by Casey White
Knocking on Leon’s front door would be a sure way to give up the game. He’d have to try something else. With a final glance and another murmured prayer, he darted forward.
Windows lined the side of the house. Smaller ones—about the right side for a bedroom, if he was any judge. Maybe, if he peeked in-
Daniel pressed his nose to the glass of the first one, his hands braced on the white-painted siding. A bedroom lay beyond, sure enough. Just...an empty one. The bedsheets lay thrown back, half-ripped off the mattress.
“Shit,” he whispered, sinking lower again. A roommate that’d already left—or was it Leon’s room?
If Leon had already taken off, running around somewhere in town, there’d be no telling where he was. Or when Daniel would find him. What if Indira and them found him first?
Daniel bit off the thought with an irritated hiss, again glancing to the homes around him. He didn’t have time for this. Hurrying away from the window, he fixed his eyes on the next one down.
Slowly, moving carefully, he inched up alongside it, peering through.
He was the Librarian, he thought with a hint of woe. A respected and honorable rank. He was a guardian of knowledge, the protector of all who entered his domain.
And here he was, peeping into people’s bedrooms like some kind of voyeur. How far he’d fallen.
Any guilt or worries about his current actions vanished behind an electric surge as another bedroom appeared before his eyes—and this time, the bed was occupied.
Daniel’s breath caught in his throat. He froze, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in. Was it-
He...couldn’t tell. Whoever it was, they were swathed in their bedsheets, wrapped up like a burrito. His heart raced. Decision time, yet again. This was the right house. He was...pretty sure this was the right house. And it wasn’t that big a place. The other bedroom had been empty. Should he risk it?
But if he was wrong, and this wasn’t Leon, then he really might get the cops called on him. He couldn’t afford that.
So what did he do? He squirmed, raising himself up a little taller as though the extra inch would give him the confirmation he needed. Maybe...Maybe he could-
A creak echoed around the block. A door opening on one of the other houses. The sound lanced straight down to Daniel’s core, stirring him awake. If it wasn’t Leon, then he’d just run. He’d figure something else out. But he couldn’t stand here out in the open.
Steeling himself, he brought his hand up—and rapped on the window. “Hey!” he hissed, pressing his lips to the glass. “Hey!”
Again, he froze, in time to hear a snore erupt from the bed.
“Damn it,” Daniel muttered, shifting uncomfortably. “H-Hey! Wake up!”
His knuckles battered the window pane, harder and harder.
The figure shifted, writhing beneath the bedsheets—and rolled over.
Daniel’s heart froze. He knew that face, the one that peeked out from beneath the blankets and the mop of brassy hair. Leon. He’d done it. He’d found him. Now, he just had to-
Leon rolled back over, spread-eagled on the mattress. The steady sound of his snores rose again.
“Shit,” Daniel whispered, his eyes going wide. His hand hovered in front of the window again. He could knock harder, but he’d be as likely to smash the glass as wake his sleeping friend up.
So be it. He...At least he knew it was the right house.
Muttering a curse under his breath, he cast a furtive glance around—and then he slid his fingernails under the crack in the window.
If Leon had locked the window, if he’d been even a little careful, then-
The window slid up with a groan. Daniel grinned. His hands were sweating already, turning his grip slippery and damp. But he had his way in, so long as none of the neighbors were watching. If they were...well, the cops might get called yet.
Hoisting himself up, he eased forward, slinging himself inside. “Sorry,” he whispered, wincing as his shoes hit the carpet. “No time.”
They were on a schedule. Right. The thought kept him focused on the target, rather than stopping to consider how fucked-up all of this was or to ogle the room around him. Leon was right there. Once he got him, they could get the hell out of here. Forcing himself forward, he took a step, and-
And tripped headlong, coming crashing back down over a mound of textbooks. He caught himself at the last, his startled cry vanishing into a muffled gurgle.
“W-What?”
Shit. Daniel’s head snapped up, just in time to see Leon surge upright. The covers flew from his shoulders, landing in a pile on his lap. The man’s eyes searched the room—and fixed on him.
