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The late afternoon sunshine caught the stone surround of the fireplace, painting it a lovely jammy orange color, which gave him an idea for the color of the tavern’s menus.

Orange would contrast so well with the black and white floor tiles he’d been trying to stop himself from wanting and imagining all day. The bar placement would be so much better away from the fireplace. And Luna had been correct about adding sofas and the bookshelves. That had been his instinct as well. He could picture it…

This time he didn’t cut his imagination off. He gave it space and let his ideas run wild.

The bar could be moved to the wall on the right-hand side of the tavern, angled so the front corner opened up. He could put two wingbacked armchairs there, and possibly a love seat, gathered around a small game table. He’d add a bookshelf there in addition to the ones on either side of the hearth. They wouldn’t have to be huge, just enough for a hundred or so books. And the books would be used ones, the kind with cracked spines and the odd bent page. He’d search for ones with notes in the margins and a whiff of the previous owner’s baking.

There would be lamps on the ledges in the front window. In the dark wintertime months, you’d see those lights beckoning from the street. And further back on the mantel, Debbie would be glowing with borrowed firelight.

He could picture it all. For a single moment of clarity, he held the whole vision in his mind’s eye and basked in the warmth of it. Then he reached into his back pocket for his notebook to start crunching the numbers.

THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL MAGIC

Keepers of the Extraordinary

The Museum of Natural Magic cordially invites you and one guest to attend the private opening of its new permanent exhibition dedicated to the mysteries of the

Great Library of Alexandria

on the evening of the 3rd of August, from seven o’clock.

This exhibition presents the most significant collection of Alexandrian artifacts assembled since the Library’s destruction, including several items of exceptional provenance recovered in excavations of the harbor approach. Light refreshments will be served.

Dress is magical casual.

RSVP to the Museum’s Office of Public Programs at your earliest convenience.

SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL MAGIC

Office of the Director

This reply has been generated automatically by a standing correspondence charm. Director Berman is currently away from her office and has not read your correspondence. She will respond personally upon her return.

Amrita Berman Director, Society for the Protection of Natural Magic

TWELVE

LATE NIGHT AT THE LIBRARY

Zani moved through the Library of Alexandria with surprising confidence. There were no maps to study beforehand, but she had a certain sense, and her instincts were rarely wrong. They weren’t alone. Despite the late hour, there were still a few other scholars studying scrolls and leafing through sheafs in the torchlit library.

Amrita was grateful for the cloaks and clips, as well as Zani’s surefooted guidance. No one glanced twice at their group of four as they stealthily crossed the library floor.

“So, what’s the plan?” Buffalo asked. “Grab as much as we can?”

“Absolutely not!” Amrita froze in her tracks. She’d shared the mission brief with Buffalo, but she was starting to get the feeling he hadn’t read it at all. “This isn’t a smash and grab type operation, Buffalo. We could never hope to save all the books. But there’s a few that we know did not survive. Taking these books now cannot disturb the timeline.”

“Okay, so what are we looking for?” Buffalo asked. As the largest and strongest member of their group, they’d appointed him the role of sherpa. He was wearing a padded and compartmentalized case on his back and had two additional bags stashed in his robes.

“I think we’ll know it when we see it… or feel it,” Zani said. “It’s hard to say with the wards, we have to trust that we’ll be led to the things that we’re meant to take.”

“Very fatalistic,” Buffalo mumbled. “Seems a bit hurdy-gurdy to me. Shouldn’t we at least fan out so we can cover more territory?

“Absolutely not!” Will said. “We stay together. Nobody strays from the group!”

Once again, Amrita saw a worried glance passing between the two younger members of the expedition.

“I know it sounds a bit… loose,” Zani said. “But Amrita and I had discussed a wish list of sorts before the original mission was planned. If it makes you feel better, I have a copy of that list. Would you like to hold on to it?” She pulled out a card with handwritten notes on it and offered it to Buffalo in the same way a patient parent might offer a child the steering wheel of a parked car.