The Masked City (9 page)

‘Open to the Library,’
she said, and felt the connection form as her words rolled on the air. She pulled the door open and quickly stepped through.

The heavy iron-barred door on the Library side clanged shut behind her. On the other side there were still posters hanging on rails around the door, proclaiming:
HIGH CHAOS INFESTATION, ENTRY BY PERMISSION ONLY
and
KEEP CALM AND STAY OUT
. Irene frowned at the
HIGH
on the first poster. Last time she’d been through this entrance, a few months back, it had only been standard chaos infestation.

If this was tied to Kai’s disappearance … She hoped not.

Someone had been using the room to stockpile other books, and beside the packed shelves there were stacks of yellow-backed paperbacks all over the floor. Irene had to pull in her skirts to avoid toppling the piles as she made her way to the exit.

The closest computer room was a couple of doors along to her left. It was empty at the moment, so she threw herself down in the chair and logged on, dashing off a quick email to Coppelia:
Kai vanished. Dubious circumstances. Request immediate meeting. Irene
.

The answer came within five minutes. She’d only just looked up
Dragons, negotiations with
, but hadn’t progressed much further. The message read:
Rapid shift transfer authorized. First turning on left, three floors up, transfer word is Coherent. Coppelia.

Irene logged off, hoisted her skirts to her knees and began to run. Rapid shifts called for high-energy expenditure and weren’t held open for long. The fact that Coppelia had seen fit to authorize one was disturbing in itself.

Three flights of stairs later, the walls were covered with Art Deco wallpaper, making the shift-transfer cabinet blatantly obvious stylistically. Its door was heavy oak and looked very out of place between a couple of plaster statuettes of robed women. And it was just large enough for one person and a pile of books.

She stepped inside and closed the door. There were no lights. There was no sound. There was only the smell of dust. She reached out to either side to brace herself against the walls.

‘Coherent,’
she said in the Language.

The cabinet shook around her, like a dumb-waiter cupboard being yanked at high speed in several directions. She shut her eyes, concentrating on not throwing up.

With a thump, the cabinet arrived. Irene took a moment to catch her breath, before pushing open the door and stepping out into the well-lit room beyond.

It was Coppelia’s private study, familiar from many hours spent there as Coppelia’s personal student and assistant. The focus of the room was the large mahogany desk, which curved round in a wide U, allowing a full range of documents to be shuffled over its surface. The walls were full of bookshelves, naturally - but several Slavic ikons in heavy gold and wood hung from them here and there, breaking up the expanse. Irene noticed it was night outside, and the study lights blazed through the bow window, harshly lighting the snowscape beyond. The usual extra chairs had been removed from the room, meaning that Coppelia sat in the only chair, behind her desk.

Standing before her, Irene wondered if she was meant to feel like a schoolgirl reporting to a teacher, or possibly a penitent reporting to an inquisitor. Whichever way, she suspected that she was meant to feel nervous.

Coppelia herself looked almost as controlled as usual. A crimson coif shrouded her head, and only the edges of her white hair were visible at her forehead. Today she was in a stark sleeveless robe of smooth, dark-brown velvet that left the full length of her carved-wood left arm visible. It was the same shade of sallow oak as her natural right arm, but an entirely different texture - all joints and clockwork. ‘A poor report,’ she said, with a faint wheeze. ‘Unless you really don’t know any more than you’ve told me.’

‘I deliberately gave you only the bare bones,’ Irene said resolutely. ‘Given the importance of the situation, I assumed you’d want to hear the rest in person.’

‘As opposed to sending a detailed email that anyone could read, is that it?’ Coppelia enquired.

‘You’re making that assumption,’ Irene replied. ‘I didn’t.’ Coppelia had chosen to leave Kai’s controversial dragon heritage mostly undiscussed the last time they met. But Irene wasn’t sure if it was in fact known by everyone at the appropriate level, or still genuinely confidential.

Coppelia raised her flesh-and-blood hand to rub at her forehead. ‘Tell me what you know, then.’

Irene ran over the details quickly. She had to mention Vale’s involvement, of course. But Coppelia already knew about Vale, and that he knew an uncomfortably large amount about the Library. Coppelia nodded slightly at a few points - the invitation from Kai’s family, the warning from Lord Silver, the Guantes, and Vale’s comments on the letter (also supposedly from Kai’s family) - but otherwise she was silent as she listened.

