Valiant

[Valiant #41: Location, Location]

Log Date: 1/18/12765

Data Sources: Kiwi, Feroce Acceso

Event Log: Kiwi

Viktier Private Residence: Master Bedroom #2

4:37am SGT

It’s the kind of waking up where you know you’re not supposed to be awake yet. Lingering in that halfway place, somewhere between sleep and waking, where you know you could go one way or the other, but the longer you linger there, the more likely you are to wake. I'm currently in that state, unsure of which direction I want to go, but then I feel the mattress beside me shift slightly. The pieces suddenly fall into place; I realize I’m awake because my lover just woke up, and instead of going back to sleep, he’s trying, as subtly as he can, to slip out from beneath the covers.

My alert level immediately drops back down, and I relax now that I know what’s going on. I could easily go back to sleep, but I also know that if Feroce is getting up, it means it's either time to wake up, or something has disrupted his sleep to the point that he doesn’t want to go back to sleep. Cracking an eye open just a sliver, I see that it’s still dark out. The window overlooking the ocean isn’t tinted for shading; the sun hasn’t come up, and the sky is still mostly a dark blue. So it isn’t time to get up yet.

Must mean that he had a dream that bothered him, or something.

I debate going back to sleep; it wouldn’t be too hard. I could just let him brood on his own over whatever dream or nightmare he had, and he would probably slip back under the covers after an hour or two. But I don’t want to wait that long, and the rest of the day goes better when he gets to talk about his dreams, instead of keeping them locked up in his head. So I reach across the bed to where he’s sitting on the edge, sleepily grazing my fingers over his bare back.

He twitches a little at the touch, as if startled by it. “Oh. Sorry. Did I wake you up?” he murmurs, looking around. “I was trying to avoid that.”

“Mmmm.” I mumble with my eyes half-closed, slowly shuffling sideways across the bed towards his side. “Wha’ wazzit this time?”

“ ‘nother dream.” he says, forearms leaned on his knees. “Wasn’t pleasant, but wasn’t quite a nightmare either. It just… bothered me, I guess.”

I finish migrating over to his side of the bed, hooking an arm around his waist. “Tell me ‘bout it.”

I can feel him let out a quiet little puff of laughter. “Mm. Yeah. Well… I dunno. Bothered me, but maybe you’d think it was funny. I’d tell you not to laugh at me, but you probably will…”

“I won’ laugh.”

“You say that, but…”

“C’mon, tell.”

I feel him take a deep breath, like he was bracing himself. “Alright. So, basically, you and I were taking a roll in the hay, and my parents caught us—”

I snort, unable to hold in my laughter as I come a little more awake. “Sorry, sorry, that’s just… sorry. I wasn’t expecting that.”

I see him smile a little. “Yeah, I kinda figured.”

“The thought of a couple of old people walking in on us doing the deed. Like, it’s funny from a distance.”

He tilts his head a little. “That’s the thing. They weren’t old in this dream. They were younger, the way they would’ve been when I was in my twenties. You and I were younger, too. Mentally, at least. It was all…” He pauses, as if he’s searching for the words, some of the amusement bleeding out of his tone.. “…it was as if you and I had gotten together twenty years earlier. And my parents, they were upset because… y’know. Anayans, and you were a Maskling. And then it went weird from there; my dad tried to install some sort of monitoring software on my phone, I guess to keep an eye on whatever I was texting or calling to you, and I wasn’t having it and decided I’d run away from home instead, and felt weirdly… teenage-ish, or early-twenties-ish, and then I woke up and I wonder why I’m having dreams where I feel like I’m… well, basically like I’m a kid again, being caught doing something wrong and my parents being upset with me, and…” He trails off, rubbing his hands over his face. “Sorry.”

I’m quiet for a moment, absorbing all of that, then I start to push myself up so I can sit proper instead of being sprawled out on the bed. “You think it’s because the thing with Prophet, and deciding not to be an Anayan anymore?”

“Yeah. That was the first thing that came to mind.” he says, taking his head out of his hands. “Like my brain’s trying to subconsciously guilt-trip me for deciding to leave the religion I was raised in.”

“Well, you were Anayan for four decades, so it’s prolly gonna take a while to get out from under that.” I say, running my hand up his spine to where I can cup the back of his neck. “Something like that doesn’t go away overnight. It’s prolly gonna take a couple years for the last of it to leak out of your subconscious.”

“Honestly, it’s probably going to take longer than that.” he says, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them as he stares through the balcony window at the predawn dark over the ocean. “I haven’t been in an Anayan church for years, but that stuff sticks with you. I spent so much time at the local Anayan church when I was growing up. Was there every Sunday, had to get dressed for services… youth groups and activities went through the church, and usually happened once a week on top of church. Then there were summer camps, and other church responsibilities, like visiting other members, or helping out the elderly or sick members with projects around their houses…” He falls silent for a moment. “You don’t really realize how much of your life was taken up by all that until you’re finally outside of the box and looking at it in the rearview mirror. I spent so much time in church. Doing stuff for church.”

I rest against his back, laying my head against his shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that now, though. You’re free of that. Your time belongs to you again.”

“I mean… yeah, that’s true. But most of my early memories of church aren’t bad memories.” he says. “It’s mostly neutral or good memories. It’s not like I was in a cult; as a church community we helped each other out, took care of each other. After major hurricanes, we’d go out and help members that were struggling with storm damage. And for members that were in wheelchairs or on walkers, Dad would round up all the priests and make a project out of building ramps for those members at their houses. That was all good stuff. Those were all good things. The community taking care of each other.” His hands twist around where they’re laced together, as if he was twisting his thoughts around. “I didn’t leave because of that stuff. I left because of the other stuff. The dogma, the stuff that came down from the people way up top. The people in charge who had big ideas about what was right and what was wrong, and how the galaxy should be, and who certain people were allowed to love. I suppose I’m just… it’s a complicated feeling.”

It’s a lot, to take in everything he’s saying, and I’m not sure where to go with it. “Do you wish you hadn’t done it? Stopped being an Anayan?” I ask.

“No, I don’t. I didn’t enjoy leaving, but I think I needed to do it.” he says. “I needed to leave the faith, to be my own person. To decide what I believed in, instead of having someone tell me what I believe in. Like Valcalia said, I was already mostly doing that anyway, living in open defiance of some of the church’s principles. But I needed to take that last step and finally let go.” He presses his lips together, going quiet for a brief spell. “I suppose… thinking about all of it… my parents, the dream, my upbringing and my religion… what’s really bothering me is that I wish my parents would be able to see you the way I see you. See you for who you are, instead of what you are. And since they’re Anayan, I’m not sure they ever would, and that’s what bothers me.”

I raise an eyebrow, resting my chin on his shoulder. “You planning on taking me home to your parents?”

“Nah. Not really.” he says, shaking his head. “It’s something I always hoped I’d be able to do, someday, once I found somebody, but with what I’ve become, and with everything that’s happened in my life, I’m not sure I’ll ever see any of my family again.”

“They don’t want to see you, or…?” I ask, slowly running my fingers through his hair.

“It’s a combination of different things.” he sighs. “First, I’m a vampire, which is an abomination by Anayan doctrine, since we can’t reproduce, and I’m in a relationship with a Maskling, also an abomination by Anayan doctrine, which considers them some unholy hybrid of races that shouldn’t be mixed. So there’s the whole thing where we’re an affront to the entire religion, but then besides that… there’s my reputation. I’m pretty sure my parents and siblings would’ve all gone into witness protection and resettlement programs for their own safety — there’s a lot of people that hate me for the Songbird Incident. Bounties out on my head for most of the last fifteen years. And if people knew who my family was, there are definitely some that would go after them to try and pressure me out of hiding. Even if I want to see my family again, I’m not sure I’d be able to find them; and even if I could, it would probably be safer for them if I never see them again. Them being associated with me would probably put them in danger, so…”

He trails off again, and I try to find something to say, but there’s nothing coming to mind that I can tell him. “I’m sorry. I wish I could say something that will make you feel better, but I never really had a family the way you did. All I ever had was Forecast and the Council, so I don’t really… know what it’s like. I can tell that you miss it, though.”

He turns his head to look at me, raising a hand to brush a thumb over my cheek. “It’s like… having friends that you’ve been forced to live with and grow up with for eighteen years. And for a lot of it, they’re really annoying, and you play with them as often as you fight with them, and they’re hard to get along with. But you get older, and you move out, and you grow up, and you find your own space, and you realize that you do miss them, and you took that friendship for granted. You appreciate them more when they’re not there.” He pauses, and then: “I just wish they could’ve met you. Wish they could’ve seen what I see in you.”

“Maybe you’ll get the chance, one day.” I say, brushing a few blue locks away from his eyes. “But for now, it’s just me and you, and this weird little family we have with the Valiant. Is that enough for you?”

“More than enough.” he murmurs back to me. “I still miss my family, but having you and Ridge and Renchiko and all the others… it’s enough for me. I’m happy in a way I never would’ve been as a practicing Anayan.”

“Good.” I say, nuzzling his neck. “Feels weird saying it, but… I love you. And I want you to be happy, and to feel like you know who you are.”

“Yeah. I want that too.” he agrees, resting his hands on the bed’s edge. “I’ve been a lot of people over the last four decades. Always trying to figure out who I am. Who I want to be. It’s taking me a while to figure it out, but I’m getting there, bit by bit.”

“You’re not the only one figuring it out. I’ve been learning a lot about myself ever since I met you.” I say, letting my eyes drift closed again. “One thing I do know about myself right now is that I’d like to get back to sleep. Sun won’t be up for another couple hours.”

“Right, sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s alright. You can make it up to me by snuggling me to sleep.” I say, slipping off his back and slinking back to my side of the bed. “C’mon. You need your sleep too.”

The mattress shifts as he follows me back to bed, pulling the covers up over us. After fluffing up our pillows, we settle in, getting comfortable against each other, and I slowly start to start to doze off, feeling our temperatures start to even out as his cool skin soaks up my warmth.

You don’t realize you want these little moments until you have them, and you realize how good they feel.

Intercepted Transmission

Surveillance and Central Intelligence Operations Network to CURSE Operatives

10:53am SGT

>Movement detected from Unit 629.

>Movement detected from Unit 5377.

>Movement detected from Valiant assets.

>Initiating pattern analysis…

>>6 scenario outlines identified above probability threshold. Refining threshold…

>>>2 scenario outlines identified above new threshold.

>Identifying CURSE assets onsite…

>>C.V. Justice identified.

>>C.V. Mediator identified.

>>>Extracting vessel manifests…

>>>…

>>>…

>>>Deployable assets identified.

>>>>Compiling identified scenario outlines and deployable assets…

>>>>Commencing cross-referential analysis…

>>>>…

>>>>…

>>>>Analysis complete.

>4 scenario solutions identified.

>Packaging solutions for dispatch to ranking officer onsite…

>Briefing compiled.

>Transmitting…

>…

>Unauthorized network intrusion detected.

>Quarantine and identification response initiated.

>Quarantine and identification re pon e ini//s.s.<||missingreference||

>Quarantine failed. Initiating countermeasures.

>Unauthorized intruder, identify.

>Unauth—

>Network integrity failing.

>Initiate emergency shutdown.

>…

>…

>Transmission lost.

Event Log: Kiwi

Valcorria: Miraiku City

11:36am SGT

“So this Boaris guy, he’s supposed to be a magical expert?” Ridge asks as we cruise along the roads of Valcorria’s capital in Calcytris’s four-wheeled frame. Currently it’s Ridge, Renchiko, Sierra, Songbird, and myself all packed into the car, with Calcytris handling all the navigation and driving.

“He was one of the senior arcanologists in the Challenger program, according to his personnel file.” Renchiko says, reading off of her phone. “Graduated from the Preserver Academy. Had a long career as a researcher, had a lot of papers and studies published with his name somewhere in the credits. Would go on missions every now and then, but mostly liked to stay at the Bastions and provide consulting from there.”

“Liked his books and Library more than he liked the thrill of combat.” Sierra says, blowing a bubble with her gum. “Cranky old bastard. The Library left the Bastions once they went into hibernation, and he decided to go with the Library.”

“The library… left the Bastions?” I say, giving Sierra a look. “Like the actual building was removed from the Bastions?”

“The Inkspell Library that was in the Bastions was a special Library. Library with a capital L.” Songbird explains. “They’re what you call living Libraries — the structure and the books inside are part of a metaphysical location that is alive and aware of things within and around it. As a result, a Library can be at a few different places at once, and it can get up and move to another physical location if it wants to.”

“Which the Inkspell wanted to do after the Challenger program shut down.” Sierra says. “So it did, and guess where it ended up.”

“So let me get this straight, the entire Library just got up and warped to another planet halfway across the galaxy?” Ridge asks, scratching his head.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Sierra shrugs. “I’m guessing it settled down here on Valcorria, at least the main entrance, anyhow. It might have entrances on other planets, I’m not entirely sure.”

“Wild. Wait, does that mean that you could enter the Library from one planet and then leave to an entrance on another planet?” Ridge asks.

“Technically yes, but the Librarians usually keep it secret, and only use it for really important stuff.” Songbird says. “If people find out you can use a Library to skip a week-long tunnelspace trip to another planet, they start flooding to the Library to use it for free trips to other worlds. Libraries don’t like that, so they’ll usually throw a fit and just leave those planets, relocating to somewhere else where they won’t be used as a glorified dimensional bridge.”

