by Casey White
“Doesn’t look like much,” James mumbled. “Just a little thing.”
“That’s it,” Owl said, reaching out to lay a hand atop the box—the computer, painstakingly forged by machine and by magic over the span of his visits. “What exactly were you expecting?”
He watched James’ expression slowly turn more perplexed, more intense. “Well, you talked this thing up. Made it seem like it’s this big, groundbreaking creation.”
Maya glared at him from the far side of the table. “It’s supposed to be an AI. It’s not going to be big and complicated. It’s a computer.”
He snorted. “Maybe it will. It’s supposed to be all sorts of fancy, right?”
Owl rolled his eyes. Left unchecked, the two would continue on all day. Leon stepped forward, though, bringing Owl’s musings to a close.
“Does it work?” Leon said, crouching down to bring the box to eye level. “Does it...What does it do?”
Owl smirked, nodding down at the thing. “Say hi.”
Leon glanced back to him, confused. “What?” At Owl’s gesture he slowly turned around, examining the box carefully. “Uh...hi?”
“Hello,” the computer said.
Leon jumped. Maya jumped. Hell, even James jumped, as much as he was trying to hide it. “Holy shit,” Leon said. “Warn me next time.”
“What were you expecting?” Owl said, starting to chuckle. “Hell, even Alexa talks, in the outside world.”
James shifted from foot to foot. “In the real world.”
Owl shrugged. “Whatever.”
“That’s so cool, though,” Maya said, creeping up to join Leon. “And this is what you’ve been working on for so long?” She reached out, tapping a finger against the case. “Uh...hi?”
“Please don’t touch me,” the box said with what sounded like a sigh. “It itches.”
Maya blinked—and then snorted, grinning at it. “You gave it an attitude, Owl?”
Again, Owl shrugged, but shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat.
He had. Programming the system with a proper personality had taken most of the last few months of outside-world time, which amounted to...far too long inside. It’d been a lot of work, but...he couldn’t imagine working on a project like this, a faux replacement for Alexandria, without incorporating a bit of fire to her.
Even still...he shivered, listening as Maya and James began a furious back-and-forth with the AI. Originally, he’d tried to give the computer more than just Alexandria’s attitude. Her voice was permanently burned into his mind, every rich, pure syllable as she’d pulled the dreamer off him. At first, using her voice had seemed...right. Proper. But it wasn’t. If anything, it sent pangs of fear straight through his gut. He’d had to pull back, changing her voice to a more nondescript one.
Now, though, he could sit back and enjoy it.
“Have you solved the magic problem?” a voice interrupted. Owl looked up.
Leon leaned closer to the box, running his fingers over a corner and ignoring the muffled protests from the computer.
Owl frowned. “The magic problem?”
“You know,” Leon said, glancing to him. “Connecting this computer in here to the world out there.”
James sighed. “The real world, damn it.”
“No,” Owl said, deflating.
Leon pulled away from the creation, then, his eyes going dark. “No? But I thought...when we talked, you sounded pretty sure you’d be able to find something. A clue to show you a way.”
He’d been hopeful, yes. He’d been so damn hopeful that all he had to do was start plunging into the magical archives of the Library. Surely an answer would present itself to him, if he only looked.
“It’s...not that easy,” Owl said instead. “I thought I’d be able to figure it out. But…”
“Problems,” Leon said softly. It wasn’t a question, not really. James and Maya were still bickering away behind him, poking absentmindedly at the case and only half-listening.
“It’s just...fucking hell,” Owl mumbled, lifting a hand to press at his aching skull. “The more I look, the more I think...it’s not going to work right. It’s not the same.”
Leon’s forehead grew steadily more wrinkled by the minute. “What’s not the same?” he said at last.
Owl shook his head. “Alexandria—the Library. Me. I don’t know.”