Finally she commented: ‘Dubious circumstances. I can hardly argue with that definition. Your thoughts?’

‘The letter’s a fake,’ Irene said frankly. ‘It’s not just the format. I would expect more
style
if it was from Kai’s people. From what he’s said of them, they’re royalty. Royalty does not send piddling little “Make no attempt to see him again” warning notes. They either wouldn’t bother with the commoners at all, or they’d sweep by and graciously inform us that we will be deprived of his presence. So it’s not even very good misdirection.’

‘And yet you’re here,’ Coppelia remarked. ‘And you’re asking about his family. If you’re so sure that it’s misdirection, why bother?’

‘Because we need to find him,’ Irene said. She folded her hands behind her back, hiding her clenched fists. ‘If Vale can trace the Guantes, or whoever they are, that’s good. But if not, then how do we track him? He’s my responsibility.’ The words hung in the air like a promise. ‘And since he was kidnapped while under my protection, his family may hold us responsible.’

Coppelia steepled her fingers, flesh against wood. ‘It’s true that the Library has absolutely no wish to enter into a feud with Kai’s kin,’ she agreed. ‘And a dragon’s revenge is a serious business. Hurricanes, storms, tidal waves, earthquakes … I witnessed a world being destroyed in such a way and was barely able to escape. So what do you want from me?’

Irene put aside some deeply unpleasant mental images. This was taking too long. ‘I need anything that we have on Lord Guantes that isn’t in the public records. And I’m assuming the Library knows more about Kai’s family than I do. Is there any chance the abduction
could
be their doing?’ A thought struck her. ‘Or the doing of someone connected to them? A rival faction? Or an over-enthusiastic servant?’

‘Hmm. A pertinent question. Nine out of ten.’ Coppelia considered, not taking her fierce eyes off Irene. Irene didn’t dare look away. ‘It is unlikely that his direct family would abduct him or leave a note to say he’d left. It would probably be beneath them. However, any royal family does have subordinates, junior relations, and in general people who would take on “Will nobody rid me of this turbulent priest?” suggestions with too much enthusiasm. One of them could have … And there are factions among the dragons. Not all of them support the royalty.’

Irene sighed. Yet another uncertainty. ‘So I can’t be sure of their involvement.’

‘No,’ Coppelia said. ‘You can’t. Or rather, we can’t. And no, we don’t have any secret back-channels that we can use to ask about it, on behalf of the Library, either.’

Irene tilted her head slightly. ‘
On behalf of the Library
, perhaps not, but how about from a private perspective? Isn’t there anyone out there who knows someone who knows someone, who could ask …’ She let the phrase trail off hopefully.

Coppelia shook her head, a definite no, but she also looked wary. Clearly there was someone who knew someone who knew someone else out there, even if they couldn’t handle this particular issue.

‘Of course there isn’t,’ Irene agreed bitterly. She could see where this was going. ‘Even if someone did have access to the dragons, they’d be too high-ranking within the Library to act alone. And the Library can’t be drawn into this?’

Coppelia spread her hands. ‘Precisely. There’s only one person in this situation who can ask …’

‘All right. All
right
.’ Irene saw Coppelia’s eyes narrow at her tone and she tried to calm down. ‘All right. It has to be me.’
Who puts her head into the dragon’s mouth. And who will take the blame if it goes wrong.
‘But I would like to ask a question first. A general question, before I get down to specifics.’

‘You can certainly ask,’ Coppelia said carefully. ‘If I don’t answer, then it isn’t because I want to cause you further difficulty.’

Irene nodded. ‘In the widest of terms then - why bring Kai into the Library? Seriously. You
knew
what Kai was. Why take him in as a trainee at all? And why assign him to
me
?’

This was a conversation that should have been held behind shuttered windows or heavy velvet curtains. It felt wrong to be having it so openly. Wrong, and far too exposed.

Coppelia looked down at the desk. ‘There have been other young dragons here before Kai,’ she said slowly. ‘None as highly born, but - well, it has happened, and it is politely ignored when it does happen. Even if the people brokering a placement may have thought their deception remained hidden. There are hidden protocols. There are understandings. No dragon has yet chosen to remain and take vows as a Librarian. To be honest with you, I doubt Kai will, either. It will not be in his nature.’

