Smothering his smile, he hurried on to where Leon waited with the rest.
* * * * *
“Well, shit. You burned the place down?”
Owl chuckled under his breath, nodding at James. “Right?”
“Well, that’s one way to handle things,” James said, grinning over his shoulder to where Owl followed. “But, seriously. That Olivia woman tried to pull one over on you? Why?”
Owl shrugged, trying to ignore the beating of his heart. “Ah...I don’t know. But she was...well, it was weird. Really weird.”
“No kidding,” Maya said. She shot a sympathetic look his way. “And then the place burned down? So...what now?”
“That’s pretty much where I’m at,” Owl said heavily. “I have to figure out another way to keep Alexandria happy and well-read without the guild, or...I’ll have to let them start coming back in.”
“Was what they did that bad?” James said.
Maya rolled her eyes. “James. Magical firestorm.”
“They...didn’t start the fire,” Owl said. “That one wasn’t on them. But…”
He stopped again, glancing to Leon—who walked a few paces behind him, his eyes dark. He...hadn’t been able to tell the full story. About Olivia, and him, and...what they’d almost done. Something in him screamed to stop, to hold that back for now. Even if he didn’t know why.
Leon shook his head, lifting his eyes to Owl’s and smiling faintly. “We’ll have to figure something, won’t we?” he said. His voice was hoarse. “Unless we want them starting that again. Next time-”
“Next time the building might not save you,” James said with a snort.
Leon’s eyes tightened, his lip curling back.
“It’s fine,” Owl said hurriedly. “She...She looks after me. I’m good. We’re all good.”
“Still,” James said, cracking his knuckles contemplatively. “More people, huh? We might be able to find some. Rustle ‘em up somewhere.”
“Where?” Maya said. “What, we going to stand on the side of the road with signs? That’ll look great. ‘Hey, magic library here, anyone interested?’ They’ll love it.”
“We’re in college,” James said, furrowing his brow and glaring sidelong at her. “I think we can find someone.”
Maya snorted, but was already nodding. “Maybe. I do...I know some people. If we think of it like a big study group, it might be easier. But-”
“No,” Owl said quietly. The pair stopped—and turned back to face him. He heard Leon come up alongside him as well, still all but silent. He shook his head. “I can’t have you three putting yourself in danger like that.”
Maya half-turned back to face him, her lips pursed. “But maybe-”
“It would be a little obvious besides, if all the people came from one campus,” Owl said. “And if you guys became known as the gatekeepers, if word of Alexandria got out…”
A room filled with blood and cages. The sour tang of rot in the air. Shelf after shelf of perilously thin books. Lives, each and every one of them.
Again, he shook his head. “No,” he said, more firmly. “Not happening. Stay out of it.”
James scowled at him, but Maya smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. You’re right, I guess.”
“We got in, didn’t we?” James said, letting a leer slide onto his face. “Maybe your building will let some more people in on its own, if it gets desperate.”
Owl chuckled. “Maybe. Hell if I know why she let you assholes in.”
James and Maya turned back to the hallway ahead, already back to talking—theories, and ideas, and what-ifs. None of them sounded particularly likely. Owl sighed, returning to his trudge behind them.
A hand brushed his shoulder, falling away just as quickly. Owl jumped.
“We’ll figure it out,” Leon said from alongside him. “I’m just...I’m glad you’re okay. It sounds like that went pretty badly.”
Badly? Owl swallowed a laugh, remembering...all of it. The fire. The horrible winds. The ghostly figures, and Alexandria’s lifeblood lapping at his ankles. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “It was...close. I don’t know what would’ve happened if things got much worse.”
“Yeah,” Leon said. He inched ahead of Owl, flashing a grin his way. “But...we’re back. Alex is whole.”
“Mostly,” Owl mumbled.
Leon snorted. “Mostly. We can figure this out. Just give it a little time.”
Owl nodded, chewing on his lip. “Yeah. You’re right, of course.”
“I usually am,” Leon said with a wink.
And he was. Owl chuckled sourly. Something in his chest twinged when Leon turned away, starting to walk, and he twitched forward. “Hey.”
Leon glanced back, blinking. “What?”
Owl froze, one hand hanging in midair halfway to Leon’s wrist. What? What had he wanted to say? What had been so urgent?
Why had he felt such a need to stop Leon from leaving?
“I, uh,” he began, inching closer so that they were more in line. “Look.”
“I’m looking,” Leon said dryly.
“Thanks,” Owl mumbled.
Leon blinked again, confusion entering his eyes. “What?”
Owl’s ears burned, safely hidden behind his hood. “For...always coming here and helping me. For letting me vent at you.”
“Oh,” Leon said, starting to grin. “Isn’t that what we do? Shit, wasn’t it not too long ago I was feeling all guilty for dumping my baggage on you?”
“Maybe,” Owl said. “But...it helps. A lot.” He shook his head, still scrambling for the right words. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Why you keep coming, just to hang out. Why you spend so many of your nights here. But I’m...I’m glad you do.”
To his relief, he saw that Leon’s cheeks were turning a faint pink, too—and his friend looked away, rubbing at his nose. “Well, I dunno,” Leon said. “I’m not really suffering, I think. Don’t worry about it too much.”
“Yeah,” Owl said. “Sorry. Don’t want to be weird. I just…” He shook his head. “You’ve always got my back. I don’t get it, but...yeah. Thanks.”
“Well,” Leon said. He took a step after the rapidly-receding forms of James and Maya, jerking his chin for Owl to follow. “Ah. Well, I guess, that’s...that’s because…spending time here, with you, I-”
Both jumped as bells crashed overhead. For a moment, the Library was filled with noise, with raucous tolling and the slow groan of shifting timbers.
Bells. There
