Ultimately, it took about an hour for Theo to find the library. 

When he found it, it was full of scholarly luxury. Bookcases towered over Theo's head and stretched as far as he could see. 

There were few books to read in the village where Theo was raised, and then he had been under Dullahan. 

A bitter sigh burst out of Theo's mouth. 

Torture, torture, Theo thought to himself as he walked around the bookshelves.

The plush carpet softened his steps, so he didn't even have to worry about quieting his footsteps as much. Still, he had to be careful to avoid being seen by any of the library's approved patrons. 

Thankfully there didn't seem to be anyone around.

However, Theo would have a considerable 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. 

As Theo got lost in the maze 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. Maybe he would find some valuable information by listening in. 

And he liked hearing gossip.

Theo couldn't get a look at the duo's faces, but one voice was feminine, and one was masculine.

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

"That's the case for everything, though," the masculine voice said.

Ah. Ethics. Boring. Theo dismissed the duo and 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. She was talking about breaking oaths. 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 to this conversation. But he couldn't leave yet.

"The procedure would be lengthy, take skilled healers and mages, and require a ton of artifacts 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 following 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 faded. 

When the man said "give it a try" did he mean oath-breaking? Theo wondered. 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 the full name, but he would be keeping an eye out for any magical scholars 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 would rip Dullahan to shreds. A bloodthirsty smile warped his lips.

He now looked more villainous than any time he had been following Dullahan's orders. 

However, he quickly deflated. 

Theo knew this was a minuscule chance; he was still unlikely to ever escape Dullahan. 

He got back to work looking for the book. 

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

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

His hunch was correct, and Theo didn't take much longer to find the book Dullahan had requested.

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 it was highly likely that there was nasty spellwork ready to wreak havoc on any unauthorized person who dared break the chains. 

Yet, there was no choice. He would have to face whatever spellwork was thrown at him. 

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

Sirens began to blare, and 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 holding the book.

It couldn't completely seal off Theo's magic; subduing someone's magic to any degree was extremely difficult, but he could only access a tiny fraction of his power. 

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

But there was no time to be dwelling 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!" 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 had a face to associate with the name and voice he had heard earlier. 

He grinned. His hope of one day betraying Dullahan became a tiny bit more likely to come true now that he knew what they looked like. 

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 that 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. It gave James ample time to overcome his discomfort with casting a spell. 

Theo was thrown back against a bookcase, and books showered around him.

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

Ugh.

This was going to be troublesome.