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“Eamerson finished planning the funeral, I’m about healed up, we may have an idea who let Clive and Merwin out—but it’s complicated—and the males are still testy and argumentative,” Marli’s gaze slid between Zayli’s cocky expression and Sten’s stony silence.
“Not ‘an idea,’ Boss.” Goliath said, stepping away from the wall he leaned against behind Marli. His face turning a darker shade than his usual ruddy. “On who let Merwin and Clive out of their prison. We know.” He darted a glance at Marli.
Jori spread his hands, inviting him to speak.
Goliath cleared his throat. “The librarian did it. That’s where all the magic books are.” He nodded and stepped back to his spot along the wall.
Brows up to his hairline, Jori looked to Stenlen for details.
Sten scratched his forehead with his thumb. “He wanted to help, so we shared our theory of the face thief.”
“I’ve been talking to the guys and they agree we probably have a spell caster among us. It makes sense.”
Zayli snorted from her side of the table.
Kymri glared at her cousin.
“Uhm,” Jori searched for words.
“I’m inclined to agree,” Eamerson said. “I read King Kargassa’s memoirs too, checked back through some of the mountain’s housing and employment records. And I also had a few discreet conversations with other males.”
Goliath grunted. “I was discreet.”
“What do we know about the librarian?” Elora asked, leaning forward to pour tea for those that wanted it.
“Not much, except that her name is Sam Egan.” Eamerson said, swiping his tablet screen to consult a file.
“Her?” Elora put the teapot down with a clunk.
Marli nodded.
“No one ever sees him outside of the library except mealtimes in the mess hall or at gatherings,” Goliath said. “No one even knows what floor he lives on.
Marli shuddered, recalling the way the librarian had looked at her when she visited the library. She’d thought it was because she was an outsider. Now, it felt like more than that. A personal Aeleftherian grudge? Somehow, she didn’t think she would have set the prisoners free because she was buddies with them. Clive and Merwin didn’t strike her as library enthusiasts…though to be fair, it hadn’t occurred to her that Goliath would be.
Reading from his tablet, Eamerson said, “Sam Egan. Lives on Sten’s floor. But the other interesting thing I found when I went back through these records is that she arrived around the same time as the mystery male that Kargassa mentions in his autobiography.”
“The one with Consortium connections?” Odson looked up from his phone.
Eamerson nodded. “Were you able to meet your contact on the subject?”
“Yeah, she’s following up on what I told her, along with screen shots of the pages from the book.”
“What’s a Consortium?” Zayli asked, leaning forward in her seat, looking from Odson to Kymri.
“An ancient secret organization with very self-serving goals.” Carson said. “The GPSA has been tracking them for a long time. They’re difficult to flush out, and nearly impossible to shut down.”
Odson huffed. “Seems all shit storms lead back to the Consortium in one way or another.”
“So what is their aim?” Zayli pressed.
“They’re shit disturbers,” Odson sipped from his cup. “The kind that like to poke weak spots, in order to benefit from the chaos that erupts.”
Bayn stood up, walking toward the windows. “And they came here to chat with Kargassa?”
“According to his book, they were interested in partnering with him. They wanted some artifact in his vault.” Jori said. “He sent them away empty-handed.”
“Not entirely, if they have someone here.” Carson said. “I read Odson’s screen shots too. The Consortium doesn’t make casual acquaintances. If their liaison is still here, then they’ve had a solid feeler feeding them information all this time.”
