Am I missing something? The djinn were hunted down, but surely they weren’t erased from our history all together.
I retrace my steps, crouching to look closer at the spot where the books on demons end and the elf section begins. Tucked between two thick tomes, I spot a small, ancient-looking purple book with gold hinges and script on the spine. Looking closer, I make out the word ‘djinn’ and excitement builds in my chest. It’s barely bigger than my hand and only about half an inch thick, but it’s a start. I tug the book free and tuck it into my waistband.
I check the supernatural history and magical artifacts sections and even skim the fiction aisle. But this purple book appears to be the only one that mentions djinn in this entire monstrosity of a library. After hours of digging without any more luck, I head back to Gideon’s table feeling deflated. His eyes are glazed over, but he’s still diligently reading the medical books. I can’t help but chuckle at him.
I put a hand on his shoulder and gesture to the exit. With a relieved sigh, he jumps up. We approach the desk to let the librarian know we’re leaving, but she’s busy talking to another visitor. Unfortunately, the woman is very familiar to me.
“Gideon and Callum in the library. Am I hallucinating?” She coos, her voice syrupy and sweet.
“Hey, Alina.” I force a smile and offer her a stiff, awkward side hug.
Not good. Not good.
“How’s life at the enclave?” There’s a flash of something in Alina’s eyes when she asks, but it’s gone too quickly for me to get a good read.
“Everything is great. How have you been?” I ask.
“Fabulous, of course. I was in the neighborhood gathering some plants for the solstice celebration and thought I woulddrop by to tell Gretchen hello.” She nods at the older witch, who’s stacking books and pretending not to listen in. “Imagine my surprise when I run into two old friends. It must be a blessing from the mother.”
Alina smiles. There’s no bitterness on her face, but she always was a good actress.
“It’s great to see you too,” I say, trying to keep this short. I don’t have any interest in getting into a conversation about her deity or anything else for that matter.
We make small talk for a few minutes while Gideon shuffles back and forth awkwardly. Glancing deliberately at my watch, I toss a disappointed look her way.
“Listen, Alina, I’d love to catch up more, but we’ve got to get going.” I frown like I’m sad we have to go, but I can’t tell if she buys it.
After another limp side hug, we take off. Gideon and I are halfway to the door when she speaks again.
“Remember, if you two need anything, I’m just a phone call away.”
I shoot her a smile over my shoulder, but I don’t respond. As soon as we’re outside, I feel in my waistband, relieved to find the book exactly as I left it.
“That was fucking weird,” Gideon whispers, and I shush him.
“Wait until we’re in the car. This whole place has ears.”
I don’t relax fully until we’re in the SUV, past the wards, and ten miles down the road.
“Fucking Alina. In the godsdamn library. Happy to see us.” Gideon snorts. “I call bullshit.”
“Yeah, it’s strange,” I admit, working the leather of the steering wheel between my hands. “Asking about the enclave was also weird.”
“She’s always fishing for something, but there’s nothing we can do about that.” Gideon brushes some dust from his leg. “Let me see the book you found.”
I dig it out and pass it over.
“I haven’t opened it yet. Is there a table of contents or something?” I ask, but a grunt is the only answer I get. “What?” I snap, glancing over at him before focusing back on the road. “Speak, man. I’m driving. I can’t read your mind.”
“I can’t open it.” Gideon sounds confused, so I take my eyes off the road again and see he’s tugging on the cover with no success.
“Let me try then.”
He hands the book back, but I have no luck either.
“Fucking magic,” I mutter. “Let’s just hope it opens for Sheena.”
“It better, or I’m going to pry it open with a crowbar.”
