Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LIBRARY UPDATE TO ALL OPERATIVES – TOP PRIORITY
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
EPILOGUE
Sorcerer to the Crown
PROLOGUE
1
To my godparents – Judy, James, and Angela.
Thank you for everything.
There had to be a heist at some point in the story, didn’t there? And there are certain tropes that consistently occur in a heist narrative, whether the protagonists are trying to get away with the Mona Lisa, a casino’s earnings, or the entire gold stocks of Turin and Fort Knox . . .
Many thanks to my editors, Bella Pagan and Rebecca Brewer. Have I said lately that I appreciate you? I appreciate you very much. You’re great at helping me work out what needs to be done to improve the book, and how to do it.
Thanks also to my agent Lucienne Diver for all her support, and for being constantly in my quarter and 100 per cent behind me. (Which sounds rather like putting your nose to the grindstone and your shoulder to the wheel at the same time, but you know what I mean.)
Thanks to all my beta-readers and all the people who supplied information for the story: Beth, Jeanne, Phyllis, Anne, Stuart, Crystal, and everyone else. Your help makes a difference, and I’m very grateful for it.
Thank you to all my friends at work and in leisure, who supported my tendency to make marginalia plot notes on minutes and who didn’t run away when I spent ten minutes trying to explain the plot to them. It’s good to know that everyone understands the significance of Chekhov’s shark. (Like the gun, but for some reason less frequently used.)
Thank you to the city of Vienna, which I have visited and loved. (I do know The Raft of the Medusa is in the Louvre in Paris – in this world, at least. Don’t shoot me.) Vienna is a beautiful, fascinating place, and really didn’t deserve me driving a plot lorry through the middle of it. Any errors in my depiction of a CENSOR-managed Vienna are my fault entirely.
And thank you to all the fans of the Library out there. Stories matter – telling them, sharing them, preserving them, changing them, learning from them, and escaping with and through them. We learn about ourselves and the world that we live in through fiction just as much as through facts. Empathy, perception and understanding are never wasted. All libraries are a gateway into other worlds, including the past – and the future.
LIBRARY UPDATE TO ALL OPERATIVES – TOP PRIORITY
A truce has finally been agreed between the dragons and the Fae.
This is neither a hoax nor a test of your intelligence. Nor is it a drill to check whether you are aware of what to do in a crisis.*
This formal peace treaty has been signed by his majesty Ao Guang (Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, representing all eight dragon kings and queens). The signatory for the other side is the Princess, a high-ranking representative among the Fae. This treaty requires non-interference, by each side, in the other’s declared territories. It also calls for mutual non-aggression where potentially delicate situations arise.
(In other words, hands off and no starting fights.)
This is wonderful news. I would like to remind everyone that we are not here just to obtain books for our personal reading lists. The Library is tasked with maintaining the balance between order and chaos, between the dragons and the Fae, and is bound to protect the alternate worlds they claim, and the humans living in them. Peace is a positive step – even a very minor and carefully defined peace such as this one. It should cut down on accidental human casualties during larger conflicts. It will save lives.
Now, I need to make the following point absolutely clear . . . As a co-signatory, Librarians are bound to act as neutral parties. As such, we are committed to helping resolve disagreements and – most importantly – to not stealing books from anyone who’s signed up to these accords.** We can’t risk breaching the treaty which we ourselves helped organize.
Technically all dragons are subjects of the eight dragon monarchs and have therefore signed up to the treaty in principle – which means that it is now out of the question for us to steal from any dragon. Fortunately we have never been caught doing such a thing and would certainly never consider it. If you do remove a book from a place that wasn’t listed in the treaty but which turns out to be from a dragon’s personal fief, then – assuming you survive – the situation can be negotiated and reparations arranged by the Library representative for the treaty. But since the Fae don’t have the same rigid hierarchies, it can be much harder to determine whether or not an individual Fae has signed up. In practice, check details first, ‘acquire’ books second, and be aware that negotiation may be an option. But please be careful.
The full text of this treaty and a list of all current signatories, and the worlds which they consider to be their personal property, is attached to this message. You are strongly advised to read and memorize it. Be aware that ignorance of the new situation will not be an excuse, unless you are very, very, very lucky.***
All irregularities will be handled by a tripartite commission. The Fae representative has not yet been appointed, but the Library delegate is Irene (local pseudonym Irene Winters), Librarian-in-Residence on world B-395. The dragon representative is Prince Kai, son of his majesty Ao Guang.
Librarians, please understand that this may be the most significant chance we’ve ever had to stabilize the alternate worlds we visit. Let’s not confuse the means by which we maintain the balance between order and chaos – collecting books – with our ultimate ends. Getting hold of a book to cement peace for one world may breach the overall peace treaty for multiple worlds. Now more than ever, we have to maintain our neutrality.
Times are changing. Let’s help them change for the better.
