The Library (The Librarian of Alexandria Book 1) by Casey White (ebook reader 8 inch .TXT) 📗

Another option screamed into his mind at a hundred miles an hour.  “Olivia,” he said, hurrying forward.  He reached for her arm, stretching his fingers out.  “If you’ve got a minute, would you help me?”

The look she shot him was positively venomous.  “Didn’t you hear me?” she said, her brow furrowing.  She yanked her arm away from him, leaving only the memory of soft skin on his fingertips behind.  “I’m not going to do your damn busywork.  Not today.  I’m not in the mood.”  Her lips pressed together, arching into a pout.  “At least let me wake up, first.”

“Would you let me finish, next time?” Owl said wearily, glaring at her.

She froze, blinking.  “W-What?”

Little by little, he could see the sleep starting to leave her expression.  Owl smiled grimly.  Perfect.  This doesn’t have to work exactly right - it just has to wake her up enough to get her back to work.

“I had a favor,” Owl said.  “One I was going to ask of you.  Um.”  He faltered, suddenly aware that his palms were sweating.

“What is it?” Olivia said.  She turned to face him, finally stationary.

“Um,” Owl mumbled again.  Damn it, it was going to be embarrassing as hell. But he needed a way to slow her down.  Any way.

This was just the only one that was presenting itself to him right then.

“You said y-you teach, right?”

Olivia’s bemused expression only intensified.  “W-What?  Owl, you already know I-”

“Could you teach me?”

Olivia stopped, going statue-still in the blink of an eye.  “Pardon?” she squeaked at last.

“To draw.”  Owl gestured at her wildly.  “Y-You’re talented.  I could- It’d be nice to have someone who knows what they’re doing show me how.”

“But why would you want to learn to draw?” she said.

He grinned, letting his head hang forward just a little.  “I’ve got a lot of time to kill, y’know,” he mumbled.  “I like to learn how to do this stuff.”

Olivia blinked.  “Oh.”

“Unless you’re too busy,” Owl said.  “I know you’re so tied up in being an artist.  I suppose I shouldn’t try and interrupt your-”

“I’ll make time,” she said - and a smile broke across her face, earnest enough he almost started to regret his deception.  “It’s my pleasure, Li-  Owl.”

“Thanks,” he said, a little more quietly.  “I appreciate you taking the effort.”

“It’ll be fun,” Olivia said.  She thrust a hand out, grabbing his before he could pull away.  “Come on.  Let’s do the thing.”

“W-What?” Owl stammered.

Olivia’s head craned back and forth as she started to tow him farther down the hall.  “I just have to ask her for a place, right?”

“What are you-”

“Alexandria,” she said, turning just far enough to glance at him sidelong.  “That’s what you keep doing.  I’ve been trying to get better at it, anyway.”

Which was why she’d been out here wandering around aimlessly, half-asleep.  Owl groaned quietly.  It all made sense - the malleable nature of the Library was hardly a secret.  She’d likely learned it the first time she talked to a guest after they left.  So he hadn’t bothered to hide it.

He couldn’t quite tell why, but the fact itched at him more than it had before.  He liked Olivia well enough, but...he sighed.  This last month was going to be an odd balance of keeping her close enough she didn’t suspect him of anything, but far enough she didn’t learn too much.

You heard the woman, he whispered to Alexandria instead.  Somewhere we can go for a quick lesson.  Somewhere quiet.  But not the place Leon and them are hiding, okay?  He shouldn’t have to say it, and yet, Alexandria seemed to have next-level awful judgement at times.  On top of the fact she was spiteful as hell and held a grudge.  This isn’t a time to play around, he thought, more gently.  Do what you like when they’re gone, but until then-

A blast of wind hit him in the back, hard enough to send him stumbling forward but focused enough the candles on the walls didn’t even flicker.  He bit back a yelp, catching himself roughly.

Olivia’s head whipped around.  “Owl!  Are you-”

“I-I’m fine,” he said, smiling through gritted teeth.  “Tripped.”

“Be more careful next time,” Olivia said.  She’d already turned back to the passage around them.  “Oh, I was sure she’d have-”

Her words were cut off in a triumphant hiss as she paused.  Owl lifted his head - and saw the narrow alcove set into the wall ahead.  It wasn’t a room, as such.  More like a cut-away from the stone, set far enough into the wall to boast a fireplace along one side and a wooden bar at the other.  Windows rose on the other side of the hall, letting in the first glimmers of warm morning light.

“That’ll do,” Olivia said, and he felt her grip on his hand tighten.

It’ll do, Owl whispered.  Thanks.  Sorry for not, uh.  Not trusting you to handle it.  He had damn good reasons for not trusting her completely, mind - but, he couldn’t see any of his friends hiding around the edges of the scene, so he had to assume she’d listened to him this time.

Okay, then.  Owl gave one last nervous glance around, just to reassure himself, and found no sign of a brassy-haired, blue-eyed man grinning back at him.  They were good.  He just had to keep it that way.

Letting out the breath he’d been holding in, Owl let Olivia tow him over to the alcove.

Olivia threw herself down at the alcove’s bar, patting the stool next to her.   “Here, c’mon.  Plop down.”

“I am,” Owl said, his voice rippling with amusement.  She’d committed to the morning’s event with all of her usual enthusiasm, it seemed.  How fitting.  “Don’t hurry me.”

“You’re the one that asked.”

Fair.  Owl acknowledged the point with a nod, easing himself down onto the hard wooden seat.  The fireplace behind them burned brightly, casting shadows onto the wall ahead and warming his back even through the leather.  Olivia had to be burning.

She didn’t show even an ounce of discomfort as she ripped her