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As soon as I caught my breath, I continued my run.
* * *
The Irvine Librarywas right at the borders of the inner city, beyond the streets where the overdressed nobles swarmed like a hive of queen bees. Its stately pillars must have looked magnificent back when Cambria had built its first library. But now, amid larger and more prestigious libraries, it was hardly given a glance from the citizens shuffling past its wide stone steps.
I was sore and panting when I made my way up to the tall wooden doors. I looked back into the street. Cael was doubled over with his hands on his thighs and face flushed, breathing heavily. I smiled, glad he’d been forced to join me in my sprint across the city this time.
I pulled open the heavy door, letting it close behind me as I stepped into the warm glow of candlelight. Inside, it seemed as if a heavy layer of dust muffled all sound.
The cavernous room was filled with enough books to rival the population of the entire city, and judging by the musty smell, each one must have absorbed a bit of the salty sea air over the past hundred years. The shelves reached up to a high ceiling painted with a faded sky and clouds that might’ve once been white but had become an accurate depiction of Cambria’s typical gloomy gray.
Only a few people meandered around. A teenage girl scanned the titles of books on the nearest shelf. She was probably here to study for the ranking test she’d take at age seventeen. The results would define her life: where she’d live, how she’d eat, who she could marry, and what her occupation would be. But that was the fate of every Cambrian—well, everyone except the chosen Immovable families. They’d never have to take a test in their lives unless they wanted a position within the Academy.
When she looked my way, I gave her a sympathetic smile. My own mission was probably more complicated than what she was facing, but I still felt a sense of relief that I wasn’t in her shoes.
I dragged my fingers along the brittle book spines until my hands were coated in powder. At the end of the aisle, a woman with gray hair in a severe bun walked briskly out of a wide arched corridor carrying a stack of books. She set them on the librarians’ desk in the center of the main room, then took a seat next to a large man who held a copy of the Cambrian Tribune.
I headed toward the desk, smiling as warmly as I knew how. Once tomorrow’s papers came out, this library might not be so quiet. Lower classes could even be restricted from entry as long as the heir was studying here. I had to do whatever I could to make sure I’d be allowed inside.
“The library is closing in ten minutes,” said the gray-haired woman as I arrived beside the desk.
“Thank you, madam,” I replied, trying to withstand her disdainful glare. “Actually, I am hoping to work here. I’ve always adored this library and it seems as if you could use the help.”
Her wrinkled mouth tightened. “Are you educated in librarianship or archival studies?”
“Well, no, but I have experience working for the Cambrian Tribune.” I gestured to the man’s paper, glad that was his newspaper of choice.
He gave me a weak smile.
The librarian shook her head. “Journalists are not librarians.”
“Please, madam. I could help with cleaning or sorting books.”
The woman shook her head condescendingly. “I clean this library myself.”
I wiped a finger through the layer of dust on the edge of the desk, holding it up for her to see. “You’re certain you couldn’t use just a little more help?”
She stood up, folding her arms. “What is your rank, young lady?”
I fumbled with my bag before handing her my card.
“Class C? It’s better than your manners would suggest, Miss Yarrow, but your grammar isn't sophisticated enough to work alongside me.” She handed back the leather card. “To be quite honest, even if we could use the help, we don’t have the budget. The Irvine Library, as historic as it may be, is no longer apriorityto the Academy.” She sniffed as if she highly resented this fact.
I caught myself frowning, but I forced a smile in its place, determined to win this battle. “You don’t have to pay me. I’ll volunteer.”
She crossed her arms higher, pursed her lips, and narrowed her eyes until the wrinkles overtook them.
I took a step back. I wasn’t getting anywhere with this shrew.
The man sitting at the other end of the desk cleared his throat. “Perhaps a little help with cleaning would be nice.”
The librarian turned her glare on him. “Isn’t that what I keep tellingyou?”
The man withered in his chair and returned to his newspaper.
I covered my mouth to hide my smirk.
The woman peered back at me and tapped the tip of her chin. “Why you’re willing to work for free is a mystery. People of your rank certainly can’t survive on taxes as the nobles can.”
