Page 154 of The Book That Wouldn't Burn

“You took it into the Mechanism.” Livira met his eyes. “Maybe you’ve read stories I haven’t even written yet. Or stories we could write together...” There! She saw it! Something in his eyes, the twitch of a smile. “You were there! I know you were. In the boat. Don’t lie!”

He gave a wolfish grin.

Livira turned away primly. “In any case, I know what you read on the first page isn’t there yet.”

Evar flew back into her line of view. He looked confused again. “But why would you write for me not to turn the page?”

Livira thought hard, then frowned, then grinned. “Well... you didn’t, did you? So, I had better write it to stop you... or none of this would make sense. And gods know what would happen then. It might be like tugging on a loose thread and having a whole tapestry unravel, only the tapestry would be time. That sounds like a bad idea.”

“It might be why the assistants don’t let us go to the Exchange.” Worry replaced Evar’s confusion.

Below them the shouting had died down, and Malar’s voice emerged above the canith’s, calling for Livira.

“We’re up here!” she shouted back. “Let’s go to him.” She swooped down towards the thinning dust cloud.

Malar tried to hide his relief behind a scowl as Livira landed beside him. “We’re birds now too? Can I fly as well, or is it a secret?”

Livira nodded. “You can fly. Just jump up and don’t fall back. It’s all about believing it.”

Malar sheathed his swords. “Well, I’ve never had much luck with faith. Or falling, come to that. Broke both ankles stealing apples from the Masefield estate when I was a sprat.”

Half the canith were in search mode now, the warriors moving out in a spiral pattern, slow enough not to obscure their own vision, thrusting at the deeper dust dunes with swords and spears in search of the young woman they’d seen. None of them looked Livira’s way, not even the priest who stood exactly where she’d been the whole time, gazing around with eyes like black stones. She’d slung her staff across her back, and in both hands, clasped tight to her chest, she held Livira’s book.

Something else bothered Livira, though. Malar tried to lead her away, but she shook her head, raising a hand to silence his objections. “When they all saw me...”

“When you nearly fucking died, yes—what about it?” Malar growled.

Evar landed beside them.

“When they all saw me,” Livira said, “you both shouted at me.”

“We did.” Evar nodded.

“But you didn’t use my name.” Livira closed her eyes, summoning the memory back.

“If you say so,” Evar said.

“Someone did though...” Livira walked towards the priest and the dozen or more canith who remained with her. Her old anger flared again, a bitter heat trying to own her mind. She pushed it down and set her jaw. She circled the enemy, trying to see within the group. “There!” In amongst them, dwarfed by their height, was a figure wrapped in a grey blanket, hooded by it. At the bottom of the blanket, almost lost in the foot-deep book dust, Livira caught a glimpse of soiled blue fabric, the folds of an expensive dress. Quickly she wove a path between the wary canith until she could see—

“Carlotte!” She held herself back from throwing her arms around her friend. They would just pass through her. “Malar! It’s Carlotte!”

“Who?”

Livira tried to position herself so that she was staring directly into Carlotte’s eyes, which were red with smoke and tears. The girl didn’t so much as twitch. “She can’t see me.”

Evar came to stand just outside the canith group. “This is why I didn’t want you to come back here.” There was no triumph in his voice, only sadness. “We can’t do anything for her. Even if we weren’t ghosts, we couldn’t get her away from this war band. And even if we could, the portal’s in the fire now.”

“I... I could set Volente on them!”

“I don’t think he’d see them as the enemy. But if he did they’d fight him. In any case, is she better off alone? They could probably run from the fire faster carrying her than she could by herself. And they’ve got her to open doors they can’t. They won’t abandon her.”

That rang true. The sabbers had taken Livira long ago, intending to use her. It now seemed likely that this priest was the one who had understood that humans raised as slaves, treated as part of the tribe, would open the library doors for them. It had been a far-sighted plan, long in the execution. They had fought to keep her, they would fight to keep Carlotte, and for at least as long as they navigated the library they would keep her safe.

“She has to be willing in order to open doors,” Livira said. “Properly willing. Of your own volition. You can’t torture someone into it. Yute said so.”

“I think the fire will make her properly willing.” Malar joined them, eyeing the canith warily since they were little more than a spear’s reach away. “That’s not something the sabbers are doing to her. It’s happening to them all.”

Livira nodded. Not bothering to point out that if the chamber was actually on fire then the doors would open for anyone.

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