Look Beyond What You See

Supernatural

 Which ones will I take?

I know I don't have much time. Dmitri will be knocking on my door in about fifteen minutes to wake me up from my nap--a necessity after training, apparently--so we can have supper with his family. I am already very much awake, however, and decided to use the extra time to sneak down to the library and steal a couple books from the shelf I'm not supposed to know exists. I would love to take the one that opens the door, but I don't dare touch it again, not until I'm sure that I won't run into one or both of Dmitri's parents in whatever lies behind the bookshelf. Instead I debate between a book about wizards, sorceresses, and others with "the magic touch" and a book on supernatural history.

Will they notice if I take both?

Dmitri can probably answer that question, at least, and he'll help me replace one or both of them if we have to.

That being decided, I snatch both books and flit out of the library like a butterfly caught in a sudden gust of wind. The next question: Which one will I read first? That is, assuming I can make it back to my room with both of them without being caught.

Maybe the next question should be, Can I use my magic to make myself invisible? I'm sure the book on sorceresses can help with that one. But the supernatural history one is more intriguing to me at the moment. I have the rest of my life to figure out what I can and cannot do with my magic. I suppose I also have the rest of my life to learn about elementals and the like, but my curiosity is gnawing away at my insides.

Should I risk starting one of the books before supper?

Probably not, and I should at least pretend that I am sleeping when Dmitri comes to wake me up. I should still be sleeping, by all accounts. I was too tired after we practised to walk back to my room again, so Dmitri carried me through some secret passages and we wound up in my study. The panel next to my desk opens. I will be exploring that passage later, but I did not want to waste any of the precious spare moments of being awake with no one knowing.

Back in my room with a few minutes to spare, I wonder where I can hide the books so that the maids won't find them. I should hope that I wouldn't have to worry about that between now and the end of supper, but one can never be too careful. What don't they clean in here? Well, I don't believe anyone messes about in my armoires without my presence, at least since I moved in, and indeed, why would they? But in plain sight in the armoire won't do. I think I shall wrap them in my chemises and keep them in the drawer with my other undergarments. Of all the places I would not rifle through if I were a maid, that would be the one at the top of my list.

That being settled, I sprawl out on the bed much as I landed when Dmitri unceremoniously dumped me there earlier. Not two minutes later, I hear the door creak open and his distinctive tread, lighter than usual and muffled by the thick rugs on my floor, approaching. I suddenly wonder if pretending to sleep was a good idea. Keeping my aura calm and my breathing slow and steady is suddenly an extremely difficult task. His fingers trail down my spine with a feather-light touch, making my whole body tingle.

"Aerys...." he whispers, hot breath tickling my ear. "It's time for supper...." His voice holds a seductive tone to it and I wonder if waking me up for supper is actually what he's here for. I groan and roll away from him, as I would if I had actually been sleeping when he interrupted.

"All right, fine," he mutters. "We can do this the hard way." A second later I'm flying through the air and the room is suddenly quite warm. Naturally I shriek with surprise and open my eyes to see that I'm being held aloft by flames emitted from my fiancé's hands.

Suddenly, I don't feel bad about temporarily confiscating those books from the library.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demand, glaring down at him.