Shit, shit. Caught in the rush of terror-fueled adrenaline, Daniel could read it all in Leon’s eyes. Confusion. Fear. Panic. Hell, it was understandable. He’d been sleeping peacefully, right up until some asshole showed up in his room to knock over a heap of books.
A heartbeat later, Leon thrust himself backward. “W-What? Who- What are you-”
He scrabbled for something on his nightstand. His phone. “Get the fuck out of my-”
“Wait!” Daniel hissed, lurching forward. His arm came up, waving desperately. “Wait, wait. Please. It’s-”
It’s what? What was he going to follow that up with? All of his carefully-laid plans vanished, catching in his throat to choke him.
But Leon had stopped. He had the phone in his hand, halfway raised, but he’d just...stopped. His eyes were glued to Daniel, his brow furrowed. “What? I...who are you?”
“It’s me,” Daniel said, refusing to move so much as an inch. This looked shady enough as-is. He had to play it cool. “It’s-”
“Owl,” Leon said. A light came on in his eyes, even as his head lifted another scant few inches. “Holy shit. You’re-”
“Sorry,” Daniel whispered. “Look. Can you just-”
“What the fuck are you doing in my bedroom?” Leon said, his brow starting to furrow. He clutched the sheets a little tighter, pulling them higher over his t-shirt. “Jesus. Did you stalk me?”
“Look, I- I’m sorry,” Daniel said, falling back a step. “I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think-”
“A-And then-” Leon’s eyes flicked over to the wall. “Did you break into my house?”
“I didn’t break in,” Daniel said lamely. “The- The window was unlocked.”
“Even still. That’s...This isn’t okay.”
“Leon, we have to go,” Daniel burst out. “Right now. I’m sorry, I know this is weird, but-”
“Incredibly weird.”
“But you’re in danger.” The words fell out of him in a rush. Leon came to a stop, blinking. Daniel smiled, not an ounce of joy in the expression. “I wouldn’t have come otherwise. And you didn’t answer your phone.”
“My-” Leon twisted, raising his phone and keying it on. “...Shit.”
“On silent?” Daniel said. He knew they needed to hurry, but even still...he couldn’t help but laugh.
Leon screwed his face up, giving his head a quick shake. “...No,” he mumbled.
So he slept like the dead, then. Hey, Alexandria probably liked that. “All right,” Daniel said, trying to collect himself. He took a step back again, gesturing for Leon to follow. “Come on.”
“...Through the window?” Leon said, glancing between it and him. “Are you serious? I have a door.”
“And they’re probably watching it,” Daniel hissed.
Leon’s face went pale. “What? Who?”
Daniel groaned, running a hand across his face. His hand caught on the stubble there, reminding him just how much he wished he could’ve had time to shave before a meeting like this. Or shower. Or dress himself properly. There were so many things he would’ve changed, if he could.
But he didn’t have the time. For any of it. “It’s a long story,” he said, more quietly. “I’ll explain everything. Look. Do you trust me?”
Leon looked back, locking his blue eyes with Daniel’s brown. Fo
r a long moment, they stared at each other, motionless.
Finally, something in his expression seemed to settled, and he nodded. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I do.”
Daniel forced a smile. “I’ll tell you everything, but we need to…” He sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. “We need to get James and Maya. I talked to her already, and she- she should be meeting up with him, but-” Get to the point. “We need to go. Right now. Like, now.” He gestured toward a dresser shoved in the corner. “Pants. C’mon.”
Leon slid from beneath the blankets, rising, but he stumbled toward a heap of clothes in the corner, not the dresser. “Fine,” he mumbled. “Whatever.” He dug through the mound, ostensibly for something to cover the boxers he wore.
Every so often, though, he cast a glance over his shoulder back toward Daniel. Just as quickly, he’d snap back to the clothes, but Daniel wasn’t fooled. He only waited, trying to pretend he didn’t notice. This meeting was awkward enough as it was.
