though, even as she attended to the boy.
Fawbry shook Owl's hand. "It's a great honor to meet you."
Owl had heard about this type of reaction but he had never experienced it before. He'd never been far enough away from the Order before for such an encounter to occur. He tried not to smile, but his mouth refused to listen.
"Don't worry about Queen Salia," Fawbry went on. "We can handle a dozen Queens. Right, Malja? She's incredibly tough. And Tommy, too. He's more than you think. Not that you can't handle the Queen yourself. I'm sure the order has lots of men like you."
The joy swept away from Owl and he lowered his head. If the Order had been filled with men like him — cowards who played dead upon the body of their Masters — Salia would have taken over long ago. He glanced at Malja and Tommy. They fussed with each other like a mother and child. He thought of all the parents and children in Penmarvia.
"Listen to me," he said, and the force of his voice sparked the others' attentions. He intended to tell them of Fawbry's parents, to use that connection as motivation for their help, but watching them together, he paused. Instead, he told them of the Queen's trickery, the betrayal of Brother X, the death of Chief Master. The rest he left unsaid. "She has destroyed the Order, killed off the magicians, and is coming here. But it won't be a simple fight against an army. She's got control of the Library."
Fawbry gasped.
"What library?" Malja asked.
Fawbry rushed toward Malja, tripping in his excitement. "The Library. It's a legend even greater than the Order. After the Devastation, some members of the Order of Kryssta discovered a powerful location in Penmarvia, far to the North. It pulsed with magical energy. They built a temple around it and studied it. Over the years, they wrote the Twelve Books about what they learned; forming a Library that holds secrets to great power."
"And Salia has these books?" Malja asked, rising with a stern look on her face.
"She does," Owl said. "But the books are useless to her now — they are in code. Chief Master told me of a thirteenth book that should offer the key. I've got to find it before Salia. If she gets the key, she'll use the Library."
"And?"
Owl shrugged. "Nobody's ever used it before."
Fawbry paced from Owl to Malja and back. "You don't get it. This Library is massive magic. It can be used for just about anything. It's like a direct conduit to the brother gods."
"You're talking legends," Malja said.
"Your man might be right," Owl said.
Malja, Tommy, and Fawbry broke into laughter. "My man?" she said. "Fawbry is not and never will be my man."
Trying not blush, Owl said, "The reality is that the Library is barely contained power. If Queen Salia gets control of it, she'll have an incredible weapon to use against Corlin. She could cause a miniature Devastation throughout your lands. She might even open holes into other worlds and drop all of your people in."
A strange look crossed Malja's face, and Owl feared he had, once more, said something wrong. Fawbry's smile faltered and Tommy crossed his arms. This was a complex trio. Owl had to navigate them cautiously.
He decided to bring Fawbry's parents into the conversation as a way of regaining some control, but Malja narrowed her eyes and said, "Are you talking about portals to other worlds?"
"I-It's only what I've been taught. That the Library could possibly do that. But there's plenty of myth mixed in with the facts of the Library. Portals may just be some Master's imagination. I've never seen such a thing."
With a dark expression, Malja said, "We have."
Owl's chest knotted tight as Malja's expression and words crashed into him. If Queen Salia could open a portal, then his failure on the Great Field was more than a personal failing against Brother X. It was more than a failing against this world which would end up under Salia's control. His failure may destroy world upon world. He wanted to throw up.
"Please help
Fawbry shook Owl's hand. "It's a great honor to meet you."
Owl had heard about this type of reaction but he had never experienced it before. He'd never been far enough away from the Order before for such an encounter to occur. He tried not to smile, but his mouth refused to listen.
"Don't worry about Queen Salia," Fawbry went on. "We can handle a dozen Queens. Right, Malja? She's incredibly tough. And Tommy, too. He's more than you think. Not that you can't handle the Queen yourself. I'm sure the order has lots of men like you."
The joy swept away from Owl and he lowered his head. If the Order had been filled with men like him — cowards who played dead upon the body of their Masters — Salia would have taken over long ago. He glanced at Malja and Tommy. They fussed with each other like a mother and child. He thought of all the parents and children in Penmarvia.
"Listen to me," he said, and the force of his voice sparked the others' attentions. He intended to tell them of Fawbry's parents, to use that connection as motivation for their help, but watching them together, he paused. Instead, he told them of the Queen's trickery, the betrayal of Brother X, the death of Chief Master. The rest he left unsaid. "She has destroyed the Order, killed off the magicians, and is coming here. But it won't be a simple fight against an army. She's got control of the Library."
Fawbry gasped.
"What library?" Malja asked.
Fawbry rushed toward Malja, tripping in his excitement. "The Library. It's a legend even greater than the Order. After the Devastation, some members of the Order of Kryssta discovered a powerful location in Penmarvia, far to the North. It pulsed with magical energy. They built a temple around it and studied it. Over the years, they wrote the Twelve Books about what they learned; forming a Library that holds secrets to great power."
"And Salia has these books?" Malja asked, rising with a stern look on her face.
"She does," Owl said. "But the books are useless to her now — they are in code. Chief Master told me of a thirteenth book that should offer the key. I've got to find it before Salia. If she gets the key, she'll use the Library."
"And?"
Owl shrugged. "Nobody's ever used it before."
Fawbry paced from Owl to Malja and back. "You don't get it. This Library is massive magic. It can be used for just about anything. It's like a direct conduit to the brother gods."
"You're talking legends," Malja said.
"Your man might be right," Owl said.
Malja, Tommy, and Fawbry broke into laughter. "My man?" she said. "Fawbry is not and never will be my man."
Trying not blush, Owl said, "The reality is that the Library is barely contained power. If Queen Salia gets control of it, she'll have an incredible weapon to use against Corlin. She could cause a miniature Devastation throughout your lands. She might even open holes into other worlds and drop all of your people in."
A strange look crossed Malja's face, and Owl feared he had, once more, said something wrong. Fawbry's smile faltered and Tommy crossed his arms. This was a complex trio. Owl had to navigate them cautiously.
He decided to bring Fawbry's parents into the conversation as a way of regaining some control, but Malja narrowed her eyes and said, "Are you talking about portals to other worlds?"
"I-It's only what I've been taught. That the Library could possibly do that. But there's plenty of myth mixed in with the facts of the Library. Portals may just be some Master's imagination. I've never seen such a thing."
With a dark expression, Malja said, "We have."
Owl's chest knotted tight as Malja's expression and words crashed into him. If Queen Salia could open a portal, then his failure on the Great Field was more than a personal failing against Brother X. It was more than a failing against this world which would end up under Salia's control. His failure may destroy world upon world. He wanted to throw up.
"Please help
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