“Got it,” Tonya hissed as the pressure in Daniel’s skull equalized. “F-For now. I’m in. Quickly.”
Daniel twitched, trapped in place beneath her hand. Vertigo swept through him. Vertigo, and the feeling that he wasn’t alone, there in his own skin. Someone was there with him, peering over his shoulder. Watching his thoughts flit past.
Bodies moved around him. Cracking one watering eye, he saw Indira hurry past, a gaggle of minions on her heels.
“You’re sure this will work?” he heard her murmur.
Rickard laughed. “No, of course not. But-”
“I can’t hold this path open forever,” Tonya spat. “Find your destination, guildmaster.”
“Apologies,” Indira said. “How should I-”
The telepath sighed. “Take my hand.”
The room went quiet, then—until, a few minutes later, Daniel heard people start settling to the floor. The feeling of wrongness in his thoughts intensified, like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
Someone walked through his vision. Rickard. He settled to a chair opposite Daniel, a pleased smile on his face. Over his shoulder, Olivia just stared, desolate, with a man keeping watch nearby.
“There,” Rickard said with a sigh. “I know this is uncomfortable. I do apologize for that, Librarian.”
Daniel shook his head. Tonya’s fingers squeezed his skull. “Hold still.”
“I’m afraid this is somewhat of a bad first impression,” Rickard said. The man was digging through his coat pockets, Daniel realized—and pulling out a tiny notepad. “I do so hate to appear like...well.” He sniffed, making a face. “Like the rest of them. Ours is a group of learning, after all.”
“Right,” Daniel whispered. “Learning. This is so educational.”
“You use sarcasm, but it’s the truth, I’m afraid,” Rickard said. “I do so regret that we have had to use such methods to secure your aid, but our goals are noble.”
Daniel’s eyes flicked to Olivia, then back to Rickard. “And that’s why you shot me,” he said. “That’s why you beat my friends, and tied me to a chair, and started rummaging through my mind.”
They were in his thoughts. His gut churned. Trying to get to Alexandria? Could they do that? If they could...he was in more trouble than he’d thought.
Rickard sighed. “I would much prefer for our relationship to be civil, even despite your rejection of our offer. I do understand, of course. Few would choose to go meekly into their enemy’s arms. I am not offended, merely…disappointed.” He smiled faintly. “I wish things could have been different. And I am prepared to reward cooperation.”
“I’m not going to turn her over to you,” Daniel said. “I’ve only got one job. Sorry.”
“Her?” Rickard said, his brows furrowing. He glanced to Olivia. “But...I do not-”
“Not me, you ass,” Olivia spat. “Alexandria.”
Rickard’s eyes widened. “Oh! Yes. Yes, of course. That does make sense. So...you personify her, then?” He pulled a pen from his pocket as well, starting to scrawl in his notebook.
Daniel’s heart fell. He’d already given Rickard new information. He just needed to keep his damn mouth shut, until he knew what was safe to say and what wasn’t.
Finishing his line with a flourish, Rickard looked back to him. “See?” he said, smiling. “That wasn’t so hard, Librarian. This does not have to be unpleasant. We can simply...talk.”
Right. They could talk, when someone’s fingers were buried in his hair and he could still feel them poking around in his thoughts. “Sorry,” he whispered. “Not really interested in wasting my time here.”
“Waste?” Rickard laughed, shaking his head. “No, no. We can learn so much from you, Librarian, and I am confident that you can find purpose among our numbers. Not waste. Never waste.”
“R-Right,” Daniel said, swallowing a snort. “I’m...I’m sure things will be great.” He grimaced, flinching away as the ache in his skull hammered again. What were they doing? “But. R-Really. I can’t...I don’t know what you expect to learn from this. I’m just-”
“Come, now,” Rickard said. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows off his knees, still clutching his notebook. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m not kidding. What the hell do you expect me to tell you?”
Rickard’s lips curled down. A deep crease settled into his forehead. “Really, now, there are limits. I saw that magic you used, before. I’m not blind.”
“Magic?” Daniel whispered. An image flashed through his mind—silvery blue rivulets of water, spraying forth to create a wall between James and their pursuers.
“Indeed,” Rickard said, nodding. “I’m not an idiot. Your lovely guildmaster told us quite the stories about the Library you play host to. It sounds like a marvelous creation.”
First the magic, now this? “I don’t care,” Daniel said thickly. Another bang in his skull, like someone was hammering on it. “I don’t see how any of this is relevant.”
“Well, it’s impossible, isn’t it?” Rickard said, chortling to himself—as though this was all a big joke. “That’s simply not how foci work. I’ve seen demis whose power can be used in different ways. I’ve seen people get quite creative, in fact. But this?” He gave his head a decisive shake. “To go from an internal creation, an illusion like your Alexandria, to an external creation such as that wall? There’s no way for me to interpret that except as two completely separate abilities, Librarian.” His eyes gleamed. “And that, I must admit, is quite impossible. Unless it is different. Unless you are somehow outside the rules.”
Daniel’s mind raced. “Okay,” he said, trying to remember back. Damn it, he’d read that The Basics book—but it was so long ago, distant enough that it felt like a different lifetime. He could remember something like that, though. Each of these mages being tied to a single magical source, and each source giving them a single ability. “I-I don’t know what to tell you. I’m not-”
“More than that, though,” Rickard said, waving a hand as though he hadn’t even heard Daniel. “The disparity between your magic and our foci is striking enough. But then, I saw that magic, and I’ve never seen its like.” A smile spread across his face, his eyes softening. “Such beauty. The light of it. The grace.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“We have stories, Librarian,” Rickard