Only when the jingling of Leon’s zipper-pull came to a stop did Daniel lift his head and turn toward the window. “Okay. Come on. We can-”
Something shuddered in his chest, a tingling that spread like wildfire and burned just as hot. Daniel’s spine stiffened. His breath caught in his throat. It was like something in him was screaming, like an alarm was blaring inside his head.
He froze—and then lurched, gasping. From the corner of his vision, he saw Leon twist. “H-Hey. Are you-“
“Come,” Daniel croaked, shambling toward the window. “Come on.” Not good. Even in the quiet of the moment, with his limbs heavy and his senses confused, his thoughts raced ahead at full speed. He didn’t know quite what was happening, but he knew it was not good.
Something very, very bad was about to happen.
Before he could so much as grasp the frame, though, a new sound split the silence.
An engine. A car. The noise grew closer and closer, seeming completely unbothered by the odd stillness, until it might have been right in the driveway.
And then the engine turned off, pitching them back into silence.
- Chapter Nine -
Daniel’s heart hammered in his chest.
He stood frozen in place, right opposite Leon. Was he overreacting? Was he reading too much into things? Surely it was just a neighbor, coming home and pulling into their driveway. That was all.
His ears still rang with the uncanny silence that had fallen over the house, though, and even the air he was breathing seemed...thicker. Heavier.
“Hey,” Leon said. “Hey, what’s-”
“Quiet,” Daniel breathed. “Just...Listen. Just for a moment.”
Whatever was coming, he needed to be sure that they took the right actions. That they did the right things. And if they really were coming face to face with Indira’s goons...his eyes darted over, settling on the gleaming square of light coming through the window. If they were in trouble, then they’d run.
Leon squirmed, glancing around wildly. “But- you said-”
“Leon. Please.” Daniel held a finger over his lips, and this time, Leon quieted himself. Daniel didn’t move. He hardly breathed. Every scrap of his focus was poured into his hearing, into picking out the slightest scrap of sound.
And there, like fingernails scraping against a chalkboard at the very edge of his hearing, he heard someone rattle the front door.
The pulsing of his heart ramped up instantly. “Shit,” he whispered. “Fucking hell. Okay, um. Come on. We can-”
“What is it?” Leon hissed. “Owl, what’s-”
Daniel twisted, planting one finger over his lips as he reached his other hand toward the window. “No. Not- Not that. Daniel, if you have to. No names would be better.”
Leon, wide-eyed, clapped a hand over his mouth. “Shit,” he said. “Sorry. What’s-”
“They’re coming,” Daniel mumbled. “Indira’s people. And mages. Bad ones.” As though there were good ones, his thoughts mused in an incredibly unhelpful fashion.
It got the job done, though. What little color was left in Leon’s face drained away. “S-So-”
Daniel silenced him with a look. Whoever it was, they were rattling the door handle again. “Is there a second entrance?” he whispered. “A patio, or something?”
Leon blinked. “There’s-”
The creak of the front door opening cut rang out impossibly-loud in the hushed room. Leon stiffened, his words coming out a croak.
“Shit,” Daniel cursed, shooting a look toward the door. They were in the house, now, which made the whole damn place a giant question mark. There was no way Leon and him could go poking around looking for an exit when they might turn a corner and come face to face with a mage.
That only left one way. “Come on,” he muttered, grabbing Leon’s wrist. When he tugged, Leon followed. Together, they crept toward the window. Daniel grinned. His eyes were glued to that square of early-morning sky. Almost there. They’d climb out, and make a run for the car, and then-
Only his finely-tuned instincts saved him, hovering right on the edge of ‘twitchy’. With his hands fixed about the window frame and his knee already through the gap, he heard it—the sound of footsteps approaching from around the corner. The sound of voices. Getting closer.
