Grub moved quickly.
The moment Luthiel's footsteps faded down the street, he crawled out of the bush and took off in the opposite direction. He knew the village well enough by now to take an alternate route back to the inn, cutting through a narrow side path between two rows of houses that looped around toward the main road from behind.
He needed to get there before she did.
By the time he reached the inn, his arms were aching from the movement and sweat had gathered beneath his bandages.
He paused outside the entrance, took a deep breath, and forced his expression back into its usual blank stare. Then he stepped away from the building and began walking down the street as though he had only just emerged.
Keep it casual, nothing's unusual.
A few moments later, Luthiel came skipping around the corner.
She was smiling. Her golden braids bounced lightly as she moved, her yellow eyes gleaming in the morning sun. She spotted him almost immediately and her face lit up even further as she quickened her pace.
"Hi, Mister Grub!"
Before he could respond, she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
Grub's entire body tensed. The pressure of her plush-like arms pressing against his burned forearms sent a sharp wave of pain through him that he had to physically fight to conceal. His jaw clenched and his breath hitched but he managed to suppress the flinch before she noticed. Thankfully, Luthiel either did not catch it or chose not to mention it.
Luthiel pulled back and smiled at him, tilting her head.
"What are we doing today, Mister Grub?"
Grub exhaled quietly, relieved the moment had passed.
"I was just heading to school," he said flatly. "Oh, that reminds me."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the remaining Bells. He held them out to her. Luthiel took them and immediately frowned, turning the small collection of coins over in her hand.
"I know I didn't give you a huge amount," she said slowly, "but what did you spend it on?"
Grub's eyes shifted away for half a second. He made a point of glancing around as if something had just occurred to him.
"Ah, Luthiel. After school I'm going to the library with Teacher Orobas. Do you want to come?"
Luthiel looked up at him. Her big round yellow eyes studied his face with that soft, doll-like expression that always made it hard to tell exactly how much she was thinking behind it. Then she frowned.
"Why are you avoi—"
"Gonna be late for class," Grub said quickly, already turning and starting down the road at a jog. He waved behind him without looking back. "You can come if you want. Meet me after if you don't so I can hear your answer about the library."
He didn't wait for a response.
Luthiel stood there and watched him go. Her frown lingered. A thought passed through her head, quiet and unresolved.
He still hasn't said anything about it.
She stared at his retreating figure for a moment longer before shaking her head slightly. She would come after class. For now, she had chores to do for Morrigan. And no matter what Grub was hiding, she had already decided she would go to the library with him. She turned and walked the other way.
Grub didn't slow down until the school building came into view.
His nerves had gotten the better of him back there. She was definitely suspicious of something. Every time she looked at him lately there was something sharper behind those golden eyes, something searching. He had to keep dodging her questions. He still had no believable explanation for where the money had gone, and he certainly had no good excuse for the burns hidden beneath his sleeves. A good alibi took preparation and he hadn't had time to prepare one yet.
But he needed her at the library. That was the cornerstone of his newest plan.
The meeting he had overheard changed everything. There was a weapon called the Dundun Ile hidden somewhere underneath the Great Library. The Guardians were protecting it and Pazuzu had personally verified its security. Morrigan had made it especially clear that losing it would be catastrophic.
That was exactly the kind of information the Colonel wanted.
Grub's plan was simple. He didn't need to steal the weapon or even touch it. He just needed to find out where it was, how to get to it, and what stood between it and someone who wanted to take it. Then he could give that information to the Lacerts and buy himself another week. Maybe even be enough to win his freedom.
Or—and this thought had been sitting in the back of his mind since the meeting—he could steal it for himself.
A weapon that powerful could change everything. If he had it, the Lacerts wouldn't be a threat anymore. He could fight back. He could break the bracelet on his own terms. He could even consider returning the weapon to the village afterward.
Either option worked. But both required the same first step. He needed to get underneath the library without being caught.
That meant he needed someone to distract Orobas while he slipped away. And the only person who could do that without raising suspicion was Luthiel. She was one of Orobas's student. She had a reason to be there. If she kept the teacher occupied with questions or conversation, Grub could disappear for a few minutes without anyone noticing.
Of course, he was still going to use the library trip for its actual purpose. Nothing in this world could stop him from learning, and he intended to fill his notebook with as much knowledge as possible. He was just as excited about the visit as he had been from the start.
He just had another reason to be excited now.
When life throws you oranges instead of lemons, you just make orange juice instead.
Grub arrived at the school and headed inside. He climbed the stairs, walked into the classroom, and sat down in his usual seat. Then he pulled out his notebook and opened it.
He frowned.
When did it get this full?
He flipped through the pages slowly. Nearly every one was covered in his tight handwriting, diagrams, notes, labels, and observations packed into every available space. The remaining blank pages were few and dwindling fast.
That was a problem.
He didn't want to get a new one. He had grown attached to this notebook. It had been with him since the beginning, through the Ridge, through the wilderness, through the Lacert camp, through everything. Getting a new one felt wrong somehow. But paper was paper and it was running out.
He was still frowning over the issue when Orobas entered the room and cleared his throat.
"Today, class. We will be learning about the regional ecosystem of the Eastern Wetlands and the creatures that inhabit them."
The lesson went smoothly enough. Grub wrote as small as he could, cramming notes into the margins and the spaces between older entries. It worked for now, but the page situation was becoming urgent. By the time class ended, his frown had deepened. Then Orobas called out to him.
"Grub. Stay a moment."
The frown disappeared instantly. Grub was already on his feet and moving toward the front before the other students had finished packing up. Orobas smiled at him from behind his desk, already organizing a stack of papers.
"I trust you haven't forgotten about our arrangement?"
"No."
"Good. Give me a moment to prepare and we will head to the library shortly."
Grub nodded. "I'll be right back."
He stepped outside the school and looked around. Luthiel was there, standing by the entrance with her golden eyes fixed on him the moment he appeared.
Grub approached with forced casualness.
"So. You wanna go or not?"
Luthiel looked at him. For a moment she seemed to think about it, her expression shifting through something Grub couldn't quite read. His chest tightened slightly. If she said no, he would have to rethink his entire approach.
Then a smile spread across her face. She bowed lightly.
"I would love to, Mister Grub."
"Ok. Cool," Grub replied, keeping his voice flat. "Let's wait for Orobas."
Outwardly, he remained as expressionless as ever. But inside, his mind was already racing. The library. The weapon. The knowledge waiting on every shelf. Today he would visit the greatest source of knowledge he had encountered in this world. Today he might uncover the location of a weapon powerful enough to make entire armies fear a peaceful village. Today, if everything went according to plan, he would gain more answers than ever. All of it was within reach now.
There was much to learn.
Luthiel stood beside him quietly, her smile still in place. Yet while Grub stared toward the school doors, her eyes kept drifting to the sleeves covering his wrists. She stared at them for a long moment. Behind her golden gaze, her selves stirred.