Back in the Library, Milaro watched Dottie. It was amazing, in his mind, how the superellex futora operated. She helped the check in desk, organized all of the assistants, and with help from Jasper and Geneva, orchestrated the retrieval of branch opening relevant books. He was impressed and was just about to tell her so.

But a very subtle ripple of power washed over him. He glanced around, realizing that no one else had felt it and frowned. Maybe it was in his head. He had been running himself ragged for the past few months, and a few days rest hadn't allowed him to completely recover yet.

Oh no. It was definitely there.

Milaro looked up as something shifted within the Library. Aradie perched on one of the pillars above him, and let out a low and even hoot, directed solely at him. Lynx was deep in conversation with Carafax and Siliqua somewhere else in the Library, trying to recover his memories. And so Milaro had promised to keep an eye on everything. He turned to Harish, who was fiddling with the console.

"Did you feel that?" he asked. "The slight hiccup in the Library's systems?"

"Just a bit of an adjustment I think," Harish shrugged. "I mean, they're recovering memories all the time right now, Sire. It's very obvious that there'll be fluctuations throughout the whole system."

"Yep, you're probably right," Milaro said, yet he was quite certain that wasn't it. He directed his conversation to the Library. What is that? he asked.

I don't know, the Library responded very slowly, as if it too was trying to make sense of the fluctuations emanating throughout the pocket dimension. Granted, they were very subtle. It wasn't something that the average layperson would notice, but for somebody like Milaro and the Library itself, who were very attuned to the different dimensional wavelengths, this was extremely obvious.

"You don't think they've gone and done something stupid, do you?" Milaro asked.

Well, the Library said and paused. What would you define as stupid?

Milaro chuckled. Harish raised an eyebrow, but he was used to the King speaking telepathically by now. He had known the man for millennia.

You make a good point, Milaro said to the Library. And yet, at the same time, I feel like we've missed something. How is the gathering of the books going?

I mean, I know, but how do you feel it's going? the Library asked.

Dottie and Geneva are working hard to get the rest of the books for the alchemical branch. I do believe we're close. I think we're down to single figures.

Well, that is marvelous, isn't it? So, could that be the shift?

No. No, it shouldn't shift until the branch actually opens, should it? Milaro asked.

He could almost sense as if the Library shrugged. Pretty much. It's not going to shift until the next... Wait a second. The Library paused, and Milaro could tell it was checking on something. After a few seconds, its awareness was back in front of him. The filtration chamber is still calm, and the power level... It's about to go over, but it has not yet shifted. So that's not it. I didn't think I'd miss that, but I've been preoccupied so I checked.

It was Milaro's turn to shrug, but he still couldn't shake the unease. I've no idea what this is. Are they in trouble, wherever they are? Could this be the connection's way of warning us that Quinn is in danger?

No, the Library said. Now, this is different than that. Quinn has definitely used her power, but she hasn't... Oh no, the Library said, pausing suddenly.

Okay, 'oh no' is a bad thing to say to somebody, and then not say anything further, Milaro said.

As if to accentuate that, there was a soft rumbling from the core of the Library. Subtle, not enough to alert anyone else. But Aradie swooped down, hooting soft and low, worry evident.

I... I think something may have flipped Quinn's switch. The Library muttered.

What do you mean it flipped her switch?

It seems she's tapped into some of her heritage. The Library's tone was filled with worry.

Her cosmicisodracus heritage? Milaro couldn't keep the incredulity out of his ttone

It's definitely there, and it's definitely strong. And I don't... the Library gasped. She's reaching for her power far too early. This can't be good.

In what way? Milaro tried his best to stay calm, but the Library was actually getting worked up.

There was a pause before the Library spoke again. It's not going to break the Library, but I am worried it might break Quinn. I can't tell from here.

Should we send people to help?

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Again the Library hesitated. I'm not sure she'll recognize friend from foe if we send in more people. She's... A few precious seconds past. I can only sense her on the periphery. Something's happened to trigger this, something dire.

Another slight shift echoed through the Library. No one but Aradie, Milaro, and the Library itself seemed to notice. At least that's what Milaro thought until Lynx popped into view directly in front of him at the check in desk. His eyes were fluctuating, and his body flickered. "She shouldn't be emerging this way. It's way too soon. Hal is going to be furious."

"Hal is with her." Milaro said, condensing the air around them to make sure they didn't panic any of the assistants or patrons. "He'll keep her safe."

Lynx's eyes finally settled and he studied Milaro for a long moment. "I don't think this will be as simple as that."

He's right. The Library said as yet another soft ripple of power ran through.

"That does seem more controlled than the initial bursts." He offered.

"More controlled and yet, she's upset... she's not herself." Lynx sounded so worried.

Milaro tried again. "Should we send help?"

Be ready to, but... from what I'm sensing through our connection right now, sending more people will only confuse her. She could lash out without realizing what she's doing.

"Then we have to hope she's still got enough control so Hal can help her keep her presence of mind." Milaro examined every avenue. "In the meantime, I'll figure out how we can help her."

~~

Power rippled under her scales, under her skin, and she felt alive. Like she did every time her mind activated one of those new fangled skills she didn't quite understand. Except this time, coldness crept through her, and Quinn couldn't help but revel in it. Her scales gave her a sense of being more protected than she had been before. Her mind was clear of everything: clear of the need to worry about anybody else, clear of the need to care about how she might damage anybody in the vicinity who wasn't her friend, and clear to objectively analyze the situation in front of her.

