It didn’t go out, though. It wasn’t the answer they needed, but it was a start. “Anyway,” Daniel said, his voice soft. “I’m sorry, that’s all. About you, and James, and-”
“It’s my own damn fault I’m here,” Leon said with a pointed groan. “I got spotted, Daniel. That’s all. If I’d been more careful, you wouldn’t be on the run with a bullet in your fucking leg. So don’t you apologize to me.”
Daniel opened his mouth to protest, but froze. His hand hovered in midair, inches over a smooth wooden bookshelf.
Maybe Alexandria had listened—or maybe his luck had just changed with sudden, poetic timing.
But there, under his hand, a long row of books waited.
And each of their spines gleamed with a slender, gold-edged pipe.
“Hey,” Daniel said. Excitement ran through his veins like electricity, clouded by the sinking realization that reality was about to crash down on their heads. No more assumptions, no more hopes. They’d have their answers, and whatever came with them. “Hey, Leon.”
“What?” Leon’s head bobbed, only a sliver of brassy hair visible over his shelf.
“I found something.”
“You did?” Just like that, Daniel saw Leon stiffen.
“I- I think so, anyway. Come here.” He could be wrong. There were a lot of ways to craft a pipe, and if this room was any indication, there were a lot of these magical tools out there. He was probably just reading too much into it.
Leon’s shoes slapped against the stone, ringing in his ears. Daniel didn’t bother turning to look. His fingers dragged down the row of books. Left to right—oldest to newest. He had to assume that’s how it worked. And if so-
He froze. All the way at the end, squeezed between the last book and the side of the bookcase, he could just barely make out a shape. It was just a page or two of paper, little more than a folder, but...he swallowed. And then he hooked his fingers around the thin cover, easing the ‘book’ from its hiding place. A tiny chain rattled at the motion, fixed to the corner of the pages.
A shape glowed from the book’s cover. A long, narrow pipe, gently curving at one end, with bangles and delicate chains hanging from its length. His heart hammered faster. It was the same. Exactly the same.
Already knowing what he’d find, he opened the booklet.
“You got something?” Daniel heard Leon say. His eyes were glued to the page, unable to so much as turn and look as his friend approached. “Hey, that- Oh. Is that-”
Daniel swallowed, tearing his eyes off the name printed there at last. He passed the narrow booklet to Leon, wordless.
“That’s...That’s me,” Leon said slowly. His brow furrowed. “That’s my name. But why-”
“I’m sorry,” Daniel whispered.
“Wait,” Leon said, shaking his head. “Wait, wait. Why am I in there? This doesn’t-”
Leon stopped. What little color had been in his face drained away steadily.
Finally, his eyes drifted up to meet Daniel’s. “Am I magic?” he whispered.
Daniel couldn’t help but snort. “Really, Leon?”
“I-I mean-”
“It’s why we’re here,” Daniel said softly. “I knew it was a risk. Since you still...you had that thing on you still.” He gestured to the pipe tucked into Leon’s belt.
Leon nodded, his eyes misty, and turned back to the almost-blank page. “So...I’m a mage.”
“So it seems.”
“But…” Again, Leon shook his head. “Does that mean I can do magic? Like, not in here. Out there. Like, I can-”
“Probably,” Daniel said. “Apparently. I mean, it’s- it’s not like I’ve ever met a mage before. But…” He reached out, patting the booklet. “I think this kind of decides it,” he whispered.
“Holy shit,” Leon murmured. He kept flipping through the pages. “Is there...Is there anything else?” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “This says it was made in...in…” His brow furrowed. “ I can’t read what it-”
“Jingzhou,” Daniel said, glancing over his shoulder. “It’s-”
“You don’t say,” Leon murmured. “Jingzhou, eh? And-”
Daniel couldn’t quite make out the tiny words printed farther down the page, but he saw Leon stiffen. “What?”
“U-Um,” Leon said. His hand came up, pressing against the pipe. “It says- It says this thing was made..That can’t be right.”
“What does it say?” Daniel said, craning his neck up. “Let me see. C’mon. Just-”
“The thing is a thousand years old,” Leon mumbled. “Holy shit. I shouldn’t- I should take it to a museum or something.”
“You can’t take it to a museum,” Daniel said. “Magic, remember.”
“O-Oh. Yeah.”
“Is there anything else?”
Leon shook his head, turning back to the booklet. “I...I don’t know. There’s headers for more. Bonding date...and that’s...that’s today’s date. This section is just called ‘Blessing’, and it says...Order and chaos? Whatever that means. But then-”
Daniel’s eyes traveled faster than Leon could read. He’d already grabbed another book from the rack by the time Leon spoke again. “It’s got this other section here, labeled ‘Abilities’, but...it’s blank. Is it supposed to be blank?”
“No,” Daniel said heavily, letting the book he held droop to the shelf. “This one’s not.”
“What’s that?” Leon said.
“The next one down,” Daniel said, lifting the book again as he spoke. “If I’m interpreting this right, it belonged to that asshole who kept chasing us.”
“The fire guy?” Leon said, somehow paling further.
Daniel chuckled. “Right. And when I look here…” His finger tapped against the text on the book’s front page. “Temperature regulation is listed under abilities. That sounds about right.”
“But then where’s mine?” Leon said. His voice hardened, turning mulish. “If...If you’re telling me this thing is magic, and if I’ve got a book here, then why-”
“It’s because we don’t know,” Daniel said, closing his eyes. His head spun, leaving him weak and wobbling. His fingers gripped the shelf alongside them, providing a scant modicum of stability. “A-Alexandria doesn’t-”
“Hey,” Leon said. He felt Leon’s hands grab his elbow, pulling him up straight. “Hey, take it easy. You shouldn’t-”
“Alexandria doesn’t create knowledge,” Daniel whispered, swallowing hard. His legs shook. “It just- She enables us to learn. She doesn’t give it to
