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“They may have told him as payment for their freedom.”
“Even if an invasion is their end goal, they were searching for something first.” Sten said, rubbing his temple with his thumb.
“Jori wasn’t carrying anything that I could see. So if they got what they came for, it’s something small.”
Eamerson pinched his lip in thought. “Do you think it could have something to do with why King Kargassa didn’t invade right away?”
Sten sighed, “Who knows?”
“What if they’re trying to get close to Elora or Kymri?” Marli scrubbed her hands over her face and back through her hair. “I have to consider they could be this imposter’s target. Maybe they’re in league with those males that went after me?”
Eamerson’s phone chimed. “Yes? From the Library? Meet us there, but don’t go in.”
Sten was already headed back to the elevator with Marli and Eamerson close behind. There was another smudge of blood on the button for the lowest floor.
Goliath and a handful of deputies met them outside of the library’s solid main door. There weren’t any more visible blood stains to confirm the imposter had gone this way.
“I was just here. The librarian wasn’t around.”
“The footage didn’t show Jori getting off the elevator at any point. We tracked four other males who got on and off the elevator since your call. Only one didn’t register an entry.”
Sten reached out to open the door.
Marli stopped him. “Let me.”
Sten met her eyes. “If you’re right about Aeleftherians being a target, then you can’t risk going in alone. Especially so soon after the last attack.”
“Or she could be wrong and none of these events are related,” Eamerson said. “If that’s the case, she might not be seen as a threat and could be an optimal distraction for us to go in unnoticed.”
Sten’s gaze flicked between them and to the waiting deputies. “Check every other room on this floor. Keep an eye out for any evidence of blood.”
Goliath leaned close to Sten to whisper. “What if the creepy magic user is one of us?”
Marli considered this. Before Sten could answer, she strode toward the waiting deputies, hand extended. “I want to thank each of you for the work you’ve done here to help us enforce King Mountainside’s efforts to maintain peace in the mountain during his absence.”
Some registered confusion at her unexpected words, a few seemed pleased by the praise. They all extended their hands for her to shake. None had blood or fresh wounds on their hands that she could detect or smell.
“We good?” Sten asked.
“We’re good,” Marli nodded to Goliath with a pat on his expansive bicep.
The deputies departed to fulfill their duty.
“That was a very astute point,” Eamerson said, keeping his voice low in the corridor.
“It is, and one we should keep in mind. This imposter has impersonated Sten, and now Jori. We don’t know who else, or how long, this has been going on. They really could be anyone at any time.”
“Or why; so be careful,” Sten said to Marli.
She grinned. “This is what I do, love.” She winked and pushed the door open.
Beyond the door, she blinked, adjusting to the dimmer lighting as she strolled in toward the librarian’s counter. She glanced over at it. Not seeing anything notable, she continued on, making a show of perusing the shelves as she went.
Marli followed the shelves toward the back of the library where the office appeared to be. Another glance confirmed it was empty, with several stacks of unprocessed books on the returns table. The arch next to the office door opened to a spiral staircase leading down.
She eased down the metal steps on silent feet, scanning the level as she descended. This room was even dimmer than the last, though it was lit.
Is the light always on?
