VI.

By the time they reached the Biblioplex again, walking together in a silent harmony—that's something Jace had never felt before, least of all with Liliana—the sun was beginning to dip in the sky. Just as they neared the end of the long bridge across the gorge that led to the giant archways into the Biblioplex, a shrill voice rang out from somewhere ahead and they stopped abruptly.

"Professor Vess!" the voice called with what Jace instantly recognized was feigned enthusiasm.

Jace had to stifle a laugh, as he projected the thought, That's something I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing you called…

Liliana ignored him and nearly groaned aloud. A quick reading of her mind revealed they were being approached by one of her colleagues. That's when he noticed the fair-haired human in robes of pale green and white coming out of one of the archways.

Is this a friend of yours…?

More like…frenemy, came Liliana's terse reply. Then she forced a smile and greeted her colleague with feigned excitement. "Professor Zhaer!"

The two stopped about a foot away from each other and bent slightly at the waist to exchange air-kisses at one another's cheeks. Then Zhaer stepped back a pace to survey Liliana from bottom to top, and gushed, "Why, look at you—you're positively glowing! Radiant!"

Her eyes then fell on Jace, standing awkwardly to the side. "And who is this handsome fellow?"

Jace, Unraveler of Secrets | Art by Tyler Jacobson

He's mine…Liliana's gaze almost burned into her jealously and Jace, having briefly read her thoughts, almost fell prey to a broad smile. Liliana maintained her usual air of nonchalance, however, and said, "This is Jace, an…old friend of mine. He's thinking of sending his son to study here, so I invited him for a tour of the campus."

Jace raised his brow. Really?

Just go with it… she shot back with a firm gaze.

"Oh?" said Zhaer, her green eyes shooting back to Jace. "How charming. How old is he?"

"Me?" Jace stammered. Then he felt the sharp jab of Liliana's elbow to his ribs and realized his error. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, and said, "He's not old enough yet, but I like to think ahead to his future."

"And did you study here, yourself, when you were a young man? A lot has changed in the last twenty years."

Do I look that old? he thought with a scowl. He was only in his early thirties…

Thankfully, Liliana stepped forward, and answered with a smile, "He did, as a matter of fact. Can't you tell he was a Quandrix? He just oozes mathematical genius, doesn't he?"

"Oh yes, quite," said Zhaer, sizing him up with a thoughtful gaze. She knew something was amiss and Jace just hoped she would lose interest so they could get on with their business without drawing further attention. He should have cast an illusion to make himself blend in… Too late now.

Unfortunately, she didn't lose interest. Instead, she looked to Liliana with raised a brow, and said, "Why, Vess, I didn't take you for the Quandrix type… I would have thought you would be more attracted to the Silverquills or one of your own kind."

"Well," said Liliana, desperately trying to change the subject, "we really should be getting on with the tour…"

Zhaer was not ready to let them move on, though. "Where are you staying while you're here…Jace, was it? I'm assuming you don't live nearby… Just where are you from, exactly?"

Does she know we're planeswalkers? Jace wondered. Before he could scan her thoughts, he heard Liliana's voice break through to inform him, She's professor of biophilosophy, and a prolific busybody. She knows more than she lets on.

I gathered as much, Jace thought back. Then he quickly answered, "Professor Vess has kindly given me permission to sleep on the sofa in her office while I'm here."

He caught Liliana give her typical eye roll, apparently displeased with his answer, but then she stepped forward before Zhaer could get in another word, "Well, my dear, I'm afraid we really must get on with our tour before it gets late. It was so good to see you."

Zhaer glanced between them with a knowing smirk but did not pursue her line of questioning further. "Yes, good to see you. And, ah…it was a pleasure to meet you, Jace. I hope your…son joins one of our colleges when he…comes of age."

Jace didn't know how to respond, but thankfully Liliana grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the Biblioplex. He managed a glance over his shoulder to see Zhaer surveying them a moment longer before moving on with her own business.

He could just feel Liliana fuming. Unable to restore that air of calm they had previously shared, he said, "Well, that was uncomfortable."

"Everyone on the faculty is going to know all about us by morning," Liliana grumbled.

"Is that…such a bad thing?" asked Jace, innocently.

She heaved a sigh. "Not exactly. But I don't like drawing attention to myself. I've already got one of the deans on my back—she knows what I am, and so does Zhaer. What I don't need is for them to take an interest in my private…relationships."

Jace couldn't hold back that smile now. "Are we…in a relationship?"

She gave him a look of contempt and heaved a sigh, but he noticed the hint of a smile she was trying to hide. A little peak into her thoughts was met with a firm command, Don't even think about it, Cloak Boy.

