A cold shiver runs down my back at the thought of the dark figures just meters behind me. Suddenly a hand reaches for me as I make my way toward the others. I evade it and twist around, my runes already gleaming and ready to go, as I turn to meet two widened amber eyes.

Jace.

“It’s me, Rhys. I didn’t mean to scare you.” A sheepish grin spreads on his face as he drags his hand down the back of his neck.

He looks back to the blackened window, his face blanching slightly at the sight, a shudder running down his back before he faces me.

“That was one creepy scene…do you know what they were, those black shadowy things?” His nose scrunches cutely as he remembers the cloaked figures.

I shake my head.

“No. I’ve never seen something so…shadowy?” A smile splits my face as I use Jace’s words, the tension easing from me as I gaze at his growing smile.

“I’ve not seen anything like them either,” Ilyric says, coming up beside us. He’s followed by Isaac, then Cole, and finally Lucien.

Cole shakes his head, his eyes narrowed and glued to the dark windows, his body stiff and jaw tight as he watches it stretch and spread over the Library.

“Neither have I…not like that anyway.” A quick look of revulsion flashes over Lucien's face before he quickly fixes it.

I look to Isaac, my resident encyclopedia on almost all things magic. His brows are synched together, and his eyes dark, cloudy as if lost in his own thoughts.

“Isaac?” He turns, his face relaxing a bit.

“No, but I think I’ll check some of Isaiah's old volumes in the private Library. He had a lot of different supes. Maybe he’ll have something on those…strange shifters out there.” His lip curls in disgust at the thought of them.

He looks at the men around us before turning back to me.

“I’ll be back soon.” He heads out quickly, not even a glance back as he leaves the room.

Wait, did he say the private Library…where Jace and I…Damn.

The chanting becomes louder from outside, pulling me from my thoughts as the eerie voices become clearer to hear. A language I’ve never heard before flows from their unearthly voices. An ominous feeling filled my gut at the sound.

I don't know what they were planning to do or if it would work here, but we had to be ready for them.

I look around the large open Library at the people huddled and hiding together, shaking and crying, some injured or unconscious from the previous attacks.

Not exactly the ideal group of people to be able to push back an attack.

There seemed to be only a small handful able to fight whatever was coming, and if we had to protect the injured or weak, we’d be at a big disadvantage.

We need to get everyone that couldn’t fight to a secure and safe place…

The Vault.