by H. Duke
It seemed like only a few minutes before she had to go out to the reference desk. A large stand—the kind normally used to hold oversized dictionaries—sat out in front of the desk with a book from the Werner collection sitting on top of it.
“What’s this?” she asked Janet.
“It’s a first edition copy of The First Adventure of Braddy Evers,” Janet explained. “Since we’ve agreed to better utilize items from the Werner collection, I thought we could have it on display to drum up excitement for Braddy Evers Day. First editions of this book are very rare, especially ones in such good condition. I was just printing off a sign.”
She held up a sheet of paper. Printed on it in Times New Roman font were the words “First edition copy of The First Adventure of Braddy Evers! Join us for Braddy Evers Day for tea, screenings of the blockbuster movies, and other groundling fun!” The date and hours of the festival were listed at the bottom.
April eyed the book. She’d have to be especially watchful to make sure that no one took the book and left it open somewhere in the library.
Janet was looking at her expectantly, so April tried to smile. “Good idea.”
Janet’s face erupted into a grin. “I’m glad you think so! Why do the downstairs librarians get to have all the fun?” As she taped up the sign, she chattered away about using the collection to its fullest potential. April was glad when Janet finally left. She wanted to be alone.
About halfway through her shift, the phone rang. April picked up the receiver.
“You’ve reached the Werner Room. April speaking.”
“Hello, Ms. Walker.”
April closed her eyes. “What do you want, Thaddeus?”
“Just to check in on you. You haven’t been at work in quite a while.”
Unless he’d been calling the library every day—which she doubted—Thaddeus must be watching her, or at least watching the library. She shouldn’t be surprised.
“I was truly sorry to hear about the security guard.”
She gripped the phone so tight that the grooves in the plastic bit into her skin. “How do you know about that?”
“While we can’t go inside the library outside of business hours, we’re still keeping tabs on you. Our reports show that the security guard went in, but never came out.” He paused. “Or at least he didn’t walk out. Do you know how they disposed of the body?”
She shook her head. Her entire body was numb. “No.”
“That’s probably best. If the authorities find out, the less you know the better off you’ll be.”
“Are you threatening me?” Would Thaddeus call the police?
Thaddeus laughed, a short, mirthless sound. “My organization prefers that law enforcement be kept ignorant of this situation. In fact, we will do everything within our influence to keep them away from it. No, I’m not threatening you.”
“What, then? Just a happy chat?”
“I’m calling to extend an invitation.”
“Invitation?”
“My superiors were impressed by your resourcefulness. You’ve proven yourself someone they’d rather have as an ally than an enemy.”
“Why would I join you? Didn’t my kicking your ass make my position clear?”
Pause. “I expected the security guard’s death would have opened your eyes to the dangers of the portal. You must realize that if you had kept your word he’d still be alive.”
Tears blurred her vision, but she blinked them away. “Screw you.”
Thaddeus ignored her outburst. “Despite your betrayal, I still believe you’re an ignorant girl thrown into a situation above her pay grade. I don’t think you deserve what’s about to come down on your head. I implore you to stop this before someone else gets hurt. Don’t take this offer lightly, Ms. Walker, as it will be your last chance.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “Take some time to think it over. You have my card.” The line went dead.
As closing time approached, April had the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. At eight fifteen she realized what it was: Andre wasn’t there to make the end of night announcement. She grabbed the walkie talkie off its cradle and started to make her rounds.
There were now only a few weeks to go until finals, and the number of students at the tables had increased exponentially. The only non-student in the room was Randall, who sat at his usual table closest to the reference desk. He hadn’t said anything when he came in, only nodded in her direction. They had an unspoken agreement to interact as little as possible while the library was open. She’d felt his worried eyes on her all night.
She walked around, letting the patrons know the library was closing. When she got back to Randall she said, “Do you mind staying after tonight?”
He nodded. “Whatever you need.”
“Thanks. Just wait in my office, okay?” Not that Andre would be coming around to check.
At eight thirty-one Becky’s voice came over the walkie talkie. “Is everything clear?”
Subdued murmurs issued from the walkie talkie. April pressed the green button. “The third floor is empty. I’ll see all of you tomorrow.”
Several voices bade her farewell. Becky’s wasn’t among them. Five minutes later April and Randall were the only people left in the building. Randall exited her office, Rex shaking himself off.
April smiled a little as the dog came over to greet her. “How can you be so sure he won’t make any noise and give you away?”
Randall shrugged. “I found him over in Afghanistan. He started following me around one day, even on patrol. If ever there was a dog that knows when to keep quiet, it’s this one.” His smile turned serious. “Are you sure you want to do this tonight? Coming back to work was a big step in itself. You can wait to do this.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m ready but… if I don’t do it now I’m not sure I ever will.”
Randall nodded, but he still looked worried. “Don’t push yourself too much.”
“I’m fine.”
They sat in silence until the grandfather clock started to chime. She rose and walked over to the gate to watch it open. Dorian waited on the other side, his eyes widening as he saw her. He stepped through before the gate was opened all the way.