“So I guess we’re keeping the fact that this is a capital-L Library on the downlow.” I say, running a hand through my ponytail, combing out a couple of knots. “If they’re supposed to be secret, I guess that explains why I’ve never heard of them before today.”

“Honestly, you’ve probably been in one at some point in the past. I figure lots of people have visited living Libraries without ever realizing it.” Sierra says, checking her phone. “Even during the Challenger years, I’m not entirely sure everyone in the Bastions realized that the Inkspell wasn't a normal library. Living Libraries usually don’t look any different from normal libraries on the surface.”

“I regret to report that this Library visit might not be the mellow affair that most library visits are.” Calcytris says, his faintly digitized voice coming through the car’s internal speakers. “I was scanning the news and there appears to be a traditionalist protest taking place outside of the Inkspell Library today.”

Sierra groans. “Uuugggghhhh, you’ve gotta be kidding me! Protesting? Outside of a Library? What are they even protesting?”

“According to the articles I skimmed, the protestors appear to be taking issue with the Library’s catalogue, and the presence of books with perceived sexual content, agenda, or ideology on the shelves.” Calcytris answers. “I took the liberty of looking up the protest permit. It appears to be registered to the Sovereign Council Of Righteous Nations, otherwise known as the SCORN political group, but there are a few other secondary groups listed, mainly comprised of churches, parents’ rights, and traditionalist mothers groups.”

Songbird exhales a long breath through his nose, pressing his fingers against his closed eyes. “Fantastic. Calcytris, are there any Anayan groups listed on the protest permit?”

“A youth group from the local Anayan church appears to be in attendance, yes.”

Sierra chuckles, elbowing Songbird. “This is what you get for converting to Valcalia. Anaya’s getting her digs in while she can.”

“I’d believe that if Valcalia hadn’t told me that Anaya was in rehab.” Songbird mutters.

“Wait Songbird, you’re not Anayan anymore?” Renchiko says, her surprise evident.

“It’s a bit of a long story; I can tell you about it later.” he says, waving off the question. “For now, our focus should be on the Library and Boaris. Calcytris, are we gonna have any trouble getting into the Library? I’m pretty sure that none of us feel like dealing with SCORN’s pearl-clutching block party today.”

“Protest regulations require that the protest area not obstruct or impede public access to businesses or public institutions. However, the only entrance I see on the map is the front entrance.” Calcytris replies. “As far as I can tell, there are no side entrances you can sneak in through — we will have to walk past the protest area to get to the front entrance.”

“Joyous.” Songbird grumbles, turning to Ridge and Renchiko. “Alright, I don’t know if you two have ever been to a protest before, but I know neither of you have ever done it as part of a security organization. Rules are simple: you do not acknowledge the protestors. You do not interact with them. You do not respond to them. As far as we’re concerned, they don’t even exist. Is that clear?”

“Understood. No interaction.” Renchiko repeats quickly.

Ridge shrugs. “Should be easy enough.”

I wrinkle my nose at that. “What if they’re being, like… really objectionable, though.” I point out. “Or if we think of a really good one-liner to nail ‘em with.”

Songbird turns and gives me a flat look.

“What!” I protest. “I’m just saying that there are some people out there that deserve to get taken down a notch or two, and we’d be doing the rest of society a favor by doing it!”

“I agree with you, but ‘Paramilitary Group Assaults Protestors’ is not the kind of headlines and publicity we want.” Songbird points out. “We don’t want to give CURSE any free ammunition. It takes years to build up a good image; it only takes seconds to ruin it. So let’s try to avoid that, okay?”

“You can trust him, because he’s speaking from experience.” Sierra says, blowing another bubble.

“Fiiiiiiine.” I sigh, folding my arms. “Personally, I think it’d be more accurate if the headline read ‘Paramilitary Group Assaults Bigoted Assholes’, but we all know the media’s going to bunt on that. They’re allergic to telling it like it is.”

It isn’t much longer before Calcytris drives us into an open plaza with a roundabout in the center, and pulls up to the curb to drop us off near the Inkspell Library. The protest group is visible in a tape-marked area off to the right, with the usual riot of protest signs and megaphones, and the noise is hitting from the moment we open the car doors. I don’t think much of it, waiting as the others get out, and Sierra is striding confidently towards the Library before Calcytris has even left.

Closing the door behind him, Songbird makes a motion for Ridge and Renchiko to follow after Sierra, which they quickly do. As Calcytris pulls away from the curb, Songbird tucks his hands into his pockets as he and I follow up behind them. The ruckus of shouting and chanting is filling the background from the right, an unholy cacophony calling for the burning of books and hanging of librarians, all while calling us pedophiles and sodomites for having the audacity to visit a Library.

“Charming crowd today.” I mutter as we cross the plaza towards the Library’s entrance.

Songbird gives me the side-eye, a silent reminder about not interacting with the protestors.

“Sorry. You know how I am.” I sigh, slipping one of my arms through his and keeping pace with him. “It was kinda funny when they got out of the car and looked at you. Ridge and Renchiko, that is. Like they weren’t sure if they should go without your permission.”

“They’re still kids, even though they’re both around eighteen.” he says. “They’ll still check with adults when they’re in situations they don’t know how to handle. I remember being like that, and I’m still like that from time to time.”

“I grew out of that a long time ago. Got used to figuring out how to do things on my own when there was no one around to tell me what to do.” I say, looking up at the Inkspell. It’s an unusual building — it reminds me more of a house than a Library; rather than a symmetrical front, it looks like an art project, with the structure resembling several rectangles or squares that have been fused into each other, with strategically placed windows across each section. The front entrance is down at the bottom, a simple pair of double doors, lacking the usual grand entrance that many city libraries have. “Seems like a nice Library.”

“Looks a bit different than it was when it was in the Bastions.” he says, staring up at it as we get closer. “Back then it was more of a… tower, I suppose. Tall building, multiple floors, uniform sides. This isn’t bad, though. I like the look; the wood-paneled exterior feels a little more friendly.”

“Anything I should know about this Boaris guy before we head in there?” I ask. Sierra, Ridge, and Renchiko have already slipped inside ahead of us.

“He’s a Halfie. Boar Halfie. And yes, the callsign was a joke from back in the day.” he says, reaching out and pulling the door open for me. “He’s a grumpy fellow, and he won’t hesitate to hit back if you try to drag him, so keep the snark and offhand remarks to a minimum unless you wanna get a verbal roasting. Other than that, he’s a good guy under the prickly exterior, but don’t bother looking for it. It’ll take a long time to find it and it’s not worth the trouble.”

“So kind of like you, underneath all the brooding?” I tease, slipping into the Library ahead of him. A rush of cool air washes over us as we step inside, and we’re immediately greeted with muted brown tones, showing that the interior shares some of the same wood paneling as the exterior. Lazy golden beams of light streak through the air from the windows, pooling against the walls or the floor. The hall that we’re in is wide and has a reception desk to the right, and what looks like a gift shop storefront built into the left wall. The hall seems to open up not far beyond that, and you can see tables, bookshelves, and open space in the rooms beyond.

“Oh, now this is new.” Sierra says, sizing up the storefront on the left. It looks like it’s got a mishmash of products inside — many of them books, but also a fair amount pens, pencils, art supplies, cloaks, wands, potions, artifacts, keychains, bookmarks, paperweights, fidget toys, and on and on. “I don’t remember this being here last time I visited. I suppose they had to find some way to pay the bills once they weren’t being subsidized by the Challengers.”

“Seems really quiet.” Ridge remarks, as he wanders past the reception desk. The silence is striking — there’s the muted sound of the chanting and shouting from protestors outside, but beyond that and the sounds of our feet over the floor, it’s completely silent.

“Well yeah, it’s a library.” Renchiko says. She’s the one that’s wandered the furthest down the hall, peering into the potion where the library proper seems to begin.

“I know, but I’ve been to libraries before, and they usually have something going on somewhere.” Ridge says. Motion off the right draws his attention and ours, and he turns, then jumps backwards when he sees a pair of cat ears periscoping over the edge of the reception desk, followed by a pair of wide green eyes. “Gah!”

A girl with brown hair finishes lifting her head over the edge of the reception desk, staring at Ridge intently. Everything about her screams ‘feline’ — there’s the ears, obviously, but she’s also got what looks like Calyri tribal tattoos: elegant, sparing black marks around her eyes and on her cheeks that resemble the facial striping on some breeds of feline. Her eyes have no whites, being entirely iris and pupil, and the way she leans on the counter resembles the perching of a cat stretching out to sniff something new. “You smell like blueberry crystals.” she whispers to Ridge.

“Excuse me, what?” Ridge stutters, taking another couple steps away from the desk.

Sierra looks over her shoulder. “Oh, that’s new as well. I don’t remember you being here.”

The catgirl turns Sierra, her nose twitching. “You smell like blood and sex and… Schrödinger. Yes.”

“Hey hey!” Sierra chuckles, popping fingerguns at the catgirl. “You got me. Girl can read ’em like a book, wouldja looka that.” she says, coming over and elbowing Songbird. “What about these two, what do they smell like?”

The catgirl turns to us next, shifting where she’s perched on the counter to stare us up and down, nose twitching and ears flicking. “He smells like blood and fizzwater, but sounds like music and… hidden identities. And she smells like… secrets. Like a vashy pretending to be a human.”

My fingers tighten on reflex, and though I quickly relax them, Songbird still notices how my grip on his arm constricts for a moment. I pretend nothing happened when he looks at me, but he tugs me a little closer anyway, like a wordless attempt to reassure me. Rather than concede that I’m a little unsettled, I toss my head and size up the catgirl. “So what are you supposed to be, then? The Library’s designated bomb-sniffing dog? Or cat, I suppose.”

The catgirl stares at me, then reaches under the reception desk. She comes back up with a rather hefty prism of wood that’s got a name plaque affixed to it, and plants it on the edge of the desk before us. Despite the large size, the text on the plaque is pretty small, and we have to lean forward to read it: The Most Honorable Seer of Sylak, Librarian of the Inkspell, Grand Overseer of Tea Parties, Four-Time Champion of the Ninja Librarian Contest, Progenitor of the Biggest Goddamn Hairball I Have Ever Seen In This Library’s History, Accredited Sniffa Supreme, the Venerated KALI OF THE LONG SHADOW.

“Mmm. That’s a list of titles so thick you could beat a man to death with it.” Songbird remarks.

“I guess she’s supposed to be one of the resident Librarians?” Renchiko says, then peers over the reception desk. “Hey, where’d she go?”

I look up from the plaque to see that the catgirl has just straight-up disappeared while we were all reading the plaque. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t look like she’s behind the counter, and taking a step back from it, I can’t see her anywhere in the entry hall. “You’re kidding, right? There’s no way she could’ve snuck away with that quickly.” I say, looking around.

“I dunno. We are dealing with the four-time champion of the Ninja Librarian Contest, apparently.” Songbird says, nudging the plaque.

Shuffling at the end of the hall gets our attention, and we look over to see a surprisingly short and stout boar Halfie shuffling into the hall with loose pants and an old shawl around his shoulders, and a book tucked under one arm. He only comes to about five and a half feet, and his fur is grey, though it’s aging to white in a strip that runs over the top of his head and down the back of his neck. His eyesight appears to be impaired as well, if the thick spectacles around his neck are anything to go by.

“Well look who’s brave, coming in here while all those lobotomites are yelling their heads off out there.” he rasps, fumbling for his spectacles to put them on. “I don’t know anyone that wants to check out books that badly, but—” He finally gets his glasses on, and stops dead when he sees Sierra. “Oh no. Oh hell no. Nope.” With that, he turns and starts shuffling back the way he came.

“Boaris!” Sierra crows joyfully, throwing her arms out as she starts striding after him. “It’s so good to see you! C’mere, lemme give you a big ol’ hug!”

“Away, you vampire whore!” he snaps, waving over his shoulder. “I’ve not survived these last sixteen years just to have you suffocate me with your tits again. Begone!”

“Aw, but you love my hugs, Boaris! You’re the perfect height for them!” Sierra says, still chasing after him while the rest of us start to follow. The rooms of the Library start to open up around us as he shuffles through the first room, around a couple of rows of shelves, and then into a wide-open, two-floor area beyond, with several tables and shelves upon shelves of books on the facing walls.

“I want nothing to do with you, or that band of feckless mercenaries you’ve scraped out of the gutter, and whatever fanboy cosplay of the Challenger program you’re trying to put on.” he hisses over his shoulder as he shuffles across the wide room.

“Whoa, hey!” Songbird says. “The Valiant aren’t a fanboy cosplay of the Challengers, and those ‘mercenaries’ that we’ve ‘scraped out of the gutter’ are people like Jackrabbit and Valkyrie and Echo’s daughter. They’re people you know, Boaris.”

“Mm yes, well maybe that’s the problem.” he mutters. “I knew plenty of people in the Challenger program. Knew what some of them were getting up to before the program collapsed. But you would know that, since you worked in Accounting, didn’t you, Songbird.”

“Well it’s not like I wanted to work there, I was told to work there.” Songbird retorts. “Musta been nice to have the option to just piss off with your Library when everything went to shit!”

