“You know what the downside of the Academy is?” Maddie asked, stabbing her fork into a multi-berry pie. “All the work that comes with it.”

“You only have yourself to blame for that,” Hathor said, blowing on her steaming tea to cool it down. “I tried to warn you taking biology and charms in one semester would be a heavy load, but did you listen?”

“You’re forgetting language.” Maddie held up the stone pedant on a chain around her neck. “We have technomagic translators. Why do we need to learn a language?”

“What happens when the translator breaks?”

She pursed her lips. “I hate when you have a point.”

“You’re Lyriumian, Mads. Your mind was literally made to comprehend languages quickly. You’ll do fine.”

“I guess.”

Hathor pulled Maddie’s tablet toward her, reading over the work her friend was supposed to be doing instead of sitting at a café, drinking tea and eating pie. Hathor cocked her head at the question. She thought it made perfect sense. Then again, she and Maddie had very different homelives. Hathor’s mother had made it a point to make sure Hathor had a well-rounded education. Maddie, on the other hand, came from a very conservative family who were very behind the times and didn’t understand why it was important for her to have an education.

Hathor took a bite of her own apple pie before asking, “Did you try a word search? Reading it twice? Actually asking for help?”

Maddie groaned, all but falling from the bench she sat on.

“Mads, work with me here.”

“Can’t you do it for me?” she whined. “You’re good at this stuff. Not like its due for another two days.”

“That’s what you said the last time something was due in two days.” Hathor pushed the tablet back. “If you do it now, you won’t have to worry about stress breakdowns. Are you even listening?”

Maddie was not. She was staring at something behind Hathor.

“What are you—”

Maddie grabbed her hand. “Do not look behind you. He’ll know you saw him!”

“Care to tell me who ‘he’ is?”

She lowered her voice to a whisper. “It’s Dex!”

Hathor’s head whipped around. Sitting at the table behind her with a seriously old and heavy looking book was Dex Asher. They’d know each other since First Year. Dex came from one of the few Terpolite families that had been on Lyriumia for ages. He was brown with long, straight black hair and deep ruby eyes which looked incredibly similar to those in the Acheron line. Hathor couldn’t deny she had some interest in the guy. She had no idea why. She was just drawn to him for some reason.

Dex looked up from his book, smiled, and waved at her. Hathor waved back. She quickly turned back to Maddie, yelping as her braid swung around to whack her face. Gods, she was a klutz when it came to this guy.

“Subtle,” Maddie said with a smile, reaching to steal a piece of Hathor’s half-eaten pie.

Hathor slapped the fork from her hand. “Shut it! He’ll hear you!”

Maddie gave her the look. “Girl. Get your ass up and ask him out already! You’re hardly strangers and there’s obviously something there.”

“I don’t know,” she said, finger circling the rim of her cup. “It’s a bit weird, don’t you think.”

“Your mom is literally dating one of Tara’s former-Inner Circle. It’s not that weird.” She pulled Hathor’s plate toward her and finished the pie. “It’s your choice, in the end. Just remember this is the last year you’ll see him on a regular basis.”

Hathor sighed. “It’s not like I can just go up to him and ask what he’s reading.”

Behind them, a familiar voice asked, “Whatcha reading?”

Hathor’s head dropped to the table. “Dammit, Imogene.”

She turned around in time to see the Firebringer take the book from Dex and read the title aloud. “A Record of Time Since Lost” She handed the book back. “Sounds kinda boring. Like class.”

Dex chuckled. “It’s interesting if you’re interested in history.”

“A history buff. Nice.” Imogene said over her shoulder, “Yo, Hath, I found you a boyfriend.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Hathor jumped up and shoved her away. “Sorry,” she said to Dex. “She thinks she’s funny.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Where did you find that book?”

Dex looked left, then right, then behind. He motioned for Hathor to sit. “Promise you won’t tell?” She nodded. “I took it from the restricted section.”

Hathor gasped. “Are you crazy?”

He shrugged carelessly. “No one ever goes there. I doubt anyone will notice. Plus I’ll return it in a few days.”

Imogene slid into the spot beside Hathor. “I take it back. Hathy, he’s not your boyfriend. I’m calling dibs.”

Dex laughed. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I have my eye on someone else.” He looked straight at Hathor.

She tugged her braid and cleared her throat. “You really think it’s a good idea to take those books? What if someone checks?”

“No one does.” Dex reached over to take her hand. “I can show you how to get in if you want. Say, tonight at midnight?”

Ignoring the burning in her face, Hathor said, “Uh, sure.”

Dex grinned. He slipped the book under one arm and lowered himself into a surprisingly graceful bow. “As much of an honour as it is to be in your presence, Princess, I have to study and would prefer not to be distracted by such beauty.”

Hathor and Imogene were left gaping as he walked away.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Maddie joined them. “Smooth motherfucker.”

