Without another word, she and the dreamer continued on their way.
He hesitated a moment longer. The man was...something about him terrified Daniel, something in the way he seemed disconnected from the here and now. With the rest of the Library dark, and eerily quiet, and...
Daniel shook his head. He was the Librarian’s apprentice. Alexandria was his. Jean’s words hung in his ears - there was no reason to be afraid.
Raising his hand, he furrowed his brow, glaring at his palm. Simple. It was simple. He was the Librarian-to-be, and this space was his. If he wanted something-
A fireball flared, exploding over his palm in warm, merry colors. His eyes lit up. Exhaling slowly, he watched it condense, settling into a tiny orb that cast a comforting light over the books around him.
The Library would listen. It would provide.
Hurrying forward, he scurried after Jean and the dreamer.
* * * * *
He watched, rapt, as they swept down aisle after aisle. Jean pulled out tome after tome, showing it to the dreamer.
Each time, the glowing man shook his head, his eyes widening with barely-contained panic. And just as quickly, Jean would place her hand back on his shoulder, quieting him. Down another row they’d go.
Where was she leading him? Daniel peered up the rows of books, looking for some sort of system of organization, but they seemed entirely random. History texts languished alongside books of mathematics, right next to a handwritten journal he could barely make out.
Jean didn’t seem to mind, he realized. She watched their dreaming friend as much as the books, her eyes narrow and sharp even while her voice remained soft and quiet. It was as though she was letting the man lead, even while she guided him through their home.
Sometimes they just need a helping hand. Daniel let his breath slide out, standing a little taller. The man had been scary at first, but he hadn’t attacked either of them. He hadn’t done anything but look at the books. That wasn’t so bad. Little by little, he found himself relaxing, until even the fireball he’d clutched so protectively faded to nothing.
He’d almost forgotten what they were doing when the man lunged forward, grabbing something off the shelf. Unable to stop himself, Daniel inched closer, raising himself to the tips of his toes.
He caught sight of a woman on the cover, her smile warm and shy. It vanished as the dreamer pulled the book open, lifting it toward his face.
The light within him grew, like a switch had been flipped. His skin shone brighter and brighter, until Daniel had to look away.
Jean’s hand slid across his shoulder. “There,” she said.
He cracked one eye open, squinting up at her. “What’s...What’s he...”
“He was looking for an answer,” Jean said. “Now he’s got it. He’ll take in that information, and then be on his way. There’s nothing more for us here.”
“Oh.”
She chuckled faintly. “This is what we Librarians do, Daniel. That man is a visitor, someone worthy of our help.”
He nodded. “Right.”
Her fingers pressed into his jacket, nudging him along in front of her. “Now, hurry up. We’ve got plenty of time left, and I’d like to see you work on that shield a while longer.”
Daniel wrinkled his nose, but didn’t argue. The bookshelves scrolled past, wiping out the dreamer behind their rows and texts.
Jean sighed as they turned down the hallway. He glanced back. She’d pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes shut tight. Crows’ feet dug into the otherwise-smooth skin of her forehead, oddly out of place.
“Are...you all right?” he ventured, slowing.
She cracked an eye open, still frowning. “What?”
“Only...you seem...”
“Oh,” she said, and let her hand fall. “I’m fine. Just...tired. Dreamers can be so damned stubborn sometimes.”
She’d almost caught up to him by then, even with only his brief hesitation. He hurried himself along, his head swinging back and forth between her and the hallway ahead. Farther down, the double doors leading outside appeared from behind a stone wall. “Well...”
“Spit it out, kid.”
“You could have just left him,” he said, his voice low and guilty. “If he made you angry. If he made you hurt.”
With his gaze fixed on the doors, it took a long moment for him to realize the steps behind him had stopped. Stumbling to a halt, he looked back.
Jean waited a few paces back, frowning down at him.
Instantly, he flushed. What? What had he said? He’d only suggested she-
Her eyes slid shut, long black lashes dropping like a curtain. Her shoulders slumped, like she’d let out a long breath of air. And then her eyes slit back open.
“You must never ignore a dreamer, Daniel,” she said. He shivered. Her tone was entirely different from moments before, with any trace of tolerant amusement gone. “The Library is here to be read. Helping guests like the dreamers is our job. And if you ignore a dreamer for too long...” She shook her head again, her lips pressed together tightly.
“W-What?” Daniel said, falling back half a step. “What then?”
“Dreamers are the lost,” she said, more gently. “I told you that much before.”
“Yeah.”
“They’re brought here by raw emotion, by need.”
His gut twisted uncomfortably. Jean had repeated her lessons often enough for him to know what came next. “...Yeah.”
“If that emotion is left to fester, it can grow more potent still,” Jean said, her eyes dark. “And if the Librarians will not see to it, the Library itself might be called to respond instead.”
Daniel’s eyes flicked to the stone walls around him. The Library? The building?
He’d seen it too, though. The way the lights seemed to brighten when he came around, the way some doors seemed to lock and unlock themselves. The rooms themselves seemed alive, rearranging themselves at a moment’s notice. Navigating its halls was as much a trial of faith as memorization.
“So-”
“So, she might throw a tantrum,” Jean said, her stern expression flickering to allow a crooked grin through. Her eyes never left him, but she reached out, running her fingers down the stonework wall
