It took about an hour for Theo to find the library, but when he did, the smell of books was intoxicating.

The library was full of scholarly luxury. Bookcases towered over Theo's head and stretched as far as he could see. The ceilings were vaulted, and the library consisted of several floors that were open in the middle.

Theo tucked his hands behind his back to resist the urge to pick the books up. Their jewel colored spines were beckoning him.

Sadly, the oath around his neck would strangle him if he dared to flip through them.

It was truly disappointing. In the village where Theo was raised, there had not been many books to read. And since he was grown, Dullahan had forbidden him from reading unapproved books to keep Theo from learning about magic.

A bitter sigh burst out of Theo's mouth. He was a bookworm at heart.

'Torture, torture.'

Theo thought to himself as he walked around the bookshelves.

Soft carpet softened his steps, so he didn't even have to worry about quieting his footsteps as much.

Still, he had to be careful not to be seen by any of the library's approved patrons.

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be anyone around.

However, Theo would have a daunting task finding the book Dullahan wanted. He had no idea how the books were organized, and it wasn't like he could ask a librarian for help stealing a book.

Well, he could with the right threats, but Theo preferred not to operate that way.

Instead, he just wandered the stacks while reading the spines of each book.

If Theo had put his mind to it, he probably could have figured out a more efficient way to find the book he needed, but...

'I wish I could stay here longer.'

Theo smiled as he imagined what the contents of each book were like.

History of the Middle Continent.

Legendary Warlocks and the Secrets of Their Spellwork.

An Adventurer's Guide to Flora and Fauna.

As Theo was losing himself in the forest of books, he nearly stumbled on a studying duo.

Their words were too faint to understand from where he was standing, but Theo decided to creep a little closer to eavesdrop.

After all, he might find some valuable information by listening in.

Plus, he appreciated hearing gossip.

Carrot was rubbing off on him. 

Theo wasn't able to get a look at the duo's faces, but one voice was distinctly feminine and the other was masculine.

"-still don't you think there are a lot of ethical implications behind this?" the feminine voice said.

"Well, that's the case for everything," the masculine voice said.

'Ah. Ethics. Boring.'

Theo started to turn away. He wasn't that interested in a philosophical debate.

"It just seems like the only ones that could actually get their oaths broken would be the very rich or influential."

Theo stopped in his tracks.

'Did she just mention breaking an oath?'

Theo hadn't even known such a thing was possible.

He could feel the oath tightening around his neck as a warning to stop listening in on this conversation.

But he couldn't leave yet.

"The procedure would be lengthy, take skilled healers, mages, and require a ton of artefacts and other materials. Of course it would be expensive."

Theo slowly stepped away as the sensation around his neck became unbearable.

Just a little more. He wanted to hear just a little more.

"I know that." The feminine voice muttered.

"You could do it if you would give it a try, Eloise."

The next reply was too faint for Theo to understand. He was too far away.

He leaned against a bookshelf and tried to catch his breath as the burning, choking sensation of leaning against the oath's will began to fade.

'When the masculine voice said "give it a try," did he mean oath-breaking?'

Theo's heart hammered. Something he hadn't dreamed was possible was right in front of him.

He filed the name Eloise away. It was a shame he didn't know her full name, but he would be keeping an eye out for any mages going by that name.

If there was a way to break this oath, Theo would do almost anything to get it.

He dug his nails into the oath that circled his neck.

The minute he got rid of the oath, he was going to rip Dullahan to shreds.

A bloodthirsty smile warped his lips.

He looked more the part of the villain than anytime he had been following Dullahan's orders.

Of course, there was only a slight chance that Theo could figure out a way to get the oath removed while it was monitoring him.

Still, a chance was more than he had before.

His footsteps were lighter and faster as he searched for the book Dullahan wanted.

Theo was anxious to get back to Carrot. He needed to try to find a way to let the unicorn know that there might be a way to break the oath without alerting the oath around his neck.

It would be difficult, but surely Theo could find a way.

***

When Theo finally stumbled on a section of bookshelves with books chained to the shelves, he knew he had come to the right spot.

A librarian would have to unlock the book for a patron to be able to read it.

These were highly restricted books.

Theo was guessing that if Dullahan wanted a book, it would be one of these.

It didn't take much longer for Theo to find the book Dullahan had asked for.

He leaned forward to inspect the chains that kept the burgundy book chained shut and attached to the bookshelf.

Breaking the chain wouldn't prove too difficult, but Theo was concerned that there might be spells that would be released if the chains were broken.

In fact, it was highly likely that some nasty spell work was woven into the chains.

Or maybe the mages would have restrained themselves a little since this was a library and accidents did happen.

Yet again, Theo found himself sighing.

There was no choice.

He would have to face whatever spell work was hurled his way.

Theo broke the chains around the book with a bludgeon made of blunt magic and twisted shadows.

A scuff got on the cover of a nearby book.

'Sorry, book!'

Theo thought as sirens began to blare.

A spell hit him in the chest before he could react.

Theo felt his magic getting constrained by a curse. There must have been a spell to seal magic woven in the chains that used to hold the book.

It was too low-level to completely seal off Theo's magic, but he could only access a small fraction of his power.

The spell left him feeling like one of his senses was deadened.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Theo began to pump his arms and legs as fast as he could. He needed to escape the tower before anyone could stop him.

"Use one of those offense spells you've been bragging about!" A feminine voice, Eloise's voice, shouted from nearby.

"But I've never used it on a person. What if I hurt them?" The masculine voice replied.

"Weren't you the one telling me to stop stressing about ethics? Just cast the spell as soon as you see the thief, James."

Eloise and James rounded a row of bookshelves to come face-to-face with Theo.

Theo froze as he now had a face to associate with the name and voice he had heard earlier.

He grinned. His hope of one day betraying Dullahan had just become a tiny bit more likely to come true.

Eloise was a willowy blond with piercing brown eyes. She looked ready to murder someone for daring to steal from the library.

James was a brunet and surprisingly muscular for someone who had struck Theo as more of a scholar than an athlete. His expression was much more unsure and timid than Eloise's.

Freezing was a mistake, though.

James overcame his discomfort with casting a spell.

The ensuing magic flung Theo into a bookcase.

Books showered down around him.

Theo was now surrounded by books, but not in the way he had dreamed about.

'Ugh.'

This was going to be troublesome.