Page 28 of Saving Destiny

“He’s agreed not to run off again.” I pin the ghost with a pointed look as I speak.

“‘Our lives improve only when we take chances – and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves,’ Walter Anderson said.” Bren breathes a heavy sigh, and his shoulders release some of the tension they’d started holding. “Every timeline in which you're here is better," he continues in his own words as he gives the ghost an equally focused stare. His obvious relief shakes me, and I think it affects Kodi as well. Yesterday, the farseer's gestures and words indicated that the alternate futures without Kodi would have been catastrophic. Now, he's making that clear to my best friend.

Garrett clears his throat in an obvious manner. Although I’m finished with my cereal and nearly done with my coffee, I put down my utensils and give him my full attention.

“Bren and I have decided on our new surname. From now on, we are Garrett and Brendan Kennard." He speaks as if making a formal announcement, and it's obviously more than just a name.

"British in origin," Bren supplies with a nod at his brother. "We think our ancestry is mostly British, but that isn't important. The meaning is why we chose it. The word roughly translates into royal and brave, but it's also synonymous with guardian.”

“I realize you don’t need my approval, but I love it, Misters Kennard.” The name rolls off my tongue with genuine pleasure. It not only sounds good, but it no longer brings their horrid father to mind.

“My name now has a lot of n’s, but my previous name had a lot of d’s,” Bren adds with a shrug. “But that's fitting because Addington is the true D.”

A few seconds of surprised silence reigns before Kodi and I start laughing. We’ve always found humor in juvenile jokes because we’re still decidedly immature. Garrett rolls his eyes, but he can’t hide the twitch of his lips.

Avery offers a weak grin, but I'm uncertain whether he's familiar with the phrase or just reacting to our amusement. He appears more exhausted than a few minutes ago, but Garrett speaks before I can ask him what's wrong.

“That was horrible, brother," the shifter drawls in a tone that implies endless suffering, but he’s lost the fight to withhold his grin. “Do we need to change our names in the contract book?”

He's not exactly asking me, and I don’t bother answering. Instead, I wait for one of the library goblins to pop in. It's clear that we all expect this, and more than one of us looks around as if the winged creatures are playing hide-and-seek.

When Sage whispers the answer into my mind, I repeat it absently. “The library says there’s no need; the contracts will change automatically." I frown. Where are the goblins? What if something is horribly wrong?

Chapter 17

Zosia

The library isn't the same without the goblins, and worry creeps through me. The others are clearly as concerned as I am, so I attempt to contact the missing creatures. “Gilly? Duggar? Is something wrong? I haven’t seen either of you since yesterday morning. You've been too quiet.” Although I no longer feel like an idiot for talking to nothing, I’m beginning to wonder if I hallucinated the strange helpers.

Gilly’s sudden appearance is somehow more abrupt than usual. She also appears frazzled, even though nothing has changed except that her wings buzz erratically instead of humming pleasantly. “No need to worry,” she says quickly. “My family is currently busy managing an issue in section five. Carry on as normal and prepare to open as scheduled.”

“Do you need help?” My last word turns into a whisper because she disappears as swiftly as she appeared.

“It's probably a book-eater infestation, which means there's nothing you can do. Only the goblins are equipped to fight them.” Bren speaks casually around a mouthful of food. He appears oblivious to everyone’s dumbfounded stares, mine included.

“Book-eater infestation?” The three words describe a nightmare come to life.

The mage blinks when he notices the weight of our stares. “Yes. Everything has an enemy, and books aren't excluded from that. I think the termbookwormgot translated incorrectly because book-eaters resemble worms with lots of teeth. They fear the book goblins and usually just hide in the shadows. Once a book is obsolete, they'll gobble it up. The more magical the subject, the more sustenance it provides. I suppose they’re like termites but craftier. Sometimes, they feel bold and launch an attack. The goblins' saliva glands produce a particular kind of acid that disintegrates them. Nothing else can kill them, but the goblins should manage just fine.”

My jaw might actually hit the table, but I'm not the only one gaping. Kodi is the first to break the silence. "What in the actual fuck?" he breathes. Garrett grunts as if agreeing.

“And there’s nothing I can do?” I ask Bren, even though the thought of facing a paper-eating worm with teeth is terrifying. In my imagination, they’re huge, like the monstrous sandworms in the classic Dune novel – massive, eyeless creatures with rows of razor-sharp teeth. It's more probable that they're the size of an earthworm, but I'm too scared to ask. And they eat books; only the worst kind of monster eats books. I decide that I'd rather face a hoard of vampires than a bookworm.

Bren offers a fleeting smile that doesn't give me much comfort. “There’s really nothing you can do, little lioness, except what Gilly asked. Focus on opening the library."

I nod, but my mind is elsewhere. I'm mentally composing a to-do list that keeps getting longer – study book-eaters, detail the tasks I’m responsible for when the library opens, assign my guardians their duties, turn Ansel into a gargoyle, organize a plan of attack against a criminal mastermind intent on killing me, feed the hungry vampire ….

My expression must reveal my stress because Garrett takes my hand like I took his the night before. His is twice the size of mine, but I don't mind. Our size difference makes me feel almost dainty, which never happens because I'm larger than average.

“Are you all right?” the shifter asks with more concern than he usually shows.

“Not really,” I admit. “There's so much to do and so little time. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Lists are best tackled one at a time. What's the most urgent matter?”

“Hmm,” I murmur as I consider his question with the utmost seriousness. My gaze lands on the vampire, and my intuition prods me. “That depends. Avery, how hungry are you?” Avery's head jerks upward as if I'd caught him napping. He’s barely spoken, and the dark circles under his eyes seem more pronounced.

“I am fine …,” he begins, but his lips immediately twist into a wry scowl as the lie hangs between us. “My intention was to reassure you rather than lie, but I believe the library knows better than I do. My confrontation with our enemy yesterday drained me more than it should have. I believe it has something to do with his foul magic. Regardless, I fear that I'm in need of an extra serving this week. My neediness is not typical.”

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