Page 116 of The Alien in the Archive

Dr. Rhyss steps forward, folding his hands behind his back. “Don’t insult us both, Dr. McRae,” he says. “You’ve been spending an unusual amount of time in restricted sections of the Obscuary. And your colleagues have reported strange…incidents. Flying books, perhaps?”

My stomach drops.

Rhyss’s gaze sharpens. “You’re hiding something. Or rather, someone.”

I look at Davina. “You don’t actually believe this, do you?”

“I believe Dr. Rhyss has reasonable concerns,” Davina replies evenly. “Concerns I expect you to address.”

I force myself to breathe. “If this is about my research, I can explain. I’ve been looking into the Borean Empire—early Elixir usage, the Lost Expeditions?—”

“And you’ve been remarkably successful,” Dr. Rhyss interrupts. “Finding sources no one else has uncovered. Accessing knowledge we assumed was lost.” He tilts his head. “A little too successful for someone at your level. You’re a university fellow, Dr. McRae. I would like an explanation.”

My hands curl into fists in my lap. “I’m not hiding anything dangerous.”

“No?” His voice is cold. “Then perhaps you’d like to explain why Lyn Walker came to me yesterday with some startling information.”

It’s like the floor shifts beneath me, but I don’t move. Alarm bells are ringing in my head. This is what Thorne told me wouldn’t happen, what I was afraid of.

Davina leans back in her chair, giving him space to continue, though her gaze lingers on me. I don’t know what she’s looking for—guilt, maybe, or fear—but I force myself to look at Dr. Rhyss instead.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say…but it’s weak.

I’m too bad of a liar to keep this big of a secret.

“She told me you’re hiding a Borean fugitive in the Obscuary.”

There it is.

A heavy silence crashes into the room. I feel Thorne’s presence through the bond, a flare of alarm as he senses my dread.

I can’t let it show. I can’t let him panic.

“Well?” Dr. Rhyss says, staring at me.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Every instinct screams at me to deny it, to throw Lyn under the bus and hope it buys me time. But the words catch in my throat.

She’s justified in being angry…and there’s no point in trying to lie.

If Davina got Thorne’s letter, she already has proof.

“I don’t know where Lyn got that idea,” I murmur, my voice breaking.

Rhyss’s expression doesn’t change, but something shifts in his posture—a subtle tilt of his head, the flick of his tendrils. He doesn’t believe me.

“She didn’t just come to me with an idea,” he replies. “She was very specific. The Borean’s appearance, about hislocation…about his connection to you.” He pauses, letting that sink in, and my cheeks flush red. “And yet, when I heard all of this, I thought, surely not. Surely Dr. Patience McRae hasn’t been hiding a dangerous monster in a sealed archive. Surely there couldn’t have been one there in the first place.”

“I don’t…please, let me explain,” I start.

He raises his hand to stop me. “Dr. McRae, I don’t think I’m the one who needs to hear your case at this point. I wanted to give you a chance to explain, to confirm that this was in fact anabsurdidea. But…now, it’s clear. This is a matter for university security.”

He turns toward the door.

My chest tightens. He’sleaving. Going to security, and I can’t stop him. If I block the door, if I use my powers, then what? Thorne will be exposed anyway. Dr. Rhyss will have proof. I can’t let this spiral into something worse.

“Wait,” I say, a last ditch effort to stop this. Dr. Rhyss pauses with his hand on the door, glancing back at me.

“What?”

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