The Librarian: A Remnants of Magic Novel (The Librarian of Alexandria Book 2)

by Casey White

  The other intruder had no weapon—but when both turned, eyes wide at the sound, his hands came up to the ready.

  Mage, Daniel’s mind shrieked. Run. Get away. Now.

  Leon landed with a grunt. Before he could straighten or settle himself, Daniel latched onto his wrist again. “Come on!” he cried. There was no more secrecy to be had. Not when he could already hear the two men bellowing behind them. The jig was up, and it didn’t matter if he shrieked it to the world.

  To his utter relief, Leon picked himself up faster than he would’ve expected. For a step or two, Daniel dragged him along—and then Leon was on his feet, bolting right alongside him.

  “Stop!” he heard someone roar behind him. The second man—the older one, if he was placing it right. The one with the gun, his mind supplied. “Stop, kid, or I’ll-”

  “No!” someone else cried. “Don’t! Let me-”

  Daniel ran. Every step he took seemed slow, bogged down by the air that pressed in around him. It weighed at his legs, sucking the breath from his lungs until he panted for relief. When he glanced back, though, he could see figures behind them. Too many figures. They swarmed from the front of the house, joining the two men who’d caught them.

  Run, damn it. They didn’t have far to go. They’d get to the car, and then- and then they’d figure something out. Somehow.

  The ground rumbled under his feet.

  Unable to stop himself, Daniel glanced down. He was sure—he’d felt it. He hadn’t made it up. It had felt like-

  This time, the tremor wasn’t so gentle. The soil roared beneath them, as though it was right on the edge of tearing itself apart. His blood turned to ice in an instant.

  He’d said it himself, hadn’t he? Each of the mages had...something. Something they were good at. Was this his first example of outside-world magic?

  Daniel stared, caught in horrified fascination, as his foot sank straight into the soil. It writhed beneath him, seething like water, like a thing alive. And then it tightened, clamping down until-

  Leon spun at his agonized cry. His lips fluttered, but he bit down on whatever he’d been about to cry out. He grabbed hold of Daniel instead, yanking hard even as the ground liquified beneath the both of them.

  He couldn’t do it alone, Daniel realized. They’d both get stuck. Already, he could hear the stomp of people racing across the yard. They’d kill Leon—or hold him as leverage. They’d keep him, until they had what they wanted. Alexandria.

  He wouldn’t let that happen.

  His feet were trapped, but he still had his hands. Daniel grabbed for the gun hidden beneath his jacket, twisting back to face their opponents. A thousand days spent whiling away the quiet in an Alexandria-supplied range took over. His hands were steadier as he brought the pistol up, from muscle memory if not actual calm.

  At the motion, several of the figures skidded to a stop, their eyes going wide. In the back, one turned and started to bolt toward the house again.

  Daniel smiled grimly. They’d come after him, the Librarian—but they had so little resolve? His hand straightened, bringing the sights in line on-

  On the man out front. The younger fellow from the house, the one who’d happened across them. He wasn’t running, unlike his friends. Even if his expression was set, though, there was a terror in his eyes that couldn’t be wiped away by practice or training. His hands wobbled, still upraised.

  He was scared. Floating in the iron sights of his pistol, the sight stuck in Daniel’s mind. This man was scared—of him. Of dying. Of being killed by him.

  You are the Librarian. Allow none to come to harm within-

  Daniel jerked his chin to the side with a hiss, still trying to wrench himself free from his sandy shackles. He wasn’t in Alexandria, and he wasn’t the damn Librarian. The Librarian wouldn’t be this helpless. Right now, he was just Daniel, and that made him fuck-all useful at a time like this.

  Stiffening, he lowered his chin. His finger squeezed on the trigger, tighter and tighter, until-

  The gun roared to life with a crack that echoed in his ears. His arm bucked along with it, jumping with the force of the recoil.

  But it was dirt that sprayed from the impact point, not blood. Daniel stared, eyes glued to the plume of grass and grit rising from alongside the man he could only assume was a mage.

  The man shied back, throwing his arms up—and just like that, the ground fell quiet beneath his feet. Cries sprang up around him as his fellows started to backpedal with more purpose.