Instinct alone pushed him back through the window, tumbling back into Leon’s room and fighting to keep his balance. If he fell- if the intruders heard them in here-
Leon grabbed his shoulders, steadying him. Daniel couldn’t even spare him the time for a thank-you. They needed somewhere to hide. Somewhere-
His gaze latched onto a shadowed nook, between Leon’s bed and a computer desk and tucked onto the same wall as the window. The mounds of clothes piled around it would hide them. Probably. It was the best they had. Daniel hurled himself toward it without stopping to reconsider.
The window was still open. The thought hung in his mind, a morose reminder that he’d still fucked up. That they were still vulnerable.
And then they were down, with the warm of Leon’s side pressed tight against his, and Daniel dragged half the mess of blankets off the bed and over them.
Because he could hear it, now. The footsteps. They were loud enough to pick out even over the pounding of his heart in his ears.
“I told you. There’s nothing here.”
Leon twitched alongside him as the voice drifted in through the window. Daniel nudged him with his knee, and he steadied, but...they were riding right on the edge, here.
Stay quiet, he implored silently. Keep it together. Just for a little while longer.
“I know,” someone else muttered. “Rickard wanted us to check, though.”
“If Rickard cares so much, then he can-”
“Hey.”
A shiver ran down Daniel’s spine. The speaker’s voice had changed, taking on a contemplative note. There was no question in his mind what he’d seen—something he got confirmation of a scant few moments later.
“The window’s open,” the second man said.
“So?”
“So, it’s fuckin’ cold out here still. It’s weird.”
More footsteps—punctuated by the crunch of grass and gravel. The light coming through the window flickered, as though blocked by something. Or someone. If he turned now, what would he find? Was the man even then sticking his head through the window, examining the room for their quarry?
Daniel just ducked his chin against his chest, trying to make himself invisible. Hell, if he could make both of them invisible, he’d do it.
A bead of sweat began its long, slow roll down his back. He counted the seconds of silence, all too aware of the fact that Leon was starting to shake. Please, he whispered, knowing Leon would never hear. Hold on. Don’t panic. Not yet.
It was taking too long, though—and he could hear the pair of men shifting from foot to foot, still outside Leon’s window. Were they normal humans, sent from the Booklenders? Indira would have put her best people on the task. Whoever those pe
ople were. Daniel bit his lip. His mind was too fogged, too hazy from exhaustion and panic. He couldn’t make out their faces.
But he didn’t remember the name ‘Rickard’, either. That was new. If he was one of Indira’s underlings, surely Daniel would have remembered that much.
Which meant the man probably wasn’t from Indira at all. Or the two outside the window.
Which meant they probably weren’t Booklenders. They were probably-
“It’s freezing out here,” the first man muttered. “Come the hell on. Can we just-”
“Fine,” the second man sighed. “Let’s check the back, and then we’ll go help Sara inside.”
Right on cue, a door shut somewhere in the house behind them. Somewhere near. Daniel’s eyes flicked toward the noise, his pulse quickening. Before long, they’d face another onslaught from another direction—and he really, really didn’t trust their hiding place to hold up to a second inspection.
Their voices faded, drifting away. All the while, the noise from the house grew louder.
He wanted to go back to bed. He wanted to head straight back to Alexandria, to where he was safe, and he had magic, and if anyone wanted to mess with him, he could lock them up in a teeny tiny box of iron and kick them straight out the front door.
For the first time in forever, he wished he was Librarian Owl again.
He wasn’t, though, and he didn’t have time to mope about things. If he hesitated, they’d come back—or that ‘Sara’ they were talking about would come barging in.
Daniel was on his feet in an instant, grabbing hold of Leon again.Before he could doubt himself or second-guess the stupidity of what he was about to do, he’d already lunged forward toward the window.
His feet came up on automatic. With a heave, he dumped himself through the wooden frame, landing on the grass beyond. His head snapped up, with one hand yanking his hood back into place.
The pair were almost around the corner of the house, he saw wistfully.
Almost.
It was a pair of men, he saw, one a bit older than the other with streaks of salt at his temples. Daniel’s horrified eyes traced out the unmistakable imprint of a gun under the older man’s jacket.