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She was dressed in white ancient Greek clothing, her blonde hair pulled loosely into a chignon Her face was like porcelain, pale and perfect She was so graceful that every ape for just a er

"Co else I trailed behind her as she led me to a secluded alcove

She laid a leather bound book on the table in front of her As she ran her fingers over the rich oiled surface, electricity jolted around the book I startled

"Who are you?" I asked breathlessly

"They haven’t returned all of your thoughts, Harmonia? That’s terrible," she syain

"I’oddess of Truth I’m not supposed to be here If they find out" Her voice trailed off before she steeled herself and spoke again "I had to come because it pains me to have such lies and betrayal You need this, Harain toward the ancient book and tried to place it in ed and tattered, it had clearly been around for awhile Grape vines were e around the spine and the back in an intricate design But it didn’t jog my memory

"What is it?"

"The Map of Souls," sheran up and downplace here," she continued, gesturing around at the library

"Your answers lie within this"

She patted the book and as she did, tiny leather fingers lapped up frorabbed at her skin She paid theers were absorbed back into the leather It was unnerving

"Your answers lie within," she repeated and handed it to me I took it with reverence

"Guard it with your life," she cautioned "Tell no one that you have it and certainly not Alexi I riskedit Do not disappoint me, Harmonia You and I are as sisters You will remember that with time When you do, you must help istered a strange, cold feeling settling aroundthat the library patrons did not notice

Out of the back wall, two shadowy figures eri beats They drifted quickly and with purpose across thewith theree temperature drop I shivered

"Yes, you will need to help rasped an ars didn’t say a word, but they didn’t have to Their ed Alathea back the same way they had co the book

Nohat?

My fingers treripped the leather of the book and I felt the little fingersthe skin of my hand My survival instructs kicked in and I did the only thing I could think of I ran I scra, flying as fast as I could out of the library and into the safety ofheavily as I pondered what to do

I had an overwheler while I was here

So, I turned the key and started driving I didn’t even knohere I was going, but I needed to get far away froht out of the city through the congested traffic until I hit the highway

And then I kept driving I felt a strange pull luring hway towards sohed and succumbed I knew that it was best to just surrender and see what happened I zoned out while the landscape flew past my carI didn’t even turn the radio on as I lost -the air see catalytic and it was terrifying, just as the unknoas

My phone vibrated against the passenger seat and glancing over, I saw Gavin’s name on the screen I was filled with trepidation I wanted to talk to him, but he knew me inside and out He would hear in my voice how upset I was and that would not work He needed to reo to voice ripped the steering wheel It was torturous not to pick it up, but I ain let it slide into voice mail

I looked intodark clouds hovered oe to be normal storm clouds and I felt the tension ratchet up into er by thehurricane No, this certainly wasn’t good

That was not a norht with a little café next to it, so I pulled off and parked This was as good a place as any to conten called to rabbedlot to the café

As I opened the door, the bells overmy arrival I quickly scanned the rooly encountered a familiar face My heart lurched into my throat There was no way this was a coincidence