Library Gate 3, page 6
“We’ll be okay, Gram,” April said. Reluctantly, Gram allowed herself to be helped onto the bike. April sat in front of her, and the man up front.
“You can’t really plan to drive this thing with all three of us on it,” Gram said incredulously.
She yelped when they sped off. April realized he was driving towards her car, which was parked out towards the back of the parking lot.
During the ride, April tried to place the man’s voice. She knew she recognized it from somewhere. But where?
Because of the roar of the engine, she saw the flashing blue and red lights before she heard the sirens. Someone inside must have ignored directions and called the police.
The motorcycle stopped a few feet away from her car.
“Get off,” the man instructed. Not needing to be told twice, April hopped off and then helped Gram do the same.
Once they were off, they stared at the man, waiting for further instructions. “Drive home,” he said. “The cops won’t bother you.”
“What?” April asked.
“Go. Home. Or you can go back in there and let those agents take you.”
Agents? Suddenly April recognized his voice. “Thaddeus?”
She couldn’t tell if his expression changed through the helmet. He kept the visor trained on her for a few more seconds before turning away and speeding off. The flashing lights followed him.
“What do we do now?” Gram asked.
“Let’s go home,” April said, for some reason wanting to do what he said.
She’d known Thaddeus was sympathetic to Gram’s plight. If she understood correctly, he’d just sabotaged a mission to protect her. What did that mean?
Chapter Nine
April barely made it through the day waiting for the library to close so she could tell Dorian and the others what had happened that morning. It had been hard enough to calm Gram down. Luckily Gram hadn’t insisted on calling anyone.
Why would Thaddeus save them? And if it wasn’t Thaddeus, who was it?
She didn’t spend much time on the latter question. She knew in her heart that it was Thaddeus. She wished she could explain things to Randall and ask for his advice, but he was at her house keeping an eye on Gram.
He showed up around eight fifteen.
“What are you doing here?” April said, panic rising in her chest. “Is everything okay?”
“Relax,” Randall said. “Raoul showed up around seven. He’ll watch the house until you get home.”
April’s pulse slowed slightly. She nodded. Of course Randall wouldn’t leave Gram vulnerable.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Something happened this morning,” she said. “I’ll explain after close.”
He nodded. “I’m going to walk around the first and second floors, see if Becky and the others need any help.” He paused. “Unless you want me to stay with you?”
She shook her head. “No. That’s fine. Go ahead.”
After Dorian and Barty showed up, she told the others about what had happened at the mall that day.
“Has there been anything on your news about it?” Dorian asked.
April shook her head. She’d done an internet search while on the desk, but nothing came up. Barty confirmed this, saying that the television in Nemo’s lobby had been playing the local news, and it hadn’t been mentioned.
It was so strange. The collectors wouldn’t have reported it, but what about all the people that had been in the food court? Surely someone would have called the local news. Wouldn’t the cops want to find them and make sure they were okay? The collectors must be suppressing the story somehow.
Barty looked up at her. “But the amulet worked, right? It glowed?”
April nodded. “I had it tucked inside my shirt. I didn’t notice it right away.”
Barty suppressed a smile.
“But who was the man who saved you?” Randall asked. “Who would want to go up against the collectors? Who would even know what they were planning?”
April hadn’t told them her theory yet. “I think it was Thaddeus.”
“Thaddeus?” Randall and Barty said in unison, their voices incredulous.
Dorian shook his head. “He and his father spent their lives trying to dismantle everything Mae and I built here. Why would he save you?”
“I know it was him.”
“I thought you said he didn’t take the helmet off,” Randall said.
April nodded. “He didn’t. But he spoke to us, though. I recognized his voice.”
Dorian shook his head. “I’m usually wont to believe you, but considering who we’re talking about, it’s clear you misheard.”
“That’s not the only reason,” April said. “I was sitting there, and I just knew that we were going to be attacked. I knew before I noticed the amulet glowing. I probably wouldn’t have even realized it was glowing otherwise, because it was tucked into my blouse. It was like my body was reacting without me controlling it. It was the gate.”
She shivered at the memory. She had felt powerful and hyper-focused, but it had been scary, too, like something had taken over her limbs. Like she was possessed. The thought conjured up images of UNCs.
“Like a spider sense?” Barty said, wrinkling his brow. “A Pagewalker sense?”
April nodded. “Something like that. I got the same feeling about the biker. I just knew it was Thaddeus.” She turned to Dorian. “Did anything like this ever happen to Mae?”
He thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. She’d get hunches, but nothing like what you’re describing. At least, not that she told me.”
“It was like I was watching myself from outside of my body.”
Randall looked concerned. “Are you sure you weren’t just experiencing a rush of adrenaline? A lot of people who go through intense situations describe similar feelings of disconnectedness. Their reflexes get faster and some even have improved strength.”