“Well, slow down and tell me, and maybe-”
“The records I can find are pretty damn specific,” Owl said, his voice rising in intensity even as it dropped lower, more secretive. “About how the outside world’s magic works, and all that. It’s...It’s not what I thought. I need magic. Whatever makes this place tick. I need apples and apples, and the outside world will only give me oranges, even if I try.”
“So you think this place is running on magic?” James said. Him and Maya had gone quiet at last, apparently deeming the conversation worthy of rejoining it. James snorted. “Shit, son. What makes you think something like magic is even real?”
Maya twisted, shooting a razor-sharp glare his way. “James, we’re standing in someone else’s dream. In a magic library.”
“Well, it’s pretty big and all, but-”
“James.”
James, thankfully, shut up.
Leon pursed his lips, his eyes clouded. “So...this place is magic, and there’s magic out there. But...it’s different?”
Owl sank back, leaning against the table as his mind spun. “It’s like...In here, what I can do together with Alexandria...it’s so rich. So pure. I can do anything.” He raised a hand, snapping his fingers.
Sparks scattered from the motion, tracing out brilliant geometric patterns through the air before flying toward the nearby lanterns. They flared, brightening, then returned to their normal glow.
James and Maya stared, pale-faced. Leon’s gaze didn’t falter. “And? I...I don’t get it. I’m sorry.”
A groan tore from Owl’s throat. “I...I can’t use Alexandria’s magic outside. None of it. I’m empty, out there. So I need access to outside magic to do anything meaningful. But then…”
“Jesus Christ, just spit it out, already,” James mumbled.
“Alex’s magic is...wild,” Owl said. That was the only way he could think to put it, to sum up her existence in a single word. “But out there, it’s so limited. All of the magic I’ve found is tied up in…” He waved his hand, wrinkling his nose. “In people. Something like that.” Row after row of books appeared in his mind, each marked by a drawing of an object. A possession. “It...their magic is tamed. Limited. Each of them can do a certain thing.”
“Maybe your thing is summoning magic libraries,” James said, smirking.
Leon shot him a dirty look, but Owl was already shaking his head. “No. No...more than that…” The text of that first book flashed before his eyes, the Basics Alexandria had prepared for him. “Their magic...it’s wild too, in its own way.”
James’ smirk turned to a scowl. “I thought you just said-”
“Each person gets their own type,” Owl said. It was like a pop quiz, a test on material he’d only half-learned. No matter how much time he’d spent poring through the books there, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still completely lost. “It changes, from person to person.” He shook his head again. “There’s no inheritance. Not like that.”
“And you inherited this place,” Leon said, understanding dawning across his face. “So it’s different.”
“Yeah,” Owl said. “And I don’t…” He sighed again. “If it’s different, then I don’t know if I can use it together with Alex. Mixing our magic might not even be possible.”
“Oh,” Leon said.
The room was quiet as the trio shuffled from foot to foot, staring down at the computer.
“B-But,” Owl said. “That’s fine. I’ll...figure something out. And I still don’t know if bringing Alexandria to the outside would even be a good idea.”
“You mean to the real-”
Maya elbowed James. He stopped.
“So, yeah,” Owl said. “It’s...It’s not a big deal.”
“Right,” Leon said, smiling faintly. The expression seemed more sad than happy, though. “Um...yeah. Right.”
Oh, Owl could feel it, then. The tension that ran in electric undercurrents through the conversation—the fabled awkward silence. He wet his lips, casting his mind out desperately for something, anything to offer in place of more moping. He refused to be that person dragging everyone else down. “So, um-”
“How are things going?” James said, equally abruptly. He’d been feeling it too, then, Owl thought with a chuckle. “Yeah. With Alexandria, and- and all that.” He smiled widely, forcefully. “Figuring anything out with- with those guests?”
Leon made an irritated noise, turning away, but Owl had already drooped an inch. Figured it out? His guest problem? How the hell was he supposed to do that? “N-No,” he mumbled. “I...I haven’t.”
“Damn it, James,” he heard Maya mutter.