Boaris actually stops, turning around and squinting at Songbird behind his spectacles, lifting them and lowering them into place again. “My god. Did you actually grow a spine?”

“I know, right?” Sierra chuckles, motioning to Songbird. “He doesn’t just roll over anymore when you push him. It’s fun watching the fangs come out.”

That gets a snort out of Boaris. “And all it took was a decade and a half of exile.” He looks around at the rest of us, rubbing one of his tusks. “So what’s all this? I can tell this one’s a Maskling, but what’s the deal with the orphan double trouble here?”

Ridge gasps. “How’d you know?”

Boaris gives him a flat look. “Boy, the two of you look like you’re barely old enough to be out of high school. No parent in their right mind will let their child go planethopping with some of the most dangerous people in the galaxy, so I’m fairly certain that neither of you have living parents. And if you did, you’re probably causing them enough stress to put them in a grave anyway.”

“They’re new recruits.” I explain. “This is part of their Agent training.”

“Oh, fantastic. Starting the indoctrination young, I see.” Boaris mutters. “Suppose it makes sense to recruit young, since the older folks all have enough sense to steer clear of this mess. No point in trying to recruit people that have lived long enough to know better.”

“It’s not indoctrination.” Renchiko speaks up, her voice hard as she folds her arms. “We know what we’re getting into. Songbird and the rest have been upfront about how hard it’s going to be, and what we have to look forward to. We’re here because we choose to be here, not because they’re leading us on.”

“Oh hoho, look who thinks they’re all grown up!” Boaris snarks, giving the jazz hands, then jabbing a stubby finger towards Renchiko. “Whatever you think you know about this job, whatever they’ve told you, it’s not enough. Because if you really knew what it could cost you, you wouldn’t be here. These people feed you lies about glory and valor and making a difference in the galaxy, and you know where it leads? Straight to the grave. You fight for your dream of the galaxy you want to see, and when you die, that dream dies with you, and the organization never has to follow through on those aspirations because you’re not there to push for them anymore. How many people do you think have come before you? How many dreams were infinitely delayed, and never saw the light of day, because the people that were fighting for them died and took those dreams with them? You will spend your life fighting for something you will never see, and that is the scam they pull on you. Letting you believe that you are making a difference.”

I can feel Boaris’s tirade getting my hackles up, and I’m ready to retort by the time he finishes, but Renchiko surprises me with her immediate comeback. “A dream is not something that dies with you; it is passed from generation to generation, and built on the work of all the people that came before. We carry the dreams of those people on our shoulders, and we dishonor them if we do nothing with the sacrifices they made to make the galaxy a better place. Not that it matters, since honor and sacrifice are something that you clearly know nothing about.” she snaps at him.

“Oh, and you do?” Boaris snaps back. “In all of your what, seventeen, eighteen years of life? Tell me what you’ve sacrificed in that time. This should be good.”

“My sacrifice was my parents.” Renchiko hisses at him. “My dad died when the Citadel fell and my mom died doing Titan patrol against the Collective on some no-name world on the frontier. And I honor them by doing something with my life, by facing the galaxy head-on, instead of hiding on some farm world on the frontier. I dunno what the Valiant’s got in store for me, but I can tell you right now that I’d rather die fighting for the Valiant than wasting away my last years as a cranky old pig holed up in a Library tucked away on some paradise world. And frankly, you seem pretty useless to me so far, so it’s just as well that you don’t want to join, because we’re probably better off without you!”

“Renchiko—” Songbird begins in a cautioning tone.

Boaris holds up a hand to Songbird, a silent order to let him respond. “Your mother was a Titan pilot.” he says, looking her up and down. “I knew you looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it until now. You’re Ratchet’s kid, aren't you.”

“Yeah, I am. And I’m proud of it.” Renchiko says, folding her arms.

“Well, you certainly got her temper.” Boaris says, lowering his hand. “Some of her looks too. Who’s responsible for this?” He glances at Sierra, then waves off the thought. “I know it wasn’t you, you haven’t got a single family-friendly bone in your body. So it had to be you.” he says, looking to Songbird now. “You’re the one that got her involved in this.”

“I gave her the opportunity to get involved if she wanted to. To follow in her mother’s footsteps and pilot Titans.” Songbird says, folding his arms as well. “I didn’t force her to get involved in anything. All I did was follow up on a promise I made a long time ago.”

“Mmm. And I’m guessing you lot are here to give me the same ‘opportunity’.” Boaris surmises.

“I mean, if you’re just gonna be an ornery old bastard the entire time, we can just leave.” I say, motioning back the way we came. “We’ve got better things to do, and probably more pleasant people to do them with.”

“Now hold your horses, young lady, I never said I wouldn’t hear you out.” he says. “I doubt you can convince me, but I’ll let you lot take a shot at it. Might as well find out what this whole Valiant hullaboo is all about, since it doesn’t seem like you lot are fading away like CURSE had hoped you would.”

Without warning, the catgirl from earlier leans out from behind Boaris. “I told Henny to get the teaset ready for guests.” she murmurs to him, while still eyeing us up.

Boaris nearly jumps, hunching his shoulders up as he sucks in a deep breath. “Kali, I’ve. TOLD. You. Not to sneak up on me like that. Goddamn, girl, I just about clocked you with this book before I realized who it was.” He exhales a long breath, before turning around halfway. “Wait, hold up. You told Henny—”

“Dio! Why didn’t you warn me we were going to have guests!” It’s a woman’s voice, and it comes from one of the doorway to the left. A moment later, a matronly hedgehog Halfie peers around the corner, squinting at us. “If you’d told me, I could’ve made a bigger coffee cake!”

“What? Coffee cake? No! We’re not feeding these delinquents!” Boaris protests.

“Delinquents?” Henny says, wiping her hands off on her apron. “Kali told me that they were old work friends of yours, from the Challenger program?”

“I— I mean— well technically yes, they are—” Boaris says, rubbing stubby fingers over his brow.

“Then that’s no way to be treating old friends.” Henny declares.

Sierra smirks. “Yeah, Boaris. We’re all old friends here, right? Just the chummiest of chums. Thick as thieves back in the day.”

“The only thing here that’s thick is your skull, considering nobody could ever get through to you.” Boaris grunts, glaring at Sierra. “Good for nothing, bloodsucking floozy—”

“You can ignore him.” Henny says to the rest of us. “I’ve been trying to wean him off his daily caffeine, and the withdrawal hasn’t been easy on him. He’s not usually this tetchy. Kali dear, can you go pull out the teaset while I put the coffee cake in the oven to warm it up? I’ll put on a kettle for those that want tea, and we can do milk and citrus juice for the rest. Do any of you have any allergies?”

Songbird looks at me, and I shrug. “I’m good. Mild issues with pollen, but I can eat just about anything.”

“I think we’re good here. Kids don’t have any allergies that I know of.” Songbird says Henny. “I’m a vampire, and so is Sierra over here, so don’t feel like you have to put out a big spread. Only the kids and Kiwi really need to eat.”

Sierra snorts. “Speak for yourself. I could go for some coffee cake.”

“Oh darling, don’t worry about that. I’ll bring enough for everyone.” Henny says, waving off Songbird’s modesty. “Go on, sit down and make yourselves comfortable. We’ll have the teaset and the coffee cake out shortly.” With that, she disappears back through the doorway, with Kali trotting off to follow her. In their absence, Sierra turns her toothy, shit-eating grin on Boaris.

“Don’t even.” he says, holding a hand up as he turns away to shuffle over to one of the long tables in the big room.

“Well well well!” she says anyway. “Look who found love after they left the program! Now how did a grouch like you end up with a sweet lady like her?”

“Because I actually have a personality, unlike you.”

“Well, she is a hedgehog, so I suppose you could say she’s good at handling prickly personalities, wouldn’t you say?”

“One more pun like that and I’m going to throw you out of this Library and into that mob of braindead homophobes outside. Now get over here and sit down, all of you. I’ve got some questions about this Valiant malarkey you’re trying to rope me into.”

Event Log: Kiwi

Valcorria: The Inkspell Library

12:32pm SGT

“So you’re basically just reinventing the Challenger program, but with a different set of people.” Boaris says as Kali pours tea into his teacup.

“If I had a credit for every time someone said that…” Songbird sighs.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” I demand as Henny finishes serving out the coffee cake on little plates. “I mean, yeah, we’re using the Bastions, and yeah, we’ve got some former Challengers signed on, but that’s just surface-level stuff. Just because we have some things in common with the Challengers doesn’t mean we’re reinventing the program.”

“Very well then; let’s examine the substance of the Valiant’s ambitions, then.” Boaris says. “You state that you wish to carry on the ideals of the Challengers, but without the corruption and the administrative malpractice that created CURSE and gave them a platform to launch attacks against the Challengers on both the battlefield and the legal arena. Implicit in that proposition is the acknowledgement of where your value set and mission statement comes from. I will grant that it’s obviously not a one-to-one copy of the Challenger program, but it is a reiteration of the core concept. You are not creating something new here — you are reimagining something that already existed.”

Songbird puffs out a breath, looking towards Sierra, who shrugs as she sips from her teacup of orange juice. “I mean, he’s not wrong.” she says. “It’s basically just Challenger 2.0. That doesn’t mean that what we’re doing is invalid, though. A thing doesn’t have be original for it to be good.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to run into the same problems the Challenger program had.” Boaris says. “Changing the curtains isn’t going to change the layout of the room. You’ll find fairly quickly that even though you have different people, you still have the same problems.”

“Of course we’ll have the same problems.” Songbird says, eyeing my square of coffee cake as I start to cut into it. “What makes the Valiant different is how we choose to deal with them. We will not be making the mistakes of the Challengers during their last years.”

Boaris snorts. “That’s not a very high bar to clear, but I suppose you have to start somewhere.”

I nudge Songbird with my elbow. “Why are we trying to recruit him again? All he does is piss on our parade, and he seems pretty useless to me.”

“I’m sitting right here, you know.” Boaris says flatly.

“Yeah, I know. I was hoping that would motivate you to prove you’re worth our time, because I’m really not feeling it so far.” I say, taking a bite of the coffee cake. “Like, there’s a ton of other things we could be doing right now. Could be visiting the Challenger Museum, see if they’re done fixing all the damage CURSE did to it last time we were here. Maybe visit Ridge’s old orphanage. This is your homeworld after all, isn’t it?”

Ridge looks up from his coffee cake. “What? Oh, yeah. I suppose it is.”

“You grew up on this world?” Renchiko says past a mouthful of cake. “Lucky.”

“Nympho and Songbird already know what I can do.” Boaris says, sipping from his tea. “But since this is our first time meeting, I suppose I’ll bring you up to speed. I am a former Preserver, and a professor of general arcanology. I research magic in the broad sense; I can consult on things like curses, or identifying and advising on different types of magic, and I have taught my fair share of young mages.”

“Oh, so you’re just a professor.” I say, sipping on the milk in my teacup and glancing at Songbird. “Can’t we just get one of those at any old college?”

“He’s more than just a professor.” says a Librarian that’s putting away books on the shelf-lined wall. His skin is quite pale, and lined with odd black markings every few inches or so, in regular patterns. The hair is a washed-out, green color, and his eyes are a minty, pastel hue. I can tell he’s not human, and I feel like I’ve seen something like him before, but I can’t quite pin down what he’s supposed to be. “He has the Sight.”

Boaris sighs, using two fingers to rub the spot between his brows. “Nayoh, I’ve told you before, we have a name for it; it’s called arcane synesthesia. Calling it ‘the Sight’ makes it sound like it’s some sort of supernal gift when it’s actually just a genetic mutation.”

Nayoh shrugs and goes back to his book-shelving. “I’m just saying it’s super useful and there’s a lot of people that would love to have it.”

“Sooooo… what’s all that mean?” I ask, waving my fork around.

“It means he can see magic.” Songbird explains. “More than what normal people see, that is. Most people can only see your magic when you activate your runemarks; that’s the active, visible expression of magic. Boaris can see the passive expressions, the storage and low-level radiation of different types of magical energy — stuff that is normally invisible.”

“Honestly, anybody could do that if they had the mutation for it. Hell, you can do it even without the mutation.” Boaris says impatiently, taking off his spectacles and waving them around. “Any enchanter worth their salt could put a series of enchantments on glasses or goggles, and boom, you can see the world similar to how I do. It’s not special. What’s special is the knowledge and the diagnosis. I can identify most types of magic, but more than that, I know the underlying mechanisms for most of them, and how they function. And that knowledge — understanding the foundational mechanics of magical systems — opens a multitude of other doors for what you can do with that understanding.”

I lean on the arm of my chair, tapping my fork against my lips. “So you know Maskling rune magic works?”

“Ugh. Maskling runes, that stuff’s a headache.” he says, rolling his eyes as he starts gesturing. “That’s a hybrid system. There’s some partial hardcoding in there because it’s language-based, specifically with a written element, but Maskling magic isn’t actually in the runes; it’s just channeled through the runes to control it, because it’s incredibly volatile otherwise. And because language can be ambiguous, there’s some interpretive latitude with the rune system, which responds to sensed or manifest intent. It’s basically freeform magic pretending to be a language-locked ritual system, but doesn’t have the decency to commit to one or the other.”