He stopped in front of her. “I thought I wouldn’t see you again.”
“Me, too,” April said.
“Are you okay? What made you come back?”
“I don’t know,” she said, squinting. “Randall came to see me yesterday, and I just thought, ‘If I don’t go back now, I don’t think I’ll ever do it.’ And here I am.”
Dorian looked over at Randall. “You talked to her?”
“I didn’t do it for you.”
Rex started to growl. His nose pointed to the west wall, the one that faced the parking lot.
“That’s strange. He usually doesn’t growl,” Randall said, and headed towards the window. His eyes widened as he looked out. “We’ve got company.”
April and Dorian walked over to the window. A figure in a long overcoat with the collar popped up to obscure his face even though it was dark out as he approached the main entrance. He wore a bowler hat on his head.
“Is it Thaddeus?” April said, her heart pounding. “I thought he couldn’t come here!”
“He can’t,” Dorian said. “You’re safe. It’s not Thaddeus.”
As safe as Andre? April thought, but Dorian continued before she could say the words out loud.
“I invited him here. He’s a friend.”
“A friend?” April asked.
Dorian nodded. “A wizard—kind of. He put the spell on the library that keeps the collectors out. It put a huge target on his back, though. He’s been in hiding ever since. After last week’s events I thought it would be prudent to discuss heightened security, so I attempted to contact him. I wasn’t sure he even got my message.”
The man looked up at them and waved. April tried to focus on his face and found that she couldn’t.
“I�
�ll let him in,” Dorian said, and he went downstairs. When he came back the man was with him.
“April, Randall, this is Barty Nagles.”
“Bartholomew,” the man corrected. “Warlock extraordinaire.” He extended his hand, and April took it. She tried to concentrate on his features but again found it difficult. Despite this he looked familiar, though every time she felt close to remembering where she recognized him from the thought slipped away. It was like having a word stuck on the tip of her tongue, but with his face.
“Oh, sorry,” Barty said apologetically. He removed the bowler hat, a mass of messy strawberry-blond locks falling out as he did. As soon as the hat was off his head, the overcoat disappeared revealing worn jeans, sneakers, and a faded black polo covered in powdery stains in the shapes of fingers. he was in his late twenties or early thirties.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Barty said, lifting the bowler hat. “I found it in England. A cap of anonymity, they call it. Putting it on makes the wearer’s face nearly impossible to remember. I wear it to keep under the collectors’ radar. If they knew I was back in town…” he shivered.
“That’s one blessing in all of this,” Dorian said. “We haven’t heard from them since we bested them last week.”
“Not quite.” April told them about Thaddeus’ phone call.
“Did he threaten you?” Randall asked after she finished.
April shook her head. “No. He offered me a job.”
“A job?” Barty asked. “Why?”
“They’re trying to get her on their side,” Dorian said. “A smart tactic, if it works.”
Randall was the first to say anything else. “Are you considering it?”
She thought for a moment. “No.” It was true.
Barty shivered. “These collectors are a bad deal. They killed my grandfather, and they’ll kill me if they get a chance. You, too. Now that you’re the Pagewalker, you’re just magic scum to them. They have something up their sleeves, mark my words.”
“You’re probably right.”
Dorian looked thoughtful. “Barty, can you set up some magical protection for April that will work when she’s not in the library? Just in case.”
Barty thought for a moment. “I can’t work a full-on protection spell. I hardly managed it the first time, and I had several powerful items I no longer have access to, thanks to the collectors. I can probably work up a warning amulet. It won’t do anything in the way of protection, but at least you’ll know they’re coming.”
“How long will that take?” Dorian asked.
“I should have it by tomorrow. I’m working the day shift, so I can come as soon as the library closes.”
April snapped her fingers, remembering where she recognized Barty from. “You’re the delivery driver for Nemo’s Pizza!”
Dorian turned to look at Barty with disgust. “You’re delivering pizza?”
Barty’s cheeks turned hot pink. “It’s not like studying arcane magic pays the bills. And I’m surprised you know what pizza is, Mister nineteenth-century London.”
Dorian rolled his eyes. “I’ve been coming into this world for almost thirty years, your time,” he said. “And of all the things your world has to offer, pizza is one of the best.”
“I thought the collectors wiped all the warlocks and other magic-wielders out,” April said.
“They did for the most part,” Barty said with a sad nod. “I’m sure there are some left, but they’re the ones who are good at hiding. Thus, the cap.” He proffered the bowler hat.
“Barty,” Dorian said with a warning tone in his voice.
Barty sighed. “Fine. I’m not really a warlock. My grandfather was, though. The collectors got him nearly fifty years ago. I never knew him.”
“But you know how to cast spells?” April said.
“Yes and no. I found his grimoires about a decade ago.”
“What’s a grimoire?”
“Like a spellbook. I was able to make some of the magic work… kind of. It’s like following a recipe when you don’t know how to cook. Some are easy, others not so much.”
