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‘About your friend,’ Vale said, leaning forward, bracing his elbows on his knees The cab jolted as it turned a corner ‘Do you think Silver’s accusations regarding her identity are correct?’

Irene would have liked to ly deny it, but she honestly didn’t think it would work She wondered how ht have deduced about Brada It was the sort of thing that she would expect him to do ‘I wish that I knew ht that she’d been in London,’ or in this alternate, ‘long enough to have done such a thing And I can’t think why she’d do it!’

‘It is a coh technique,’ Vale said austerely, ‘to establish a pattern of thefts in order to conceal a single one If she was planning to steal that book, then she could also have been the perpetrator of those early thefts to canificance’

Irene considered that idea It sounded uncomfortably plausible ‘But ould Bradamant have needed to hide the theft?’ she said out loud After all, Bradamant herself could have just left the alternate i the book But did she want the book for herself, or was she seeking it for the Library? She was here without authorizationIrene’s blood went cold Could Bradamant have turned traitor to the Library?

Kai was only a step behind her ‘But if she was trying to hide her theft froan

Vale frowned He raised a hand to interrupt Kai ‘A rock Driver!’ He hae ‘Driver! Why are we going this way?’

Irene pulled back theshade She couldn’t recognize the buildings going past outside, but they were clearly on a an, then yelped in shock as chaotic power flared across theShe ers back just in tie, Kai flinched back fro into Vale

‘Driver!’ Vale shouted ‘What is going on?’

The cab jolted as it speeded up again ‘The name is Alberich,’ a voice called fro of the wheels and the creaking of the carriage ‘I suggest you ask your friends what that means, Mr Vale’

Irene was conscious that she’d probably gone pale, but she was too busy trying not to shake with sheer terror to spendabout it She couldn’t handle this – she couldn’t – her hand was still infected – this was Alberich, the Alberich, the one who had been cast out of the Library, there was no way she could handle this

‘Brace, Miss Winters,’ Vale instructed Kai, then kicked out at the door with a coiled strength that should have burst it open

It didn’t The door stayed firmly in position, and the walls of the cab flexed with it as if it was a continuous part of the cab’s structure Vale recoiled into his seat, thrown back by his own force, and bit back a muffled oath

‘I’m afraid you Librarians have become an inconvenience,’ the voice called down Male, Irene noted with the part of her brain that was capable of doing so other than shudder and try to hide No discernible accent Precise Soh she’d heard someone else speak in the same way ‘I require that book for my own collection A pity to lose you as well, Mr Vale, but I draw the line at stopping the cab to let you out’