Page 11 of The Alien in the Archive (Galactic Librarians #1)
11
THORNE
G ods…I want to show her everything.
Not many people get to see the Labyrinth—the winding tunnels that lie beneath the Grand Library—but Page deserves that chance. I tell myself it’s because she’s entertaining, because she needs training, or because she could reveal my existence to the world. There are a thousand excuses I have for doing all of this. But deep down, I know the truth.
I want her to see the parts of the Obscuary that matter to me. I want her to see me .
I’ve been alone in the Obscuary for so long that I’d thought I was immune to loneliness—but having her with me has opened me up to a whole world of difference. Every day, I look forward to her arrival in the archive, her eventual search for me at the end of the day, walking her back to the gate. I even anticipate the little ways she challenges me: her sharp tongue, the fire in her eyes when I tease her too much. It’s irritatingly delightful.
And at night…
…well, that’s why we’re here .
Because I warned her to quiet her mind, but she’s still impossibly loud. Each night, I hear her moaning for me in Mythara Village, and every night, I feel like an intruder in her most private dreams.
In theory, I’m going to teach her to control her telepathy because what she’s doing is an intrusion on me.
In reality, I need her to stop, or I’ll get addicted to it.
Because those nights…gods, hearing my name on her lips, even in dreams, is intoxicating.
I lead Page down the uneven stone passage from my alcove, our footsteps echoing softly against the crumbling walls. Bioluminescent moss casts an eerie green glow, illuminating her face as she follows close behind me, her eyes wide with curiosity. That curiosity—it shines brighter than the moss. It’s in every step, every hesitant touch she makes on the ancient walls. She’s fearless in all the ways that matter. Ashlan leads the way, antennae glowing a contented gold.
“This is incredible,” Page breathes, running her fingers along the wall. It sends a puff of gold-green spores out and she covers her mouth, coughing. “Oh God—is it safe?”
“The spores are harmless,” I chuckle. “Other than when they turn you into a mindless husk.”
She scowls at me. “I can’t tell whether you’re joking or not.”
I pause, look back at her. “I wouldn’t bring you anywhere that isn’t safe.”
She doesn’t respond.
“Because if I wanted to kill you, I could have done it ages ago…and besides, you entertain me.”
She rolls her eyes.
We keep walking, the moss pulsing brighter, and the sound of trickling water begins somewhere up ahead.
“I didn’t know this was part of the library,” Page says .
“It isn’t. Not officially. The Labyrinth predates the Grand Library; it’s older than anything you’ve seen here.”
“Even you?”
“Ha ha,” I grumble. “Yes, it’s even older than me.”
“And why are we here?”
I pause at the entrance to where we’re headed, facing Page. She looks up at me, and I can’t read the expression on her face—but it’s in her mind.
He’s finally going to bring it up, isn’t he?
“Because you need to learn. Your thoughts are exceptionally loud, and you mentioned that you sometimes get overwhelmed with the voices of others. This place can help.”
Her brows knit together, but she nods. “All right. What do I do?”
I step aside, gesturing to the chamber ahead. The walls open into a larger cavern, its floor tangled with glowing roots that curl into shallow pools of water. Ashlan runs ahead and leaps into what looks like a circle of light, but as we get closer, it becomes clear that these are dozens of lumivix, chattering away. They leap around and play and curl up with each other, antennae glowing in different colors.
Page comes up beside me and stops dead in her tracks, covering her gasp. “They’re… so cute .”
I huff out a laugh. “Most people here think they’re pests.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re book thieves,” I chuckle. “And near-impossible to domesticate.”
“But you trained Ashlan.”
I scoff. “Ashlan trained me, not the other way around.”
She laughs with me, shaking her head. “And…why are we here?”
“Because they’re a hive mind, which means you can focus on blocking out one thought with many sources,” I say. “They have independent thoughts, of course, but they can sense each other’s fear, bloodlust, love. Those thoughts, luckily, are simple enough to parse.”
She gives me an incredulous look. “You’re training me in telepathy with…adorable fuzzy animals?”
I smile. “If you can focus your mind enough to hear them, you can focus enough to block out the rest.”
“Okay,” she nods, eager as always. “What do I do?”
“Take a seat,” I command. “Close your eyes.”
She hesitates, her eyes flicking up to mine…then she smirks. “You’re awfully bossy, you know.”
“You didn’t come here to be coddled, Page,” I murmur. “So sit.”
Now, she obeys, lowering herself onto one of the ledges to sit cross-legged, her hands resting on her knees. Her breathing is steady, but I can feel her tension like a glowing thread between us. She’s nervous. Excited. And gods, she’s so bright .
“Close your eyes,” I say. “Let your thoughts go quiet.”
She closes her eyes for a moment, shifts uncomfortably, then she looks up at me. “What if I get overwhelmed?”
I sit down beside her. “I’ll be right here.”
Page closes her eyes once again, her brow furrowing as she concentrates. For a moment, there’s nothing but the quiet chirping and purring of the lumivix.
“I’ve never actually done this on purpose before,” she mutters. “I’m not sure if it’ll happen.”
“It takes time,” I reply. “Every magister had to start in the same place you are right now.”
“In a creepy basement?”
I snort. “Focus, Page.”
She smiles, forming small dimples in her cheeks. Then, like a ripple through water, her energy shifts.
It’s beautiful.
I feel her reach out, tentative but curious .
Her breath catches. “I can hear them,” she murmurs. “Like…tiny whispers.”
“Good,” I say, though the tension in my chest tightens further. Her psychic energy is brighter now, pulling at me. The Elixir in her blood activates, courses through her, the scent of it sweet and cloying in the air. It sings to me, and my hunger claws at the edges of my control.
It’s been so long .
“Now tune them out,” I coax. “Push them away.”
She tries. I can feel her struggling; her mind flickering between focus and overwhelm. The lumivix, curious about her presence, press back, their psychic energy brushing against hers. Her breathing quickens, and I see her hands clench into fists.
“I can’t,” she says. “They’re…it’s too busy.”
“Breathe, Page,” I urge her.
“I can’t !”
Her mind lashes out, a sudden blast of energy rippling through the cavern. The lumivix scatter, antennae dimming as they retreat to the shadows. Even I feel the force, but it has the opposite effect on me.
It draws me in, closer. Because I know that probably hurt.
“Page,” I start, taking her hands. Her skin is warm, so warm it nearly burns. My fingers tighten around hers, and for a moment, the hunger surges again. It’s a storm inside me now, a riot of instinct and restraint. I want to pull her closer. I want to taste her, her lips, her tongue, her blood ? —
But I somehow control myself. For her.
She’s gasping, looking around wildly. “Where…fuck, where’s Ashlan? Is he okay? Did I?—”
“It’s alright,” I say. “You didn’t hurt them. Ashlan will come back when he wants to.”
Her eyes meet mine, and I can see the tears she’s holding back, the frustration and fear she’s trying so hard to hide. She looks at me like I’m her last anchor in a storm, and it twists something deep in my chest.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she whispers.
“You can,” I say, the words coming out before I can stop them. My thumb brushes over her knuckles, an unthinking gesture, but I don’t pull back. “You’re stronger than you think.”
Her gaze lingers on mine, searching, questioning. For a moment, everything else fades—the hunger, the danger, the voices. It’s just her.
Just us.
I pull back before I do something reckless, something irreversible. Standing, I extend a hand to help her up. She hesitates, then takes it, her fingers curling around mine.
“Come on,” I say. “That’s enough for tonight.”