* * * * * * * *

At midnight, Dex led Hathor along a path behind the Library. It was covered in grass and fallen stone. This path was old and clearly unused. It was a small thing squeezed between the base of one of the three Towers. In all honesty, Hathor had thought it was an old rain gutter.

“We’re almost there,” Dex assured her as the path suddenly dropped down.

They were below the base of the Tower now. The path twisted under the roads above, leading to a rusted gate. Large stones and overgrowth were covered in front of it. Dex pushed the vines and branches aside, beginning to climb over the boulder to where there was a hole in the gate. He held out his hand to help Hathor through.

“How did you even find this?” she asked once through.

Dex shrugged. “Got bored one night and went exploring. Come on.” He

Hathor braced her hand on the low celling, lowering herself into a narrow tunnel. Suddenly glad for her short and thin form, she found herself able to move fast and caught up to Dex quickly. Being tall, he had to duck down the entire way.

The path seemed to be some sort of back entry into the lowest levels of the Library. Hathor had read about paths like this a few years back in class. These paths could be found in Lyriumia’s oldest buildings. They were built in the event that the Terpolites broke the rules and attacked Lyriumia directly. This way, people and the most important items could be spirited away. Apparently there was an entire network of tunnels under the planet’s surface. Very few had been found.

The pathway felt like it went on forever. Naturally, this is when the pair reached what looked like a dead end. Dex pushed on the wall. It opened up. The wall was actually a bookshelf on a rotator which acted like a door. Hathor gaped at what was beyond.

She’d never been to the Restricted Section of the Academy Library. Even as the Queen’s daughter she had no access. It was easily on par with the Palace Library, and that was saying something. The stacks looked endless. There were even shelves carved into the walls. Everything was covered with a layer of dust. There were no hover platforms down here, just stairs. This place was definitely outdated.

Piles of books were littered everywhere – beside the shelves and stairs, on top of bookshelves, on tables. And it wasn’t just books. There were scrolls and papers and even clay tablets. There were paintings and folders at the far end. Hathor was in awe. She could spend her entire immortal life down here and barely put a dent in it!

She went to move inside. Dex grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He pointed at a blue light across the room. Then another further in and another at the far end. Cameras. There were dozens.

“They can’t see us,” he murmured. “This is one of the few blind spots.”

Hathor glanced at him. “Then how did you get in?”

Dex ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I might’ve hacked the system.”

“You what?”

“Shh! Someone will hear you!”

Hathor clapped her hands over her mouth. “Sorry!”

He explained, “I always hack the system before coming in then put it back to normal once I’m out of sight.”

“Don’t you worry about being caught?”

“By stuffy old librarians?”

Hathor giggled.

“I don’t have any of my stuff on me,” Dex said sheepishly. “Perhaps we could come back later so I can give you the tour?”

Hathor nodded as they walked back into the passage. “Sounds like fun.”

“Well, then, Princess,” Dex said in a fake-posh voice. “Shall I escort you back to your castle?”

Hathor took the arm he offered with a laugh. “Why thank you, good sir.”

* * * * * * * *

Hathor sighed happily as she closed the door to her apartment. The lights were out. The others had long since gone to bed. She twirled as she entered the main living area, raiding the fridge for a late-night snack bar. She turned back and yelped. Troy was sitting on the lounge.

“How long have you been there?” she asked.

“How was your date?” he countered bitterly.

Hathor crossed her arms. “It wasn’t a date.”

“Sure it wasn’t,” he muttered. “That’s certainly not why you’re over the moon.”

She moved closer. “Are you . . . okay?” There were three empty bottles on the table. “Have you been drinking again?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie.”

Troy tossed a bottle in his hand at the other three. They shattered loudly. Troy stumbled to his feet and jabbed his finger into Hathor’s chest. “I’m not fucking drunk and if you have a fucking problem with me, you can take it up with your fucking boyfriend.” He stepped away—

Straight into the arm of the lounge. Troy fell onto the pillows with a groan.

Hathor rolled her eyes and pulled him to her feet. She half-carried him to his room and put him on the bed. Troy rolled over, falling to the floor with a grunt.

“Fucking Wolves,” she muttered, dragging the blankets from his bed and throwing them on top of him. “If you’re gonna act like a dog, you can sleep like a dog.”

Troy had enough sense in him to raise a hand and flip her off. Hathor let out a frustrated cry and stormed from the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

She stomped into her room and threw down the snack bar she’d taken from the fridge on the desk. What was his problem? She knew Troy had issues but they hardly ever came up these days. Her anger quickly gave way to worry. What could have possibly set him off?

When no answers came to her, Hathor changed out of her dust-covered cloths into a singlet top and shorts. She scoffed down the snack bar and climbed into bed. Within minutes she drifted into a dreamless sleep.