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

The hallway was empty.

"Where?" he gasped, looking this way and that.  "Where'd she go, Alex?  I thought I asked you to-"

The words fell away as Alexandria gave an angry, ominous rumble.  Owl stopped, furrowing his brow at the hallway - the hallway that was completely lacking any doors.  "Sorry," he whispered numbly.  "I thought- I assumed you...but then..."

He stood there, flummoxed, and just....stared. "Where'd she go?"

Owl yelped, flinching away as the quiet of the Library was split by a cacophony of bells. "W-What- What the-"

Bells.  He backed up a pace, leaning against a wall and clinging to it until his heart could stop pounding.  Bells, in the Library.  Right.  Guests.  He knew how this worked.  He'd done it all before.

This isn't a surprise, his thoughts screamed.  You were expecting this, weren't you?  How long have you been waiting for this to happen?  Hurry up and get in there.

His thoughts weren't wrong.  Owl shook his head furiously, already turning.  "Alex," he said, quickening his stride.  "Get me there quick, will you?"  He'd already been shocked into submission.  He'd already chased Leon's dumbass friend halfway across the Library.  He didn't need to make anyone wait any longer than needed.

Not when he was pretty sure he knew who had come.

If the woman was still here afterward, he’d look for her then.  Couldn’t let her wander, but couldn’t take the time to search anymore.  His fingers explored the straps and bindings of his uniform as he stalked along, checking buckles and ensuring fabric had been carefully tucked into place.  Had to be perfect, and all.  Even with Leon, he wouldn't let himself show a hint of his identity, but with outsiders?  No, no.  Unacceptable.

A relieved sigh broke from his chest as he saw the doors appear.  "Sweet.  Thanks, Alex."  At least that had worked out.  Hurrying on, he pushed hard - and stepped into the entryway.

In an instant, Owl knew his guesses had been correct.  His eyes darted to the more familiar figure first - Olivia, grinning at him sheepishly.  She raised her hand in a tiny wave, tight against her side where it was only half-visible.

He inclined his head a fraction of an inch, acknowledging the gesture - and turned to the second figure.  Where he'd recognized Olivia instantly...it took a moment longer to place her companion.

Which was understandable, he told himself.  It'd been years since they'd last met, after all.

But years wouldn't wipe her face from his memory, no matter how it put lines on her face or streaks of silver in her umber-black hair.

Owl smiled, safely hidden behind his mask, and bowed politely.

"Good evening, guildmaster."

- Chapter Twenty-Nine -

Indira was here.  The guildmaster.

Owl let his eyes linger on her for a long moment, chewing on how he should approach this.  He’d expected her arrival, yes.  Given the way Olivia had shown her face in Alexandria the last time this sort of thing had happened, he’d assumed it was only a matter of time.

And here she was.  He inspected her, wordless.  He’d always remembered her, the slight, tiny woman who’d leapt at her superior back during that long-distant fight.  Now, face to face again, he was likewise brought face to face with the reality of how much time had passed. She looked...older.  Her warm skin was creased with lines around the corners of her lips, her eyes.  He could remember her eyes being filled with terror, with honest confusion.  Now, she just looked tired.

And she was staring at him.  He snapped back to reality, collecting himself.  “It’s a pleasure to see you here in Alexandria today, guildmaster,” he said, with the silence of the entryway pressing in around him.

She smiled, at that, a bit of the tension leaving her expression.  “Thank you, Librarian,” she said.  “It’s been some time, hasn’t it?”

Owl inclined his head gently.  “It has indeed.”  He shifted from foot to foot, glancing between the two guests.  Indira was standing stock-still, but Olivia all but vibrated in place.  They were nervous, then.  Good.  He turned his gaze back to Indira.  “I...can’t say I’m surprised to see you here.”

The corners of her lips lifted wryly.  “No, I suppose you’re not.  Not after...all that.”

He chuckled.  “You could say I’ve been expecting you for a while.”

His amusement died as Indira took a step forward - and bowed, bent over double at the waist.

Olivia flinched, following suit a moment later.  She clutched a sheaf of papers, which rustled with the motion.

Owl could only gape, stuck staring at their backs.

“Our apologies aren’t enough,” Indira said.  “I hoped to come sooner to express my deepest regrets, but...it took some time to get the full story of what happened out of our scholars.  They were...shaken.  To put it mildly.”

Owl leaned back on his heels, sliding his hands into two of his coat’s oversized front pockets.  Shaken, was it?  He grinned darkly.  Yeah, they’d nearly set each other on fire before getting caught amidst a chaos of collapsing shelves, ending with the ceiling nearly coming down on their heads.  ‘Shaken’ was a pretty damn modest description for how he expected them to feel.

And he was sure that the fact their drunken antics had set the whole thing into motion had nothing to do with their reticence in talking about it.

“Both of them made it through the incident unscathed,” Owl said.  He kept his tone mild, with just the faintest hint of reproach.  “Mostly.  Their injuries were not severe, and-”

“Oh, they were whole and healthy when they awakened,” Indira said - and stood.  For the first time, Owl could see her eyes flash darkly.  “They did not mention they’d been injured during all this.”

Behind her, Olivia straightened, her shoulders drooping - and made a face, starting to scrawl notes on a pad of paper.

“Not badly,” Owl said, forcing his eyes back to Indira.  “I was able to patch the worst of it up with Alexandria’s aid.  It was one reason, though, why I felt it necessary to