He chuckled. "It's all right. I don't need to…"

For a moment, Liliana's gaze became distant, thoughtful. But then she returned with a scowl. "Don't get too full of yourself." But when they reached the entrance, she paused before going in and glanced back at him. In the brief moment when their eyes met, he saw it—that flash of vulnerability revealed to him the full extent of her affection.

"It's all right. I don't need to…"

Jace had said that with a bit too much pride. And yet, he did have a point, Liliana thought as she briefly recalled their night together. It was unlike anytime they'd been together before—unlike anytime she had been with anyone, for that matter. For the first time in their long and complicated history together, Liliana had let Jace into her mind completely. Their mental connection intensified their physical one in a way neither of them had ever experienced before.

Only now Liliana regretted letting him see that much of her—she felt too exposed, and that gave him power. He could destroy her with that knowledge if he wanted to, if he ever stopped caring for her, if he ever wanted to hurt her. And that made her feel weak. Hoping to undo the damage she felt had been done, she affected a scowl and attempted to take his ego down a few notches. "Don't get too full of yourself."

Then she had forced herself to move toward the vast archways of the Biblioplex, outwardly keeping her cool. But for one moment of weakness, when she turned back to him and found his gaze fixed on hers, she might have convinced him that she did not care as much as he hoped. It bothered her that she couldn't maintain her pretense of indifference, and as they walked casually through the Biblioplex, she questioned herself.

Perhaps the Raven Man had been right—instead of Liliana using affection to manipulate Jace, the tables had been turned on her, and now she was the one… No, that was nonsense. He wasn't trying to manipulate her. She knew that now, without question, after the fullness of their connection the previous night—and she refused to let her own insecurities corrupt her thoughts once again and poison their relationship.

She winced when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Jace. "Hey, you ok?"

Raising her chin, she said, "I'm fine."

"You just seem…tense."

She stopped and turned to him. "I said I'm fine!" Her cheeks grew warm when she realized she had snapped on him in the middle of the Biblioplex and now everyone nearby was staring. Truly, what could be more embarrassing? She took a deep breath to regain composure, and said, "Let's not lose focus on our task."

She started walking again, ignoring the stares but attempting to reach Jace with her mind. Can you…erase their memory or something?

Sure. His reply was clear yet affected a somewhat icy tone, but she felt the energy go out from him and noticed everyone return to normal, as if nothing had ever pulled them from their studies in the first place.

Liliana momentarily squeezed her eyes shut, ready to say something snarky about his tone, but she thought better of it. When did her snide remarks ever help, really? Finally, she glanced at Jace from the corner of her eyes. His shoulders were hunched forward, and he was looking down at his feet while they walked.

Realizing she hurt him, she felt a twinge of guilt and the urge to take his hand. Why was it so difficult? His hand was right there, hanging at his side, close enough for her to feel a tingle in her own hand as they walked side-by-side. Rolling her eyes to the side, she bit her lip. Her hand twitched. She had almost done it.

Just do it already! Finally, she pushed through the discomfort and slipped her hand into his. It was warm. Comforting. He squeezed her fingers gently, as if to acknowledge and thank her for the gesture, but he remained irritatingly silent. Brooding. She hated his brooding more than anything.

Jace…? She reached out with her mind. When she got no reply, she took a deep breath. She knew he was only pretending not to hear her—or was he too hurt to reply? Such a baby, she thought with some resentment, but she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Opening the channel again, she projected a begrudging apology to him. His heavy sigh confirmed he received it. Then he finally 'talked' back. That's not very convincing.

Look, I didn't mean to hurt you.

You never do, apparently, was his response.

Her jaw tensed. She knew she still had a lot of work to do on her apologies, but it was the best she could manage. Finally, she projected, I'm trying. I really am. Just…be patient with me. I don't want to mess this up again.

He came to a stop and turned to her, still holding her hand, but he continued to speak telepathically. Lili, if you really want this to work, you have to stop pushing me away. You need to stop hiding things from me.

I know, Jace. Against her will, the temperature in her cheeks warmed again. Then she looked into his eyes and sighed. I promise to tell you about it sometime…but for now we need to focus on finding Tezzeret. That's why you came here. That's got to be the main focus.

A pang of guilt struck Jace when he thought again of Nicol Bolas, still alive because Jace had agreed to help Ugin. Here he was, telling Liliana not to hide things from him when he still had not told her or anyone else the truth about Bolas. For now, though, he was neutralized… They still were not ready to defeat him. They needed time… And until that time, the focus needed to be on Tezzeret, because he still posed a more immediate threat.

"Fine," he said quietly. "So, where is this Mystical Archive?"

She turned her gaze to a rising staircase, at the front of which stood what appeared to be a pair of heavily armored warriors. He almost laughed. "Is that all? I can make us invisible, and we'll walk right by."