Coppelia, Senior Librarian
* We note that the Library has not had fire alarm drills for the last two hundred years. This is because we found the two default responses unhelpful. These being ‘running away screaming’ or ‘resigning yourself to death while clutching your favourite books’. Librarians with more useful suggestions should contact Yves via email and attach a full benefit–threat analysis.
** I’m aware that if the owner doesn’t know that the book has gone, then consent is not an issue. Under some circumstances I might be sympathetic, but the current political situation is very unstable. Let’s not push our luck.
*** We have had it pointed out to us that this sort of repetition is poor style. But we feel it’s necessary to make our point.
‘Smile and circulate,’ Irene said through gritted teeth, drawing her skirts back from the blood that had spattered by her feet. She watched the brightly coloured mob in front of her. ‘It might be messy, but it was only a duel to first blood. It’s not as if anyone was killed.’
Servants in spotless white and black had come scuttling out like cockroaches to wipe the floor clean and provide fresh cocktails for
the onlookers. The height of London’s fashion mingled with the cream of its notoriety, assisted by a wide selection of drink and drugs. The chandeliers, sparkle as they might, did very little to light up the corners of the room. Here, the more serious or depraved of the Fae present smoked opium, sipped absinthe, or even discussed the latest novels.
It was, in short, one of Lord Silver’s best ever parties.
‘It’s not the duel I’m complaining about, it’s the calligraphy challenge that started the quarrel,’ Kai muttered. He hadn’t left Irene’s side so far this evening, and she was grateful for it. This wasn’t a party for them to enjoy: it was one where they needed to be seen. It was a political event and a lion’s den. But even here, Kai had his sense of aesthetics. ‘The choice of ink colours available was completely unsuitable, she should have demanded a steel pen, and frankly the whole thing ought to have been called off until both parties could get better paper. No wonder they came to blows instead of competing as planned. It simply wasn’t possible for either to produce work representative of their skills.’
‘Yes,’ Silver said, sweeping into place behind them. ‘I have to admit I’m embarrassed. At one of my parties, anything that a guest demands should be available there and then. I will simply have to lay in better supplies for the future.’
‘Well, it is the latest thing,’ Irene answered, trying to calm her heartbeat. She had never been comfortable with anyone mysteriously appearing behind her. And running for her life would be a challenge, in her highly expensive but restrictive silk dress. ‘I hear it’s hit aficionados as badly as the Dutch tulip craze. Remember when everyone had to own the latest bloom? And is it true that there was an ink robbery at Harrods?’
‘Your friend the detective would know better than me,’ Silver said. He was barely six inches behind Irene, and she was painfully conscious of his presence – his height, his warmth, the curve of his lips . . .
Fae were dangerous. Even now, when they were technically allies.
She faced Silver, her dress rustling. ‘Lord Silver. When you invited us, we had expected a smaller occasion. Something more . . .’ She considered the word intimate and rejected it hastily. ‘Discreet.’
‘You aren’t enjoying it?’ Silver asked, amused. The light from the ether-lamps made a halo of his pale hair, but nobody would have classed him as anything other than the most fallen sort of angel. His shoulders and build – and overly tight trousers – were enough to make anyone think of sin. And the lingering curve of his lips, and glint of his eyes, suggested that he was far more interested in debauching mortals than saving them. He fitted perfectly into this alternate Victorian England as a libertine and man about town; like many powerful Fae, he was a personification of certain types of stories. But the ones that involved his sort of character definitely weren’t meant for children. ‘But you’re drinking my champagne . . .’
‘It’s very good champagne,’ Irene said, in an attempt to find something on which she could honestly compliment him. Also, there hadn’t been anything non-alcoholic on offer. ‘But as I just said, discreet. There are at least a hundred people here.’
The music from the string quartet in the corner speeded up, and a space cleared on the floor. Two guests, a man in stark white and a woman in black, began to tango. At least two possible duels and one assignation broke off, as guests turned to watch and applaud.
‘My dear little mouse,’ Silver said, using the pet name which he knew most annoyed Irene. ‘You were aware I was going to show off you and your dragon prince to my kind tonight. It might not have been said, but there was certainly an understanding. And your princeling isn’t objecting to any of this.’
‘I’m letting her do that for me,’ Kai said equably.
In the dramatic lights and shadows thrown by the trembling chandeliers, Kai had the perfect beauty of a classical statue. His hair was black, with just a touch of blue. His eyes were dark blue, with a hint of underlying fire. And his skin was as pale as marble, but comfortingly warm to the touch. Since his recent selection as dragon representative in the newly built dragon–Fae truce, he had thrown himself into politics. Or at least, he’d thrown himself into choosing the most appropriate clothing for political occasions. Irene had to admit the effort wasn’t wasted.
‘Agreeable as well as handsome. The perfect partner.’ Silver’s smile made the implication of in the bedroom as well as out of it quite clear, and Irene felt Kai’s arm tense under her hand. ‘Nevertheless, if you want my help in a certain matter, you’ll stay at this party for at least another couple of hours.’
