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Oh, the paper Shocking reareat,frouorously from one corner of the library to the next,their covers and pages like birds in flight

And all around the building, on both levels of this Alexandrian structure were people just nonchalantly walking and weaving through, getting a day’s work in People in tweed suits, a standard shirt and tie, a gothic Lolita here or there, a girl who arde runway – there clearly wasn’t a dress code here And the craziest thing of all was that nobody see coffee, talking around water coolers, clacking away at their laptops, like this was normal

I looked down at myself, at the worn patch over the knee into sully the glea wooden floor of this Lorica, as they called it My feet looked totally pedestrian against the carpet, with its intricate woven patterns that I was one-hundred percent sure were shifting and swirling even as I watched

“I I can’t”

That was all I could e Thea smiled kindly, then took my hand “Can, and will, Dustin Headquarters can be overwhelet used to it in due time This is the first step into your new life, and if you play your cards right, your new office” She released ainst the parquet

Play ht it meant? I had a job here? A future?

Chapter 6

“Okay, I’m not sure what you meant by all that exactly, but was that a job offer?”

Thea’s eyes narrowed, the apples of her cheeks lifting as she suppressed a smile “Not quite yet There needs to be an – assessment” She took off down the corridor

“Wait Where are we – ”

Thea looked over her shoulder, an irin on her lips “Follow and you’ll see, Mr Graves” She gestured here and there at things I hardly cared about – “and there’s a drinking fountain, and the copy h that door if you need the discussing anything that I was actually burning to learn about, like as up with all the fires, how did the paper do that, and why the hell was that one guy wrestling a book to the ground and wrapping it in chains?

“I’ve already s work around here Everyone has soic, but we all have our specialties Those who o to the Hands”

“Combat?”

“Things can get dangerous, so it’s helpful to have one or two staffers who can throw fireballs on co strike”

The hairs on the back ofway That sounded aweso that I wanted to be a Hand Was that why Thea was giving uided tour?