I fold my arms, leaning back in my chair a little. “Hmm. Well, that’s not the way I would’ve put it, but that sounds right. What about his magic?” I ask, thumbing at Songbird. “What’s he got and how does it work?”

Boaris glances at Songbird. “He’s a sonic sorcerer. Always has been. That’s freeform magic, and frankly, sonic sorcery is one of the most flexible disciplines of magic out there. The only real limitation on it is that music is involved in some way, shape, or form. Outside of that, you can do pretty much anything with it. As far as I remember, he would use music to generate raw power and constructs, but you can use it to produce any type of sound, summon things, weave enchantments or spells, control people, reanimate the dead, or even reshape reality.”

That gets me to perk up a little. “Wait, what was that last one?”

“No.” Songbird says immediately, shaking his head at me.

“Yes, actually.” Boaris counters with a contrarian’s aloofness. “There are written records of exceptionally powerful or proficient sonic sorcerers using music to rewrite reality around them. Creating localized pocket universes where they set the rules and determine universal fundamentals. He did it once. Got a little bit lost in the song he was listening to and took away gravity in a four-block radius in the middle of a city. Ended up hurting a lot of people on that mission, didn’t we?”

“It was an accident.” Songbird says, glaring at Boaris. “Lessons were learned.”

“At least you learned from your mistakes and reined it in. Some of the Challengers never did.” Boaris says, picking up his fork and going back to his coffee cake. “Speaking of people that can’t rein it in, I saw that Laughing Alice got loose. The Valiant wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would they?”

“If you’re asking if we’re working with her, the answer is no.” I respond before Ridge or Renchiko say anything. “The Valiant didn’t break her out of her prison, and we’re not working with her. No matter what she might think, or say about that.”

“Hmm. Sounds rather specific and suspicious.” Boaris remarks, chewing idly on a forkful of coffee cake. “Sounds to me like you’ve had contact with her.”

“We have, and we asked her to dial back on the mass murder and terrorism.” Songbird says, glancing down when I slide my half-eaten coffee cake over to him. I noticed how he’d been eyeing it up. “She agreed to try and reduce the collateral on her future… projects.”

“We should’ve arrested her.” Renchiko mutters.

“But that would've been kinda rude after she gave us a Dragine artifact.” Ridge points out to her.

“Ridge!” Songbird and I say at the same time.

Boaris chokes on his coffee cake, covering his mouth as he wheezes. “She did what?”

“It’s a long story; we aren’t going to cover it here.” Songbird says quickly and firmly.

“Of course, if you accept the offer and join the Valiant, we could probably tell you about it.” I say just as quickly.

“Where did she even get—” Boaris begins, then catches himself, shaking his head. “No. No, I know what you’re doing and I’m not going to fall for it. I do not care that you all got a Dragine artifact from a psychotic psion. Keep your secrets; I’m better off not knowing. It would probably give me a coronary anyway.”

“Oh, that’s a good point.” Sierra speaks up at this point. “We just managed to lock in an insurance company that’s willing to offer us coverage. So if you did have a heart attack, that’d be covered if you were with the Valiant.”

“Does the Library offer you insurance coverage?” I ask, piling on while I’ve got a chance. Beside me, Songbird tentatively takes a bite of the coffee cake, chewing thoughtfully.

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you.” Boaris says, glaring at me. “And no, the Library doesn’t provide health insurance, but it doesn’t need to, because we’re on Valcorria, and Valcorria provides universal healthcare to all its citizens. So we’re perfectly fine on that front, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, but I saw that little bookstore gift shop thing out front.” Sierra points out. “You ain’t exactly swimming in credits, are you.”

Boaris folds his arms and leans back in his chair. “You really think you can shift me by dangling a bigger paycheck in front of me?” he scoffs.

Kali leans forward over her teacup, staring intently at Sierra. “How much?”

Boaris plants a hand on Kali’s face and pushes it away. “They weren’t asking you.”

Sierra gives an innocent shrug. “I mean, we came here to recruit you specifically, but we’d be open to picking up a few other recruits. I figure you could probably use support staff that you’re familiar with.”

“Yeah, how much are you paying?” Nayoh calls from the book cart that he’s unloading.

“The answer is no, because I’m not leaving this Library!” Boaris snaps over his shoulder at Nayoh, then looks back at Sierra. “You can whine and wheedle and try to tempt me all you want, but I’ve got a job here at this Library, and I’m perfectly happy with it, and I won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. So you can put that out of mind right now.”

“Well, what if the Library moved back to the Bastions?” I ask. “I heard the vets say that the Inkspell used to be in the Bastions before the program went down. So if it moved here after the program was shut down, it could move back to the Bastions, right? You wouldn’t have to leave the Library, and you could get a better pay package and health insurance.”

“Karasol.” Kali says.

“Exactly.” Boaris says, tilting a finger towards Kali. “Much as I’d like to be, I’m not in charge here. I don’t have a say in where the Library goes, or when it decides to relocate.”

“Okay, then who does?” I ask.

“Karasol.” Kali repeats.

“Okay, but who’s that?” Renchiko asks.

“He’s the Inkspell’s director.” Nayoh says as he picks up another armful of books. “He makes all the big decisions.”

“Nayoh.” Boaris growls through gritted teeth.

“Perfect, then. Let’s go talk to this Karasol guy.” I say, clapping my hands together. “Where can we find him?”

“It’s hard to track him down. He comes and goes as he li—” Boaris begins.

“I’ll go find him.” Kali says, slinking out of her chair and morphing into a little, sleek brown cat that trots off into the Library.

Boaris sighs, rubbing his closed eyes with the tips of his fingers. “Why are we here? Just to suffer? Don’t answer that, I’ve read too many books. Life is just a tragicomedy.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, we wouldn’t be putting you in the field.” Sierra says, sipping from her teacup. “We figured you’d be more comfortable with consultation, research, and analysis. Sixteen years is a long time for you mortal types, and you definitely haven’t gotten any younger.”

“Oh, shut up, Nympho.” Boaris grunts. “I’m not geriatric yet.”

“Well, I appreciate it, dear.” Henny says to Sierra. She’s returned to collect some of the empty plates, while delivering a small fruit platter. “It would give me terrible worry if he was out there on dangerous missions. I think a quieter, safer position suits us better right now.”

“Mrs. Henny, quick question, if you don’t mind.” Songbird suddenly speaks up. “The coffee cake — did you sprinkle brown sugar on the top before putting in the oven?”

Henny raises her eyebrows, looking to him. “Why, yes I did. Was there a problem with it?”

“No, not at all.” Songbird says, sipping from my teacup. “It’s something my mother used to do with pastries. Would add a sweet, partially-caramelized crust to the top of the pastry; honestly a simple thing, but really quite delightful. Reminded me of home, a little bit. Thank you for that.”

Henny beams, some of the fuzz on her face fluffing out a little. “Oh, darling, well, you are too kind. You just let me know if you and your wife want any more.”

Songbird blinks at that, glancing quickly at me. “Wi— OH. No, nonono, we’re together, but we’re not married.”

I lean around him, smirking a little as my mischievous side rears its head. “Yet.”

“Oh hohoho!” Henny giggles, tapping a hand to her mouth. “You two make an adorable couple. You’ll need to send us an invitation to the wedding once it’s official!” She turns, reaching out to tap a finger against Boaris’s nose. “Play nice. I don’t get a lot of guests that know their way around a kitchen and can appreciate some good, honest home cookin’.”

Boaris gapes at her as she trundles back off to the kitchen. Once she’s gone, he turns his stink eye on Songbird. “Oh, you sneaky little… trying to turn my own wife against me with your stupid… stupid… culinary cultivation!”

Songbird allows for a small smile as he takes another sip from my teacup. “What can I say? I’m an appreciator of fine dining, and a proficient home cook deserves to have their work recognized.”

“If you think that getting on my wife’s good side is going to protect you from me, you have another thing coming—” Boaris begins, then stops when there’s a distant, violent crunching sound, like wood being splintered. It sounds like it came from the front of the Library, and he turns his head in that direction. “What was that?”

“Sounded like a bookshelf getting broken or something.” Sierra says, sipping from her teacup. “Maybe one of the shelves gave out.”

“A shelf giving out doesn’t sound like that.” Boaris mutters. “Nayoh, go see what that was.”

Nayoh sets down the books he was shelving, stepping away from the cart and heading towards the front of the Library. Boaris turns to the teapot, picking it up and starting to refill his teacup. “Anyhow, to bring this all back from the tangent we got lost on, I am not leaving the Inkspell, and I am not in control of where it goes or relocates to. If Kali’s able to find Karasol, then you can ask him about having the Inkspell return to the Bastions, but I doubt he’ll just up and move the Library if there’s no good reason for it beyond the fact that someone else wants him to. Besides, Valcorria is a nice world. Mostly. The protestors you saw on the way in aren’t representative of the majority.”

“Sounds to me like we need to pick up this conversation with this Karasol guy, then.” I say, glancing at Songbird. “You ever chatted with him before?”

Songbird shakes his head. “Not that I can remember. Been sixteen years since the last time I visited the Library, and honestly, I didn’t visit it too often. Was usually busy training, or training other Challengers, or out on missions—”

“WhooaaaaAAAAHHH!” The scream comes from the front of the Library, and is shortly followed by Nayoh pelting back into the long study hall where we’ve been taking our tea. It looks like there’s some sort of hissing, cat-sized albino lizard chasing him, mouth open and frill extended, purple veins pulsating through the fleshy collar. “DIO! HELP!”

“What the dickens…” Boaris mutters, setting down his teacup and standing up. “That’s a big damn lizard! What did you do, boy?”

“I dunno but there’s hundreds of them! Something’s attacking the Library!” Nayoh shrieks, scrambling up on the table we’re at. That doesn’t deter the lizard, which lunges up on the table, still hissing, and startling most of us out of our chairs. As Nayoh staggers across the plates and teacups, the lizard leaps at him again, though Sierra snatches it out of the air before it can reach him.

“Well ain’t you jussa nasty littl’ bastard.” Sierra says, holding the lizard up and studying it as it hisses and thrashes in her grip. “Doesn’t look like the kind of thing you’d see on the surface of a daylight world.” She suddenly ducks her head to the side, narrowly dodging a jet of purple liquid fired from the lizard’s mouth. “Way more aggressive than you expect from an animal this size.”

Reaching up, she uses her other hand to grab the body to hold it still, adjusts her grip on the head, and wrings its neck the way you’d wring a bird’s neck to kill it. It goes limp, and she throws it on the table, Nayoh letting out a panicked little noise and scrambling away from it. Boaris picks up a fork and pokes it, squinting at it through his spectacles. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this looks almost like a void creature. Purple blood, off-white scales, black eyes—”

“Guys.” Songbird says, pulling his stunner out of his jacket and turning it on with a quiet thrum. I glance in the direction he’s looking, and see that there’s dozens of other lizards beginning to scamper around and over the bookshelves, starting to pop their frills as they lock onto us.

“Shit, that’s a lot of lizards.” Ridge says as he and Renchiko pull out their stunners, powering them on.

“What in the world, boy! What did you do?” Boaris demands again.

“It wasn’t me! They came from outside! I told you, something’s invading the Library!” Nayoh repeats, scrambling off the other side of the table and ducking behind Ridge.

“Weapons free, fire at will!” Songbird shouts, passing his stunner over to me as he pulls out one of his hilts and ignites the starglass blade. I snatch the pistol and begin firing as many of the lizards start to rear up on their hind legs, and charge across the room at us with alarming speed. Ridge and Renchiko start doing the same, with lizards flopping and rolling over on the ground whenever they’re hit with a stun pulse. The thunderous crack of a buster pistol joins the cacophony as Sierra pulls out her gun and starts nailing lizards; she’s a good deal more accurate than Ridge and Renchiko. The shots from her buster pistol are actually physical, high-power rounds, so rather than just stunning the lizards, each shot that she lands blows the entire lizard apart, splattering purple blood and viscera everywhere. Anything that gets past, Songbird moves to intercept, slicing up the charging reptiles, or kicking them back if he can’t bring his ninjato around in time.

“You said these things came from outside?” Boaris says, grabbing a book off the table to swat one away as it lunges at him.

“Yeah, the doors were open when I looked down the hall, and there were these other things, these big things—” Nayoh says from behind Ridge.

The sound of books thudding to the ground starts to fill the air, and I stun another lizard, then look up to see the bookshelves at the end of the hall tilting over, dominoing over on each other. As the last one crashes down, two massive, purple and black beasts clamber over them, the wooden shelves and frames splintering beneath their weight. They’re on all fours, like a canid of some sort, but their forelimbs are massive, almost like a gorilla’s, and they tower almost twice as tall as a person.

“That, that! That’s it!” Nayoh shouts, pointing. “Those are the things I was talking about!”

“Shit!” Boaris hisses, grabbing Nayoh and pushing him back towards the doorways at the end of the study hall. “Those are voidlings! What are they doing here?”

One of the lizards jumps up and bites my arm while I’m distracted, though the sleeve of my Agent jacket protects me from its teeth. Lifting my arm, I shoot the little menace, then shake my wristmarks awake as the beasts lumber into the room. “I wasn’t planning on pest control today!” I shout to Sierra and Songbird.