  That’s better, Daniel thought, a tiny smile toying at his lips. Even if he’d missed. He’d show them they couldn’t-

  “M-Move!” Leon yelped. Daniel flinched—then lurched, suddenly heaved upright.

  Leon had his shoulder, he realized. Maybe he’d never let go. But he’d hauled Daniel out of the muddy ground without so much as flinching. A heartbeat later, it was his turn to dart away, dragging Daniel behind.

  Daniel still clung to his pistol, his heart hammering in his ears. He’d- He’d shot at someone. “L-Leon,” he said, fighting to get a grip. “W-We...We should-”

  “Just run!” Leon cried, pulling him on. “Shut up and run!”

  The houses were dark around them, Daniel realized. No lights had come on. No doors had been thrust open to expose angry, worried residents here to see what had happened. Why? They were all out here screaming bloody murder. He’d fired a gun. Someone should give a shit about that.

  There was no one, though. Daniel shook his head, stumbling, and forced his feet back under him. Time enough to worry about that later, when they’d gotten out.

  He grabbed for Leon’s elbow, tugging the man as they ran. “Here,” he gasped. “T-This way.” His car lay ahead, coming into sight as they charged into the line of ragged trees. “W-We can-”

  Another thudding step, and the ground quivered beneath them again. Daniel glanced down, his heart in his throat.

  It didn’t fall apart under them, though, and the yells from behind were...distant. Distant enough that the worry in his chest eased a little. Not far, and then they’d-

  Another crack—accompanied by a shower of bark and sawdust as something slammed into the tree alongside him. Daniel screamed, leaping away from the tree. Behind him, the bellows rose to new intensity. They were angry at something.

  He couldn’t piece through what. His mind was too busy shrieking that someone had just shot at him. And he didn’t think they’d been trying to miss.

  In another two steps, he surged out in front of Leon, hauling him along in his wake. It all fell away, then—the noise. The figures behind them, still trying to give chase. The fear, and the exhaustion, and the feeling of being totally helpless. For a brief, perfectly-sweet moment, all of that was gone.

  There was just him, and Leon, and the car ahead. Daniel ran, faster than he ever had before. Faster than when Lenny had set the lab on fire. Faster than when he’d been with Olivia, and the whole Library had been ready to come down over their heads.

  There was something pure about it. Mindless. His shoes pounded down, echoed by the slap of Leon’s bare feet against the asphalt. His lungs burned with every breath. With every quiver of the ground beneath them, he pushed faster, straining for a little more. Just another drop of speed, of power.

  And then the car was there, a wall of plastic and steel for him to slam into. His hand thrust down into his coat pocket before he’d come to a stop, digging for his keys.

  Leon darted away from him, to the opposite side. “Open it. Open it. Would you just-”

  “I’m working on it!” Daniel snapped, finally pulling the fob free. The doors opened with a click loud enough to echo through his bones. Both of them hurled themselves inside, slamming the doors.

  There was no wrangling with seat belts, no looking both ways in case someone was crossing the street. Daniel jammed the key into the ignition, twisting hard—and dropped it into gear, slamming his foot down on the accelerator in the same instant.

  The engine scre
amed, shrieking its complaint.

  Outside the window, Daniel saw the figures approaching, guns in hand. More than just the one man, now. Two of them. Three. They were leveling their weapons in his direction, with another pair approaching with hands wide.

  The first of their shots peppered his bumper as he tore out of his one-time parking spot. Leon screamed, covering his head.

  Daniel just kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, trying to force the sound from his mind and pretend he couldn’t feel the bullets slamming into his vehicle.

  He had Leon. They’d gotten through the first challenge intact. They’d make it through the others, to. One way or another.

  Even if he didn’t know how. Even if the end of all this was still a hazy blur, well out of sight.

  With Leon’s house vanishing into the distance in his rearview mirror, Daniel sank lower in his seat.

  And he drove.

  - Chapter Ten -

  The hum of the road filled the cab. Daniel’s eyes were glued to the road ahead.

  “Are we being followed?”