“Oh,” James said, flushing to red. “Um.”
“That’s fine,” Leon said. “We’ll figure it out. And if...if all else fails...um.”
“If I can’t figure anything out...I’ll probably have to go back and negotiate with the guild,” Owl said softly. “Alex has been pretty understanding so far, but I don’t know how long that’ll last. She really only wants one thing, after all.”
He grimaced. Even if the door was locked, that hadn’t stopped Alex from delivering him mail. She’d deposited it in neatly-labeled envelopes, left on his nightstand or the end table where he set his coffee. The letters didn’t arrive often, precisely, but...they were regular enough to be a constant weight on his mind.
Indira. She was still writing to him. The first letters were apologies. Professional, formal requests for his pardon for the offenses they’d caused. She’d asked him to reconsider, to give it another listen.
As time had passed, though, the letters had started...changing. The professional facade had chipped away, exposing the raw worry underneath the carefully-inked words. She’d begged him to listen. Pleaded with him to open the doors, to give them another chance. To give her another chance.
He’d never once replied to them. He still...it didn’t seem right to lead her on, and he’d said everything he needed to at their last meeting. Maybe it was wrong of him to refuse. Maybe he was being petty. But someone had to defend Alexandria, damn it, and they’d done nothing but toy with him since he’d taken up the mask.
No, he wouldn’t give in to her. He’d find another way. Somehow.
There had been other letters alongside Indira’s, of course. Ones that were even more sporadic than hers. He’d recognized Olivia’s handwriting instantly the moment it’d appeared on his desk.
Those letters, he burned on arrival. There was nothing she had to say that he was interested in hearing.
Too late, he realized a quiet had fallen over the study they’d claimed. Owl jerked upright, licking his lips. “B-But. Anyway.”
Leon opened his mouth, but Owl waved him off. “I’m fine. And I really don’t want to make this all about me. You guys keep visiting, and...I like having you here.” He chuckled. “I’m not going to ramble on forever about my life and its problems.”
Leon glared at him. “Come on. I’ve already told you I don’t care if you-”
“You’re all here,” Owl said, more quietly. “That’s plenty. I’ll figure the rest out. In the meantime…”
He bowed dramatically, sweeping one arm to the side and holding the other against his midsection. “Welcome, oh honored guests.”
Silence fell over the study again, broken by Maya’s snort.
“Come on,” he heard James say. “Do you really think your Library’s going to buy that?”
Owl stood again, tugging the edge of his hood back into place. “Probably not,” he said. “But, hey. You never know.”
Leon sighed. “Even still-”
Owl stepped away from the table and his creation, then, elbowing Leon on his way past. “Come on,” he said. “There’s got to be something left in this place you haven’t seen yet. Let’s go.” He smiled faintly, even if Leon would never see it. “And you promised to tell me about that guy. The one you-”
“Fucking hell,” Leon mumbled, pressing a hand to his face. “Look, can we- can we just not?”
Owl winced, hesitating. “Ah. It, uh. Went that badly, huh?”
Leon’s cheeks were slowly flushing, and he wouldn’t quite meet Owl’s eyes. “Just...it’s nothing. It’s not a big deal. Let’s just go.”
“Sure,” Owl said. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to, uh-”
“Show me that obstacle course again,” Leon said, thrusting his head higher. “And if we’re so flush on time, then you can show me another magic trick.”
He stomped off ahead of the group, still beet red.
Owl watched him go, chuckling sadly. Someday, Leon would finally catch a break.
But...he couldn’t quite stifle the elation that had ignited in his chest at the news, either.
Gesturing for Maya and James to follow, he strode after Leon.
* * * * *
For once, the Library was still. Quiet. Owl’s steps were light and soft, making nary a sound as he drifted. It seemed like the whole place was holding its breath, waiting for the clock to chime midnight.
