

“Oz!” Linnea snarled, hugging her arms around herself as though that could stop her skin from bulging. As if something struggled to climb out from within, huge jabs pushed out from her skin, only to retreat the next moment, her whole body bubbling like a boiling pot.

Behind her, people stared. A man in scholarly robes pointed, his brows furrowing. A muscular woman stopped dead in her tracks, reaching for the bronze knuckles hanging from her hip.

“I’m trying, I’m sorry! A few more seconds!” Oz said. He blinked wildly, rubbing at his left eye. Fuck, that hurt, though. What was that powder? Burns like mad when it gets in your eyes!

“I don’t have a few—”

Linnea’s voice cut off as her body bulged wildly, her legs swelling up to three times their usual size, only to slim radically in the next moment. Her eyes darted across the road, searching for a way out. Sweat dripped down her face. She leaned against the barrier. When she spoke again, her voice was thin, pained, and unexpectedly soft. “Let me in, please. I’m begging you.”

Oz’s heart panged. “One more second—”

The barrier dropped. Linnea fell inside. At the same time, her lower body contorted. Her legs burst out, shredding through her skirts. A bulbous black rear body swelled behind her, eight spindly legs branching out from her midsection. Black claws appeared at her fingertips, black chitin crawling up her arm and jutting out from her elbows and shoulders like bone spurs. Six black eyes popped out of her forehead, shiny and plump like berries. Her ears grew pointed, lined in black, and streaks of black bony exoskeleton ran through her red hair.

“Oh,” Oz said. Huh. Okay. Linnea’s secret might be a little bigger than I thought it was. I guess we were both ‘getting away with it’ back then, huh? Not so much a dark mage as a demon herself. Or so deep in the dark arts that she looks like a demon… either way, this isn’t good.

The street froze. Silence gaped.

Oz clicked his tongue, taking in all the eyes staring at Linnea and him. Welp. That isn’t good.

Linnea gasped a breath, as if she’d just found air after a long time underwater. Relief passed over her face, chased immediately by horror. She jerked back, half out of the barrier. “No! No, I can’t, I can’t—”

The muscular woman jumped, hurtling toward Linnea, her fist bared, brass knuckles shining. Behind her, the scholarly man charged, reaching for a sword. All the mages on the street raced for the library, their eyes burning with hatred.

Oz grabbed Linnea by the waist and all-but-threw her inside, slamming the door behind her. The barrier rang like a gong as the woman struck it, only to be followed by a dozen sharp thunks, ringing out one after another. “Holy shit!”

He looked at Linnea, and her spidery body and many, many legs. Pushing down his revulsion, he swallowed. And holy shit. She’s a spider monster? What the hell?