But that didn’t make it the right thing to do. And is this even a smart plan to pursue? his inner thoughts shrieked at him. You’d open yourself and the Library to real-world access. It’s dangerous.
Swallowing a sigh, he nodded, wrapping his arms around the book more tightly. He’d...He’d poke at it. See where he got. He was still finding information out there that might help - like the text he clutched. Maybe, somewhere in them, he’d find the solution he needed. Until then-
Owl stopped mid-step. The hallway ahead of him should have led back to the study, and his office. Instead, a familiar set of doors waited at the end of the hallway.
The entry. The way out - and the way in. He stared at it for a long moment, narrowing his eyes.
“Alex?” he said at last. “Is this you?”
A low chiming drifted through the Library, like a distant music box. He sighed. “Okay, that’s just creepy. Look. We talked about this. It’s not safe. So-”
He turned around, intending to head back out into the wings, but the hallway behind him had vanished. Only smooth stone lay in his path.
“Oh,” he said, scowling. “That’s great. Thanks, Alex.” Without even turning around, he knew what she’d done - trapped him in, yanked his exit out from behind him and cut off any of the side hallways. Just a hallway that went nowhere, and a door at the end.
When he turned back to the entryway, taking a begrudging step, he heard the rumbling of stone behind him. “Perfect,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. Peeking back over his shoulder, he saw what he’d already assumed. The hallway was closing in behind him, growing shorter with every step he took.
“Okay,” Owl said, coming to a stop a few paces in front of the doors. The hallway behind him went still, the braziers flickering innocently. “Look. Alex. You remember what just happened, don’t you? The tricks? Indira’s lackey trying to pull one over on me?”
He stared at the wall. The wall stayed right where it was, as wall-like as ever.
“I don’t want them here,” Owl said, shaping each word with care. “They’re up to something. They’re dangerous. I know you want guests, but...we’ll...we’ll find them somewhere, all right?”
A low creak rattled through the increasingly-short hallway. Owl turned.
The doors to the entryway were swinging open - and the entrance beyond lay enshrined in light, tantalizingly beautiful. A breeze wafted through the hall. The key hanging from his hip bounced from his leg.
“Yes,” Owl said through gritted teeth. “I get it. You want me to open the Library. I don’t want to.”
He waited, glaring at the stonework as though it’d part before him, but it didn’t. With an irritated sigh, he threw himself against the wall. “Should’ve known better than to test the patience of a building,” he muttered.
The minutes slipped past with no change. Owl ground his teeth together.
“Maybe,” he muttered, wrinkling his nose. “I guess...I was pretty angry. I’m not letting in any guests.”
The lights around him flickered, like Alexandria sighed.
“But maybe...” he mumbled, staring at the ground. He hated giving up so easily. His opinions here were valid, damn it. It’d been his pants Olivia had tried to get inside. He shouldn’t have to put up with that.
And he didn’t, the whispers in the back of his mind crooned. You don’t have to ever let her inside again. And even if you let them back, you never have to trust them again. But maybe-
He turned back to the doors with a snarl, his head aching with frustrations that had no escape. He didn’t have to let anyone through the doors.
But maybe he could let someone in the door. He could talk to them.
Maybe they could find a solution. A way out of this. He had to do something.
Every step slow and drawn-out, he trudged across the entryway, glaring at the door. Lifting the key, he paused, running his fingers over the iron.
“Whatever,” he mumbled, and jammed the key into the lock. “Have your way. You always do.”
The Library brightened, coming alive around him just like it always had. Despite his anger, Owl found a smile creeping back onto his face. “Spoiled brat,” he muttered, kicking his foot forward into the wall ever-so-gently.
Hanging the key back from its loop, he stalked off into the Library again.
* * * * *
The chair groaned underneath him. Owl leaned as far back as he could, lacing his fingers behind his head, and kicked away from the desk. Another kick, and he was spinning.
Around and around he went. The walls of his office flew past, covered in books and posters and charts. Things he’d thought would help him nail down his pet projects. Things he’d cared about, at one point.
He was finding it harder and harder to feel the same way.
The windows of the room were open, with their iron bars giving way to soft-glowing light from the main study hall. The only sound that reached his office was the gentle creaking of the rafters overhead, shifting in a nonexistent wind. It’d been...well, never since he’d heard the Library be so quiet for so long.
And despite his hesitations, he didn’t like it. Not for weeks and months on end. The Library should be warm and cozy, not lonely and haunted. It deserved better. She deserved better. He stood with a groan and a squeak from the chair, stretching his arms high over his head. He could...He could make another circuit of the wings. It’d been a long while since he’d last collected market data. His model probably needed a boost.
Nodding to himself, Owl stepped forward, and-
And stopped, ears pricked.
Silence.
It dragged on and on, setting the hair on the back of his neck to standing. He narrowed his eyes, his fingers brushing against the wooden wall. Maybe it was nothing. But he was sure
