The grim-looking building next to the fast-food restaurant was a library. Despite the years that have been wearing it down it managed to retain the most vivid elements of the age it was built in. The monstrous creations that hung from its windows and the strange ornaments that decorated the roof were once meant to have a dignifying effect. They spoke of the importance of the things that hid behind those walls so that even monsters could not peek behind its veil.

The night had already fallen and the closing hours of the library were mere minutes away. The sky-blue carpet stretched far from the entrance, climbing up the curved staircase down the middle and from there led to the four levels the library had to offer.

The front desk stood a little taller than any modern standards would allow and it instilled a slight dose of dread inside the eyes of the visitors. They never knew who or what might appear from the other side.

“Evening,” said Ori and gave a small bow to the woman behind the desk.

“We’re closing soon. You should come tomorrow,” she said in a slow, unbothered tone. Her eyes were locked on a crossword puzzle in the newspaper and she wrote down every letter as if it were a calligraphy exam.

Ori cleared his throat and tried again. “Evening,” he said loudly.

The old lady twitched and pointed her pen at the intruder. Her eyes followed after, only to land on someone she did not expect. “Orelin? Is that you?” She squinted her eyes and then removed her glasses to see better. “Why, I almost didn’t recognize you with that haircut. Is that how they wear it in the capital these days?”

“I assumed your hearing has gotten worse, judging how old you are, but I never thought you’d forget my beautiful face as well,” he returned and smiled.

“Oh you miscreant, my hearing is still sharper than your tongue.” She threw away the newspaper and fixed her glasses. “I still haven’t found it if that’s why you’re here,” she whispered leaning in.

“No. I’m here because I’m on a case.”

“You’re doing that again? You told me you’ll never be an investigator again after all that mess you were in last time.”

“I know. But I came to realize this is the only thing I’m good at.”

“Self pity does not suit you Orielin,” she said with a motherly concern. “What about… U…um… you know who? Did you meet him lately?”

“Lady Pricklebone, I would prefer if we moved to the topic of books, rather than… my old enemies.” returned Ori as his smile disappeared. He preferred to live his days without a reminder that there was someone out there who held his fate in their hands.

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She knocked on the desk a couple of times, got off her chair, passed through the small wooden gate and descended into the open lobby. She was surprisingly quick for an old lady and before Ori could complain she led him up the stairs and into the children’s book section.

“Why here? Did you move it again?” Ori asked once all he could see were entire collections of colouring books full of fairy tales and unicorns.

“Yes,” she returned shuffling through the keys she had in her hand. There were dozens of them, all very similar to one another and neither that looked big enough to open a real door.

“Where?”

“Patience, I’m old.”

Finally, she selected an entirely ordinary piece of metal and stuck it inside the edge of a shelf, just under the copper plate stating the shelf number. When she turned it once it made a soft musical sound. When she turned it twice it shifted to the side. Upon the third spin, it fell through, and the shelf became a door into a dark room.

She tapped the wall on the inside until she found a light switch and let the single incandescent lamp lit up the room. Small as it was, the air was heavy with the smell of old paper. Once lit up, it revealed four shelves covering each of the walls, from the floor to the ceiling. In the middle stood a table with two chairs and a book stall in the middle.

“We had to downsize,” said Penny. “For the sake of the books. I still don’t think we should let everyone know we keep these here of our own accord.”

Ori went around the room, from one side to another, as if he’d long forgotten that those forbidden books still existed in the heart of the city. It was a privilege, more than anything, to still be able to lay his fingers on them without a thick stack of papers and permissions standing in the way. Such collections existed on the fringes or in the most hidden of places, awaiting their inevitable end at the hands of bureaucracy.

“What are you after this time? Though I don’t suppose we have anything you haven’t already read. Should I remind you the last time we updated the inventory was two centuries ago?” She smiled and her golden teeth glimmered in the light.

“That’s how I know you have what I want.” He moved to the section with old languages, carefully following the titles. “Do you still keep the “Lexicon of Malis and other Dead Languages” by Aika Rauffen?

“Number 43, if it were,” mumbled Penny. “Let me see.”

She dragged over the ladder and climbed to the top as if it were only a single step. She unlocked a long chain that hung from the shelf and began to pull out different books from their resting place.

“Was it red?” she yelled from above.

“No, it was a blue edition I think it's older than that.”

She would descend a few steps and look at another row of books and would do that several times over until she was back at the bottom.

“I’m afraid, it’s been checked out,” she said holding a yellowish note and looking it over. “And quite some time ago.”

“Checked out? By who? Is that even allowed?”

“You know I’m not supposed to share this information with people.”

Ori smirked and presented her with his hand marking which lit up the room stronger than the old lamp. “I’m not people. I’m technically police.”

“Oh, please, Orelin. You don’t have to blind me with that thing. I’m just trying to be diligent. There,” she said handing him the record. “It would be nice if someone brought the book back to me.”

“Thank you Penny.”

She slapped her hands together several times and let the dust settle down. “Are you sure about that haircut?”

“Goodbye Penny.”