The Librarian: A Remnants of Magic Novel (The Librarian of Alexandria Book 2) by Casey White (reading list txt) 📗

chest. He didn’t do this. This was their fault. If they’d left him alone, none of this would have happened. Everyone would still be alive.

A scream from ahead brought his eyes whipping back front and center to the alley ahead.

The haze from the smoke bombs was thick enough he nearly couldn’t see at all—but somehow, in the clouds, he caught sight of a man backpedaling, clutching a gun.

James bore down on him, fury in his eyes. Blood soaked through his shirt from a wound Daniel couldn’t make out, but he still clutched his hammer.

He smashed it into the man’s chest with a roar that echoed all the way to Daniel. The man staggered back, bringing his arms up.

The second blow of the hammer sent him into the brick wall, going limp. A puff of dust erupted from where he hit.

James bore down on him, bellowing. That hammer of his came up again.

The third blow drove the Booklender into the alley wall hard enough to shake the building. Bits of mortar and brick tumbled down from overhead.

Daniel flinched back. “Damn,” he whispered.

That wasn’t mortal strength. That much, at least, he could recognize—and he could piece together the implications.

Another figure appeared from the clouds of smoke, though, grabbing at James’ arm.

“Go!” Leon cried, his voice muted across the distance.

James turned to him, muttering something Daniel couldn’t hear, and Leon shook his head. He turned, looking around. “We can-”

For a moment, their eyes met. Leon’s widened, and he seemed to straighten, just a little.

Go, Daniel mouthed, as clearly as he could, and flashed Leon a thumbs-up sign. Go. Go. They didn’t need to be here anymore. Their job had been finished the moment the tracker’s body hit the dirt. Now, they just needed to all get out.

A smile played at Leon’s lips—and with one hand braced as if blocking something behind them, he dragged James away.

Daniel didn’t want to know what that was about. It looked like he’d been shielding them from something—and he’d seen the tiny glimmers of something floating in midair. Bullets, no doubt.

Sucking in a breath of air, he tapped his hand against Olivia’s. “Time to go.”

“R-Right.” As one, they hurried forward toward where James and Leon had disappeared. Just a little more. It was a straight shot from here, and then-

A door slammed open ahead. Someone from inside the garage burst out, their hair gleaming honey-blond in the street lights.

Rickard. Daniel’s blood froze.

“Go back,” he hissed, twisting back toward Olivia and pushing her out front. “Go. Go, before-”

“Hey!” he heard Rickard cry, and cursed. There was too much recognition by far in that voice.

They ran. Olivia flew ahead of him, her hair streaming out behind her. His leg had long since gone numb, little more than a stiff mass beneath him. He kept up gamely, though, refusing to acknowledge the footsteps around them or the cries drawing closer.

Run, he whispered. Come on, Alex. If you’ve got anything to give me, I need it now.

A warmth spread through his chest, slower than before but very much alive. He grinned, whipping back around the corner. The body of the tracker lay in the lot still, growing cold. They’d need to get to the other alley, and back to the car he’d prepped. Just a little farther. That strange energy thrummed within him, pushing the pain away until it was just a distant memory. It wasn’t a magic wall, but he’d take it.

Heels pounding against the dirt, Olivia and him ran.

A figure burst from the garage’s back door. The dark-haired man, the one Rickard had called Janik.

Daniel cursed under his breath, pouring on the speed, but he’d seen the man’s eyes widen—and he’d seen Janik reach for his pocket. Olivia gasped.

In a flash, she fell back, her eyes set. She didn’t say a word. Her hands were on his shoulders before he could react, pushing him to one side, and-

He heard her indrawn breath, filled with pain.

“No,” Daniel gasped, latching onto her wrist before she stumbled too far away. His arm popped, stretching as he pulled her on. “Run, damn it.”

“Keep going,” she whispered. “Y-You have to-”

“Run.” He glanced back, his gaze furious.

Olivia’s eyes were unfocusing, fogging over. Behind her, though, he saw the dark-haired man make a face—behind the rifle he cradled, pointed toward them.

No. Daniel dragged Olivia onward, yanking her around the corner. Every step she took seemed slower than the one before. “Olivia!” he cried, hauling her savagely forward. “Damn it, move!”

“S-Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m…I’m so sorry.”

“Just run!” His chest ached, burning with exhaustion. That same energy thrummed through his veins, burning higher.

And he could see their car waiting at the end of the alley. Waiting for them. He grinned, pulling Olivia another step forward. “We’re almost there, so-”

Something lanced into his shoulder before he could finish the sentence. The rest of the words dissolved into a pained gasp.

No, not pained. The pain was gone. Daniel floated, his senses tingling. His skin prickled, then went cold, fading away to nothing.

Something hit him hard. The ground. He groaned, blinking desperately, but the fog in his eyes wouldn’t clear.

Olivia’s wrist was still warm, pressed against his skin. He tugged again, trying to pull her closer, but might as well have been pulling at a mountain.

They were so close. The car...it was right there. His eyes were glued to it, even as the fog and smoke swallowed him. With a final twitch, he sagged to the asphalt, letting the dark swoop in.

They’d been so close.

- Chapter Twenty-Nine -

Hands, across his shoulders. His legs. Lifting him.

He tried to move, but his limbs wouldn’t listen. His eyes were empty, sightless.

Voices whispered somewhere nearby, too soft to hear.

And then he was falling, falling, caught by something hard and unmoving. His face pressed against something cold, layered in uneven ridges. A grate. Bars. The ground shook beneath him.

A twinge of pain in his arm, and-

Daniel jerked, his eyes snapping wide open.

Stained glass windows stared back down at him, looming high overhead