I hadn’t even realized Connor was on the same level of the Archives as us. Sometimes I don’t notice all the things I ought to when I wander. I stare at my feet, but Maeve puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“She’s a girl searching for her lost family, not a researcher like you. She certainly didn’t intend to bother you. If it happens again, let us know, and we’ll move to a different level of the library.”

“See? There’s plenty of room for you both here,” Euna says.

Connor grunts. “We’re not finished,” he says to Euna as he stomps off down the corridor. I let my talent skim across his mind.

Unreasonable, foolish woman. If she won’t do something about them, I will…

His words make me shiver, but I keep it to myself.

Euna sighs and smooths her skirts. “My apologies, Connor is passionate about his work and sometimes gets rather frustrated when things don’t go as he’d like. Are you headed to dinner now?”

“Oh yes,” Sebastian says, his stomach growling. “I never knew how hungry reading could make you.”

Maeve and Euna laugh.

“Well, enjoy it. Good night.” Then Euna enters the library herself, letting the double doors close behind her.

“Between him and Ida, it doesn’t seem anyone likes having us here.” Sebastian says. We head for the dining hall, even though my feet grow heavier with every step.

But once we sit down to eat, I begin to perk up. There are more people here for dinner than there were earlier in the day, and the clamor of thoughts is almost deafening. I have to struggle to hold back my magic, but lately I’ve been finding it a little easier. Perhaps all the practice is finally beginning to help.

As I take my last bite of potpie, the violent heat of angry thoughts sends me spinning in my seat so fast I nearly choke.

“Simone, what is it?” Maeve says.

Connor stands in the doorway of the dining hall, scowling at our little group. He growls and walks out without bothering to eat. I shiver and turn back around.

“He won’t bother us,” Maeve says. “I’ll make sure of it.”

I smile weakly at her, but that can’t hide how uneasy Connor makes me feel. Something about him strikes me as vicious. And we’re already on his bad side.

Chapter Twelve

We’ve been at the Archives for a whole week. Now, instead of wandering through a garden or stream-lined woods, I wind my way through a forest of books. Some ancient and crumbling, others crisp and new, there are plenty of places for me to explore, and not as many anxious minds as there were in Sebastian’s village. In fact, I’m usually the noisiest thing here. Sometimes I laugh without thinking, disrupting the silence, and find myself shushed by the nearest librarian.

The library is set up in the round. The center of the building is a vast staircase that seems to curl up to the sky. The main floor houses living quarters for the librarians and guest rooms for people like us, as well as the kitchen and dining areas. I don’t even know how many floors there are, but all of them are filled with books and trinkets. The whole place aches with the weight of history. On each level, the shelves are tall and towering, made from a dark wood grain that is smooth under my palms in the newer areas and rough and worn in the oldest parts.