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

“I guess.”  Olivia reached up, latching onto a shelf and levering herself back to her feet.  “Jesus.  My arms feel like noodles.”

“And I repeat.  It’s just books.  If you’d like to work out, there’s a practice field around the-”

“Oh, shut up,” Olivia moaned, turning away.  “Okay, then, Master Librarian.  What’s next?”

“Get on back to Will.”

Olivia spun, her eyes going wide.  “What?”

Maybe he was being too soft.  If he asked, he was pretty sure Alexandria would come up with an almost-endless supply of chores to keep the woman busy with.

But...he didn’t want to babysit Olivia for the entire visit, and he’d already kept her busy for a good hour.  He had stuff of his own to get to.  That’s why Indira had sent her, wasn’t it?

Supposedly, anyway.

“You’ll have plenty of time to help with this kind of stuff,” Owl said.  “Look.  Now that you can see exactly how uncomplicated this is, do a lap of the central study hall once a morning.  Shelve anything you see.  We’ll...We’ll work from there.”

“Oh.”  Olivia nodded, chewing her lip.  “Okay.  Yeah.  I guess.”

“Now...go,” Owl said, shooing her back toward the main hallway.  “You’ve got your own research to do, right?  And I’m sure Will’s in desperate need of some company.”  He cocked an eyebrow, safely hidden behind his mask.  “If you keep making excuses to stay out here, he’ll notice you’re missing all the time.”

“Will wouldn’t notice an earthquake if the ground split open beneath him,” she said, flashing a smile his way.  “Don’t worry about that.”

“Just-”

“Got it.  I’m going.”  She skittered away, giggling to herself - but froze, poised in the doorway.  Her fingers gripped the wooden frame.  Her expression changed, going oddly serious as she looked back.  “Owl?”

He sighed.  “What?”

She stared back at him, her face limned by the glow of the chandeliers from outside.  “Thanks for showing me around.  For letting me help.  And for helping me with that.”

As though he’d really had a choice in the matter.  This visit was too useful for him to pass up, no matter how uncomfortable it made him.  “No problem.”

“Um.”

He sighed.  “What else?”

“If you don’t mind...If you have some time later on, will you help me with something else?”  She shook her head a moment later.  “N-Not tonight.  Just...later.”

Help her with something else?  Owl narrowed his eyes, peering down the aisle at her.  “With something else?  I mean, maybe, but what are you-”

Her face split into a beaming smile.  “Thanks, Owl.”

Before he could say another word, she darted out into the hallway and was gone.

Owl stood, blinking dumbly, and gaped at the empty void where she’d stood.  Her footsteps resounded down the hall as she danced back toward the Library’s heart and her friend.

“This is going to be a long three months, isn’t it?” he mumbled.

With Alexandria’s windchime laughter echoing in his ears, Owl hurried after Olivia.

- Chapter Thirty-Four -

His fingers flew across the keyboard.  Owl narrowed his eyes at the lines of code as they appeared before him, springing onto the screen like endless ants.

This would be easier if he could have a bigger screen.  Or a bigger keyboard.  He sighed, ducking his head for a moment.

What he had was a laptop, and a seat on the balcony looking over the edge, and two scholars below who had both been all but silent for the last three hours.  The most life he’d seen out of them, aside from their furiously scrawling pencils, was occasionally shoving giant-sized books of images back and forth.

He could just use his office.  The thought wormed its way into his mind, far too appealing.  He was already up here on the balcony.  The office was closed off from the regular visitors.  He could work in there as normal, and he’d have all his usual tools right at his fingertips.

Owl ground his teeth together, shooting an irritated look across the balcony to the shuttered walls of his domain.  He just...couldn’t.  He wasn’t comfortable with the notion of that, yet - leaving his papers out in the open where wandering eyes might find them.  Or, well, prying eyes, since his studies would be locked away tightly.

Even still...he wanted to be able to move around, to keep an eye on the pair as they worked.  And he wanted to be able to pick his projects up and ensure that neither Olivia nor her meek friend would ever get their hands on them.

With a start, he jolted back to reality - and realized that the pair weren’t there anymore.  Or...He leaned forward peering over the railing.  Will was still at his seat.

Olivia, though...

“Hey!” he heard someone cry.  Rising, he stepped forward from his desk.  Olivia came into view, right in front of the nook where the stairs to the balcony emerged.

Great.  “What?” he called, resting his hands against the railing.

“Come down here,” was the response he got.

Owl glared at her from the heights.  She was ordering him around.  Her, a guest, and him the Librarian.  If she thought she could have him at her beck and call...

There was no malice or superiority in her tone, though, and the gleam in her eyes seemed earnest enough.  If anything, she looked...He sighed.  Bored.  Olivia was bored.

If the day to day interactions of the past month had shown him anything, well, an Olivia that was bored was an Olivia that was bound and determined to make his life hell.

“How about you just keep working on your-”

“Come on,” she said, leaning back.  Her lips curled into a pout.

Owl groaned.  “Jesus Christ,” he muttered.  Then, more loudly.  “Fine.  Whatever.  Hold on for one goddamn minute.”  His fingers closed about the lid of his laptop, pulling it shut, and he tucked it into one of the impossibly-deep pockets of his coat, where the whole thing seemed to vanish entirely.  Alexandria’s magic was the best, sometimes.

“So rude a mouth, for a Librarian.  Does Indira know you-”

Owl spun on his heel, stalking toward the staircase.  Her giggles followed him down each and