It was like any other library he'd ever seen. A bit drab, but obviously loved and cared for by the people who used and curated it.

He could see an almost endless array of books inside, but he was a bit worried about how to ask for the magical books.

Was he to just walk in and ask for the magical section? Was there even a magical section? He was so deep in thought that he missed the first few times the soft voice called to him.

"Psst! Hey there! Hey! HEY!" Gerald whirled around shocked.

"You need a bit of help don't you, I can help with access."

"What are you doing? Right here God damn it. Oh you think you can ignore me cause you're fucking ambulatory?"

It took Gerald entirely too long to realise it was the squirrel statue at the bottom left of the door that was speaking to him.

Gerald very carefully was not shocked, the newer he seemed the surer he was that people would take advantage of him.

"Hi there. Sorry, I didn't realise we were allowed to speak to you"

Like Jenny, the mouth of the statue didn't not move when it spoke. But he noticed it had a way of switching expressions between his blinks.

Now it was frowning.

"Did that douchbag Fabiana warn you not to listen to me? Well fuck her, I'm gonna give you something special then."

The squirrel was smiling now, in that sleazy way a cartoon salesman does.

"You are?"

"Yeah, just spread the word that I'm a good guy. That little bastard has been telling people I stiffed him on an agreement and she's the one who brought me the wrong book."

"So what can you do for me?"

"So you want a pass to the other section right? I can give it to you, provided you bring me a book from there."

"Just a book, yeah, no catches?"

"Fine, you want an agreement, I'll give you a pass to section on condition that you bring me the compendium of the Maharal, agreed?"

Gerald tried to examine the agreement from as many angles as possible, but for all he knew this was the only way to get access to the magical section. He didn't want to go in and ask for access like a complete rube.

"Agreed"

With the energy of the street still swirling in him, Gerald could feel what he assumed was the squirrel's magic form a structure right on the squirrel's head.

"What are you waiting for? put your hand on my head."

Gerald gingerly placed his hand on the squirrel's surprisingly warm head. While it was made of stone he could faintly feel the squirrel's fur as if through a barrier.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

With a twinge of pain, a dense tattoo seemed to burn itself into the top of his arm.

"Um… what book are you looking to find in the restricted section anyway. Someone like you, why would you need … it's not my place, carry on, don't forget about our deal."

Gerald took off into the library with Jenny hot on his heels. At the very end, the squirrel's face had transformed into uncertainty and Gerald had come in before it could change its mind.

He felt that he might have been pushing his bluff too far.

Inside, he realised the squirrel might have been playing game on him instead. The concentration of magic was so obviously heading a particular direction that he was certain he could have found his way anyway.

It wasn't a particularly difficult task to find the area with the highest concentration of magic. It was out in the open. He wondered how people didn't just stumble straight onto it. Only to see a man walk straight in and see his eyes go blank and immediately turn around.

He'd seen a lot of magical stories in the world and he assumed a kind of forget me field around the magic.

He'd just reached the magazine section, and what shock to find the magic had dailies and magazines when he felt the squirrel's agreement tug on him.

He dutifully followed it and found himself in front of a book with a giant stone statue on the cover. He flipped through it and tried to ensure he wasn't releasing death and destruction into the world, but it was just a detailed account of the old story of a monk who animated a stone statue.

It was pretty clear the squirrel wanted to move around. It was also clear part of the reason people weren't to speak to him was to prevent the exact thing from happening. Gerald felt it was a bit cruel.

"Jenny, could you take this book to the squirrel I was speaking to outside?"

"If you'd like me too Gerald."

Gerald watched the dog bound off with the book in hand. He waited a little anxiously until he felt the compulsion to satisfy the agreement die.

Only for the magical brand on his arm to form an instant spike of pain that dug into his arm. Instantly a severe woman appeared next to him, frowning.

"You destroyed a book"

"What? No, aaaargh,. , I …. I just gave it ….. to … to …. the squirrel outside, who are you?"

"Quiet, you're in a library, I'm the librarian, Why?"

"Aaaaaaaargh! I ... felt sorry … for … him."

The librarian frowned and waved her arms. Through the haze, Gerald could feel the world move as he did when he had the streetwalker spell active. He found himself in a large stone room surrounded by metal bars.

"Well he destroyed the book, but you took it from off the shelf, now I'm going to need your hand."

Gerald gladly put his hand onto the waiting palm of the librarian.

"You made a deal, but there's an implied agreement from taking that brand to gain access to the restricted section, as I'm sure you know. What made you think that pitiful protection spell would protect you from a Library?"

Gerald could barely hear the woman speak, the pain was making his vision waiver and black spots were beginning to appear before his eyes.

"You fucked up, now as it it is with these things there's a way out. You must swear yourself to our order or the pain will never end.

Gerald cursed, the pain seemed to be getting worse and worse. He tried to call for Jenny but all he could focus on was the ever increasing pain. He vomited.

The librarian frowned in distaste. "Come on, hurry up and say the words. We've all felt it, we've all said the words." Her face softened.

Gerald blinked at the librarian in confusion. The very thought was anathema to his soul. He'd just gotten back control of his life.

The librarian started speaking again, but her voice came out fuzzy as if speaking through a mattress. She turned her hand to face him, palm up, there was a rusty, wicken knife. Gerald knew what he had to do.

He lunged at the knife. The librarian, shocked, dropped it. With it in hand, Gerald extended his right arm and brought the knife in an awkward stab at the limb.

The brand looked inflamed, veins distended all round it with a sickly red colour. Muscles were tight. Trying to scrape the brand off brought no mercy, in fact it seemed to just make whatever magic was in the brand dig in deeper.

There was another way.

He brought it down perpendicularly at his elbow. At first, there was an almost visible layer of protection that seemed to blunt his knife and made cutting into it feel like cutting into soft wood, but his determination was unbeatable.

Eventually he managed to turn a switch in his head that removed the arm from what he perceived as his body, it almost instantly fell off.

As if by magic, and it almost certainly was, the raw inflamed wound stopped bleeding immediately. The flow of pain slowed down to what was effectively a trickle.

"I think we can say that you paid for the book"

The librarian said, glibly, she taken his arm, and was playing around with it, it looked surprisingly alive. If there was any question she was not a normal librarian, it was gone.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

Gerald was panting on the ground and covered in sweat and blood. His head was swimming. But he knew enough to never accept anything anyone else offered him for free ever.

"What you've done. What you've chosen to give in exchange for the book, is something people hardly ever do. In fact in all the branches of this institution, it's only been done a handful of times. You've paid more than enough for a cup of tea, and whatever else you might need to go on your way."

Gerald considered. He was new, alone and whatever little power he had, Jenny had made it clear the consequences were his to suffer.

"Truly?"

The librarian almost seemed understanding.

"You've done enough, I think you came here for a little information, I'm willing to send you away with a story or two. You've truly paid for it all"

Gerald ginger stood up, ignoring the proffered hand of the librarian.

"I'm Gerald"

"You may call me Fabiana, shall we?"

He nodded, cradling his assaulted elbow. The world wavered.