From people turning up to an impending attack, and now a rat scurrying around my Library that I have to hunt down.

I shake my head of all the tiresome thoughts and make my way down the stairs to the Vault.

First and foremost, I had to check the security of the Vault and Records.

If we have a traitor in the group, they might have already tried to tamper with the spells and runes around them to get into the Records.

If I was lucky, maybe they would have been stupid enough to leave behind a bread crumb for me.

I reach the end of the stairs, entering the Vault. The room is darkly lit, its normal somber atmosphere flooding the room. The magic still potent, lacing the air.

I scan the area for anything unusual or out of place, checking each wall, floorboard, and artwork. Searching for something that wasn’t here this morning or has recently been moved.

I slowly make my way around the room, trailing my eyes across every inch of it. I check the runes and sigil markings throughout the area, making sure that nothing had been changed or tampered with. It would take a pretty powerful mage to be able to deal with the Vault's magic anyway, but there was no harm in being completely sure.

As if reading my thoughts, the magic in the room flares to life, light wisps of magic dancing in the air like little flames, as if telling me all was okay and untouched here.

I smile at the sight of the wisps as they slowly recede into the walls.

I make my way to the large marble door, wanting to check the incantations and spells around it when suddenly, I feel a prickling chill on the back of my neck.

I turn to find Gregori on the last step of the stairs, one of the asshats who accused Jace so definitively. He stands there, his eyes clouded as he gazes past me.

“What are you doing here?” I snap. The memory of Jace’s weak voice still playing in my ears, as this ass kept accusing him.

“I specifically remember placing a ban on anyone leaving the Library. So what are you doing down here?” My eyes narrow at the stalk of a man.

Didn’t Aileen know how to teach her staff proper procedure, or did this ass think he was above the rules? How did he even leave the main Library without one of the others noticing?

I look at him, watching as his face twists into a look of disgust.

“You think you're all-powerful? You don't know true power. You're just a pest…a hindrance…a weed that needs uprooting.”

The realization dawns on me, and I quickly call to my power, it reacts instantly, and within seconds I’m embracing the strength flowing through me. My body reinforces itself, ready for any attack that may come.

So Gregori was our rat…our traitor.

He jerks his hand forward, large dark claws extending from his fingers as his eyes blacken fully. His body begins to shift, his shoulder bones protruding forward as the skin on his spine rips open, sharp black points slashing through the flesh to form barbed tips.