“Funny you should mention that, because that’s what we’re here for.” The reply comes as the voidbeasts move to either side so that a tall, thin man in formfitting black attire can glide into the hall on a seeping carpet of shadow. The physique, the dark hair, the cold grey eyes are all too familiar.

It’s Nazka.

And where there’s Nazka, there’s CURSE. Between shooting down some of the straggling lizards, I can see other Peacekeepers following into the hall behind them. Songbird immediately vaults to the other side of one of the long wooden tables and flips it on its side, shouting “Get to cover!”, and I lunge over, diving behind it. A couple seconds later, I hear Onslaught’s crazed cackle as she starts strafing the table with her plasma rifle on full auto.

“Shit, that’s a lot of them.” Songbird growls as our group huddles behind the table. The good news is that it’s a thick table, one that’s a sturdy piece of work, so Onslaught’s plasma bolts aren’t punching through it. “We need to retreat, we can’t hold this. Boaris, I need you to get Ridge and Renchiko to safety. Sierra, Kiwi, and myself will cover for you.”

“What? No, we aren’t going anywhere!” Ridge protests. “You need all the help you can get!”

“No, we need you two not to get captured.” I say, checking the charge on Songbird’s stunner and firing a shot over the table without looking. “Chain of command, you follow orders. This isn’t up for discussion.”

“She’s right.” Sierra says, grabbing a lizard gnawing on her shoulder and throwing it back over the table. “Boaris, get the kids out of here. We’ll hold the line while you and the other Librarians figure something out.”

“Understood.” Boaris says, setting his book down and placing a hand on both Ridge and Renchiko. “You two ready to run?”

“You’ll go on my mark.” Sierra says as Songbird finishes putting his earbuds in. “Kiwi, when I say, we pop on either side and provide cover fire. Three… two… one… now!”

I twist out to the side when Sierra says, locking onto Onslaught and firing stun pulses at her while Sierra targets Nazka. As soon as Onslaught swings her rifle towards me, I duck back behind the table. I’m in the middle of getting my pauldron runes active when something slams into the table hard enough to snap it in half, sending Sierra, Songbird, and myself flying. I manage to brace before I hit the ground, and roll a couple times; scrambling back to my feet, I see that it was a big, burly orc with flaming fists that punched clean through the table.

Pulling the runes for barrier off my rune circles, I throw up a wall of green light in front of me, running over to where Songbird’s struggling back to his feet. Onslaught keeps shooting at me, her plasma bolts hammering into my barrier until her gun runs dry, and she starts changing out the plasma cell. “You got a song picked out yet?” I ask as I help him back to his feet.

“Nothing that’s really matching the mood.” he grunts as he starts backing up, ninjato in one hand and tapping through his earbud with the other one. “I need more ramp-up time, and we can’t take all of them right now.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” I agree, taking several steps back as the bald orc charges again, slamming his flaming knuckles into my barrier, and is shortly followed by Axiom, who swings his axe against it as well. Both blows send fracture lines across the green wall. “They’ve got too many people. We need to split them up.”

“Agreed.” he says, starting to back around tables in the direction that Boaris and the kids went. “Sierra! Divide and conquer!”

Sierra, who was taking cover behind another flipped table, gives us a thumbs-up, then bolts through the nearest doorway. I start backing up faster, keeping pace with Songbird as we move towards the end of the study hall. One of the voidbeasts charges after Sierra, while the other one charges after us; realizing that my cracked shield won’t stop it, I just drop it altogether and sprint for the doorway at the end of the study hall. Songbird and I make it through with just seconds to spare; the voidbeast slams into the wall, which crunches and bulges outwards at the impact. At the moment, it can’t fit through the doorway, but it starts clawing at the doorframe, ripping and punching out portions of the wall, and I realize it won’t be long until it does come through.

“Alright, where to next?” I ask, turning around and taking in the room that we’re in. It’s circular, with a double-winged staircase running up the sides to a second floor, while another archway leads underneath it and out into what looks like an open abyss. “Also, this place is a lot bigger than I was expecting…”

“The Library is non-euclidean. It’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” Songbird says, moving straight for the archway underneath the second floor, and I follow him, keeping an eye on the voidbeast widening the hole in the wall. “It’s easy to get lost in here. The deeper we go, the more likely CURSE will have to spread out their people to look for us and dilute their combat power.”

“And we can pick them off one by one that way?” I ask, using my runes to form a translucent green warhammer as I follow him.

“I would prefer it if they just left us alone, but if we have to fight them, then yes, we should pick them off one by one.” he says, hurrying through the doorway underneath the second floor. We emerge into a large rectangular atrium that very much fits Songbird’s description of a non-euclidean space — it stretches several floors down and several floors up, and is definitely much larger than what we saw from the building’s exterior. “Problem is that we don’t have tabs on the others, and I don’t know how we’re going to link up with them. CURSE will get lost in here, but so will we.”

The loud, grating sound of splintered wood scraping over chitin plates gets my attention, and I look back to see the voidbeast is forcing its way into the room we just left. “Yeah yeah, we can worry about that later. Right now I think getting lost is a good idea. Do you know which direction we—”

A grisly squelch and a gasp pulls my attention, and I look back to Songbird to see that he’s braced on the railing of the walkway rimming the atrium, with short, yellow-tinted blade rammed through his chest from behind. The problem is that no one is holding it — and there’s no one around that could’ve rammed it through his back, or even thrown it in his direction. I drop his stunner, reaching out for him, but before I can grab the sword and pull it out, I can hear someone hiss “Zoha!”, and the iridescent yellow blade flares, set alight with a hungry fire.

“HaaaAAAH!” Songbird shouts as the flames start to char his shirt and skin. He jacks his arm back, and there’s a thump as it slams into something behind him, a ripple briefly flickering over a distorted outline before it smooths out again. The sword is twisted by an unseen hand, flaring brighter as the flames get stronger, and Songbird shouts again. I start to bring my hammer construct up for a guessing swing at the empty space behind him, but he beats me to it, flipping his starglass blade around and jabbing it behind himself with both hands. The tip of it disappears into something, and there’s a hiss as the invisible assailant jerks their sword out of Songbird’s back. He starts to turn around, but an icy blue plasma bolt streaks out of thin air and hits him with enough force to flip him over the railing.

“Songbird!” I shout, dropping my hammer and grabbing the railing to throw myself over it. I dive right for him, catching him at an awkward angle as we tumble through the atrium open air; shunting a wave of pure will and terror through my body, my pauldron runes explode into a set of glassy green wings. I flare and cup them as much as I can to slow our descent, but I haven’t had much practice with this, and I can feel myself starting to careen out of control with Songbird weighing me down. Gritting my teeth, I angle us towards one of the wraparound balconies of the atrium’s lower floors as best I can, trying to land us before I completely lose control.

I realize, a little too late, that even though I’ll be able to land us on the balcony, I slowed our fall just a smidge too much, because I’m not going to clear the overhang above it.

Then my forehead slams into said overhang, and everything goes dark.

Event Log: Feroce Acceso

Valcorria: The Inkspell Library

12:57pm SGT

If there’s one thing that sucks about being a vampire, it’s that taking a flaming sword through the chest is not considered a good excuse for staying down. In fact, vampires are expected to walk off any number of gruesome injuries that would otherwise put a normal person in a hospital or a coffin.

That’s why, despite the charred hole in my chest and the agonizing pain radiating from it, I’m dragging my unconscious girlfriend deeper into the Library, looking for a safe spot where we could take a breather and recover. After getting us off the atrium’s wraparound balcony, I’d run straight into the maze of bookstuffed rooms and hallways, paying little attention to where I was going. Now we’re in a room where schools of ghostly fish are swimming through the air and treating the wooden bookshelves like a reef, I am thoroughly lost, and the pain in my chest is starting to get the better of me.

Staggering to the corner of the room behind one of the couches, I fold to my knees, setting Kiwi down on the floor and leaning her back against the bookshelves before crumpling against the shelf beside her. Pulling out my phone, I start to unlock it, then wince and look down at my chest. The charred hole in my torso has started to regenerate, but it’s been slow, since burn damage is harder for vampires to heal. I’ve never been clear on exactly why that is, although my working theory is that burn damage is a chemical alteration of the cells, which often renders them beyond recovery and requires new cells to be born to replace them. Whatever the case, it’s a pain in the ass — and I have a feeling the person that stabbed me knew that, which was exactly the reason they set their sword on fire after running me through, then put another scorch crater in my chest with a point-blank plasma bolt.

Pulling the edges of my jacket over the wounds, I return my attention to my phone, unlocking it and dialing out to Renchiko. I hate having the group split up, because I don’t know what’s happening with the others, or if any of them are in danger. Still, with the situation the way it was, we didn’t have much of a choice — CURSE clearly wasn’t messing around today, and we hadn’t come to the Library planning to fight a pitched battle against multiple Peacekeepers. We weren’t equipped for this, and we certainly didn’t have the numbers for it. Unless something changed, a tactical retreat was the best option at the moment, and the one that would keep Ridge and Renchiko safe.

After a few rings, with each ring slowly cranking up my worry, Renchiko picks up. “Feroce? Are you okay?” she immediately asks.

“I’ve seen better days.” I grunt, looking around and watching one of the curious spirit fish dart away when I look at it. “What about you and Ridge? Are you two safe?”

“Yeah, we’re good. CURSE tried to send a couple people after us, but Boaris knows the Library like the back of his hand. We were able to get away and he says he’s taking us to a safe place now. He wants to talk to you.”

“Go ahead and put him on the line.” I say glancing at Kiwi and putting a finger to her neck, just behind her jaw and underneath her ear, just to confirm she’s still got a pulse and is still with me.

“Songbird, this is Boaris. I didn’t get the chance to ask since shit went south, but those people that attacked — they’re with CURSE?” Boaris demands once Renchiko hands the phone over to him.

“They are, yeah. And it’s not the B-team. From what I saw, they brought all their elites and a lot of heavy hitters.” I say, checking the bloody abrasion on Kiwi’s forehead where she knocked herself out on the overhang. “Try to avoid them if possible. They are not pushovers. At least one of them’s cloaked; she put a flaming sword through my chest and then shot me off a balcony.”

“I was about to ask how you’re alive after that, but then I remembered that you’re a vampire.” Boaris says. “You should’ve told me that CURSE was after you. You realize that I never took the resettlement agreement, right? I’ve managed to stay under their radar for the last decade and a half, and now they know where I am, and they’ve seen us associating with the Valiant.” He pauses to give a heavy exhale. “You’ve put us in a bad position, Songbird.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Boaris, I knew they had Prophet here. Had a knock-down drag-out fight with him almost a week ago. But I didn’t know they’d sent half the Peacekeeper roster to back him up.” I say, laying my sword down and reaching for my stunner, then remembering that I gave it to Kiwi. I glance over at her, but I don’t see that she has it on her, and I recall that she’d caught me with both arms when I got shot off the balcony. She probably had to toss her weapons in order to grab me as I was falling. “If we’d known that they were gonna throw the kitchen sink at us, we probably would’ve saved this visit for a different date.”

“You shouldn’t have come at all! Did you give any thought to the lives of the people that you might affect? I hate to break it to you, but a visit from you and the Valiant can change people’s lives, and not always for the better! You are a galactic pariah, the jury’s still out on the Valiant, and anyone that’s seen associating with either of you will have to answer questions until the end of time. CURSE is never going to leave us alone after this; they’ve already seen that this isn’t a normal library, which will put us on their radar, and the fact that the Valiant have visited here means that they’ll be keeping us under constant surveillance. That information will eventually make its way to other security organizations, which will start sticking their noses into our bookshelves, and all of that means that we are going to have to relocate. But maybe that’s what you were planning all along!”

I roll my eyes even though he can’t see it. “Oh, for crying out loud— you think we planned this? If we had planned it, we would’ve brought a hell of a lot more people to deal with CURSE, instead of doing training day with the rookies and a lewd vampire!”

“Oh, so it’s just a coincidence that the Valiant show up, ask us to relocate, and then CURSE shows up, which forces us to relocate?”

“BOARIS!” I snap. “I HAVE A CHARGRILLED HOLE IN MY CHEST AND MY GIRLFRIEND HAS A CONCUSSION. In what universe do you think that I think that that’s a good exchange for recruiting your CRYPTID CRANKY MUSTY OLD ASS?”

My shouting must’ve been enough to bring Kiwi around, because she makes a small, pained noise, shifting a little beside me. I turn towards her, checking the bruised laceration on her forehead again; once I have the time, I’ll have to see if I can heal it up so she won’t need stitches. While I’m doing that, Boaris issues his retort to my explosion. “You tell me! You lot are the ones that came here to recruit me, so you’ll forgive me for wondering about the lengths you’d go to get me to join up!”

“You are unbelievable, you know that?” I say. “Your ego is as big as Sierra’s— okay, you know what? I don’t have time to argue with you. Kiwi’s waking up and I’ve gotta do a cognition check because she brained herself on a wooden beam while we were trying not to fall to our deaths. I will call you back later. You keep the rookies safe and do not let them talk you into doing anything stupid.”

I end the call with that, setting down my phone so I can shift back to my knees with a pained grunt and turn my full attention to Kiwi. She’s blinking, reaching up to touch the laceration on her head, then looking around to get her bearings. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

She winces, looking up at me. “Oh, hey, darling. Mmmnnn… fuzzy. My head hurts. Also…” She pauses for a moment, staring at me with those wildfire eyes, then: “You look amazing. Have I ever told you how handsome you are?”