Randall’s words sounded similar to what she’d experienced, but she knew in her heart that it wasn’t some adrenaline rush, like a mother who’s able to lift a car to save her child. The gate was affecting her physically and mentally, and she wasn’t sure if she was okay with it.
“I know what it was,” she said quietly.
Randall nodded. “Okay.”
They sat in silence for several minutes. Barty was the first to speak. “What now?” he asked.
“I don’t think I want to work on the ink rot tonight,” April said. She still felt jittery. “Anyway, I should get home to Gram.”
Dorian shrugged. “That’s not a problem. I’m not even sure that the books I’ve set aside actually have ink rot, or if it’s imperfections in the printing.”
“I mean,” Barty said, “What should we do about this situation?”
April breathed out. Now was time to unveil her idea, but she wasn’t sure how the others would react. “I think we should meet with Thaddeus. Ask him why he saved us.”
The others erupted into speech simultaneously.
“You must be mad—”
“They shot my dog—”
“His father sent people to try and kill me—”
April put her hands to her temple. “Shut up!” she said, and they all fell silent.
“He can tell us what they’re planning, why they’re coming after us now. They came after Gram twice already. They’ll try again.” She clutched the opal charm, making sure that it was still cool to the touch. She’d told Gram to stay in the house, but what if she decided to go out for some reason? What if Raoul didn’t see her?
Silence fell over them again. A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She needed a break, a distraction.
“Let’s sleep on it,” she said finally, “We’ll continue this discussion tomorrow.”
Randall and Barty left, and after gathering her belongings from her office, April walked out to the Werner shelves. Dorian was there with his notebook, examining the books. She pulled down One Thousand and One Nights.
Dorian sighed, looking away from the book on the table in front of him. “I thought you wanted to go home to your grandmother,” he said.
“I will. I won’t stay for long. An hour, tops.” She walked towards the gate, then turned around. “Why do you care so much?” she asked.
Dorian looked up at her. “I told you, I don’t care. I just thought you might like to relieve Raoul.”
The fact that this reason was completely logical made her irrationally angry. “Really?” she said. “The genie says you’re jealous.”
She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. Why had she said them? What would they accomplish, other than to make things between her and Dorian more awkward?
Dorian sat back in his chair. “Oh, did he?” he said, small roses of color blooming on the apples of his cheeks. “Well, I trust that you don’t believe a word of it. He’s just trying to get into your head.”
“Of course I don’t. I… I don’t know why I even brought it up.”
“Good.”
“Fine.”
He sighed. “There’s no point in checking for ink rot tonight. I’ll be in the meeting room watching a movie on the projector. I think we could all use some distraction.”
He walked away and disappeared down the stairwell. She walked towards the gate and opened One Thousand and One Nights. She opened her palm, revealing the small slip of paper she’d hidden there. On it she’d written:
I grant Thaddeus Broker access to the library.
She threw it through the gate before stepping through herself.
Chapter Ten
When April left for work the following day, Gram was in the living room flipping through the local news stations. She hadn’t gone out for her jog that morning, and there were bags under her eyes. The run-in at the mall had affected her.
“Can you believe it?” She said. “Not one station covered what happened yesterday. Do you think the police are trying to keep it under wraps?”
April shrugged. She’d thought about what to say to Gram about the lack of coverage. “They probably don’t want to scare anyone. Maybe they caught the guy.”
Yeah, right. Like the Minneapolis Police Department was capable of dealing with the collectors.
“Well, that’s just outrageous,” Gram said. “People have a right to know.” She turned to look at April. “Do you think I should call one of the news stations?”
April shrugged. “I certainly don’t want to talk to any reporters. You go ahead if you want your face all over the evening news, but leave me out of it.”
She held her breath. Gram wasn’t the type to want to be on television—she often made fun of the people whose faces did show up on the news. She might have been prodded into action if April actively tried to talk her out of it, though. She was stubborn like that.
“Hmm,” Gram said. “You’re right. I don’t want to talk to any reporters, either.”
April breathed a sigh of relief as she walked out the door.
~~~
Later at work, April stared down at the desk phone.
Bringing Thaddeus to the library was risky for sure. But something was going on. And somehow, with her Pagewalker sense (as Barty called it), she knew Thaddeus could help. It wasn’t even a little bit logical, and it would come with consequences. But it was the best way to protect Gram.
She picked up the phone. She dialed before she could stop herself, like she was a middle schooler calling a crush.
“Hello?” Thaddeus’ familiar pompous voice came through the receiver. April didn’t respond right away. There was still time to hang up the phone…
“Who is this?” Thaddeus asked, sounding annoyed and suspicious.
“It’s April. April Walker,” she said.
“Oh,” Thaddeus said. “Ms. Walker. I wasn’t expecting your call. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Not sure how else to broach the subject, she blurted, ‘Thanks for saving me.”
“Saving you?” The words were meant to sound surprised, uncertain, but she could tell that he was wary of the call.
