politics, instead we'd landed in the middle of a disaster that felt right out of the middle ages.
"Turn here," Noah said pointing to a narrow hallway that looked like it led to a utility closet, at best. I tramped down the hall after him, followed it around as it curved to the left and came to a dead stop.
A cavernous room opened up in front of me, at least thirty feet high and twice as long and deep. Bookshelves lined both side walls from top to bottom with tall ladders on wheels attached to each one. At the back of the room I was surprised to see actual windows, their design matching the arches of the doors on the breezeways outside. The view through them was a spectacular sweep of pristine forest and another ridge of mountains beyond.
Tables were scattered throughout in various nooks and alcoves, many of them cluttered with books, and something that looked like a small laboratory in the back left corner. My next surprise was the sight of Dr. Barrett bent over a microscope, a pair of round-framed glasses perched on the end of his nose. As we closed in on him, Noah called out a greeting and the doctor looked up.
Peering over the top of his glasses, he spotted us and his expression brightened as we finished off the last few yards and stopped in front of him. "Noah, my boy! And Miss Addison. Delightful. I'll just be a moment."
He turned and picked up a syringe, releasing a drop of what looked like blood into a petri dish. Going to the sink installed in the corner, he threw the syringe into a trashcan and then thoroughly washed his hands. "What brings you to my library?" he asked, sauntering back to us while drying them on a scrap of fabric that might have once been a towel.
"Apparently entertainment," I said.
Dr. Barrett's soft blue eyes twinkled. "Did you finish the stack of books I gave you already, my boy?" he asked Noah.
"All but two," my assigned escort said. "I was wondering if you had any more?"
Dr. Barrett directed him to a cluttered table in a corner and then turned back to me. "And what is of particular interest to you, Miss Addison?"
"For starters, how's Agent Miller? Then after that, how do you know my name? Because the only way that's possible is if you've been doing some digging." I never had been comfortable with people wanting to know too much about me. Now more than ever.
He laughed and tossed the towel onto the stack of papers covering one of three desks strewn around his lab. "Luke will be on his feet by tomorrow. A contusion, just as he said, and a small laceration that only needed a few stitches. We had a good time catching up." He moved past me and strolled to one of the walls of bookshelves. I followed him.
"Now I would like to help you." He picked a ladder and climbed up it as spry as a squirrel. Pushing off with one foot, he glided down a few columns of books and stopped himself expertly when he reached whatever it was he was looking for. He skimmed his finger along the spines of the row of books next to him and pulled out one volume and then another. Tucking a book under each arm, he grabbed the smooth supports of the ladder, braced his feet on them, and slid down like an old-fashioned firefighter.
Ambling back to me, he held out the two leather bound volumes. "These will help you find the answers you seek," he said with a smile.
I crossed my arms. " Where History and Myth Collide ," I said, reading the title of the top book. "Catchy."
He held up the book under it.
" Demons Between Dimensions ," I read. "Seriously?"
"I don't recommend reading this one before bedtime."
My intuition started buzzing, but I had no idea what it was saying.
"He's never wrong when he recommends a book," Noah said, coming up to stand beside me. His arms were loaded down with a stack of novels and what looked like a manga series.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
The boy shrugged. "It's always what you're looking for. Even if you don't know it yet."
I took the books from Dr. Barrett and
"Turn here," Noah said pointing to a narrow hallway that looked like it led to a utility closet, at best. I tramped down the hall after him, followed it around as it curved to the left and came to a dead stop.
A cavernous room opened up in front of me, at least thirty feet high and twice as long and deep. Bookshelves lined both side walls from top to bottom with tall ladders on wheels attached to each one. At the back of the room I was surprised to see actual windows, their design matching the arches of the doors on the breezeways outside. The view through them was a spectacular sweep of pristine forest and another ridge of mountains beyond.
Tables were scattered throughout in various nooks and alcoves, many of them cluttered with books, and something that looked like a small laboratory in the back left corner. My next surprise was the sight of Dr. Barrett bent over a microscope, a pair of round-framed glasses perched on the end of his nose. As we closed in on him, Noah called out a greeting and the doctor looked up.
Peering over the top of his glasses, he spotted us and his expression brightened as we finished off the last few yards and stopped in front of him. "Noah, my boy! And Miss Addison. Delightful. I'll just be a moment."
He turned and picked up a syringe, releasing a drop of what looked like blood into a petri dish. Going to the sink installed in the corner, he threw the syringe into a trashcan and then thoroughly washed his hands. "What brings you to my library?" he asked, sauntering back to us while drying them on a scrap of fabric that might have once been a towel.
"Apparently entertainment," I said.
Dr. Barrett's soft blue eyes twinkled. "Did you finish the stack of books I gave you already, my boy?" he asked Noah.
"All but two," my assigned escort said. "I was wondering if you had any more?"
Dr. Barrett directed him to a cluttered table in a corner and then turned back to me. "And what is of particular interest to you, Miss Addison?"
"For starters, how's Agent Miller? Then after that, how do you know my name? Because the only way that's possible is if you've been doing some digging." I never had been comfortable with people wanting to know too much about me. Now more than ever.
He laughed and tossed the towel onto the stack of papers covering one of three desks strewn around his lab. "Luke will be on his feet by tomorrow. A contusion, just as he said, and a small laceration that only needed a few stitches. We had a good time catching up." He moved past me and strolled to one of the walls of bookshelves. I followed him.
"Now I would like to help you." He picked a ladder and climbed up it as spry as a squirrel. Pushing off with one foot, he glided down a few columns of books and stopped himself expertly when he reached whatever it was he was looking for. He skimmed his finger along the spines of the row of books next to him and pulled out one volume and then another. Tucking a book under each arm, he grabbed the smooth supports of the ladder, braced his feet on them, and slid down like an old-fashioned firefighter.
Ambling back to me, he held out the two leather bound volumes. "These will help you find the answers you seek," he said with a smile.
I crossed my arms. " Where History and Myth Collide ," I said, reading the title of the top book. "Catchy."
He held up the book under it.
" Demons Between Dimensions ," I read. "Seriously?"
"I don't recommend reading this one before bedtime."
My intuition started buzzing, but I had no idea what it was saying.
"He's never wrong when he recommends a book," Noah said, coming up to stand beside me. His arms were loaded down with a stack of novels and what looked like a manga series.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
The boy shrugged. "It's always what you're looking for. Even if you don't know it yet."
I took the books from Dr. Barrett and
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