The Masked City

‘With any luck. Or his uncle’s household, at least. I understand that he maintains an establishment there. The name he goes by is Ryu Gouen.’ She waited for Irene’s nod of comprehension. ‘Our Traverse to that world - it’s G-51, so you know - opens within the remains of the Biblioteca Palatina in Heidelberg. Ryu Gouen was in Europe at the last report a few weeks ago, so with any luck you shouldn’t have too far to travel. I’m told the high-speed rail network in that alternate is very good.’

‘Who’s our Librarian there?’ Irene asked. ‘I’m assuming there is a Librarian-in-Residence?’

Coppelia nodded. ‘Her name is Murasaki. However, I would prefer you to avoid contact with her - the less we all have to explain about Kai, the better.’

‘If I walk out of the Traverse and she’s sitting there, it’s going to be awkward,’ Irene said. She could see Coppelia’s point, but at the same time it would make her life a great deal easier if she could get immediate help with crossing a strange new Europe. And clothing. And money.

‘If you do, then make some sort of excuse.’ Coppelia snorted. ‘Claim you’re on a shopping mission for me, if you can’t think of anything better. Well? Any more questions?’

‘Yes. The Guantes. Do you know anything about him, or them?’

‘Unfortunately not.’ Having to admit to ignorance clearly irritated Coppelia. ‘I’ll enquire further, but it may take time. And I’ll see if anyone knows anything about ongoing Fae power struggles. Anything relevant, that is.’

There was one more thing that Irene wanted to ask. ‘Can Alberich reach me there? In G-51?’

Perhaps now wasn’t the time for private fears, but she had to know. Alberich was a nightmare figure, the Library’s most powerful traitor - also a murderer and an abomination. And a few months back she’d confronted him and won. He’d been barred from Vale’s world as a result, and he couldn’t access the Library, but the thought of going somewhere that he could find her chilled Irene to the core. And the scars across her hands ached in response. It was bad enough that he killed people, but what he did to them first was worse.

Coppelia regarded her thoughtfully, and Irene wondered if she was going to get a comforting lie to keep her on-mission. Finally Coppelia said, ‘It would be physically possible for him to enter that world. But he has no way to track you, no reason to assume you will be there—’

‘Unless he’s behind Kai’s kidnapping,’ Irene suggested.

‘If he were,’ Coppelia stressed the word, ‘then he would probably have kidnapped you as well. Eight out of ten for raising the hypothesis, but four out of ten for failing Occam’s Razor and multiplying the possibilities too far. Now as I was saying, Alberich has no reason to assume you’ll be there. It’s also a high-law, low-chaos world, so it’s anathema to the likes of Alberich, who’s tied in with the Fae. Though that is probably why the order-loving dragons frequent it. Nowhere except the Library is entirely safe, but it’s probably on the safer side of things.’

Irene nodded, but a shadow of dread remained. ‘That makes sense,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’ However, she knew Alberich would haunt her dreams for a long time to come.

‘For the moment I think that’s one trouble you can leave out of things,’ Coppelia said briskly. A clock chimed the hour from a hidden shelf, and both she and Irene glanced towards it. Time was moving on. Coppelia turned back to Irene. ‘What do you propose to do after contacting Kai’s family?’

‘Whatever the situation demands,’ Irene said firmly. She took a deep breath. ‘I’ll contact you, if it seems appropriate.’

‘And your desire to make your own decisions wouldn’t be relevant here?’ Coppelia grinned coldly. It showed her age. Her normally serene face, an example of growing old gracefully, was for a moment a mocking, judgemental skull.

‘Kai’s safety comes first. And my wish to do things “my own way” will never get in the way of that,’ Irene said. She took a step forward. ‘You put him in my care, so I’m responsible for him. Just let me go and do my job.’

The study seemed very quiet after her outburst. Coppelia sat back in her chair, still grinning. ‘So you’re going to fetch him back out of duty,’ she said. ‘Rather than for any other reason.’

‘Is this really necessary?’ Irene snapped. ‘I need to get to G-51.’

‘What would you say if I told you to answer in the Language?’ Coppelia asked. Darkness pooled around both of them as the lights flickered, and the night sky outside was covered in clouds.

‘That in this time and this place, it makes no difference why I am going to fetch him back, or leave him with his family,’ Irene said. Because it didn’t. ‘Now what would you say if I asked you why you are so determined to test me?’

The question hung in the air between them, unanswered. Then Coppelia leaned forward again, and tapped a quick command into her monitor. ‘Use the shift-transfer cupboard again,’ she said. ‘It’ll take you to the G-51 Traverse door. The transfer word is Responsibility. And one last thing.’

‘Yes?’

‘You have reminded me that you’re responsible for Kai, and everything that goes with it. I would remind you that I’m responsible for you. We both know that you’re putting yourself in danger. Please be careful.’