Christine groaned and leaned over the desk, resting her head on her arms. “Dammit,” she swore, knowing the other woman was right. “Damn. Damn-damn-damn.”
“Look at it this way,” Becca said cheerfully. “You get to spend even more time with him. You’ll enjoy that.”
She glared at the other woman. “We. Are. Not. A. Thing.”
Becca winked. “Yet.”
Then she was gone, sliding out of her chair and leaving Christine alone with her thoughts.
She’s right you know? You need to get him in line. Which means spending time with him, understanding what’s driving him, and finding a way to convince him that his actions are going to get more people killed than if he would just work with you. And that is what a leader does.
Christine cursed her inner voice. Why did it have to be right?
“Okay, time to put your big girl pants on,” she muttered, standing up.
It was time to track Altair down—again—and find out just what was up with him.
Good luck, her inner voice chimed in.
You’re going to need it.
Chapter Fifteen
Altair
HE WAS BEGINNING TO feel like his life revolved around two places lately. The training arena, and the library.
“Back again?” the witch at the front desk asked as he strode in less than two hours after leaving.
“Yes.”
“What can we help you with this time?”
Their cheeriness wouldn’t usually bother him, but right now Altair just wanted peace, quiet, and to be left alone. If he could have entered without going past them, he would have, but the library only seemed to have the one entrance that he was aware of.
“I need all accounts of demons and demon lords that have made their way out of the Abyss,” he said. “Sorry, correction, all of them that are not Lord Berith.”
He’d left the library in a hurry, deciding to go and get some food while he chewed on what Christine had told him. Eventually, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he’d come back.
“Of course. Just give me a moment.”
The witch scribbled things down on a piece of paper after consulting a book and pointed him in the right direction. He nodded his thanks, marveling at the impressive knowledge of the witch, and went in search of the books.
This time, he took the stairs though, not wanting to alarm them. He descended into the same section as before, snagging several of the books on his list. Instead of using the public table though, he delved deeper into the library until he came across a secluded corner deep in the stacks. It was unlikely anyone would bother him back here, he was sure.
Laying out the books, he opened the first one, entitled Demon Lords and their Stays on Earth: A Treatise.
Burying his nose in it, he began to read, grateful for the peace and quiet, but also the distraction of the book, something to keep his mind occupied. Too many dark memories had been stirred up by Christine earlier, and he needed something to take his thoughts away from the past, away from his failures, so that he could focus on the here and now and ensuring that such things were never repeated.
An unknown amount of time passed, but he was halfway through the book when the table shook slightly, indicating someone else had sat down.
Not wanting to be disturbed, Altair didn’t even bother looking up, doing his best to make the point to the newcomer that he didn’t want to chat or be social. Hopefully, they would get the idea and go somewhere else.
His hopes were dashed, however, when a finger appeared over the top of his book, grabbing it by the spine and gently forcing it down to reveal a round, familiar face on the other side.
“Hi,” Christine said.
The initial rush of anger at being interrupted was put on hold as he recognized who it was.
He gestured at the books questioningly.
“I’m not here for the books,” she said.
Altair gave her another look, wishing she would just get to the point. Though he knew deep down that she hadn’t meant to stir up his mind earlier, the fact was she had, and it was bothering him. A lot. He didn’t want to interact with her just now, he needed time to settle his mind, to recover his composure.
“I’m here for you,” she said, interpreting his look correctly.
Altair frowned. For him? Was he needed somewhere? Was there more training that he hadn’t been aware of?
He glanced around and went to get up, but she stopped him. “No, that’s not what I meant. We don’t need to go. I came looking for you. I...I want to talk to you.”
Shaking his head, Altair pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed to a sign on the wall off to the side that said No Talking.
“Really?” Christine’s brow wrinkled in frustration.
Altair just pointed at the sign again and then bowed his head over the book, trying to make it clear he was done talking to her.
There was movement across from him. He started to sigh with relief until it became evident that she wasn’t actually leaving him, that she was just adjusting herself. A moment later, he heard her mutter something, and then a weird pressure tickled at his ears.
His guard rising slightly, Altair looked up to see what was going on.
But he couldn’t. The rest of the library was obscured behind some sort of translucent barrier, everything blurred and fuzzy looking.
“What is this?” he asked, tensing.
“This,” she said calmly, “is a sound barrier. It means that we can talk in here, and none of it will filter out into the rest of the library. So, you can stop acting like a child and talk with me.”
Altair sighed. “You’re assuming I want to talk with you, Christine.”
“You need to.”
“No, I don’t,” he growled forcefully.
“Well I’m here, and I’d like to talk. Could you please humor me? I...I think we need to.” She bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable
