The Burning Page

Not rumour, fact. Irene had met a Fae or two who’d boasted of his acquaintance.

‘. . . so be careful you’re not being led up the garden path.’

Gwydion nodded, lowering his hand and looking relieved. Nobody else actually made any signs of agreeing with Melusine’s comment, but a number of the other Librarians present were looking blandly thoughtful, in a way that suggested they were mentally reviewing lists of their acquaintances.

‘I’ve had some Fae interference in my work over the last week,’ a man in velvet coat and breeches said diffidently. His blond curls had been carefully styled into position, and he held his feathered hat in his lap. ‘Nothing life-threatening, but meddling with a current assignment of mine. Could there be a link?’

‘The table recognizes Gervase. We can’t rule anything out at this stage. Please leave your information with my assistant, Bradamant, who will be showing you out.’ Ah, that would explain Bradamant’s presence, Irene noted. ‘We’ll correlate it and see if any pattern emerges.’

Penemue had her hand up. ‘Has there been any actual consultation with Librarians in the field about this, or has senior management simply taken the initiative here?’

‘That is senior management’s job,’ Coppelia said, her voice as dry as sifting sand.

‘I feel that we need a more complete picture of what’s going on, before we make any definite moves here,’ Penemue said. ‘I’m sure that I speak for everyone here when I say that we need more information, if we’re to give a properly directed response. And surely that includes full details on these threats?’

‘My pleasure,’ Kostchei growled. ‘I will expand my statement about his threats. Alberich said that he would destroy the Library utterly. He failed to provide us with any helpful information about how. Any more questions?’

‘Yes,’ Kallimachos said, picking up from Penemue as neatly as if they’d rehearsed it. Perhaps they had. ‘I think we may be over-reacting here. Alberich has apparently existed for centuries. He is used as a threat to frighten new Librarians. But we know he’s not invincible or invulnerable. We even have someone here who’s dealt with him before.’ He pointed to Irene. ‘Are we seriously suggesting he’s that dangerous? Shouldn’t we consider a more measured response?’

Irene desperately wished that she could vanish into thin air, or at least hide under the desk. Everyone was looking at her. Worse, they were now assuming that she was allied with these two. Irene didn’t object to the theory that junior Librarians should have a bit more say in how things were run, but she objected very strongly to an attempt to grab the metaphorical wheel in the middle of a metaphorical multilane car crash. Even more so when they tried to involve her in the power play.

‘It’s obvious that the man’s mad,’ Kostchei said. ‘He’s also a megalomaniac.’

‘Doesn’t that count as mad in any case?’ someone muttered in the seats behind Irene, then fell silent as Kostchei stared in his direction.

‘He believes the Library should take a more active role in influencing and controlling other worlds,’ Kostchei went on. ‘You all know that is not our role. We aren’t here to make moral judgements about the Fae, the dragons, or anywhere in between. We’re here to keep the balance, and let the worlds in between stay free. What Alberich wants is completely against our principles.’ His voice lowered to a growl, and he pulled at his beard as if it was a hangman’s rope. ‘We stand for preservation. We are not rulers. We are Librarians.’

‘Yes, but surely we can handle this in a more balanced way,’ Penemue said firmly. Her words came out with the smoothness of a prepared speech. ‘This is just one more case of a lack of communication, which has become far too common lately. The Library isn’t served by having the people who are supposed to be running it ignoring the input of a large number of the people who actually do the work. There have been plenty of previous cases of this. I know I’m not the only person here who—’

Irene wished, again, that she was sitting on the other side of the room. She didn’t want to seem associated with this faction. Which was no doubt why Penemue had arranged for them to sit together. She hated internal politics. Low-voiced conversations were breaking out among the listeners. Kostchei was lowering his head like a bull about to charge. The whole situation was about to degenerate into a list of complaints – and an argument between the elder Librarians and anyone who thought Penemue had a point. There wasn’t time for that. This was an emergency.

Irene desperately thrust her hand in the air.

‘The table recognizes Irene,’ Coppelia said.

CHAPTER EIGHT

‘I have some new information, which I haven’t had a chance to tell anyone else yet,’ Irene said. ‘This morning I received an urgent in-world message in the usual Library manner, but it was tainted with chaos. It said – in the Language – that the Library would be destroyed, and that I would be destroyed with it. That Alberich was coming. I’m guessing it was a message from Alberich himself.’

The gasps and muffled exclamations would no doubt have pleased Zayanna greatly. Irene gritted her teeth and focused on looking professional. ‘I was coming to report it, when I saw the message to attend this meeting.’

Kostchei tugged on his beard again. ‘The table recognizes Irene, Librarian-in-Residence on probation to alternate B-395. You are sure that this message was delivered in the Language?’