Page 6 of Broken Destiny

My awe increases. I know there are books in there; I can practically smell them. If Ansel thinks I’m capable of being an assistant to this librarian he speaks of, I’ll do everything I can to prove him correct. It’s like my dream job, without even having to attend the stuffy academy behind me. Who wants to suffer through years of school work and snooty teachers if they can just start where they want? Surrounded by books? It sounds like heaven to me.

Ansel continues to speak instead of leading me up the stairs, and I’m grateful. I need a minute. “The library is thousands of years old. It has evolved from a mud hut in the middle of nowhere, the depository of stone tablets, to the beauty you see before you. She’s rather particular about who she allows within her inner walls, although a smaller portion is accessible to nearly anyone.”

“She?” I stumble on the word and hope I’m not drooling at the thought of all those books. “The current librarian, I assume?”

There’s a heavy pause, and I glance over at Ansel. He’s staring at the looming building, his hands carefully clasped behind his back. “There is no current librarian, Zosia. The library is thesheI refer to. It’s a sentient building.”

“Sentient?” I gasp and squint like I expect to see the building sprout legs and walk away. I imagine one of the gargoyles laughs at me. I flash a quick look upward, but the face returns to stone in a second. I’m probably still tired from my little nap and the stress of the day. It will take me a while to adjust to real magic after having been ensconced in the boring human world for years.

“Yes. She chooses her librarians. Tomorrow, I’d like to introduce you to her.”

I gasp out loud this time, staring at Ansel like he’s grown another head. “Me? A librarian? I seriously doubt I’m cut out for that. Don’t I have to have a bachelor’s degree or…I don’t know, legs? I imagine being head of a library is a lot of work, running around to shelve and find books.”

Ansel looks down at me and arches an eyebrow. I want to roll my eyes at him. “You might be surprised. But, like I said, that is for tomorrow. The library is quite specific about her hours. Right now, she wants to be closed.”

I side-eye the building, wondering if I’ve missed some blaring neon sign. “How do you know?”

Ansel shrugs. “In the last librarian’s absence, I’ve been gifted with a little of the library’s knowledge, enough to seek out a successor.”

I lean on one of my braces, shifting my weight to one side. “And just how many candidates have you introduced to it…her…since the last one?”

Ansel’s lips twitch. “You’re just as I hoped, Zosia. Three. I’ve introduced three potential librarians to her since the last one died. The most recent, official librarian was in place for over a thousand years, gifted a long life by the library.”

I shiver. I’m not sure I want immortality. Getting through one day is a bitch. Three other people, all of them probably far more worthy than I, have stood in this place, likely wishing for the same thing. Who wouldn’t want to be the librarian of a magical depository of books? “And what happens to the potentials when they’re turned away? Is there some kind of trial, or battle to the death, or something?”

Ansel’s lips twitch again as he chuckles. “No. It’s a simple choosing process. You present yourself to the library, she administers her decision, and you either start your life’s work, or you’re placed elsewhere.” He doesn’t sound happy about the last part, and I square my shoulders. Great. I can either get my dream job based on the whims of a building or become a chambermaid and scrub floors for the rest of my life. I grimace, wondering if it’s too late to go back to the orphanage.

“It’s too late to turn back now,” Ansel murmurs, almost too quietly for me to hear.

I snap a look at him. “Can you read my mind? What are you, anyway?” My gaze flashes to his ring for the millionth time. I can’t stop looking at it.

“I can’t read your mind. And I’m not answering your last question. First rule of supernatural etiquette: it’s extremely rude to ask what someone is. If you are chosen by the library, you will be granted a position in our society, and it’s best to know your manners. The library will only protect you so far.”

Of course. Even as the chosen protector of millions of books, I will still be one of the have-nots. I take a deep breath. “Okay, well, if we’re not doing this today, can I get a bed and a shower?”

“Of course,” Ansel answers. He turns to the small building in the shadow of the library that I barely noticed. It’s nothing more than a little hut, but it’s cute. “This is usually reserved for the guards that watch over the library, but the library, as I said, is closed right now. She won’t let anyone enter farther than the foyer until after she chooses her new librarian. If you’re chosen, there’s a full apartment inside that will become yours.”

I humph at Ansel. “You’re acting like I might have a chance,” I grumble.

“You don’t think you do?” he asks with another arch of his brow as he leads me toward the small side building. It’s a service-oriented building, but I’m just happy it’s one level without any stairs to manage. Despite spending the last four hours, more or less, in a car sleeping, I’m still tired. The little guardhouse butts up next to the library. My fingers itch to trail along the ivy-covered stones as we round the huge building.

Ansel fidgets with something at his belt and pulls out a glowing key I hadn’t seen before. It has a book with a quill pen at the end of it, and something about it makes my back itch when he inserts it into the little door.

He doesn’t open the door, though. Instead, he stops and looks at me.

“What?” I ask.

“Do you not think you have a chance?”

“Oh, that.” I’d forgotten I didn’t answer him. I shrug. “My life hasn’t exactly taught me to hope for the best.”

Ansel’s eyes flicker to my legs. Is it obvious to him that my injuries aren’t a genetic abnormality? Most assume so, but I wonder if his magic offers more insight. He opens his mouth, but I shake my head. “First rule of human etiquette: it’s rude to ask how my body and my life got so fucked up.”

Ansel’s mouth snaps shut. Kodi would have told me I have big lady balls, but mostly I’m hungry and tired of the changes. I feel like I’m constantly on edge because everything is so new. Is there food inside?

Ansel pushes the door open. His ring flashes in the light, causing a lump to rise in my throat. I don’t have to look behind me to know exactly where the House of Beasts is. The academy must be full of people, but we haven’t seen many so far. I appreciate that the library is slightly insulated from the rest of the campus even as I chastise myself for thinking I might stay to really enjoy it.

“Everything you need should be inside. I’ll be by in the morning to introduce you to the library.”

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