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‘Nothing too bad, I hope,’ Irene answered She didn’t recognize the woman, or the man who stood beside her ‘I don’t think we’ve met?’

‘I’m Penemue,’ the woed at first glance, with greying straw-coloured hair worn loose and an embroidered blue shirt and slacks worn even looser She nodded to the lasses while looking around the rooht off an attack on your world from Alberich some time back?’

‘That’s drastically overstated,’ Irene said ‘There was a book that Alberich was after, but it wasoff an attack And it was only a few ht I ask who told you about it?’

Peneet in contact with you for a while now Could we have coffee after our ?’

This all sounded perfectly innocent and reasonable, except for the metaphorical elephant in the rooed to block Alberich fro his natural abilities as a dragon But hardly anyone in the Library knew that Kai was a dragon – or, at least, was supposed to know that he was a dragon Native caution h I can’t stay long, I’m expected back shortly and I wouldn’t want to panic my assistant’

Penemue nodded ‘Don’t worry, I just want to set up so a the people ork in the field, like us, and I wanted to get you in on it I’ve heard so much about you, as one of the best operatives in the field’ She offered Irene her hand to shake ‘I’ether’

This was sounding suspiciously like a definite commitment, and Irene didn’t like to co on ‘We’re both Librarians,’ she said, forcing a s Penemue’s hand She wished she had some idea who the other woman actually was, and what her record was like It was atup on Library gossip

‘They’re letting us in!’ soe door The conversation broke off as everyone hurried to go through

Theroo up to becoh to handle hundreds of people rather than the several dozen who’d been waiting to enter The desks were of heavy iron, inlaid with green enah above was fitted with spotlights that focused on the table at the centre People’s feet rang loudly on the metal floor as they made their way down the ramps to jostle for seats in the front row

At the far end of the front row sat Bradaroup that had just entered, but had already been in the room It had been months since she and Irene had last met, but she still wore her hair in a sleek razor-cut, and her elegantly draped goas a deep jade-green silk She had a co up froaze met Irene’s for a moment and then she carefully looked away, not quite quickly enough for insult, but precisely enough that it was clear she wasn’t interested in interaction Irene wondered why Brada

‘Over here,’ Peneside her and Kallih this fast And while I’ve got you here, what really happened with you and Alberich?’

‘It was reallyhi around

At the epicentre of the hall, a group of clearly senior Librarians sat behind a long oak table, which looked painfully out of place against all the glass andthe clockwork fingers of her left hand against the table as she waited for the Librarians to settle thenized one: another senior Librarian, Kostchei She’d never had any personal dealings with him, but she’d been introduced once at a seminar, and he had a reputation – or possibly a notoriety – for cold co at the centre of the table, with a pen and paper in front of him His head was bald and his eyebrows barely there, but his beard was a thick braided mass which reached down to brush the table And his face had ingrained lines of exasperation and teers to her, but were all visibly old – apart froed woe wheelchair The wheelchair would explain her early retire out in the field

‘If I can have your attention’ The roo his hands in front of hi that his knuckles were swollen with arthritis ‘There will be a brief presentation on the current crisis, during which you will all keep silent You may then ask questions’

He waited for a h to speak, and he finally nodded

‘Yesterday e from the traitor Alberich He demanded that the Library surrender to him, accept him as its leader and allow him to enter it If we refused, he threatened to destroy us Naturally, we refused’