I tensed, and to my surprise, they both noticed straightaway.
“I don’t have to be,” Seir jumped in, eyes shifting between us. “If that’s a problem.”
I froze, unsure whether to trust how they were both being so accommodating.
“We can take it a day at a time. Should you find yourself overwhelmed, just say so.” After I processed Tap’s words enough to nod, we walked toward what looked like an open living room at the end of the massive corridor.
“Are we inside?” I asked, not finding a ceiling when I looked up, but also not finding sky. It was warm and there was no wind,but the space felt too vast and open to be a typical structure. Now that I’d noticed, it was slightly disorienting.
“In a manner of speaking, yes, but also no. As I said before, the crossroads is a place between all places. This hall, these libraries and my—our—living quarters are neither inside nor out. I have given walls and even ceilings to some of the rooms for comfort, though that’s not strictly necessary. It will become less noticeable over time. Would you like to sit?” Tap gestured to a new-looking leather sofa.
As I settled onto the first cushion, I noticed Seir hesitating at the far end of the furniture arrangement.
“I’ll go on home, unless you need me? Hailon is due back from the city soon.”
“That’s fine. Phin, is it alright if he returns tomorrow? Or would you like a few days to adjust without any other… personalities to maneuver?”
I opened my mouth and closed it again just as fast, floundering for a response. Was I being tested? What if I gave the wrong answer?
“If you don’t like my company, I’ll leave, no questions, though I can’t guarantee no hurt feelings. How about that?” Seir offered, his expression gentled and oddly familiar for reasons I couldn’t quite figure out.
Still, I struggled to formulate words. There was no disingenuousness in either of them that I could tell. It was wholly confusing to have my preferences considered at all, let alone catered to. “Okay.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Nice to meet you!” He bounced away, waving his hand as he went. I could somehow feel that he’d gone, like when a beam of sunlight goes behind a cloud.
Tap, on the other hand, exuded a sense of calm. He felt like the gentle ripples in a lake. It would definitely be a mistaketo underestimate the power there, but they could also be very soothing if you relaxed into their embrace.
I flinched from my own thoughts, wondering where such a strange comparison had come from. A burst of heat stung behind my ribs, reminding me that I had passed on eating supper with Father Morton and that it had been a great while since I’d traveled to a plane beyond Earth.
“I was not expecting to return with a long-term guest when I left here this morning.” He adjusted his glasses, then fidgeted a bit, picking along the edge of the nail bed on his thumb with his forefinger. His black lacquer had chipped away from where he was rubbing. “Excuse me for just a few moments? I’ll prepare your room.”
“I can help,” I suggested, not keen on being left alone in this strange place. “I’m very skilled at changing linens.”
His mouth flattened into a thoughtful straight line and after a beat, he gave a short nod. “Yes, alright. Perhaps a tour then? So you can learn the lay of things?” Tap stood and I followed him through a set of double doors off to one side of the living room area.
“This is the familiar contracts library.” His mouth ticked into a gentle smile as I looked around. The scale of the room took a moment to comprehend. It wasn’t a particularly long or wide space, but the shelves climbed up the walls for what seemed like an incredible distance. There was a large table and chairs at the center of the room, aligned with the oversize fireplace.
I blinked. “Familiars? Like animals and witches?”
“Yes, like that.” One corner of his mouth tipped up. “Creature and mage pairings require formal contracts. They’re drawn up, approved by me—well, they were—and kept here. Temporarily, at least. Long-term temporary.” His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth as if to say something but then seemed to change his mind. “In any case, organizing and shelving thecontracts had gotten away from me, and I had to enlist help, much like I have with you, to get it sorted out. Merry has made great strides here in very little time.”
I stumbled over his words. Another woman? Was she also part angel? My skin prickled. Was he also… collecting us?
“Does she come here like Seir does?” Another thought made my throat dry. “Or does she live here too?”
Tap shook his head. “No, she resides earth-side. Her visits are not frequent.” That simultaneously brought relief and an odd sense of regret. If someone else were here at least I might have a chance at making a real friend. “There’s something about the dust here.” His mouth quirked thoughtfully and his eyebrows pinched together as he ran a fingertip along a shelf and looked at it before rubbing it away with his thumb. “It bothers her, so it’s best she not linger. Seir often takes her some documents to be sorted or approved. She’s in charge of all this now, unless there’s a problem. She has other duties topside as well.”
“There’s a ceiling in here,” I muttered, finally realizing why the room felt somewhat cozy despite its size. The fireplace wasn’t lit, but I imagined when it was going the room was quite comfortable to work in.
“Yes. If you find that the rooms without one are bothersome, I can set an enchantment to give them one.”
“It’s not a real ceiling?” I asked, suddenly eager to climb the rolling ladder that circled the room and check for myself.
“Real enough.” On that cryptic note, he continued through another set of double doors with glass in them as I stared at his back. “And this is where I need your help most, Phin.”
I gasped, realizing that the size of the first library had not at all prepared me for this one. It was maybe twice as wide but many, many times longer. Shelves lined all four walls with only the massive fireplace on the far long wall interrupting them. They climbed to the same unnerving height as the other roomif not a bit higher, all filled with scrolls, envelopes and ledgers. Everything upon the shelves was arranged haphazardly at best and perilously at worst. There was a stout, broad table in the center that might seat twenty or more, if one could locate the table’s surface or a single chair through the piles of documents. A rolling ladder sat off in one corner, blocked in by stacks of boxes, paperwork spilling out of them all. Another look revealed that the track for the ladder went all the way around the room, just like in the smaller library.
Tap sighed and glanced over at me. “Do you regret agreeing to this yet?” I shook my head. I didn’t mind a challenge and I enjoyed setting order to messy things. “Good. A decent portion of what’s here can be sent off to the archives. That will grant some open space and limit the number of documents to be sorted through.”
