Emberclaw by L. R. Lam

Author:L. R. Lam [R., L. Lam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: no data
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Published: 2025-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

• • •

The lock was dead easy. I was inside Professor Hayden’s laboratory in less than five minutes. The wards were on the perimeter of the grounds, and Willem had brought us right through them, never suspecting one of his new friends might betray his hospitality.

None of the tables showed any active experiments; the beakers were all neatly packed away. Alchemical tomes lined the bookshelves. I peered at the spines before taking out a couple and flipping through the pages. I paused, my Struck-blunted ears straining at every sound, hoping that Professor Hayden didn’t decide to come back to burn another mage lamp at midnight.

In their university office, Hayden had had volumes on chrysopoeia, transmutation, and alchemical symbolism. Here, though, I noticed quite a few on the intersections of health and alchemy. My breath caught.

One was called Elixirs and Panaceas of the Ancient and Modern Ages. I sucked in a breath, wondering if Larkin’s source was actually not entirely full of shite. I opened it to find dense alchemical equations I could barely read, much less puzzle through. I put the book back and focused on the grand cabinet in the corner. It was the double of the one in Hayden’s office—a matching set.

—If there’s anything, it’ll be in here somewhere, I sent to Everen. If there’s not, then I’m stumped, and Larkin won’t be happy.

—Happy hunting. Despite everything hovering between us, Everen’s presence in my mind helped me feel that bit braver.

The lock on the cabinet proved trickier. Once it clicked open, I hesitated, the fear rising again. I sensed no wards, but what if Professor Hayden realized someone had snooped? There was also the constant push and pull in my head and my heart since I’d arrived at the university. I was desperate for answers, but I feared what I might find.

When I’d broken into Hayden’s other office, I’d rushed, afraid of being caught. Part of me had worried I’d missed something.

Here, I took my time. Many files were similar to what I’d seen in the other office. Papers on transmuting lead. Write-ups of various experiments, both successful and unsuccessful. Nothing related to what Larkin wanted.

I put back the last file, breathing out slowly in frustration. I crouched, running my fingers along the seams of the cabinet.

When I heard the snick, I gave a muffled hiss of triumph. I drew out an unmarked folder, and my hands shook as I flipped it open. There were a few sheaves of rough sketches—earlier drafts of research that Hayden must have hidden when everything else was taken. The first paper showed alchemical symbols in my grandsire’s hand. My fingertips tingled.

My eyes roved hungrily over the document. It was an equation, with lines drawn across symbols, arranged in a crosshatch pattern. A few parts were circled, with additions in Hayden’s handwriting. I recognized the sign for quicksilver. Here, then, was more incontestable proof that my grandsire and Professor Hayden had worked together.

The next page was a log of dates. But below each one, in Locmyrian: Experiment: failed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.