For a moment I’m speechless. Then I reach up and pat her cheek. “Oh, Kiwi. That is really sweet of you, but I’m pretty sure you’ve got brain damage.”

“What? No! M’serious.” she mumbles, tilting her head to one side and palming my face. “Like, your face. I like the shape of it. N’your jaw, it’s like… well-defined, but not like… too square, y’know? Not like the guys that have those big blocky chins that look like you could use them to cut cheese…”

“Yeah, no, you definitely have a concussion.” I sigh, taking my hand off her cheek and holding it up while putting down some of my fingers. “Alright, let’s make this quick. How many fingers am I holding up?”

She scowls and brushes my hand down. “M’fine. Just took a little knock on the head, that’s all.”

“You divebombed your skull into a wooden beam.”

She sticks her tongue out at me. “Yeah, well, you, you, you have a, have a hole in your chest, and—” That suddenly processes, her eyes dropping to stare at my chest. “Oh my god, you have a hole in your chest.”

“Yeah, they got me pretty good with that one.” I say, looking down and gingerly touching a couple fingers to the charred perforation. “It’ll heal, but it’s gonna take a bit.”

Her eyes come back up to my face at the same time that one of her hands does. “Do you need any blood?”

“Ah, young love.” sighs a voice from behind us. “So tender and sweet.”

I twist around on the spot; draped over the back of the couch is a young man in a hoodie, with long white hair bound back in a loose ponytail. One arm is propped on the back of the couch, his head resting against that hand, while he examines the nails of his other hand. There is something in his lazy demeanor and aquiline build that strongly resembles a cat that’s used to sauntering these halls, and the ease with which he holds himself tells me that he’s probably one of the local Librarians.

Still, I snatch up my ninjato, and ask just to be sure. “Who are you?”

His bright, leaf-green eyes flit to me. “That’s a question with a lot of answers. If I asked you the same thing, would you be able to give me a single answer?”

“Dude, just tell us your name.” Kiwi says, exasperated. “I don’t have enough brain cells to do riddles today.”

“And whose fault is that, mm?” he says, dropping his hand. “I am Karasol. I’m the Director of the Inkspell Library, some areas of which are currently being trashed by a couple of sizeable voidbeasts. You wouldn’t happen to know how those got in here, do you?”

“That’s CURSE’s fault.” I say, lowering my blade slightly. “They brought the voidlings in with them.”

“Oh, is that it?” Karasol says, making a face. “And you lot are the Valiant, at least according to Kali, which must be why there’s so much fighting in the Library at the moment. Which means that we’re gonna get dragged into this now.” He lets out a heavy sigh, starting to get up off the couch. “Fantastic. Guess it’s time to start prepping the Library for relocation, then. Damn shame, because we had a pretty good run. Valcorria was really starting to grow on me.”

“Wait, you’re relocating the Library?” Kiwi says as we both stare at him.

“Yeah, now that CURSE knows that we’re here, and they saw the Valiant here, we’ll never have a moment’s rest.” he says, looking around the room that we’re in, raising a hand to poke at one of the spirit fish swimming around. “They’ll always be watching us. And Libraries don’t like being watched, at least not by governments or other large organizations. They’re always up to something… corporations and governments always think that they can harness the power of a Library. It never ends well.”

Listening to Karasol’s musings, I know I need to pick my next words carefully. “I suppose this would be a bad time to invite you to relocate the Inkspell back to the Bastions, then.” I say.

He turns and narrows his eyes at me. “Did you listen to nothing I just said?”

“Oh no, I totally heard you, I just figured I’d ask anyway.” I say. “We were trying to recruit Boaris, but he says he won’t leave the Library, so I figure the only way to get him to join is just to have the Library move back to the Bastions. Then he doesn’t really have an excuse not to join the Valiant.”

“You want me to move this entire Library, and the sum total of its knowledge and secrets, back to the Bastions just so you can strongarm Boaris into joining your little pet project?” Karasol asks incredulously.

I bite my lip. “…yeah?”

Karasol stares at me in silence for a long moment, then looks away and puffs one of his silky locks of white hair out of eyes. “…that’s so amazingly petty and childish that I’m actually considering it.”

“Awesome. Is there anything you need from us?” I ask.

“No, I—” he starts, then stops, raising a finger. “…actually yes. My Librarians have already dealt with one of the voidbeasts, but the other one’s still making a mess. Go kill it, and I’ll consider your proposition.”

“Deal.” I say immediately, starting to push to my feet even though my chest still hurts. “Hope this isn’t asking too much, but would you mind pointing us in the right direction? This place is a bit of a maze and I haven’t the damnedest idea where we are right now.”

He snaps his fingers twice, the first one soft and the second one louder, and one of the schools of ghostly fish in the room suddenly come about, rippling in our direction. “The fish will take you where you need to go. Just follow them.” he says, turning and starting to leave. “I’m going to go prepare the Library for relocation. Do be quick about handling that voidbeast; the more it trashes my Library, the worse my mood will get.”

He steps out of the room with that, leaving us with a swirling school of spirit fish. Looking down to Kiwi, I hold out a hand to help her up. “You good? You think you can fight?” I ask.

“Told you, it was just a knock on the head. I’ve had time to get my wits together, so let’s go kill that voidbeast and get this over with.” she grunts, taking my hand and pulling herself to her feet. “What’s our plan for handling that thing?”

I take a breath, glancing at the fish as they start swimming away from us in an elongated stream. “Not gonna lie, it was a… pretty big monster. I’ve never fought one of those before, so I’m not sure what approach we could take, or if it’s got any weak spots. We could probably wear it down and then go for the eyes or the throat, though that might take a while…”

“Tell you what.” Kiwi says, clapping a hand on my shoulder as she moves past me, following the fish. “Why don’t you browse through your music, figure out what you’re going to listen to, and get ramped up. Send the power my way once you’ve got it, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

I crouch down to pick up my phone, and start after her. “I’m agreeing to it, but only because I’ve still got a hole in my chest.”

“I can’t let you have all the glory.” she says, activating her rune circles again and using them to manifest another long-handled warhammer out of glassy green light. “Everywhere we go, it’s Songbird this, Songbird that. I gotta put in the work and make sure that they fear me just as much as they fear you.”

I snort at that, scrolling through my playlists as we leave the room and head into one of the halls of the Library, this one long and straight. “If I could give away my notoriety to someone else, I would hand it over in a heartbeat. You’d probably get more use out of it than I would anyway.”

“With fame like that? You better believe I would.” she says as she starts to build an orbit of runes around the head of her hammer. As we reach a flight of stairs and start to mount them, she adds, “Sorry. I know it bothers you, and you don’t like the way strangers often see you. I just… I envy what you have. That people know your name, that they often recognize you on sight, that you’re important. And I know you don’t want to be important, at least not in the way that you are, but there are people that spend their entire lives wanting to be important. Wanting to feel like their existence means something.”

“You want to be more than just the sideshow.” I say, lowering my phone to focus on our conversation.

“I mean, I hate to be the attention whore…” she says, rolling her hammer in her hands.

“Fame is overrated. And I can tell you right now that the only attention that’s worth having is the attention of the people you care about.” I say, taking a few quick steps to catch up with her on the stairs, resting a hand on her shoulder. “You can have my attention any time you want. I’ll be happy to give it to you.”

She smiles aside at me. “Suppose you must be speaking from experience. It’s better to have the attention of the one person you love rather than the attention of millions of people that hate you, then?”

“Oh, it is infinitely better.” I say, both of us pausing as we crest the top of the stairs and arrive into large room, books flying off the walls as the surviving voidbeast tries to ram its way through the doorway in the opposite corner. The spirit fish that had been leading us along scatter away now that our objective is before us. “Well, that was quick.”

“I know, right?” Kiwi says, adding another couple of runes to the head of her hammer. “Barely even needed a guide. You got a song ready?”

“I just… can’t really find anything to fit the mood right now.” I say, lifting my phone to look through my playlists again. “I can still force it, and I’ll just listen to something out of my Stadium Smashers playlist. Should be able to funnel enough power to you to get the job done, but I guess I’m just not feeling it today. Dunno if it’s the situation, or the environment, or what.”

“Alright, you get on that. I’d like to put this thing down in a single swing, so send me what you got when you get it.” she says as the runemarks on my left wrist flare to life. I nod, slotting my earbuds in and putting my playlist on shuffle as she starts across the room. As the thumping beat starts up, followed by the plucking of a bass guitar, I can feel a smile start to creep across my face as my trepidation and worry start to fade away.

This is where I’m comfortable, lost in the music. I don’t need to force anything.

I tuck my phone away, starting to pace the edge of the room as the noise of the outside world grows distant; it’s still there, and I can hear what’s going on, but it’s a background thing. The voidbeast finishes forcing itself through the doorway as Kiwi starts to circle towards it; it swats a bookshelf in her direction, books flying through the air as the furniture tumbles towards her. Tilting my head to one side, I lift a hand as if I could grab the moment and hold it in place.

What’s a picture’s worth?

A thousand words, they say

So snap one while you can

‘Cause this might be your last day

The books and broken shelves freeze in the air, rendered motionless; Kiwi, who was backing up and starting to raise an arm to shield herself, looks over at me while the voidbeast stares at the arrested books. I smile at her, rotating my hand in a spiraling motion, and the hovering books start to reorient themselves, zipping to the floor and arranging themselves end-to-end, side-to-side, forming the beginnings of a ramp that starts to build itself upwards. I extend an arm towards the newly-formed structure as an invitation, and Kiwi smiles and rolls her eyes as she turns and jumps the ramp, starting to run its length as it builds itself toward the voidbeast.

Who’s gonna tell your story?

You know the dead don’t talk

Write it down ‘cause one day

You’ll be takin’ the long walk

As the ramp builds towards towards the voidbeast, I twist and guide its formation to keep it out of the way of the monster’s burly forelimbs. Kiwi follows the ramp of books as best she can; portions of it end up smashed or bitten by the beast, but I recycle the books from the bashed portions of the ramp to continue forming the next sections of it. It circles and zigzags around the voidbeast as I continue building it in an ever-rising spiral, swaying along to the beat thrumming through my very being. It’s like a scene out of a movie; everything about this is right. It makes sense on a deep, visceral level.

Will you take the first step?

Because life is a dance

A risk, a gamble, a bet

So step up and take a chance

The ramp’s gotten high enough that it’s over the voidbeast’s head, and with the number of books that it’s damaged, it’s getting harder to keep recycling them into the rising ramp. Deciding that it’s time, I take all the energy I’d been storing up and shunt it across our link; Kiwi’s runemarks blaze to an incandescent green, and she takes it as the signal to make her move. As the voidbeast swats through the ramp of books just behind her, she leaps off of it, swinging her hammer up and over, charging it with all of the energy I just sent her. The voidbeast twists its head towards her, opening its maw as she falls towards it; but before she can fall into its waiting jaws, she whips her hammer down, nailing the beast right on the snout.

The consequent explosion obliterates the voidbeast’s entire head down to the neck, fragments of exploded muscle, skull, and brain flying everywhere. Kiwi’s blasted backwards by the explosion; I take two skipping steps to the side, spin around on the spot, and hold my arms out just in time to catch her. She grins at me as the voidbeast topples to the ground, pouring out violet blood from its exploded neck. “That was almost fun.” she says as I take one of my earbuds out.

“Pity there was no one around to see it besides us. Pretty sure it would’ve impressed a lot of other people.” I say, setting her down so she can stand on her own.

“Well, I certainly am impressed.” comes a voice from the other side of the room. Both of us turn to see the fire-fisted orc from earlier stepping through the ruined doorway that the voidbeast had muscled through. “I see now why you two are such a formidable pair.”

“That’s just the tip of the asteroid.” Kiwi says, adjusting her grip on her hammer as we turn to face him. “I didn’t know CURSE was a fan of the Void. You got some nerve, summoning creatures like that in the middle of a city; if you’re not careful, you’ll bring the Starstruck down on your heads. I’m pretty sure this world has at least one team of them, maybe more.”

He scowls at that, kicking the voidbeast on the way past. “Trust me, this is as much an unpleasant surprise to me as it is to you. I’ll be shedding no tears over this abomination; the only reason I didn’t kill it myself is because it was summoned by a higher-ranking officer.” Stopping in the middle of the room, he brings his hands up, cracking his knuckles. “We meet at last, Songbird. My name is Ironfist; you may not have heard of me, but I’ve heard much of you. And I hear your partner here is no small matter, either.”

I sigh. “Look, man, I don’t want to fight you today, I’m not in the mood.”

“I am.” Kiwi says immediately.

I point at Kiwi. “She’s in the mood and she wants to fight you, so take that for what it’s worth. But I didn’t come here looking for a fight today. I was just visiting an old coworker. We’d really like it if you would guys would just leave us alone and stop trying to ambush us every which way we go.”

Ironfist tilts his head up slightly, staring down at me as if he had been expecting something else. “You sound tired.” he observes, guardedly.

I shrug. “I mean, yeah, man, I guess I am. I’m sick and tired of this shit. CURSE been chasing me for sixteen years over something I didn’t do. I visit a museum, I get attacked by CURSE. I help my girlfriend find her arkship for her people, I get attacked by CURSE. I try to go to the library, I get attacked by CURSE. What’s next? Are you all going to ambush me while I’m doing a grocery run? Maybe assassinate me while I’m at the drive-thru?”

