“Please, don’t do that. The bowing thing. We’re homies, Bati. It’s just me, Rue.” I throw an arm over his shoulder.

“Well, we shall see, then,” he says, his tone heavy. “I came to pass word the time for Kowana Yechi is nigh.” His eyes flick to Jhamal.

I elephant ear a page, and Bri winces, muttering, “Use a bookmark,” under her breath.

“Sorry, didn’t think to pack those,” I tease, folding the book I was poring over closed. It’s the last one in the stack from the trunks, and so far, nothing promising. I tap my foot, thinking. What could I have missed? Where else could we look? Bri slides into the convo with her gadget bag snapped closed and shouldered like she’s ready to go somewhere. “Do you have any other books anywhere?”

Bati purses his lips in thought. “The eurostarum had some, but those are more historical. Things I’ve written over the years. Nothing helpful, I fear.”

She might be on to something. There’s got to be a book somewhere on this island with a comprehensive list of spells. Oh, man. That’s it.

“There was Totsi’s Texts,” I say. “That bookstore. She had all sorts of books.” Once for Magical Anatomy class, I needed to learn about the varying uses of pig blood, and she had an entire section in her store on blood magic, curses, and uses. Prohibited ones, too. Those were usually locked away in a trunk disguised as a coffee table, plant, or something. But I learned my first few spells from her shelves.”

“Ah! She did,” Bri says, nodding.

“Did you read the ones in the back of the store?” I ask. “In that private room?” Totsi always had me post up in the back so no one passing by the storefront would spot the only brown girl in the whole City, skipping class no less.

“There was a private room?”

“Yeah, you know, past the history section.”

She shakes her head.

“Well, still, you saw she had books on everything.”

“She did. The only store like it. She had stuff I couldn’t find at the library. I’d never seen anything like it anywhere. Most in the mythology and lore section. I mean, who knew they were actual history books?!”

I remember seeing books about the island before it was colonized, mythology. But they were streaked in red, stamped prohibited. Totsi’s had multiple copies. There could be something there. If the book’s not here… my best chance is getting to Totsi’s to find the spell I need.

“But you can’t be thinking of going there,” Bri says, as if she can read my plotting mind. “Venturing out there, back into the Central District is a death wish, Rue.”

I glimpse Jhamal before turning to Bati. He isn’t going to like this. “Are you sure you don’t have anything else here? We cleared the trunk.”