His pulse quickened. Not exactly how he’d dreamed of his first meeting with Leon going down.
Almost ready. Almost time.
But if he was going to be going into a fight...Daniel turned, gazing into a darkened corner of his closet. Considering the amount of pure adrenaline pulsing through him, his steps toward it were admirably measured. A square shape sat within, swathed in the shadows. A safe.
Methodically, he keyed in the code. It cracked open.
Lips pressed tightly together, he pulled the pistol from inside, along with a few spare magazines. He’d known from the start that something might happen someday. He was the Librarian, and being prepared was part of his responsibility. But damn it, he’d always hoped he’d never need any of it.
Now, he couldn’t help thinking he hadn’t done enough.
He grabbed a holster and a knife from the closet shelf, snagging a jacket along with them, and stalked out of the closet.
* * * * *
The car door slammed shut. Daniel jammed his key into the ignition one-handed, already calling up a map on his phone.
The grim reality stared back up at him as the route cleared. He swallowed hard. Almost four hours to go.
Would that be too long? Indira and Olivia were driving, but...from where? And if they were reaching out to other allies, would they have people closer? His gut roiled. Would they have mages closer?
The phone squawked out its first update, directing him out of the driveway. “Fucking hell,” Daniel mumbled, grabbing for his burner again.
He hit the gas as the ringtone began its buzzing.
A few minutes later, the burner joined his regular phone, tossed into the passenger seat. Nothing. No response. Not even a glimmer of life—just the answering machines. It was early, Daniel told himself. Most sane adults would be sleeping at a few minutes past two in the morning. Even college students like them were probably already in bed.
That was all. It was just that they were too deeply asleep to pick up. Or maybe their phones were on silent. He chewed his lip, his eyes locked on the road ahead as the speedometer slowly crept upward.
Surely that was all.
* * * * *
The hours crept past. The tension in him never faded or eased, no matter the distance he put between him and his home. The weight of the gun hanging inside his jacket served as a constant reminder of the stakes.
And there, trapped inside a metal box hurtling down the freeway at speeds well over the limit, he’d never felt quite so helpless. Even when he was trapped inside the Library, he could at least control some things. He had magic, and he could sway his domain, even if Alex liked to toy with him.
Now? He couldn’t change physics, not here. He couldn’t open a doorway to cross half the country like he’d cross from a distant corner of Alexandria back to his quarters. He had no magic at all—and when his friends were in trouble, he was stuck here. Driving. Hours away.
Every so often, he grabbed his phone, calling up their names again. And every time, he’d get the same assortment of bored-sounding pre-recorded messages. At first, he’d been trying to keep half an eye on how fast he was going. If he got pulled over, it’d tack on far more time than he’d save, after all. But those reservations faded as he raced through the night without so much as glimpsing another car.
The sight of the moon sinking lower on the horizon put a pit in his stomach. That bitter reminding of time’s passing was soon emphasized by the flow of cars that started to creep onto the freeway around him. There was nothing he could do but join the first traces of the morning rush, trundling along among the masses and fighting the urge to slam his head into his steering wheel.
Finally, with the first hints of light shining in the sky and traffic starting to swell, Daniel reached over, grabbing the burner up again.
By now, he could find their numbers on automatic. The ringtone started its chiming.
Hey! You reached Leon’s-
He killed the line, his lip curling back. His fingers danced across the keys. More buzzing.
Yeah. It’s James. I’m-
His gut twisted. He ended the call, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Another push. Another ringtone started up. Grinding his teeth together, he eyed the signs on the roadside. Not far. Another half hour or so, and he’d-
“Hello?”
His surprise was so complete, he came dangerously close to dropping his phone entirely. “M-Maya,” he said instead, fighting to keep it from coming out as a squeak.
“Yes?” she said, her voice suspicious even through a sleepy haze. “Can I help you?”
“Oh, thank god.”
“Excuse me? Who is this?” She sighed. “Whatever. I’m not interested. Take me off your calling list, or I’ll-”
“N-No,” he stammered. “Don’t hang up. Please.”
“Like I said-”
“It’s Owl.”
The line went very, very quiet then. Daniel waited, still staring at the road.
“Like, really?” she said at last, her voice hushed.
He groaned. “Really. Look-”
“Like, from- from there? With the mask?”
“Yeah. So-”
“Holy shit.”
“Maya,” he snapped.
“Sorry.”
Don’t be sorry, his thoughts screamed. It wasn’t her fault. He could appreciate how much of a shock it’d be, to have your world upended as things from your dreams became reality. He understood damn well, in fact.
“We have a problem,” he said, rather than opening that whole can of worms. “I’m sorry, but...I need your help.”
The line went quiet again. Daniel waited, but no reply came. “Maya?” he said again.
“How fucked are we, exactly?” she said slowly.
A chuckle burst from his throat. “Pretty.”
“Shit.”
“Look.” Damn it, he didn’t have time for the full explanation. “One of the last visitors inside spotted the three of you.”
“Fuck.”
“Pretty much,” Daniel said, smiling mirthlessly. “There have been...threats made.”
“Are you serious? Who? What should we-”
“I’m almost to Leon,” Daniel said. “I’ll get him