“And the collectors are after you?”
Barty nodded. “They didn’t know I existed until I cast the spell on the library. That’s pretty impressive magic.” Barty thrust his chest out. “But it got me on their list.”
“And you’ve been delivering pizza ever since?” Dorian said. “I thought you went into hiding.”
“I did,” Barty said a tad defensively. “Minneapolis wasn’t safe for me any more. I couldn’t go back to school, and I didn’t want to endanger my family. So I went to Europe in search of magic.”
“You’ve been traveling the world looking for magical objects like that hat-of-whatever?” Randall asked.
“Cap of anonymity,” Barty corrected. “That’s part of it. More importantly I’ve been looking for a mentor—someone who could teach me how to cook, not just follow a recipe.” He shook his head. “I haven’t found them. Maybe they really are all dead.”
“Where are these grimoires now?” Randall asked. “Maybe there’s something in there that can help us.”
Barty shook his head. “That’s partially why I’m here. Before I went into hiding, Mae took them and hid them in one of the books. We figured it was the safest place for them, seeing as the collectors can’t access the gate, and even if they do finding them in all the books would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“Which book are they in?” April asked.
Barty shrugged. “I don’t know. We decided it was best that I not know in case they caught up with me. I was hoping that she told you before she passed.”
April shook her head. “There wasn’t time. Do you know, Dorian?”
Dorian shook his head. He looked down. “She never shared that with me. There were things she kept from me for various reasons.”
“Hold on,” April said. She’d felt a sudden burst of insight, though she wasn’t sure where it had come from. There was something she was missing, something she needed to put together… She walked to Mae’s office, not sure what she was looking for until she saw Mae’s planner sitting on the desk. She opened it to the page where it said, For Barty: Turner, S. pg 113.
Dorian looked at the note. “It’s possible. She must have taken something of roughly equal size back with her. Let’s see… Turner…” he walked towards the shelf where the Werner books were kept and pulled one down.
“A Country Romance by M. Turner,” he read. “If you were going to hide something in a book, this one seems like a good choice. Probably just men and woman courting each other. Less chance of being hung or beaten to death. What’s the page?”
She read out the number to him, and he carefully lifted only the bottom corner of the book to find the page before he opened the cover. The crack appeared in the window and widened to reveal a field of heather and wildflowers. A ridge of trees lined the edge of the field off in the distance.
Dorian’s eyes traveled across the page. “It’s a setting description. No one to bother us.”
“Can I see that?” Randall reached out his hand and Dorian handed him the book. Randall examined the text. “What would happen if I turned the page now?”
Dorian shook his head. “Not advisable. The portal will change to the next page, but your ears will be ringing for days from all the racket. It sends shockwaves out, sometimes even cracks the wall. I’m surprised no one has commented on the number of ‘micro-quakes’ this building has seen.”
Randall looked down at the book as though it were a bomb.
“Shall we?” Dorian asked.
“I wouldn’t say no to finding my grimoires,” Barty said.
“You ready for this, April?” Randall asked. “It’s okay if you’re not.”
Was she? April looked down at the book in Randall’s hands. Don’t give yourself a chance to change your mind.
While she was looking at the book, she noticed a familiar darkness near the spine. “Is that ink rot?” sh
e asked.
Dorian looked grimly at the book and nodded. “No one’s been maintaining the collection, so it’s spreading faster. While we’re inside, we should look for the rot and clean up as much of it as possible. If you’re up for it,” he added the last part hastily.
“Let’s do it,” she said.
“If we’re taking something back with us,” Dorian said, “We need something of similar size to leave behind in its place.”
April walked over to the discard cart where library patrons left the books they’d decided not to check out. She picked up a copy of the second most recent James Patterson hardback that someone had brought up from the second floor.
“We have about twenty copies of this one. They’ll never miss it.” She looked at Randall. “Want to come with? You haven’t been through the gate before. Rex, too.” She held her breath. She hoped he would come. His presence made her feel calmer, more capable.
He looked at the gate. “Does it hurt?”
April shook her head. “It feels weird, though.”
“Sure.”
Barty rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll stay here. I’ve been through once before, and… when you know how hard it is to produce even a small spell, something that’s this powerful is unsettling.” He paused, then added, “I’ll watch the book.”
Dorian nodded his approval. He turned to April, his eyebrows raised. “Well?”
She breathed out. All they had to do was look for Barty’s grimoires and deal with the ink rot. The ink rot in One Thousand and One Nights had dispersed easily at her touch. This should be a piece of cake. “Let’s do it.”
She went first through the gate, followed by Randall and then Dorian. Randall’s face sported a look of trepidation as he passed through behind her.
He glanced around. “I’ll be damned,” he said. “It is real.” Then he bent over and vomited. April patted him on the shoulder.
There was a yip as Rex jumped through the portal behind them. He sniffed at Randall.
“You okay?” April asked.
It took Randall a moment to nod. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s just… this makes me wonder if I really am crazy.”