Irene nodded, accepting the words. ‘But why me?’

Coppelia hesitated, then nodded to herself.
‘Because,’
she said in the Language, necessarily speaking truth,
‘we thought it would be best for both of you.’
She dropped back into English, looking up at Irene again. ‘And that’s all I will tell you for now.’

‘For our own good?’ Irene said drily. There was no
time
for all these damned mysteries. She was the child of two Librarians, an unusual combination - was this supposed to make her better suited to handling dragons? She couldn’t see how.

Coppelia shrugged. ‘We make the best decisions that we can. Do you object to him?’

‘In what sense, object?’ Irene temporized. She knew she was avoiding the question, but she wasn’t sure of Coppelia’s meaning.

‘Has he given you any offence?’ Coppelia fired the question at her like a bullet.

‘He is courtesy itself,’ Irene said. ‘As you know.’

‘Has he done you any harm?’

Irene thought of Kai’s eyes, of his hesitation, his sincerity. He’d wanted to protect
her
, when it was her responsibility to protect
him
. ‘No, and you know it. Is it really necessary to get into all this, here and now?’

‘I’m establishing that you have no reason to want to get rid of him yourself.’

‘For pity’s sake!’ Irene exploded. ‘If you don’t trust me, then there’s nothing more to be said. Besides, please give me credit for some intelligence. If I was trying to kidnap him myself, I wouldn’t be in here telling you about it now.’

‘I have to be sure,’ Coppelia said. She shifted in her chair. ‘You have thought about how this may go?’

‘Well, yes,’ Irene said. She was still furious at Coppelia’s dig that she could have been in any way involved in Kai’s disappearance, but she managed to keep her temper. If Kai was in danger, then every second mattered. ‘Quite possibly, messily. As you did just point out, the dragons may be upset - and they might take it out on me.’

‘And the Library may have to allow it,’ Coppelia noted. ‘If it’s decided that you were responsible for him, and the dragons take offence, we might have to strip you of your position.’

A chill ran down Irene’s spine. ‘You wouldn’t,’ she said. But it had the truth of nightmares, of worst-case scenarios. ‘And the Library mark can’t be removed.’

Coppelia’s eyes were regretful, but her face was like stone. ‘My dear Irene, we can’t risk war over one dragon. Or over one Librarian. You’ve done an excellent job as Librarian-in-Residence, but when push comes to shove,
someone
will have to take the blame.’

‘I’m duly warned,’ Irene said flatly, ignoring the ice in her stomach. ‘Let’s get down to business. How do I contact his family?’

‘The easiest way would be via the world where we recruited him,’ Coppelia said. ‘Did he ever give you its designation?’

‘Only that it was one of the Gammas,’ Irene answered. ‘So high-tech and medium-magic, he said. Will I find his uncle there?’

‘With any luck. Or his uncle’s household, at least. I understand that he maintains an establishment there. The name he goes by is Ryu Gouen.’ She waited for Irene’s nod of comprehension. ‘Our Traverse to that world - it’s G-51, so you know - opens within the remains of the Biblioteca Palatina in Heidelberg. Ryu Gouen was in Europe at the last report a few weeks ago, so with any luck you shouldn’t have too far to travel. I’m told the high-speed rail network in that alternate is very good.’

‘Who’s our Librarian there?’ Irene asked. ‘I’m assuming there is a Librarian-in-Residence?’

Coppelia nodded. ‘Her name is Murasaki. However, I would prefer you to avoid contact with her - the less we all have to explain about Kai, the better.’

‘If I walk out of the Traverse and she’s sitting there, it’s going to be awkward,’ Irene said. She could see Coppelia’s point, but at the same time it would make her life a great deal easier if she could get immediate help with crossing a strange new Europe. And clothing. And money.

‘If you do, then make some sort of excuse.’ Coppelia snorted. ‘Claim you’re on a shopping mission for me, if you can’t think of anything better. Well? Any more questions?’

‘Yes. The Guantes. Do you know anything about him, or them?’

‘Unfortunately not.’ Having to admit to ignorance clearly irritated Coppelia. ‘I’ll enquire further, but it may take time. And I’ll see if anyone knows anything about ongoing Fae power struggles. Anything relevant, that is.’