Venus watched Adira work with a faint smile. The younger woman was seated cross-legged in the centre of her library, surrounded by a pile of books nearly as high as her head. Venus had provided her with an enchanted piece of chalk, and she was experimenting with runes on the floor. She'd even smudged it onto her forehead with the back of one hand, and as far as Venus knew, she had no idea how much of a mess she had made of herself.

The two had spent most of the past few days together, with the Seraph Sentinel being mostly a shadow behind her as Adira worked her way through learning the power behind runes.

"You know this would be a lot easier if you helped me find what I need," Adira said, looking up from her work. She ran the back of her hand across her brow again, adding to the white smudge.

Venus laughed at the result of the gesture. "I'd rather stay here, out of the reach of your hands." She debated telling Adira about the smudges of chalk on her face but decided against it. "You've been on that page for almost an hour. What is it you're trying to do?"

"Memory spells," Adira sighed. "The notes scribbled in here are barely legible in places. I'm filling in some of what I think should be part of the runes and it's not working. Who even wrote these?"

"That would be my father," Venus said as she got to her feet.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean-"

There was something adorable enough about the panic in Adira's expression that Venus couldn't find it in herself to be upset about the comment.

"Come," Venus offered, taking hold of Adira's hands. A simple spell cleared the dust off her hands and face. "You need a break. Let me show you around the Fort."

"I thought I wasn't allowed to leave the temple?"

"It's my temple," Venus chuckled, "and my Fort. Either way, we'll be hidden from watchful eyes, plus, Vera will watch our backs."

A musical giggle sounded from above, and Venus noted the flash of discomfort that crossed Adira's face when the elf dropped from her perch.

She landed in a regal bow. "Pleased to be of assistance, Sentinel."

Venus didn't miss the wink from Venus to Adira, which only made the latter's heart beat faster.

"We're visiting the ruins," Venus ordered, curt and direct. "Come along. Make sure no one sees you."

Vera nodded, the amusement gone from her face and replaced by that blank, cold stare elves could command on a whim. Vera made for a terrible companion, but a good soldier.

Too good of a soldier.

Venus had witnessed some of the things the elf could do with a blade, and it scared her sometimes.

Adira pulled back when Venus tried to put a ring on her finger.

"Relax," Venus prompted. "It's for the spell to change your appearance."

"Why a ring?" Adira asked as she held up her hand in the light, staring at the unremarkable-looking silver band around her finger.

"Personal choice," Venus said as she led Adira through a series of winding corridors and doors.

"All royal Seraphim get to choose items of power after they master their first basics of magic. Usually, it's something handy and easy to hide or call on, but it's always down to preference. I picked rings."

"They suit you."

"Azrael told me the same thing the day I got them."

Adira's face lit up at the mention of Azrael's name, but Venus raised a hand to her lips and pulled her back before she rounded a corner.

Two Seraphim guards walked past, and one paused to look at them, blinking for a moment as though confused.

"What are you two ladies doing down here?" he asked them.

"Just taking a shortcut through the temple," Venus replied. "We'll be fine."

His eyes saw what she wanted, and his mind believed her words. She felt the guard's Seraphim nature try to fight back against her own, to cast away the facade being woven before his eyes and into his mind, but it was too weak- a mere whimper against a storm that she had honed for aeons.

"Eh, okay."

Venus waited till the pair were well out of range, and continued their journey.

"That was impressive!" Adira whispered, her voice caught between a squeak and a murmur. "I felt the magic in the ring."

"Perhaps it's a spell I'll be able to teach you one day if you stay long enough," Venus offered, and Adira went quiet.

"What is it?"

"From the way Michael put things, I don't think I'm leaving anytime soon," Adira said. "This shadow magic is clearly too big of a threat to be let out with someone like me."

Venus stopped and faced Adira. "Someone like you?"

Adira shrugged. "I'm not a seraph. I'm not like you, and I'm definitely not like Azrael."

"Don't say that."

Adira chuckled. "I can barely cast a basic memory spell, Venus. That's embarrassing for someone rumoured to hold such a scary power. Also, I'm pretty sure we have walked past this wall three times now."

"How could you tell?"

"Uhh..."

"It's alright, no worries," Venus said. "We went in circles just in case anyone was following us. There are tunnels below every Seraphim Fort that lead to each other."

"Aren't the other Forts across the world?" Adira inquired. "What kind of magic is that?"

"Old Architect magic, from before, when kings still ruled our kind. It made travelling faster and a lot safer, plus it provided an escape route for the royals that no one could follow."

Venus touched one of the walls. "There's a chapter in The Chronicles of Reus that talks about how the walls were built with souls of Seraphim soldiers who died in war. Even in death, they serve the royal line and ensure their safety."

"The name sounds familiar."

"He's the one who wrote those notes you were trying so hard to read earlier," Venus mused. "My father."

Adira's eyes glanced behind Venus as though looking at something and then back at her.

"So is Azrael a royal too?"

Venus hesitated. "Not technically. It's complicated, and not my story to tell."

Adira's face fell. "Oh."

"We're here. Vera?" Venus called.

The elf slipped out of the shadows to their right. In her hands were two large winter coats, of which Venus took the red and handed Adira the white.

"It's a bit chilly where we're going," Venus replied to Adira's unspoken question.

"Won't she need one too?" Adira nodded towards Vera, not looking at her.

The elf grinned playfully. "It pleases me to know you worry about me, Adira."

"I don't," Adira replied firmly, but Venus didn't need her mental magic to know that was a lie. Adira's aura showed a mix of fear, admiration and attraction every time she spoke to the elf. All three were normal human reactions to the proximity of elven kind. They were devilishly beautiful, but cunning and lethal at the same time. Vera's aura had always been a muted green to Venus, and the only time she had dared to prod it with her magic it had flared an ugly red that still gave her nightmares to recall.

"We shouldn't linger," Venus said, cutting the pair's bickering. "Come Adira. It's time you saw what shadow magic actually looks like."