He knew nights like this one well. There might not have been any visitors for this stay—as with all of his shifts over the past months—but it’d been long enough, likely. He smiled. The odds were damn good that that night would see him put back outside Alexandria. The thought didn’t excite him like it used to, but, well...without the booklenders running around to liven up the place, he knew he was starting to go a little stir-crazy with the endless monotony of it.
“How’s about it, Alex?” he murmured, laying his hand atop a mounds of books as he slipped past. “Let me out for a spell, I’ll be right back in a day. I’ve had some good long stints. Maybe we could even wrangle a shorter visit next time, eh?”
The candles around him dimmed, resuming their steady glow before he could lose his way. Owl grinned. “Oh, don’t grumble at me. How about it? Just this once?”
This time, he got no response at all. His steps slowed. He eyed the shadowy aisles around him for a moment, his brow furrowing. Normally, if Alex was feeling chatty, she’d never miss an opportunity to drip runoff rainwater down the back of his neck or blow out the candles in his path. He waited a moment longer, but when no reply was forthcoming, he sighed. “Fine. Have it your way.”
A door sat at the end of the hallway—a tall, ironbound construct. Owl hurried toward it, already dreaming of his bed. “Just think about it,” he said. “We could work together this time. We could-”
When he grabbed for the handle, though, it only rattled under his hand. He glanced down, taken aback.
Locked.
“Alex?” he said, turning around. “Why’re you shutting doors on me? I wasn’t trying to make you mad. I just thought-”
With a slow, pointed creak, one of the bookshelves alongside him started drifting open. Owl flinched, stumbling back instinctively.
It was just a door, he realized. ‘Just.’ The thing was cunningly hidden, worked into the frame of the bookshelf. Of course, knowing Alexandria, it was entirely possible that the door truly had been a simple bookshelf mere moments before.
Either way, the message was clear—go inside. Owl hesitated a moment longer, anxiety bubbling up in his chest.
Whenever Alexandria tried to push him around, whenever she tried to force him into specific actions, it wasn’t a good sign. Normally, it meant he’d finally annoyed her past her limit.
Or that something was very, very wrong.
He shook his head, casting the thoughts away. “Okay,” he said, crossing to the door and hurrying through. “Okay, Alex. I get it. I’m going.”
The shelf-door squeaked shut behind him with a long, low groan.
He refused to look, keeping his eyes on the hall ahead. It was low and dark, like a spy’s secret passageway. Warm wooden panels pressed in on either side, occasionally punctuated by a shelf of books or trinkets. And it wasn’t a straight shot—every dozen paces or so Owl would find a sharp turn in the corridor, like it was winding through the space between rooms.
Just when he thought he’d seen everything Alexandria had to offer, she surprised him with something new. A smile lit up across his face, however guilty the gesture was. Keep your mind in the game, he hissed mentally, forcing his attention back to the front.
After another three twists and a low half-staircase, though, he was greeted with a single door, carved from plain wood. He surged forward before he could second-guess himself, latching onto the handle.
It gave way, dumping him unceremoniously into the sitting room. He froze. “W-What? Here?”
This was the heart of Alexandria, one of the most stable locations within her walls. Why would she bring him here? “Are you letting me go?” he said, brightening. “I….that’s great. But, uh, I was going to come back here on my own. Tonight. Without you needing to-”
He froze, his eyes going wide. No, he hadn’t misheard, and he hadn’t imagined the noise. The words he’d been about to say vanished, fading to nothing.
And in the silence left behind, he could hear the distant sound of someone pounding on the door.
- Chapter Six -
Someone was here. At Alexandria. Owl stared, his mind going totally and completely blank.
But...how? He’d closed the Library to guests. He’d allowed Indira in, yes, but...was that it, then? He wouldn’t answer her mail, and so she decided to take things to the next level?
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Owl muttered, still fixated in the direction of the noise.
If he ignored the pounding, whoever it was would probably go away. He just had to wait, to hold out for long enough that they got the message.
Surely.
He sank into one of the chairs, wrapping his hands about themselves, and waited.