Quinn blinked at them. “Wait. Just take it back from him? You act like that’s so easy.” She shook her head with a laugh.

“Easy...” Hal shrugged. “Perhaps it won’t be easy, but if we go prepared, it’ll be easier.”

Quinn frowned and watched as Eric hovered erratically. “I had a dream.”

“Of bunnies and giliars?” Eric laughed in that cackling way he sometimes exhibited when he was extra excited.

“I don’t know what a giliar is, but no.” Quinn couldn’t shake the shiver that ran down her spine when Hoody saw her. She was fairly certain he recognized her, or at least that he’d be able to put two and two together and figure out who’d been eavesdropping. Taking that further, she was also aware that Kajaro had to know they had some sort of link, and would probably know more about it than she did. Hence, this whole thing could have been set up from the start. She looked up at Hal, her voice serious. “Just when did you find his location?”

“Earlier this morning,” he said, a quizzical look on his face. “As in morning in Halschius. I had several things to do to verify and figure out before I came here to deliver the news.”

So that meant it was some hours ago, before Quinn was transported to eavesdrop. At least that boded for a less likely connivance. “You realize it’s probably a trap, right?”

Hal shrugged easily, the fire in his eyes igniting briefly. “I’ve never encountered a trap I couldn’t escape. Don’t worry, Librarian, I’ll make sure you make it out too.” He said the last with a wink.

Quinn laughed, freeing up some of the anxiety she’d been feeling.

“Anyway.” Hal continued, narrowing his gaze and turning serious. “Just what do you mean you had a dream?”

“Oh, since the incident to retrieve DeKarlyle’s tome way back in my first few days here, where he put the mind bomb in my head, we’ve had this weird sort of dream link.” Quinn shrugged. “Milaro and I disposed of the bomb, and cleansed my mind, erected wards and protections, and some alarms. I regularly sweep my defenses just in case, but sometimes I do wonder.”

Hal held up a hand. “You had a mind bomb placed by Kajaro and now you get sucked into his dreams?”

“No.” Quinn said. “Well, actually yes to the mind bomb, but no to the sucked into his dreams. It’s not like that anymore. The first time it was, and I think his intent was to eliminate me. But the other times he’s always been surprised to see me. As if I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place.”

Hal paced and stroked his chin. He looked a bit like a huge black and red thundercloud. “But not dreams, so you’re experiencing the place he’s present in at the time he’s there. Are you the topic of discussion in these instances?” he asked the last quietly, almost as if he didn’t want to.

“Yeah, pretty much...” She squinted at him. “Why?”

He ran his hand over his head, tugging on one horn before he spoke. “Milaro should have checked closer. That’s conscious transference. Because of the connection you once had, you still possess a link to each other, which means that when Kajaro is specifically focused on you, it pulls you in.”

“Does that mean he’s doing it deliberately?” Quinn asked, a sickening lump forming in her stomach.

“I’m not entirely sure, but it’s something you need to be careful of. How did you pull yourself out of it today?”

“I focused on the knocking, and pulled myself out by anchoring myself to Aradie when she pecked my ear.” Quinn grimaced. “And I may have been seen by Hoody.”

“Hoody?” Hal raised an eyebrow. “The weird cloaked figure in the back?”

“Yeah, him. There were several people there, but I could only see about five of them. Basically, they want to infiltrate the Library, or storm the Library and do away with me.” Quinn paused as the memory hit her. She sobered and had to fight back a sudden well of emotion. “Oh. And. They were behind the people who killed my parents...”

Hal sucked in a sharp breath at that. But whatever he was about to say went unsaid, because the Library interrupted, speaking out loud and not just into Quinn’s head, its voice echoing throughout the bedroom.

This person in the hood, could you see anything about them that might stand out?

Quinn started at first, not expecting the Library to speak, and speak to everyone in the room. “Tall, pretty bulky. But then Uncle Hal is bulky, so that’s neither here nor there, right?”

There was silence for several seconds, so much that Quinn was about to ask Hal to say what he’d been going to earlier.

But then the Library spoke again. If you get close enough, Hal, could you tell if it’s him?

Hal sighed. “Of course I can tell if it’s him. I could smell the bastard from a thousand paces.”

He’s probably not hibernating at all. The Library sounded cross, quite put out in fact.

“It doesn’t make sense to be him.” Hal said, but Quinn could tell his stubbornness on the matter was limited. “Although...”

Exactly.

“If he was going to be like this, he shouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place.” Hal said hotly.

Quinn cleared her throat. “How about you clue me in?”

Hal blinked down at her. “Oh. Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

Apologies Quinn. I do need to run several scans to check for an inadvertent link. Otherwise it could simply be that Kajaro’s mind left an imprint on yours, because of your near death encounter with him, and because it was one of your first magical experiences. Doubling it up like that might have established a link through causation that neither of you have complete control over.

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“Sure.” Quinn said. “But that doesn’t actually explain any of your conversation to me at all.” She waited for several seconds and glared at Hal because she knew he wasn’t about to tell her unless she pressed. “Fine. I’ll bite the bullet and ask. Who is Hoody?”

The Library actually tsked. As if it somehow thought she wouldn’t catch onto their conversation. Quinn tapped her foot, waiting impatiently.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, it spoke up. It could be my brother.

Quinn raised an eyebrow, but she wasn’t exactly surprised by the fact. Frankly, she’d sort of been expecting some huge dragon conspiracy. Wasn’t that the way some of the books had been written back on Earth? It seemed like a highly logical conclusion to her. The Library had four siblings, two which were presumed to be hibernating because they were undetectable, and two who were off gallivanting around or something. “Is that supposed to shock me? We did have a discussion about your siblings if you’ll remember, and you did bring him up... I’m assuming it’s still that specific sibling.”

