Dangerous Magic

6. A Lesson in Library Manners

What is it that makes a library so comforting? The smell of old books, the contended quiet that lingers between shelves, the endless knowledge on the pages...

I added another heavy leather-bound book to my pile. While I was pretty sure my father had not intentionally teleported in the permanent sense, I didn't know what I didn't know. Certainly not enough to rule out even the silliest of explanations.

So the book about teleportation went on the pile, along with a history of invisibility, a spell crafter's guide to dematerialization, instructions on reducing the size of an object, and a complete theory of time travel and the effects it might have on persons living and dead.

That last one was a stretch, too.

Stooping to gather my first round of books, whispers a few rows down from me alerted me to the presence of at least two people hiding out in the library.

"He got super weird about her when I asked," a female voice said tearfully. "She's just a newb. What could she possibly have that I don't?"

A second female voice comforted the first. "She's got nothing on you, Miley. Besides, he would be lucky to have you if you chose to let him, not the other way around. Don't base your worth on whether or not a guy likes you."

I slowly picked up my stack, trying not to make noise and startle the two girls. It made me feel creepy, eavesdropping on them from a few aisles down. All the lessons on manners and history and how to craft a believable lie and not one about what to do when you find yourself accidentally privy to a private conversation you want nothing to do it.

"No matter how hot he is," said a third voice, joining the hushed conversation. "Jackson Lenoir doesn't have to be your endgame. You're seventeen, not ninety. Besides, all the best guys are older anyway."

Barf. Check please; I have somewhere, anywhere else to be.

"Shut up, Claire; this is not about you and your college boyfriend."

Claire shut up. Someone sniffed, probably Miley. I stopped trying to be stealthy.

But shuffling my feet and sighing wasn't enough to drown out the sound of Miley's misery. "I just like him so much. His parents are in town, and he didn't even want me to meet them. I had a plan; my mom always told me that if you can make his parents love you, he'll never leave. What if he took her instead?"

I let the stack of heavy books land on the nearest empty table--they were all empty at this hour--which worked better for making my presence known to the trio a few aisles over. Thanks, gravity.

The conversation turned to harried whispers. I sat gratefully and opened the book on top of the pile--teleportation. Might as well rule it out as an option now.

The rune on the cover was incomplete, as all written runes were incomplete to avoid casting undesired magic. The author didn't want a reader to be randomly teleported somewhere with no way to return.

What if they landed in the middle of a bank robbery? Or in the ocean? What if they couldn't swim?

I digress.

The table of contents listed topics such as: considerations for a successful teleport, what to expect when teleporting yourself or others, and the list of known families with this ability in their repertoire.

Not exactly a how-to book, but the information could prove pertinent to locating my dad. Maybe not a loss after all. I turned to the section on what to expect.

Three girls emerged several aisles removed from where I'd found the teleportation book. I watched them in my peripheral as they approached my table. You'd never know one of them had been distressed.