  He resisted the urge to turn, to glance back, allowing himself instead the briefest flick of his gaze into the rearview mirror. “No.”

  Leon squirmed alongside him—and even if Daniel had the willpower not to look back the way they’d come, Leon didn’t seem to. He twisted, grabbing his seat and peering through the gaps in the headrest.

  Daniel made a face. “Sit down.”

  “I...I don’t think we’re being followed,” Leon said. His fingers were clenched around the fabric, Daniel saw, so tightly it had to be painful. “I think-”

  “Sit down, okay?” Daniel mumbled. “Put your damn belt on.” With the speedometer swinging higher by the second and his nerves thrumming at high alert, the last thing he needed was Leon bouncing around unchecked. And he really didn’t want his friend to get thrown straight through the windshield if anything went wrong.

  Leon blinked, turning back to front. “O-Oh. Yeah, I guess...yeah.” He grabbed for his seat belt, the motion slow and clumsy. Daniel sighed.

  “Are you hurt?” he said quietly, once Leon had seated himself.

  Leon straightened, running his hands over his chest. “N-No. I don’t think so. Nope.”

  Daniel exhaled, letting his head fall back. “Good.”

  “B-But, what the hell was that?” Leon said, spinning to face Daniel again as though all his energy had surged back in. “W-What the hell is going on? Who were those people? And why-”

  “Slow down,” Daniel said. His brow furrowed. How was he going to explain this? Because Leon did deserve an explanation. “It’s Indira’s people,” he said at last.

  “What? What does she want?”

  Daniel caught himself just in time, keeping the manic laugh pinned in his chest. “Me. And, well. You guys.”

  “You? But, why would- Wait, us guys? Plural?”

  The world flashed past outside their windows. Daniel glanced into the mirror again, searching for any trace of pursuit. Cars zipped by, all headed to their busy mornings—but none of them seemed to be following too obviously. “Yeah,” he said, hitting the brakes and steering them down a side street. “They caught on. To you, and James, and Maya. Which...hold on, okay?”

  Leon fell back, his hands pulled up to his chest defensively. Daniel scrabbled in his pocket. A relieved sigh burst from his lungs as his fingers met cheap plastic. His phone. He hadn’t lost it, which was something, at least. Some small silver lining to this whole shitshow. Glancing between it and the road, he called up Maya’s number again.

  “I couldn’t reach you,” he said, letting the dial tone ring in his ear. “I tried. But I managed to get Maya. She’s…”

  He trailed off, going quiet. The prerecorded tones of Maya’s inbox chirped in his ear, screeching to leave a message. “Shit,” he muttered, slamming the burner closed again.

  Leon was still fidgeting, all but bouncing in the passenger’s seat. “W-What? What was it?”

  “Nothing,” Daniel said heavily. “I got nothing.”

  “Oh,” Leon said. Daniel could almost see the man deflate. “Um. Well, I can try. Give me a minute, and-”

  His hand slapped the pocket of his wrinkled jeans—and his spine stiffened. Daniel winced. Watching Leon was almost more exhausting than all of...all of this. Up and down. Back and forth. He’d never seen Leon so animated. Then again, he’d probably never been shot at before, either.

  “Crap,” Leon whispered.

  Daniel groaned. “What?”

  “I didn’t grab my phone.”

  Shit. Daniel acknowledged it with a quick nod, a muscle in his jaw starting to pop. He’d yanked Leon out of a slumber, after all. It made sense that there hadn’t been time to assemble himself. “So, uh. Is it-”

  “It must be back in my house,” Leon said. “Right on my nightstand where I left it. Maybe-”

  His eyes went wide, filled with a sudden horror. “Shit. Shit. They’ll have it. And on that phone-”

  “They’ll have my phone number,” Daniel said. He’d been a few steps quicker to the conclusion than Leon, but he found himself more resigned than horrified. “For the burner, anyway. It’s...It is what it is. I’ll get rid of it, after…”

  After he wrapped this up. After he found a solution to this mess, somehow.

  “Fuck,” Leon mumbled, pressing his hands to his face. “I’m sorry, D-” Just as quickly, he shook his head, cutting himself off. “Sorry.”

