Chapter 25-Phillip Wallows

                                    

                                          
Chapter 25
•Alex's P.O.V•
The powdery snow outside fell lightly as two of us reemerged right outside the large doors to the library. A chill ran up my spine as Zielo led me out of the shadows, his hand still wrapped around mine. 
"I always forget how weird that feels." I shuddered in discomfort. 
"You'll get used to it." Zielo shrugged before turning to the doors. "So... Is it in there?" 
I closed my eyes and focused. My hair stood on end once more, pulsing with an electric yellow glow. A yellow light appeared in my mind, moving around beyond the doors of the library. 
"Yeah." I nodded. Zielo nodded back, shadows coiling around us. 
"Stay quiet." He whispered before leading me into the shadows. 
The two of us reemerged in the shadows behind one of the bookshelves, another chill running up my spine. The yellow light from my hair illuminated the slightly dusty books as the surge of energy in my chest strengthened, pulsing through my body. I turned to Zielo. 
"It's close." I whispered to him. 
Zielo didn't respond, instead staring out into the dim moonlight shining through one of the distant windows of the library. His hand held onto mine tightly, squeezing it gently. His body tensed. 
"Zee? Something wrong-" 
"I saw someone heading into the archives." Zielo answered, his voice stern and his eyes glowing dimly in the darkness. "If it's the thief you described, he's nearby." 
"That's not good." I muttered, pulling my hood over my head, smothering the bright yellow glow that illuminated the shelves. Zielo snapped his fingers. The same dark aura enveloped us, then faded seconds after. 
"What was that?" 
"A shadow veil." He replied. "As long as we stay in the shadows, and we're physically linked, we'll be undetectable." 
"Smart move." 
With that, Zielo and I crept out from the bookshelves towards the archives, keeping to the shadows. Zielo lead me across the library, his eyes shimmering slightly in the darkness. A feeling of numbness washed over the tips of my fingers. My hands twitched slightly as a rush of energy pulsed through my entire body. 
"Where is it?" 
A frustrated voice echoed from the archives. Zielo's eyes met mine as if asking for reassurance or for our next move. I nodded towards the sounds, he nodded back, then lead me by the hand deeper into the library. The sound of disgruntled grunts and frantic swooshes of paper got louder the farther in we went. Footsteps pacing up and down between shelves made themselves more apparent. 
And soon enough, deep into the archives, a golden light peeked through some of the shelves from around a corner. 
Zielo turned to me, motioning to lay low and not make a sound. I nodded. We then crept closer towards the light, the shuffling and frustrated voice getting clearer and easier to make out. The two of us hid in the shadows, peeking through the spaces between the books and lower shelves. Through them, we caught a glimpse of just who we were dealing with. 
A tall man in a dark cloak, the hood covering most of his head, his mask covering his face from the nose down, and a pair of piercing blue eyes peeking through the dark clothing. 
'Yup.' I thought to myself. 'That's him.' 
My eyes fixated on him as he skimmed through the books that lay on a table, flipping the pages in a frustrated growl before closing it abruptly and throwing it down onto the table with a heavy *thud*!