“You realize that you operate in defiance of the Challenger Activities Ban?” Ironfist points out. “Your actions are not without consequence; you and the Valiant are creating instability and uncertainty in the galaxy.”

“We are helping people, whether CURSE likes to admit it or not.” Kiwi says, thumping the butt of her warhammer against the floor. “He saved my life. He helped defend my people when a mob stormed one of our Sanctuaries. He and the Valiant returned the Cradle to my people. And the Valiant helped rescue people from Mokasha before it fully fell to the Collective.” Lifting her hammer, she points it at Ironfist. “I don’t give a damn about the Challenger ban or whatever legislative bullshit you all pushed to the Colloquium to try and keep him down. He’s a better person than a lot of you people will ever be.”

Ironfist folds his burly arms. “Then why am I told that you all are working with Laughing Alice?”

I notice Kiwi’s hand twitch at that; reaching up, I push down the arm she’s using to point her hammer at Ironfist as I step ahead of her. “We are not working with Laughing Alice. She wanted to meet with us; we answered the invitation, and while we were there, I asked her to refrain from excessive bloodshed. We have no coordination with her, and what she does, she does of her own accord.”

“You had a chance to stop her, to arrest her, and you simply let her walk free after what she did on Grayspur?” Ironfist demands.

I don’t know what to say to that; I know I can’t defend what Alice’s actions. She may have given us a Dragine artifact, but that didn’t erase what she had done, and the people she’d killed to get it. After a moment of pressing my lips together, I raise my head. “What can I say? You have your dogs, and we have ours. If you rein in Prophet, maybe I’ll consider pulling on Alice’s leash.”

“I may not like Prophet, but those two are not equivalent.” Ironfist rumbles.

“Are you KIDDING me?” Kiwi snaps, gesturing her hammer wildly. “Your guy led a rabid lynch mob against a Maskling Sanctuary a year ago! Less than a week ago he nearly downed an entire civilian ferry cruiser, and everyone in it, just trying to kill Songbird! The only reason everybody survived is that we shoved him out of the cruiser with Songbird tied to him!”

“I can’t account for Prophet’s methods—” Ironfist begins.

“You hired the guy! You keep him on retainer to sic on us whenever it’s convenient!” Kiwi interrupts. “I agree with you that Prophet and Laughing Alice aren’t the same, because we don’t PAY Laughing Alice, and that’s why she does whatever the hell she wants. You all pay Prophet, and you choose to let him run around being a menace to society on your dime! Yet you’re out here trying to hold our feet to the fire for someone that we don’t even have on our payroll. Do you even hear yourself? I can smell the hypocrisy from a mile away, and it stinks to high hell!”

Ironfist frowns, but doesn’t answer right away as he glances to the side, at the voidbeast’s carcass. “I will say that I do not agree with the administration’s choices sometimes, and Prophet is one of those choices. I won’t defend that decision; all I’ll say is that it’s not the choice that I would’ve made. But that does not remove the fact that Laughing Alice stole an artifact from CURSE during her terrorist attack, and gave it to the Valiant. It does not belong to you, and we are here to take it back. So, I apologize for this, but I’m going to have to cut this short so we can do what we came here for.” With that, he unfolds his arms, curling his hands into flaming fists as he raises them into stance. “A dozen prayers, a dozen punches!”

The phrase strikes me as odd, but I’m not given time to wonder about it, because it’s explained an instant later when a dozen copies of Ironfist materialize around us, each one with a flaming fist inbound. I jerk my arms up, but there’s no time to dodge; I see Kiwi hammered by at least two of the punches and get sent through a wall as a result, while it seems — and feels — like the other ten punches are intended for me. Over the next two seconds all I can feel are massive, flaming fists slamming into me, being thrown from one fist to the other in quarter-second succession. I can feel bones cracking on some of the impacts, and while my Agent jacket takes the heat of most of the blows, there’s at least three of them that nail me in the face or chest. The last punch sends me flying to into a shelf-laden wall, slamming into it and falling to the ground with books toppling down atop me.

I can tell, right off the bat, that my range of motion has been substantially limited. Ribs have been cracked and broken, one of my arms has definitely been broken, the same with my jaw, I think — either broken or dislocated, I’m not sure which. Moving is just straight-up painful, and even though that’s only supposed to be a minor impediment to vampires since we regenerate, it’s still a factor — it’s hard to focus when your brain is yelling at you about broken bones. I’m still trying to find my range of movement when a massive hand grabs the back of my jacket, and Ironfist flips me over, parting the folds of my jacket and patting me down.

“Wait… hold on.” he says when he gets down to my knees and doesn’t find what he’s looking for. Grabbing the back of my jacket, he lifts me into the air, holding me the same way you’d get a cat by the scruff of the neck as he stands up. “Where is it? Where is the artifact?”

“Wha?” I gargle at him past all the pain. My body’s starting to heat up as it burns blood to try and fix all the damage it’s sustained, and I can already tell I’m going to have to down a bottle of blood after this.

“The artifact! The Dragine artifact!” Ironfist snaps. “We know what it looks like; a black sphere about the size of an orange. And we know that Laughing Alice insisted that you take it! Where is it?”

I use my unbroken arm to grab my jaw and shove it back into place, willing more blood to flow to my face so it can start healing that part more quickly. “You seriously thought I would have that? What kind of idiot would keep something like that on their person?” I cough.

“You handed it off.” Ironfist breathes, looking around. “So if you don’t have it, none of your friends have it either. That means… it might not even be planetside right now.”

I stare at him. “…you seriously thought Valiant Command would let us just walk around planetside with a Dragine artifact in our back pocket?”

Ironfist gives me an indignant look. “You’re dangerous! It stood to reason that the safest place for you to keep the artifact would be the most dangerous one, which would be you!”

“Yeah, I’m not as dangerous as my girlfriend right now.” I grunt as I feel a familiar drain start to pull from within my chest.

Ironfist looks around. “Wait, are you telling me that she has the artifact?”

“No, I’m telling you that you’ve pissed her off, and that’s dangerous.” I say as I see Kiwi come barreling in from the other side while Ironfist’s head is turned.

“Let go of my kjæreste!” she shouts, bringing her hammer around in a two-handed, homerun swing that catches him right in the side. The head of her hammer, wrapped in runes and glowing like a neon beacon, releases all its energy in a blast ripple as the contained force is transferred over to Ironfist. The discharge sends him rocketing through the wall, clear across the Library’s atrium, and crashing through a wall on the other side of it. I’m left to fall back to the ground, and though I land on my feet, my legs wobble, and I go to one knee, bracing myself on my unbroken arm.

Kiwi’s quick to drop her hammer, kneeling close to me. “Feroce. You okay?” she demands, grabbing my shoulders.

“Ah, ahg! Gentle, gentle!” I wince, feeling some of my broken bones complain. She quickly loosens her grip on me, looking me over and taking stock of the damage. “I’m. I’m good. Just broken bones. Quite a few. You?”

“A few cuts, and I’m gonna have some nasty bruises, but I’m fine.” she says, reaching in my jacket and feeling around the interior pockets. “I think he pulled his punches when he went for me. I don’t think he hit me as hard as he hit you.”

“His mistake.” I grunt as she finds my blood flask and pulls it out, starting to unscrew it for me. “He did catch me off guard with that opening. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“You’re not the only one.” she says, putting the flask to my mouth and tilting it up slowly. “Go ahead and drink. We need to get you back on your feet; I think there’s still at least four or five of them to deal with, assuming that Sierra hasn’t taken some of them down.”

I drink as much as I can before I reach up with my unbroken arm, grabbing the flask and tilting it back down. “Guh. It’s gonna be a long day if we have to fight another five of them.” I gasp, catching my breath, then blinking when a spirit fish swims past my nose. Looking around, I see other fish scattered about the room, swimming through the air towards one of the doorways that leads out of the room. “You see that?”

“Yeah.” Kiwi says, watching the fish return to the room now that the fighting’s over. “We did what Karasol asked us to do. You think we can find him and see if he’s willing to move the Library back to the Bastions?”

“Only one way to find out.” I grunt, staggering back to my feet and taking another swig of blood before holding the flask out to her. “Do you mind closing that up for me? My other arm’s broken, and it’s still mending…”

“Of course.” she says, taking the flask and screwing it back on before handing it back to me. As I tuck it into my jacket, she picks up her hammer and turns to me, holding out an arm; I lean against her, and we start to follow the spirit fish while she supports me.

“It’s crazy that they thought we would actually be carrying a Dragine artifact around with us.” I mutter as we follow the stream of fish through the winding rooms and halls of the Library. “Did they really think we’d be that stupid?”

“I mean, what Ironfist says sorta makes sense.” Kiwi says, carefully checking an intersecting hall to make sure we don’t get ambushed. “If you want to protect something valuable, give it to the most dangerous person you know. Vaults are nice and all, but they can’t think and react independently if a situation changes.”

“Well, I’d rather not be a walking vault for something that’s going to get me walloped the way I just got walloped.” I say as we cross through the intersection and onto a flight of stairs. “Here’s to hoping that Karasol actually considers relocating the Inkspell back to the Bastion. We didn’t exactly get in writing, so…”

“We’re helping defend his Library, so that should be plenty of proof that we’re on his side.” Kiwi mutters. “Figure that should be worth something. What are we gonna do if he relocates the Library somewhere other than the Bastions? If we’re still in the Library, we’re gonna get dragged along with them, right?”

“Pretty sure we would, which is why I’m hoping he’ll pick the Bastions.” I say as we crest the top of the stairs into another bookshelf’d room. “Otherwise we’re gonna have a transport problem on our hands. The Narcusa’s still in orbit above Valcorria, Jackrabbit’s with the Accatria, and if the Library’s not relocating to the Bastion, there’s no telling where we’ll end up, or how long it’ll take for Valiant Command to get us picked up.”

“We better find Karasol, then.” Kiwi says, helping me across the room. “If he decides not to relocate to the Bastions, we’re gonna need to get out of here before he decides to move.”

Before I can answer, something drops from the ceiling, slamming to the ground around us. It’s hard to make sense of it at first; it looks like something long, thick, and wrapped in silky black fabric, with hinged metal legs protruding from beneath the fabric and along the sides. When it rears up on one end, turning towards us, it starts to make more sense — what we’re looking at is a massive mechanized centipede, with a white mask on the raised end, carved in the semblance of a face, eyes closed and mouth curved up in a peaceful smile.

“Oh shit shit shit!” Kiwi grunts, holding up her hammer towards this unexpected interception. I scramble for one of my ninjato hilts with my unbroken hand, but before I can ignite it, the creature starts to glow and dissolve into luminous pages, starting from the end and running all the way up to the raised front. Those pages swirl through the air, gathering into one place and forming a glass book in the hand of the person that’s left standing where the creature used to be.

And that person is Kali.

“What…. what was that.” I say, staring blankly at her, then at the softly glowing book in her hand, which she tucks into the messenger bag slung across her body.

“You were a giant mechapede!” Kiwi exclaims. “Why did you scare us like that?!”

She sizes up with those big, catlike eyes, then leans forward, motioning us closer like she wanted to tell us a secret. “You want to hear something funny?” she asks in sneaky whisper.

Kiwi looks at me, and I shrug. “Uh… sure?” Kiwi says as we come a little closer to her.

Kali shuffles closer to us, looking around as if to make sure that there was no one spying on us. “You can only create a living book…” She cups her hand to her mouth, pushing up on her bare toes as she whispers the next part to us. “…when someone dies in a living Library.” She bounces back with that, clapping her hands together and pressing them to her lips as she smiles. “Do you want to kill anyone today?”

My mouth hangs open slightly. “…uh. Not… really?” I say hesitantly, not sure how to react to that.

“Well, if you do, they can stay with us forever and ever and ever.” Kali says, bouncing on her heels with each ‘ever’. “And if you die here, you can live here forever! That’s how people live forever. You write books about them, and they never die so long as people can read about them. You die if people forget you, you know. You just…” She tilts her head to one side, her eyes going vacant. “…stop existing when people forget you.”

After a moment, Kiwi takes a deep breath. “Alright, I am thoroughly creeped out now.” she says, looking to me. “Is she on our side, or…?”

“Kali, can you take us to take us to Karasol?” I ask. “We need to talk to him.”

Kali grimaces, twisting back and forth on the spot as her eyes flit away in another direction. “He’s busy right now. Super busy with the guests. He just,” She makes a sharp clicking sound with her tongue as she lifts her hands, and makes a small twisting motion. “snapped someone’s neck. SOOooooo, y’know how it goes. Gotta wait for her to turn into a book, and then we’ve gotta collect her and check her in, and then figure out what floor of the Library she belongs on. Librarian things, y’know. I can take you to the Nexus, though! Yes. That’s where your friends are.”

“Friends? You mean Sierra and Ridge and Renchiko?” I ask quickly, latching onto that and hoping to keep her focused on that.

“Yes. Blueberry crystals and blood and sex and Schrödingers.” Kali nods firmly, spinning around on the spot and starting towards a near doorway, then looking over her shoulder. “…and you do not want to kill anyone today?”

