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

Because he could see it, then. Leon would try to continue the fight. He’d charge headlong into the next battle, because that’s what you did. Only, they were on the back foot, now. They were two people down. Daniel didn’t think Rickard would be hanging around out in the open for long. Prize in hand, he’d already be well on his way back to a secure location.

And if Leon kept diving headlong into this fight, sooner or later they’d pay a price that none of them could afford.

Leon was still musing on their chances of finding new guns when Daniel shook his head. “No.”

Leon blinked. “N-No?”

“No,” Daniel whispered. “No, you can’t. Leon, you’re going to get yourself killed fighting this.”

“Well, I mean, if we play things smart, I don’t see why-”

“This isn’t a game,” Daniel snapped. “They’re strong, Leon. You can’t keep doing this. James and Maya...they deserve better. You deserve better.”

“Okay,” Leon said. His brow furrowed. “So...what’s the plan? We could-”

“There is no plan.” The words ached as they slipped from his lips, burning in his chest. “There’s nothing left. We lost.”

“Daniel?” he heard Leon say. His voice was small, distant.

“I couldn’t bear something happening to you,” Daniel whispered. “Bad enough Olivia got dragged down with me. You’re still free. Go. Get out while you can, before-”

“But then you’ll-”

“It’s just how things are.”

Leon rocked back on his heels, his eyes going round. “W-What? What are you…” His face hardened. “No. I’m not giving up here, and neither are you.”

“Leon, just-”

“I’m not,” he snapped. “Come on. If we stop fighting here, they win. You’ll-”

“I know what’ll happen,” Daniel said. His fists balled up at his sides. “I don’t want to lose. But-”

“But you’ll roll over and be a doormat for them?” Leon said. His eyes flashed dangerously. “You’ll just let them walk all over you again? Damn it, Daniel, grow a damn spine and-”

“And what?” Daniel cried. He stumbled back, pushing away from Leon. “What should I do, Leon? What? I can’t do anything. None of it matters. I’m stuck in here, and they’re out there, and it doesn’t matter how much I plan. When I wake up, I’ll be right there in the same shitty spot.”

Leon shook his head, blond hair flying. “You don’t know until you try. What if-”

“Yes,” Daniel snapped. “I do know, Leon. This is how it goes.”

He threw a hand out to the side, fingers clenched. His eyes burned.

“It doesn’t matter what I do,” he spat. “It doesn’t matter what I try. It’s never mattered. I’m just stuck here, caught between this fucking library and who-the-fuck ever, and if I pound my fists and stomp my feet, all I’m going to get is tired. So, what? In a few days, or weeks, or months, I’ll wake up out there again?”

A hollow laugh burst from his throat. “And then what? They’ll still be mages, and I’m not. They’ll still have weapons, and I don’t. You’re one man. You can’t change reality.”

“Two, with James,” Leon mumbled.

“It’s not enough!” Daniel cried. “Why the hell do you even care? Why are you still here? They’ll put a bullet through your head before you make it halfway to me, and the only thing that’ll come of the attempt is I get to watch you die.”

Leon flinched. His eyes twitched, then tightened. “Daniel,” he whispered. “That’s not...there’s got to be a way to do something. I can’t just let you-”

“You’re not the damn hero here,” Daniel said. “Stop meddling. Stop sticking yourself into the middle of things before you get hurt.”

Leon flinched away, recoiling as if he’d been struck. “But-”

“Just stop,” Daniel said. He took another step back. Blood rushed through his ears, deafening. He smiled, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “It’s okay. There’s never been a way out.”

The winds shrieked. The walls groaned around them. The few candles left burning flickered, all but blowing out.

And still, Leon just...stared. Mute. The hurt in his eyes shone clearer than any words.

Daniel backed away. Something pressed against his spine, through the leather of his coat. A doorknob. His hands found it, somehow.

“It wouldn’t change anything,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “Nothing ever changes.”

And then he turned, pushing the door open, and broke into a shambling run.

He didn’t know what he expected. A final attempt, maybe, or a parting cry from Leon.

Only silence followed on his heels as he stumbled deeper into the Library.

- Chapter Thirty -

Within minutes, the walls around Daniel changed, indelibly marking Alexandria’s shift as he put distance between himself and Leon. He stumbled on. By now, the ache of his leg was a constant companion. The stiffness and weight of it was already becoming second nature.

“Great,” he whispered. “Another habit for me to break later.”

The murmur fell flat, though, swallowed by the leather and parchment that pressed in on either side. The once-towering hallway squeezed in closer and closer, all but devouring him with tight, low-hanging beams and timbers lined with books.

He didn’t know where he was going, anymore. He hadn’t for a while, but now at least he knew it didn’t matter. He was just...waiting. That was all. For something to happen. For Rickard’s team to pluck him back out of Alexandria and into the outside world. For Leon to leave.

Lumbering through a doorway, his shoulders nearly touching the books on either side, Daniel groaned. Another doorway sat ahead of him, dark wood blocking his path. He trudged toward it, slowly but steadily.

More than anything, he just wanted to clear his head. There were too many moving parts here. Seeing Leon had upset the delicate balance he’d built. Maybe, when he was gone, he could find that calm again. He could find some peace with things.

Pushing open the next door, he stopped.

Stairs rose in front of him, broad and tall, to a landing above. Hazy light poured through the windows waiting at its end—and illuminated what looked suspiciously like a second flight, rising higher