Kajaro took a step back at the sight of her. She could feel herself grinning, even though it wasn't something she'd initiated consciously. But that didn't matter anymore. Kajaro was there, right in front of her, being more of a pest than he had been the entire time she had known about him.

And she was done.

"What? You look surprised," she said. She didn't give him a chance to respond. Instead, as she said surprised, she pushed out her hand and with it, a force like a gale wind jettisoned out of her palm, straight into Kajaro's chest, pushing him over the coarse ground about 20 feet.

She looked at her hand and frowned. "Well, that didn't go nearly as far as I meant it to," she said. Then she shrugged, not that it mattered. She could sense everybody all around her. Everybody but Hal and Hoody were injured. They'd had enough power to protect themselves when Kajaro sent out his death disks.

She clicked her fingers, envisioning an ever so slight healing blanket that she guided to hit everybody who was allied with her. All it took was a thought to create and one to direct. Simple understanding of the mechanics behind the magic allowed her to combine what she knew. She didn't have time to check and see just how much healing each person needed. Her brain refused to focus on the fact that Malakai still lay motionless on the ground. All she took from that image was the anger and the fuel.

Because this time, Kajaro was going to pay.

"Did you think that would be enough?" Quinn said. "Did you think you'd hurt my friends? The people who've been taking care of me? And that I would suddenly cower in a corner?"

Kajaro shook his head and scrambled back up. But he was hunched over and Quinn could smell more than she could see the blood. He must have hit something on his way over the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Hoody began to move toward them. Yet Hal intercepted him. Good. At least you could count on them to keep out of the way.

"Nishpa, I'd appreciate it if you could make sure that I don't accidentally injure anybody," Quinn said. "Heal the others up. Take care of Mal."

"Quinn?" Nishpa asked. Her voice sounded like it was concerned. "Quinn, I'm not sure he..."

"Heal who you can," she said, without answering the question in Nishpa's voice. The Firionas Fae also sounded like she was miles away when Quinn knew she wasn't. And that was fine. Everything was fine.

She could sense the way the Firionas was stuck in indecision. She didn't know whether to come and help Quinn or remain and heal those she could. The healing that Quinn had sent out was minuscule in comparison to what Nishpa could accomplish. But it had, luckily, stopped some of the worst gashes on every single one of them. The Librarian could sense the blood flow stopping in general, too obstinate to check each individual, a little too scared.

"I don't think this is going to work out, Kajaro," she said. She was angry. So angry. Why? Why had he wanted to make her pay by making her watch him hurt her friends? That didn't even make sense. What sort of person, what sort of being did that?

She looked up and she could feel this strange light, almost see it from her eyes, coming from her eyes. She glanced down at her hands, the blue and gold scales giving her claws. She cocked her head to one side as Kajaro managed to right himself completely. He stood still about seven feet to her five odd.

"You're still tiny but you're not human?" His voice gave away his consternation. "How?"

Quinn shrugged. "I'm just being me. You, on the other hand, you need to stop."

And as she spoke the word, she clenched her fist. Suddenly, Kajaro was wracked by pain. It blitzed through his whole system like a completely different grade of electricity running through him. She made sure that it worked its way out. Because everybody's bodies had some element of electricity in them, didn't they? She wanted him to pay. She wanted him to hurt. And she wanted all the information in his head.

"How about this time we lock your mind away?" And then Quinn decided that speaking was overrated. She leveled a mind bomb at him, one that she devised herself. It was probably nothing like the one that he had leveled at her back when they first fought, but it should do some of the job.

He held up his hands crossed over each other in front of his face and barely managed to avoid being hit by her first strike. She shrugged and moved faster than she'd realized she could, so that she sort of stumbled as she came to the left-hand side of him. She threw yet another one and another one aimed at his head, bolts designed to simply dig into his skull and retrieve whatever she could, however she could, regardless of damage left behind.

"You hurt him," she said, anger making her voice tremble. "You hurt so many people."

But Kajaro wasn't to be outdone. He sent out shocks of his own, dangerously close to Quinn. Multiple, raging electrical shocks. At first, as she saw them coming toward her, she was mildly concerned. But calm overcame her as she assessed them, inspected them and realized that they were mundane electricity and all she had to do was swipe them to the side while channeling her earthen affinity. Grounding them, and allowing them to peter out.

Doing so, she realized that it looked like she blocked them from each side, sending the electricity fizzling into nothingness.

And that's when Dravishk yelled, "She can't exist, there's no way that's happened."

But Hal actually chuckled, "You've been a little bit too busy sabotaging your sister to be able to say that."

The words clicked in Quinn's head, as definitive confirmation of who Dravishk was came to the fore. Even though the voices were distant, it all made sense now. All except Malakai being an idiot. All except Malakai still not moving.

"And now," she said, tearing her attention back to herself, "for your next trick."

Kajaro spluttered. "This makes no sense," he ground out, the S's in his words sibilant to a fault. "You make no sense!"

"Oh," Quinn said, suddenly very glad to be what she was. She threw out another strike of lightning combined with one of her mind bombs, and this time it hit. "I'm the only one here who makes perfect sense."

Kajaro screamed.