The Library (The Librarian of Alexandria Book 1) by Casey White (surface ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” James said, eyes round.

“What I said,” Owl said.  “I’ve never been here before.”

Leon waved a hand frantically.  “But you said you’re that Librarian guy.  That you’re here all the time.  So, uh.  Surely you have to have been here.”

“Or at least know the way out,” James mumbled. “It’s like a goddamn maze in here, man. Help us out.” Where Leon looked about ready to burst, his eyes gleaming, James kept shifting from foot to foot anxiously. “I am not getting lost in here.”

“Already told you guys this,” Owl said, pausing for a moment.  He let his hand drag over an intricately carved column, taking in the sight of the...well, the excess, if he was being honest.  “The Library changes itself at will.  There are some rooms that stay constant, yeah.  And if it wants to repeat a room, it can.  But otherwise-”

“So it’s alive,” Leon breathed. “That’s so cool.”

“N-Not really,” Owl said, alarm bells screaming in his head.  Damn it, what was he doing?  He was supposed to keep Alexandria’s secrets - and here he was, prattling on about the place.  It didn’t matter that all of this was common knowledge to everyone who visited the Library.  In the end, it was all stuff that these two shouldn’t know.

And yet...his pulse slowed fractionally as he glanced around.

High ceilings rose over them, held up by the same indulgent columns as he’d been inspecting moments before.  Broad arches opened on either side of the hall, leading out to gardens dotted with cozy-looking chairs.  Books had been strategically placed alongside each, as though they were just waiting for a reader to plop down for the afternoon.

It’d been years since he’d seen a study as bright and cheerful and lovely as this one.  Which meant Alexandria was in a good mood.  A damn good mood.

You really like them, don’t you? he whispered, sighing again.  And in the end, that’s what was loosening his damn tongue so much.  He wouldn’t let anything slip he wouldn’t tell a guest, he’d decided.  But if Alexandria thought they were a threat, she’d get rid of them.

“Still...how far does it go?” Leon said, spinning back to face him.

“As far as it wants,” Owl responded, chuckling.  “Didn’t your professor friend write anything about that?”

“Milton?” James said.  The man had been keeping his own peace, mostly, clinging to Leon’s heels. At least Owl didn’t have to worry about him wandering off. Now, though, he perked up.  “That old bastard didn’t make much sense, really.”

“Made enough sense to get us thinking,” Leon said.  “That’s plenty.”

Chance.  “So you guys...what,” Owl said, leaning against a pillar.  “Found a note he’d written somewhere in a book, and thought something was weird?”

James and Leon exchanged glances, but in the end, Leon shrugged.  “I pretty much told you everything last time,” he said.  “But, yeah.  That’s basically it.  We were doing a research project, and dug through some old records.”

“I told him it was a long shot,” James said. “Guy was clearly insane, so why waste time with it?” He rolled his eyes. “Leon never knows how to let go of anything.”

“You wanted to just run off and forget about it,” Leon said.  “Bet you’re glad I was stubborn now, huh?”  He glanced back to Owl.  “There was a note in one of the margins, with...well, some pretty fuckin’ weird stuff in it.”

“Like stuff about the Library,” Owl said softly.

A wry grin played at the corners of James’ lips.  “Figured that out all on your own? Big smart guy, you.”

Fair enough.  “You’re students, then?” Owl said.  That much seemed obvious, but he needed every scrap of confirmation he could get.  And more than anything, he needed to keep them going.  Sorry, Alex.  Reality is what it is.

If Alexandria disagreed, well, she wasn’t going out of her way to strike him down.

“Yeah,” Leon said, his expression brightening as he turned back around.  “Getting ready for my masters.  Well, I am.  James’ll probably call it quits here after his bachelor’s.  We’re up at the University of Illi-”

James kicked him.  Hard.  Leon’s words died in a pained yelp.  “Don’t worry about it,” James said, smiling blithely at Owl.  “Don’t take it the wrong way.  We don’t know you, after all.”

“I get it,” Owl said mildly.  Inwardly, he seethed with satisfaction.  Leon, and James, and one Professor Milton - and given their usage of mostly-accentless English, there weren’t too many colleges this ‘Illi’ could be. Plus, he knew their faces now.

It’d take a long time, but he had the pieces he needed to find them.  He could protect himself, if it came to that.  The worry in his gut eased just a little.

“Still,” Owl said, still feeling James’ untrusting eyes on him.  “Never thought I’d wind up with strangers popping out here.  That’s...not supposed to happen.”

“Gee, I’d never have known from how you acted last time,” Leon said.  He’d already started wandering out the far end of the garden-study, ogling the surroundings.  “You seemed downright friendly.  I’d never have guessed you were off-put.”

Behind him, James snorted.

“I did apologize for that,” Owl said, following along gamely.  He’d need to wrangle new boots out of Alexandria soon, with how much these two seemed to be dragging him around the grounds.  “But, uh.  If you don’t mind my asking...how the hell did you two get here?”

“What?” Leon said.  “Oh.  Well, uh.”  He scratched at his head, his golden-brown hair flying.  “I...can’t remember, I guess.  I just...”

“I just went to bed,” James said, scrunching up his face.  “That’s all.  Nothing fancy.”

“Right!” Leon said.  “That.  Yeah.  I remember setting my alarm, and then...”

They both glanced back to Owl - who sighed, nodding.  “And then you woke up here,” he said heavily.

“Yep,” Leon said.  The hallway sprawled out before him, leading back into another of the Library’s wings and out of the garden lounge.  “Oh - James!  Would you believe the size of that