Book Eight: Chapter 88

“Have you asked Ratu?”

“I don’t want Ratu.” He stepped in front of her, his eyes shimmering with magic. “I want you. Not as the Head Librarian. I want Sofia the badass to come with me.”

Sofia stared at him hard, her emotions swirling. There was a part of her that wanted to accept, to practically beg him to take her away from here. But another part of her wanted to explore the depths of her misery, to sulk and be angry. These two factions warred with each other as Mike reached past Sofia and grabbed the Head Librarian’s staff from where it sat.

“Let’s see,” he muttered, then tapped the butt of the staff on the ground. A wave of light blinded her, and she cried out in surprise. Sobriety instantly washed over her, chasing away the effects of the wine.

“Why did you do that?” she yelled, snatching away the staff. Sofia blinked several times, her mind suddenly clear. “How did you do that?” she asked.

“I watched you do it before,” he replied. “Took me a couple