This time, Crow said nothing. She just stared across the brightly-lit entry chamber at the two scholars, wordless.
That more than anything seemed to get under Adrian’s skin. The splotches of color rising in his cheeks flushed hotter. “Once again,” he muttered. “Once again, you’re ignoring the chance here. What could be. You’re choosing to bury your head in the sand, when you could pull that stick out of your ass and actually work with us. Damn it, Crow, stop shutting us out.”
“The doors are open,” she said. “Your people are inside as we speak. I don’t understand what you-”
“Turn a new page,” Adrian said, his eyes burning with intensity. “Let’s use this. We’ll look past you locking us out. You have fresh blood coming in. Let’s change more than that. Revisit the deal. Make things better for the ones who follow. If you let us actually use this shared resource, we could change the world. We could-”
“I’ve already upheld my end of the bargain,” Crow said, her voice perfectly even. “I see no reason to re-negotiate anything.”
Adrian’s eyes tightened. “And what am I supposed to take back to the people you locked outside? What guarantee do I have that you won’t pull the same stunt as soon as I leave?” He laughed hollowly. “What possible reason do I have to believe you, Librarian?”
“Frankly, Adrian,” she said, her words soft and heavy. “You don’t have a choice.”
Over Adrian’s shoulder, Owl saw Indira’s expression twist, warped with frustration - and fear. His heart hammered in his chest. This was wrong. Something was wrong. The woman looked...terrified. She quivered, stumbling forward with an outstretched hand.
But Adrian was moving by then, stalking toward the two Librarians with fury etched into every line of his face. “I’m tired of this,” Owl heard him mutter. “And I’m tired of you.”
A weight slammed into Owl’s shoulder, sending him stumbling away. Crow. She’d shoved him, pushed him to the side. “Adrian. I-”
“But I do have a choice,” Adrian snarled, wrapping his fingers around the empty air and hurling himself at Crow.
With a roar, the musty, dead air of the Library burst to life, crackling into seething gusts of wind.
Owl teetered on the balls of his feet, swallowing a cry as it lashed around him like a storm. It pulled at his clothes, tugging him off-balance and threatening to send him flying.
He forced his shaking legs into motion, taking one step and then another. With every foot he put between himself and Crow, the pressure lessened little by little.
With one final gasp, he hurled himself into the corner, throwing his hands up.
The air between him and the maelstrom crackled, lighting with a pale sheen as his shield sprang to life. The gale fell away from him. He lay back, panting and pushing himself closer to the wall.
Crow stood riveted in place, although he saw her fingers tense. Surprise? Shock? It wasn’t fear. There was no way Crow would be afraid.
And then her arms burst into motion, shooting palms-first toward the windstorm. Her fingers tightened fully, then, latching about the gales.
Dust cascaded across the entryway. It whipped and whirled into a misty fog , tracing out the lines of wind. Before Owl’s eyes, it coalesced, forming into a cylinder of air that rippled and danced in the center of the room.
A flash of movement from the corner of his eye. Owl jumped, shying back. His head slammed into the stonework walls.
But as the tornado dissipated with a final groan, Adrian pulled his hand free of the bag Indira wore. She leapt for him, her eyes wide with terror, but he pushed her back.
The water bottle he clutched bulged - and exploded into icy fragments that flew across the room.
Icicles. He’d frozen the water, and then he’d-
Owl heard Crow grunt as she spun, her right arm whipping forward across her chest. She swung hard, lashing her hand out like she’d slammed an invisible door.
Icicle after icicle shot from Adrian’s hands. Icicle after icicle crashed into an transparent wall, disintegrating into snowflakes that spun and drifted merrily.
Owl had never seen snow before, not in person. There were more important things to worry about. Adrian was using magic. The Library’s magic. He didn’t know they could do that - and now that he did know, he should be leaving the corner. He should be helping.
But for a frozen moment in time, he could only gape, watching the fragments of white float gently toward the floor.
Adrian roared, pressing forward again, and the moment vanished. Owl dug his fingers into the wall, staggering to his feet. He took a step toward Adrian, and-
“Don’t!” Crow cried, and for a moment, her face turned toward him. Owl stopped dead in his tracks.
“Adrian - No!” Indira wept in the same moment, lunging for her companion. “You can’t! You can’t fight the-”
Again, he shoved her aside - and his eyes flicked to Owl. But the man only hissed, tossing the emptied water bottle aside and jabbing his finger at Crow.
The rugs around her feet churned, writhing like living beings. They grabbed at her feet, her legs, climbing higher and-
She made an irritated noise. Owl should never have heard it over the cacophony and the pounding of his heart, but somehow, he did. One finger extended, she twirled it around and around.
The intricately-worked carpets dissolved into a mess of threads that flew across the entryway. Wriggling frantically, they wrapped around Adrian’s legs, spreading higher and higher.
Adrian’s face contorted further, twisting into something that barely looked human. He bellowed, bringing his chin up sharply.
The lanterns overhead exploded one after another. Owl threw his arms up over his head, cringing back. Fragments of glass rained down across the room, spotted with droplets of burning-hot wax. Indira shrieked, stumbling and falling. Blood ran down her face - from where, Owl couldn’t see.
Had to help. It was his job. But Owl’s legs shook, and he couldn’t force