Well. Yes. The Library paused, as if having the wind taken out of its sales by the revelation not being a surprise had somehow let it down. Anyway. It could be my brother, but I can’t tell much right now. It’s why I’d like to look at your recollections. With permission?

Quinn shrugged. “Don’t see why not. We’re pretty much joined at the hip as is. Does your brother have a name?” she asked as the Library gained access to delve around in Quinn’s immediate memories.

Yes, he does. This time, the words echoed through her mind, reverberating off the sides like one of those super bounce balls. But names, especially our true names, have real power. Until I know that it’s him, I don’t wish to utter it just in case it triggers a summoning or locating portal.

“Perfectly understandable.” Quinn muttered. “Okay so, we’re thinking of setting off toward Kajaro and his band of little helpers, even though it’s very likely walking into a trap. You’re determined to do this then.”

Hal grinned. “Of course! That’s part of the fun. We can saunter in when they least expect us. Because I do believe they won’t be expecting us to go to them.”

They could be, though. The Library said, now out of Quinn’s mind.

“What do you mean?”

Their landscape is extremely unique. There’s only one sector they can be in, and in that sector there’s only about two planets they could be inhabiting right now. There is no way this wasn’t a deliberate choice. And I’m willing to bed that Kajaro is fully aware of the connection he has to Quinn. This was orchestrated. For a second, the Library paused, and Quinn could practically feel the grin emanating around her quarters as the Library hit on something. Of course, they don’t know that we know they know.

Quinn groaned. “Anything but this.”

Hal laughed and clapped his hands. “I’m listening.”

They don’t realize that we know what they’ve done is a trap. As far as they’re concerned, Quinn or another will come to retrieve the book. Kajaro hasn’t been shy about flashing around everywhere. This would lead to their ambush or putting a kink in the new Librarian’s trusted circle. What they won’t be expecting is for Quinn to have figured this all out. And if they weren’t setting a trap at all, and we’re overestimating their intelligence -- well, then we’re just over-prepared.

Quinn wasn’t sure she liked this plan. It hinged a lot on playing the players against themselves. Sort of. “What about the Library’s defenses though?” she asked, genuinely concerned.

The Library paused before answering. Misha has all fourteen security golems at our disposal. Plus, our regular golems have magical attributes as well and are fully capable of self defense, not to mention taking care of their category divisions. You’d be surprised what Cook can do with a knife.

That mental image made Quinn gulp. She could very well imagine how well Cook could filet all sorts of things with a knife if what they could do in the kitchen was anything to go by. “You make a valid point.” Still though...

“We won’t be taking everyone from here though, Librarian.” Hal said, his voice uncharacteristically tender. “You should bring Malakai, Aradie, and probably Eric over there.”

“I can hear you.” Eric said, sulking from where he hovered by the door.

“I know.” Hal turned back to Quinn. “Anyway. I have a couple of divisions I am willing to bring. We’ll see if Milaro has anyone he’s willing to spare to go with you.”

“But he needs to rest. He’s going to want to come with us,” Quinn butted in. She was worried about the older elf king. There was something off about him the last time she’d seen him, and she thought he needed more than a day or two to set it right.

Uncle Hal raised an eyebrow. “Really?” That one word held more concern for Milaro than Quinn ever thought the King of Halschius would show. There had to be so much more to that friendship rivalry. One of these days, she’d figure it out.

“Yes.”

“But we have to tell him,” Hal insisted. “He’ll know who he can send that’s trustworthy.”

Quinn knew he was right, even if she didn’t like the fact. “Fine. But I’ll get Malakai to deliver the message. He’s probably the only one who can out-stubborn his grandfather.”

“Very well, then we should...” But Hal trailed off as he watched Quinn pull the covers up and cover her head. “What are you doing?”

She spoke from beneath the covers, her voice muffled. “You do realize I’m still in bed, right?”

“Of course I do. I’m not blind.”

“I’d really like a chance to get out of bed, grab a shower, and put something other than a nightshirt on, and then we can talk about all the logistics for as long as you want.” She still refused to remove the blanket. Taking a stand and shooing them out of her bedroom after like half an hour was probably a little belated, but she’d really had enough of sitting half up in the bed. It always hurt her back after a while.

Hal sighed, and Quinn could feel as he moved. No matter how much smaller he made himself, he still moved like he was massive. Must have been old habits.

“Very well, Librarian. I shall meet you downstairs then. Perhaps in the culinary branch. I’ve suddenly got quite the appetite. Fighting... or potential fighting always seems to make me hungry.”

“I’ll be there shortly.” Quinn called after them, still not uncovering her head. Frankly, she had a bit of a headache. It was still pounding, probably from the dream visit she’d had. Aradie hooted the all clear. “Thanks.”

Her hair was filled with static electricity by the time she yanked the cover off her head, but her room was blessedly empty. Pushing herself up, she made her way to the shower, quickly washing under the hot stream of water. She knew those dreams weren't dreams, and that they were dangerous, because she’d encountered Kajaro in them more than once. He’d been reactive and present. Definitively there.

But, after encountering Hoody the potential Library brother... she realized just how dangerous they were.

Not only did she have to figure out how best to defend herself against being pulled in whenever the fancy struck Kajaro, but now she had to prepare for the trap they were definitely walking into.

Yanking a brush through her hair, she tossed it up in a high ponytail before wrapping it into a messy bun and shoved two hair pins into it. There. She was fighting ready.

Now all they had to do was come up with a plan of attack and pull it off successfully.

Otherwise known as any given Tuesday in the Library.