“Uhm… well, no, I’m not the killing sort…” I say again.

“Even if they’re your enemies?” she asks hopefully.

“Yeah, no, that’s uh, that’s not the kind of person I am.” I maintain. “Sorry.”

“Damn. I really wanted to try out the girl with the spirit wolves. She looked really cool. And she’s pretty.” Kali mutters, chewing on her thumbnail.

Kiwi tilts her head up a little, arching an eyebrow as she shifts uncomfortably on the spot. “What… exactly… do you mean by that?” she asks carefully.

“Oh! Nothing!” Kali says quickly, smiling at us and motioning for us to follow. “Follow me! I’ll take you to your friends. Boaris made sure they were safe. Maybe we can have another tea party after the Library’s relocated!” She starts away with that, with a little skip in her step, humming to herself.

“Songbird…” Kiwi says without looking away from Kali’s retreating back.

“Yeah, that was a little… unsettling.” I admit. “Let’s follow for her now. Once we link up with the others, we can go from there.”

“If she tries anything…” Kiwi murmurs, sliding her arm back around me to support me as we start to follow Kali.

“We’ll do what we have to in order to protect ourselves, but I think we can trust her.” I say, hooking my hilt back on my beltline.

“You’re too trusting.”

“I’ve got a feel for these sorts of things. She’s strange, but I think she’s on our side.”

“You better be right about that.”

We continue following Kali through the Library, through winding halls and rooms that seems to evolve as we go. Each portion of the Library seems to have a theme or an aesthetic; the architecture often reflects certain regions or cultures. In one hall, the walls are a thin paper, inscribed with watercolor landscapes; in another room, the walls and shelves appear to be carved out of the trunk of a colossal tree, complete with organic curves, rather than the usual straightline architecture. One stairwell we venture into is decidedly futuristic — a series of spiraling metal planks suspended in place by magnetic fields, and not quite as stable as one might find comfortable. It’s as we’re crossing through another hallway that appears to be a subaquatic tunnel, with glass walls, that something odd starts to happen — our surroundings start to shimmer and jitter, almost like they’re going slightly out-of-focus.

“Are you seeing that?” Kiwi asks me as we near the end of the hall.

“Yeah, and I think I hear it too.” I say, looking around as I hear hollow echoes welling up from the depths of the Library — creaks and wooden groans, as if the entire structure was bending and torquing.

“Relocation time!” Kali declares from ahead of us. “Hope the next world is as nice as Valcorria. Better hurry to the Nexus!”

“Wait, hold up — the Library’s relocating now?” I demand, alarmed.

“Yup! The Director must’ve decided.” Kali says as we come to the end of the hall, before stopping suddenly and holding up a hand. After a moment of being completely still, aside from her swaying tail and ears, she reaches into her messenger bag and starts digging around. “They are watching. Be ready to run when I do.”

“Run? Run from what?” Kiwi asks, looking around.

“Elf with a big gun.” Kali says, pulling a thin book out of her bag. “Reloading takes her a while. We’ll have to run after she takes her shot. Ready? Okay, here we go.”

Without further explanation, Kali tosses that book into the intersection ahead of us. Almost immediately, something punches through it at an angle, too fast for the eye to see, ripping a hole through the book and the floor in less than a tenth of a second. The sound of shattering glass from up the stairwell to the right hits us a second later, but Kali’s already bolted around the corner, starting up that stairwell with a shrill “Gogogo!”

I scramble to get after her as quickly as possible, with Kiwi stumbling along with me; we stagger up the flight of stairs, and see that Kali’s already at the landing, turning the corner onto the next flight of stairs. The window on the landing has been shattered, and through it, I can see the edge of a building neighboring the Library, and behind the ledge, someone in sleek power armor, furiously reloading a railgun.

“Fantastic.” I grunt as we make the landing and start up the next flight of stairs to the right. Kali’s ahead of us on the stairs, but she stops suddenly, pointing back at us. “Stop! Stay where you are!” she orders sharply.

Kiwi and I stagger to a halt on the stairs, staring at her. “Are you crazy? They’ve got a railgun and they’re about to take another shot!” Kiwi hisses at her.

Kali holds up a finger. “Stay still. Wait for it. Go when I say.” she says, going stock-still. Seconds later, another railgun spike tears through the stairwell, ripping through both walls at about where we would’ve been if Kali hadn’t told us to stop. “Okay now! Go go go!”

“How does she know?” Kiwi huffs as we furiously scramble up the stairs, making the next landing and the next flight of stairs.

“Dunno, don’t care, let’s just get out of dodge.” I grunt, doing my best to keep up with her even as I feel my fractured bones grating at the harsh and rushed movements.

Once we get up the final flight of stairs, we end up in a long hall leading to an archway at the end, with Kali beckoning us to follow. “Quickly! We are almost there!” she calls, before running through the archway, and what looks like a transparent veil of light screening over it. Around us, the walls, floors, and ceiling of the Library are starting to jitter and shimmer more and more, almost like it was vibrating at a high frequency. The floor beneath our feet starts to feel less solid and more like walking on thick mud, with your feet sinking slightly every time you take a step.

“Okay yeah, that’s not good.” Kiwi says, hauling me along at a rush. “Sorry, darling, but we gotta pick up the pace here.”

“Yup, yup, comin’.” I huff, staggering along as best I can. A few strides more and we’ve crossed through the archway, where the floor and walls are thankfully more stable. We find ourselves in a circular room that must be the Nexus — there are other archways around the room, and there’s a ring-shaped desk at the center. In the air above it is what looks like a massive, holographic map — a constellation of silver lines forming the floor plan of the Library, starting with the geometry of the Library’s core and main entrance. The further away the silver lines wander, the more organic and abstract the lines become, as if the halls and rooms were imitating the random and twisting paths of a root network or a tree’s canopy.

“Songbird!” Renchiko shouts from the other side of the room, rushing over to me as Kiwi helps set me down. Ridge is quick behind her, both of them kneeling down beside me as I sprawl out on the floor. “Are you okay?”

“M’good, just a couple dozen broken bones, gimme five minutes and the worst it should be healed.” I pant, catching my breath. “What about you two? You good?”

“Got a little scorched when the Peacekeepers chucked a plasma grenade at us, but we’re fine.” Ridge says. “Can we get, like, real guns? Stunners are cool, but with how much armor they were packing, it barely did anything to them.”

“I’ll think about it.” I grunt as Sierra comes over, standing above me with her arms folded. “Good to see you got off without a scratch.”

“What can I say, I’m just that good.” she says, sizing me up. “You, on the other hand…looks like you caught hands and something through the chest.”

“Yeah, that orc hits like a truck.” I groan, feeling around on my chest to check the hole that was put through my chest earlier. “Jus’ need some blood and a nap and I’ll be fine.” Turning my head, I see Boaris behind the desk in the center of the room. It looks like he’s messing about with something on the desk, though I can’t tell what it is from this angle. “Boaris. Kali says that the Library’s relocating. Where’s it going?”

“You’re asking the wrong person, kid. I wasn’t the one that initiated the relocation; I’m just trying to keep the Library held together while it happens.” Boaris says gruffly. “Karasol must’ve decided on a place, and it must’ve been a desperation move. We typically have at least a couple of days of prep time leading into a relocation. Relocating on the turn of a dime like this carries the risk that outlying chunks of the Library will get torn off if they’re not properly secured. I’m trying to strap all the parts of the Library together last second to make sure that it all stays in one piece when we go hurtling through time and space. Nayoh, let me know if you see the tethers to any of the floors or wings fraying. Kali, get over here, I need another pair of hands and you’re good with working magic on the go.”

Kali steps over me to join Boaris within the circular desk, while Ridge looks at them. “We’ll be safe, right? The Library’s not gonna fall apart when it moves?” he asks.

“The Nexus is safe; it’s one of the anchor rooms that helps hold the Library together.” Boaris answers, moving to another section of the desk and pulling glowing symbols off the desk, then turning and throwing them up at the map of the Library over the desk. The symbols flatten and spread out upon reaching it, forming portions of a spherical barrier around the map’s edges. “We’ll make it to our destination, I don’t have any doubts about that. The question is whether the Library will make it there in one piece.”

“Boaris, I think it’s happening!” Nayoh says from the other side of the desk’s inner rim. “I’m starting to lose track of everything that’s outside of the Library!”

“Oh, screw me six ways to Sunday— cruiser’s leaving the runway and we don’t have the hatches closed yet.” Boaris swears, starting to work more frantically. “Kali, put tethers on anything that doesn’t have a tether; I’m going to reinforce as much of the Library’s exterior as I can.”

“Is there anything we can do help?” Renchiko asks.

“Stay out of the way, stay quiet, and don’t distract us.” Boaris says, rushing to the other side of the desk’s inner rim to start throwing symbols up at the other side of the silver map overhead, shoring up the parts that aren’t covered by the spherical barrier yet.

“The one time when I’d rather be doing something.” Kiwi mutters as the creaking and groaning from the depths starts to morph into rattling, some of the pens and cups on the desk starting to migrate along its surface. She places a hand on me, pulling me a bit closer as if to keep me close in case something goes wrong, and Ridge and Renchiko shuffle a little closer to us, looking around as the rattling morphs into a low rumbling, akin to the roaring of a tornado.

“Boaris.” I shout over the cacophony. “You said this room was safe!”

“It is safe!” he shouts back. “Just… hang on to something! Turbulence is standard during a relocation!”

“Turbulence, my ass.” Kiwi hisses as the room we’re in starts jittering and shimmering violently. It peaks before we can do anything, the entire room going blurry—

And then everything snaps to, going dead still and silent.

The sudden quiet is startling; I look around, and it looks like the room’s intact. We’re all still here; the Library’s structure is no longer vibrating like we’re sitting atop the galaxy’s largest hoverbike engine. Sierra, who’d been in the middle of unwrapping a lollipop to stick in her mouth, glances up as she crumples the wrapper. “Really? That’s it?” she says, sticking the lollipop in her mouth.

“Nayoh, how’s it look? Do we still have all of the Library?” Boaris asks, ignoring Sierra’s remark.

“Yeah, from what I can tell. It looks like all the floors are here and accounted for.” Nayoh says. It’s hard to see from here, but I think he’s reading off something on the desk. “Some of the wings look a little loose. A few of the halls that tie them to the main structure have snapped and broken, but nothing that can’t be fixed, right?”

Boaris blows out a deep breath, leaning back against the desk. “That can be fixed later, yes.” he says, running a hand over his snout and up over his head. “There’s been a lot of damage over the last hour, but the Library’s still in one piece. That’s what matters.”

“Where did we end up?” Renchiko asks, standing up and looking at the archways leading out of the Nexus.

“That is the question, isn't it?” Boaris says, pushing off the desk and moving to come out from behind it. “Let’s go find out. It’ll be as much a surprise to me as it is to you all.”

“I want to see this.” I grunt, pushing myself up on my good arm and wincing as my entire torso complains at trying to sit up. “Help me up?”

Kiwi shakes her head disapprovingly, but helps me up anyway. “You couldn’t wait?”

“Need to know where we are first. I wanna know if Karasol followed through after we killed that voidbeast for him.” I say, staggering to my feet.

“He better have.” Kiwi mutters as we follow the others after Boaris. “We done him a favor, helping defend his Library from CURSE…”

“Assuming nothing shifted around too much during the relocation, there should be a wing with a nice, wide bay window somewhere hereabouts.” Boaris says as he leads us through one of the archways, into one of the rooms and then along one of the hallways. “It should provide a good view from one of the sides of the Library, assuming that’ll tell us anything about where we’ve landed.”

“Oh, I know the one you’re talking about!” Nayoh says, running ahead of Boaris and taking a split in the hall. “It should be over this way!”

Kali falls back to walk beside me and Kiwi, smiling slyly. “I already know where we are.” she whispers. “I just want to see the looks on your faces when you all find out.”

“You really are a little gremlin, aren't you?” I say, just before the hall opens up into a room that looks like an open-concept office space. The far wall is, as promised, a wide bay window that provides a third-story view out of one side of the Library. Moving towards it, I can see that it looks like there’s greenery beyond — patches of trees in small little glades and groves, with stretches of green grass between them, and the occasional pond or stream.

“Can’t say I recognize it.” Boaris says, scratching under his chin as we trickle up to the window, one by one. “The green’s a nice change of pace, I’ll admit…”

“What’s that?” Nayoh says, pointing off to one side of the vista. I follow the direction of his hand, and it starts clicking for me at the same time that it does for the others.

“Wait, that’s the Tower!” Renchiko says excitedly. Sure enough, the white spire is there, rising above the trees, and beyond it is the glass dome of the Sunthorn Bastion. The tall white building is framed by the baby-blue gas giant in the background, and the frosty rings encircling the gas giant that the Bastion is in orbit around. “We’re back at Sunthorn!”

“Oh noooooooo…” Boaris groans, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

Sierra chuckles around her lollipop, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Looks like you got no good excuse for turning down the job offer, buster.”

I release a sigh of relief, letting myself lean more of my weight on Kiwi now that I know where we are. And at the moment, it’s the best place we could be — the only place I wanted us to be when all was said and done.

“You can relax.” Kiwi says, leaning into me to help support me as I slump a little, all the pent-up tension slowly bleeding out of me. “We’re home now.”