Liliana's mocking smile suggested otherwise. Then, keeping her voice low, "You do realize this is a school of mages, right? Those are not the simple-minded tin cans you're used to dealing with. They're Dragonsguard."

She paused, glanced in their direction, and continued slowly for emphasis, "They happen to be highly skilled mages, in a school filled with aspiring mages, trained to deal with mages. They would see right through your little trick. To them, invisibility is child's play."

All Jace could manage at that moment was a resonant, "Oh. Then, how do we…?"

Her smile was almost wicked, and her eyes gleamed with mischief. Then she whispered, "Follow me."

She took his hand and started leading him away from the Mystical Archives. He held back the urge to ask where she was taking him, and the even stronger urge to peer into her mind. She led him through the stacks to the other end of the vast chamber. Then she turned and pulled him to follow to what appeared to be a normal shelf in the far corner. A dead end.

Then he noticed a cobweb near the ceiling waving in the air, almost beckoning to the observant. There was a draft of air coming from behind the wall. He smiled.

Liliana ran her fingers over the worn-out spines of ancient tomes, then stopped to hover over one called On Mysticism and Illusion. She looked around to be sure there was no one nearby and then pulled it from the shelf, which immediately went translucent, along with everything on it. Jace could see there was a passage behind it and raised a brow, then followed her through the ghostly bookshelf. On the other side, they could see the books on the shelf only backwards. She slid the book back in its place and the shelf returned to normal.

"You know this place inside and out, don't you, Professor?" he teased, keeping his voice low.

She smiled with pride. "I've spend an inordinate number of hours exploring every inch of this place, both now and when I was a student. Books are like the dead—they expect nothing and never get disappointed. And they don't talk back—usually." She paused. "Have you had the pleasure yet to meet Codie?"

"Who?"

"Never mind. You'll meet him soon enough. And then, you'll wish you hadn't. He's unbelievably chatty, and not in a useful way."

"Huh. I take it he's an animated text?"

"More like animated nuisance, but you're on the right track." She looked at the back of the shelf, where the books were no longer visible, and dropped her voice. "Let's go."

As he followed her through the dank and musty passage, wondering how she knew her way in the dark, he asked, "How will we find our way out when we're on our way back?"

Rather than giving him an answer, though, she gave a quiet chuckle and they continued onward through the twists and turns and stairs going up, then down, then up again and around. By the time Liliana came to a stop, Jace's head was spinning. The smells of mold and rot made his stomach churn, though she seemed unfazed.

"What is that awful stench?"

Liliana snapped her fingers and suddenly the place was lit by a violet hue. Jace looked around at all the candles, at flames that glowed an unnatural purple. He heard shuffling at the far end of the chamber and when his eyes focused, he saw a zombie coming toward them and his heart nearly jumped from his chest.

"Ah, there you are," Liliana addressed the zombie.

The undead creature moaned in return. Jace studied the grotesque, partially decomposed creature with a grimace. It was probably human once. Probably. At least it was wearing clothes. He would never grow used to her little pets…

"Jace, meet Kollema. He was one of the College of Lorehold's first professors."

"I…see. I hope he doesn't expect me to shake his hand in greeting."

Liliana chuckled and went up to the zombie to address him in a loud voice, "How are you doing, Kollema? Keeping busy, I hope?"

Kollema gestured to a pile of books on a table and gave a low groan that seemed to indicate he was content in his…studies. Jace continued to maintain a look of discomfort, unable to shake it.

"That's good," said Liliana, patting the zombie on the top of the head. "We're on our way to the Mystic Archives. Please, don't let us keep you." She turned. "Come along, Jace."

He recoiled from her outstretched hand—the one she had used to pat the zombie with—and kept his arms tucked over his chest. She shrugged and carried on.

Clearing his throat as he followed her to a small door against the back wall, he asked, "What…is this place?"

"Oh, this? This is my…second office. A place where I can…conduct my work uninhibited."

"I take it this 'work' is forbidden by the university?"

"It doesn't pose a threat to the student body, or anyone else for that matter. It's simply a…misunderstood line of study."

"Necromancy's not bad enough?"

She paused at the door and scowled.

"Sorry. I mean, misunderstood."

"It's a long-forgotten type of magic… I suppose you could say it's related to necromancy, but it's not really the same thing."

"That's what you're hiding from me, isn't it? Whatever it is you're doing here?"

"I'll tell you about it, eventually. And maybe then you can tell me what it is you're hiding. Then we'll call it even." She pushed open the door, and said, "Shall we? Go ahead—I'll follow."

Pushing back a sense of unease, Jace stepped through the doorway, eager to leave Kollema—and his stench—behind and hopeful the Mystical Archive would contain the answers not only to the problem of Tezzeret, but to the problem of Nicol Bolas, as well.