  Daniel smiled mirthlessly, his mind racing even if his body was still. “We’re...I’m assuming there’s not one of Indira’s goons in the backseat, so I think you can use my name. For now.” It’d be a risk, and it’d be smart to keep things a bit closer to his chest. But, damn it, giving Leon his name in the first place had been a risk. And with the panic still threatening to overwhelm him, he couldn’t help it. He wanted that little bit of comfort, in whatever form it took.

  The car went quiet. A few moments later, a low “Daniel,” was mumbled from the seat alongside him.

  Daniel tightened his grip on the wheel. “Look,” he said, his voice low. “I got to Maya a while back. She was going to look for James. If something went wrong…” Again, he shook his head, trying to drive the anxiety-ridden thoughts from his mind. Trying, and failing. “If something went wrong, it was probably at James’ place. Can you-”

  “O-Oh,” Leon said. He sat up a little straighter, searching the road around them. “Um. Well. When you get to the light ahead, take a left. It’s...We have a little bit.” He glanced toward Daniel, then away. “Did...Should I plug it into the-”

  “If you know the way, then we’re good,” Daniel mumbled.

  “Right.”

  With that final word, the car fell into an uneasy quiet. Every few seconds, Daniel cast a glance back behind them. Every time, he expected to see something—another car, coming to chase them down. A man leaning out of the SUV alongside them with a gun. Hell, part of him even worried about getting flagged down by a cop, to be questioned for the bullet holes riddling his bumper.

  He didn’t find any of it. Apparently, none of the people sent to Leon’s place had expected him there—or they just hadn’t expected Daniel and Leon to get the jump on them. He wasn’t convinced they were making a clean getaway yet, but it was a damn good start.

  Too late, he realized the quiet wasn’t so comfortable—and he felt the eyes on him. A sheen of sweat appeared on his palms.

  Leon was watching him. Discreetly, or as discreetly as he could, anyway. But now and again, Daniel saw him glance over, glancing away just as quickly.

  Daniel smothered a groan. He’d be curious. Of course he would be. Hell, this whole situation was just a mess of barely-ordered confusion, and right smack dab in the middle of it was the fact that here he was, Owl, standing right in front of him. In the flesh.

  Every last bit of his training screamed for him to hunch his shoulders higher, hiding his face. But...he was here. Leon already had his phone number and his
name.

  He deserved this much.

  Leaning back, Daniel made a face. And then, trying to make the movement look casual, he reached up.

  The rustling of fabric tumbling down set his skin to prickling. He was naked, his thoughts shrieked. Exposed. Out in the open for the world to see.

  But the only person here was Leon. And so Daniel licked his lips, forcing himself to sit still, and let his hood settle to his shoulders.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Leon freeze. Not so subtle anymore, he chuckled silently. As if remembering himself, Leon glanced away—and then back.

  Pay attention to what you’re doing. Daniel eased onto the brakes, turning them down a side road, then another. The city was fading around them, little by little. But Leon hadn’t steered them toward the freeway, so they couldn’t be going that far. If people were following them, he didn’t have long to give them the slip. “Where to?” he said tonelessly.

  “O-Oh,” Leon mumbled, tearing his eyes off Daniel. “Um. Up ahead. Right, then right again. Still a few miles out.”

  “Okay.”

  The silence pressed in around them again. This time, it was all Daniel could do to keep from squirming. Here it was—his big moment. He’d finally crossed the boundary from Alexandria into the outside world. And here he was, ruining it all. In the span of a single night, he’d let himself fall from esteemed Librarian to that mussed up, creepy asshole climbing through your window at night. He licked his lips, taking a breath.

  “Look, I’m-”

  “So you’re-”

  Both of them stopped just as quickly as they started. Daniel glanced over, finding Leon staring right back. Against all odds, he found himself smiling.

  Leon broke the moment first, rolling his eyes. “I knew you weren’t old,” he muttered.

  “That’s it?” Daniel burst out. “Really?”

  “What?” Leon said. “It’s true.”

  “We’re running from people trying to kill us. People with guns. People with magic. And that’s what you’re worried about?”