“At the mall. I didn’t know you drove a motorcycle.”
Pause. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Do you mean about the attack, or about you saving me? Because you should at least know something about it, whether it was you on the motorcycle or not.”
He didn’t respond.
“Listen, I know you were the one who saved us. I don’t know why you did, but we could use your help.” She’d wrapped the phone cord so tightly around her hand that her fingers were starting to turn purple.
There was a pause on the other end. “I can’t.”
“Sure, you can,” April said. “Come to the library tonight.”
“What about the protection spell?”
“I’ve removed it for the evening.”
“That’s unwise.”
She knew that for sure. But it was the only way she could think of to even have a chance at protecting Gram. “This applies to you only,” she said. “If we sense another collector within a ten-block radius the ward will be reinstated before you are able to put one foot inside the door. And we have magic set up to tell if this is the case.” This was untrue, of course, but it couldn’t hurt to have Thaddeus think otherwise.
“What makes you think I’ll come?” Thaddeus asked.
“This is the second time you’ve saved me.”
“Warning you that they might come after your grandmother is hardly saving you,” Thaddeus said, and she could practically hear his eyes roll. “You should have been able to figure it out yourself. You come from a nicer world where people won’t do the unspeakable to get what they want. I was just levelling the playing field.”
There was a note of regret in his voice. She decided to take advantage of it. “If you have such a moral compass, why are you working for an organization that targets innocent people without a second thought?”
“I work for the agency because magic is a dangerous abomination that needs to be contained. Collateral damage is unavoidable.”
“That may be so,” April said. The image of Andre on the Werner Room floor, unmoving, flashed in her mind, but she blinked it away. “But it doesn’t mean you need to accept barbaric methods. Join us. Help us.”
There was a long, heavy pause. “Goodbye, Ms. Walker,” he said, and hung up before she could respond. She sat motionless for several seconds before she realized she still had the dead receiver held against her ear. She put it down.
Would he come? She hoped so. He was their best chance. What if she hadn’t made the right decision? The last time she’d made a big decision, Andre had gotten killed.
She closed her eyes, hoping that she’d done the right thing.
Chapter Eleven
“You did WHAT?” Dorian’s face was every shade of red that it was possible for a human face to be. He now looked more demon than angel. A very beautiful demon, sure, but a demon nonetheless.
“He has information we can use. He’s our best shot at having even a chance against the collectors.”
“We went through this,” Dorian said. “We talked about it last night. If I remember correctly, we all said it was a terrible idea.”
“He saved my life, Dorian. He saved Gram’s life.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Dorian said. “Even he says otherwise. Why would he help us and then deny it, huh?”
“A lot of reasons,” April said. “Maybe he doesn’t want them to know that he helped us. Why else would he disguise his identity?”
“You’ve made this decision for all of us,” Dorian said sulkily. “Barty, Randall, myself, blast, even Rex”—the dog’s ears perked up at the sound of his name—“have something to lose from the decision you just made.”
“You think I don’t know that?” April closed her eyes. “You think I want someone else to get hurt on my watch?” She turned to Barty and Randall. “What about you two? Do you think I’m making these choices willy-nilly? That I haven’t given this a lot of thought?”
Neither said anything.
She turned back to Dorian. “You made me the Pagewalker. I may have accepted it, but it was you who pushed me through the gate. You chose me, which means you knew that I would sometimes make decisions that you wouldn’t like.”
She paused, waiting for him to respond. When he didn’t, she continued. “They aren’t coming after me, okay? They were coming after Gram. Once they have her, they will go after everyone else I know and care about. That’s basically you guys. So don’t tell me I haven’t thought about it.” She glanced around the room at all of them. “So?”
No one spoke. They glanced between each other, and April thought she recognized something in their eyes, a mixture of sheepishness and resignation. And something else—fear.
“He may not even show up,” she said. “He said he wouldn’t. We’re probably fighting for nothing.”
“At least he has a little sense,” Dorian muttered under his breath.
No one spoke while they waited. After fifteen minutes of silence, Barty stood. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I can’t stay here. I’ve spent too much time running from the collectors to be a sitting duck now.”
“I understand,” April said. “We’ll call you and let you know what happens.”
Barty nodded. His face became an unreadable blur as he donned the cap of anonymity. He walked down the stairwell and out of the library.
April tried to continue reading the next book from Dorian’s list, but she couldn’t concentrate on the words. When she realized that she’d reread the same page five times without remembering anything that had happened on it, she sighed and closed the book. A few seconds later, the grandfather clock began to ring.
When its tenth chime rang out into the library, she said, “Looks like he’s not coming.” The idea felt almost like a relief. As much as she believed that he could help them, the others were right. It was dangerous, like inviting a fox into a henhouse.
Then, as though waiting for these words, three raps rang out from the front door, echoing through the empty library.
“Well, that’s not the milk man,” Dorian said, his jaw tight.