Irene knew exactly what he meant. She had been named as Library representative for this same truce. She would be the mutual point of contact for both Fae and dragon queries and for any new signatories. Plus – it was unspoken, but clearly visible in her future – she’d be the person responsible for sorting out any problems. However, the Fae representative had yet to be chosen. And as Silver was on one faction’s selection committee (or whatever mechanism they had for choosing a representative), she wanted his assistance.
She sipped her champagne. ‘I know we’re both trying to help each other here. Our presence increases your prestige among your own kind. In return, you could influence the selection of the Fae representative – choosing someone who won’t make our lives a living hell.’ She smiled politely. ‘However, no one will benefit if Kai or I are killed in a duel on your home ground.’
‘That won’t happen,’ Silver said categorically.
Irene raised an eyebrow.
‘Anyone who challenges you will never be invited to one of my parties again,’ he clarified. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a tango to interrupt.’
Irene watched him go. ‘It really is very good champagne,’ she said with a sigh.
‘What did Vale say when you asked if he’d show up?’ Kai enquired.
Irene couldn’t help smiling. ‘That he found his current researches into ink-smuggling far more rewarding than another pointless party thrown by Lord Silver. He felt he’d already done his bit for the dragon–Fae peace treaty in Paris. And if he did attend, it would be to search the upstairs rooms for evidence of crimes while everyone else was downstairs. Also, if he had shown up, Mu Dan would have shown up too, an uninvited dragon at a Fae party . . .’
‘I don’t know why she’s spending so much time in this world,’ Kai muttered petulantly. ‘As a judge-investigator, surely she’s got important business elsewhere. Anywhere elsewhere.’
‘It’s because she wants to recruit Vale to work on some of her cases.’ Mu Dan had helped Vale and Irene catch a murderer during the signing of the peace treaty in Paris. She’d been making veiled offers of employment to Vale ever since. ‘You can’t blame her for wanting the best. But don’t worry. He’s not going to agree.’ They were both protective of their friend.
Kai nodded. ‘We should try to relax,’ he suggested. ‘You’re prickly because you thought this might be a polite social occasion among neutrals. I’m less concerned, because I knew we’d be among enemies.’
So much, Irene thought, for the truce. ‘I live in hope,’ she said. ‘We have to start somewhere. And any other generic platitudes that spring to mind.’
Kai’s eyes narrowed abruptly. ‘I know that face. What’s she doing here?’
‘Politics too, I imagine,’ Irene said. The woman approaching was Fae – and she was a secretary, minion and catspaw of one of the most powerful of their kind. ‘Sterrington, how interesting to see you here.’
Sterrington smiled and raised her glass in salute. ‘How nice to see you both. Stolen any good books lately?’ Her dark hair was smoothed back into a low knot at the base of her neck, and her grey watered silk gown was appropriate to the late Victorian period of this alternate world. Gloves concealed the fact that her right hand was largely cybernetic.
‘We’ve been living quietly lately,’ Irene answered. ‘It’s been very pleasant. I’ve actually managed to catch up on my reading.’
It had been a
relief to have a few weeks in which she was out of danger and able to do mundane things such as move house, renegotiate her relationship with Kai – and even brush up on some of her foreign languages. Acquiring works of fiction for the Library from alternate worlds was her vocation, and her job, but it was rarely peaceful or easy.
‘I see.’ Sterrington’s enigmatic smile suggested disbelief, as if Irene had actually been arranging the downfall of monarchs or thefts from imperial fortresses. ‘How . . . surprising.’
‘And I’m surprised to see you here,’ Kai said. ‘I’d thought that your master wasn’t on good terms with Lord Silver.’
‘If the Cardinal waited to be on good terms with people before dispatching emissaries, he’d never send anyone,’ Sterrington countered. ‘Why didn’t you visit me in Liechtenstein? I sent an invitation.’
Liechtenstein was the major centre of Fae activity on this alternate world. But as such, it was one of the places Irene least wanted to visit. ‘I must apologize for that, but I would have been . . . uncomfortable. You know we Librarians can’t tolerate too high-chaos an environment.’
‘You managed Venice well enough last year,’ Sterrington said.
‘Yes,’ Kai said. The faint shadow of scale-patterns blossomed across his cheekbones and the back of his hands, like frost-ferns on a window, and a brief flare of draconic red glinted in his eyes. ‘Where I was kidnapped by the Guanteses. I believe you were working for them?’
‘Water under the bridge,’ Sterrington said lightly. ‘I thought that under the new peace treaty we were going to be much more understanding – about little things like that.’
Irene passed her still half-full glass to Kai. ‘Please could you fetch me some more champagne?’ she said quickly.
Kai inclined his head in a gesture not unlike a duellist’s salute and stalked off on his errand.
‘I seem to have made a strong impression,’ Sterrington commented. ‘I can’t remember him being that easily offended last time we met.’
The Secret Chapter Page 1