Page 33 of The Alien in the Archive (Galactic Librarians #1)

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T here’s a very specific kind of dread an academic feels when they get an unprompted email from their supervisor asking them to meet. It’s that feeling of oh shit, I missed a reference . Or they’re going to tell me I’m not working fast enough, aren’t they?

For me, that dread is even more intense because most academics aren’t hiding a fugitive in their archive.

I can’t shake the feeling as I walk past the gate to the Obscuary, toward Davina’s office. My evening at home with Thorne feels like a distant memory now, and I feel more than a little guilty at the prospect this meeting is happening because someone saw him. If anyone finds out…

I can’t lose him.

I know it’s ridiculous. I know I promised myself I would focus on my research, that I wouldn’t let anything distract me. But you can’t exactly plan for something like this, can you?

Davina’s door is open when I arrive, and I find her already seated behind her desk. She looks as polished as ever, hair braided down her back, antlers wrapped in silver cord. A small stack of books is neatly arranged on one side, a pad of paper beside it, while a glowing tablet sits on the other side.

“Page,” she says. “It’s good to see you. Please, sit.”

I take the chair opposite her, letting my bag slip to the floor. It’s light today—because I wasn’t actually planning on doing anything other than getting naked with Thorne.

“You wanted to see me?” I ask.

Davina nods. “Yes…I wanted to discuss something a little unusual.”

I balk, gulping down my anxiety. “Okay.”

“I was looking over approvals for passes to the Obscuary last week and I saw that your brother Riley—an engineering student—was approved for a day pass.”

God damn it, Riley.

Neither Thorne or Riley even bothered to tell me he’d been there.

“As you know, the Obscuary isn’t frequented by engineering students,” she goes on. “Care to explain why he might pay the archive a visit?”

I feel my stomach twist, fumbling to figure out a proper lie. “Oh…that,” I say. “I um…left a book there. Something I needed for my notes, but I was caught up in a lecture so I asked him to grab it for me.”

Davina cocks her head. “A lecture?”

“Yeah,” I nod. “I have a friend who’s working in the Turitella, and she told me about this talk—thought I’d be interested.”

“And your brother needed to fetch a book for you during the lecture.”

I shrug. “You know…when the academic spirit strikes you.”

She doesn’t look even remotely convinced. Davina steeples her fingers, studying me with unnerving precision. “ Page, I knew about your work before you even came here. Your entire career, you’ve been thorough, methodical, and entirely dedicated to your research. But lately…I have to admit, I thought I’d have seen more progress by now, and your sources have been odd at the very least. Are you certain there isn’t something else you’d like to share?”

I hesitate, weighing my options. Lying outright hasn’t worked, and she’s too sharp to just let this go.

But how much can I afford to tell her?

“I have been working on something,” I admit carefully, meeting her gaze. “Something important. But it’s…delicate. I need more time before I can present my findings properly.”

“What kind of ‘something’?”

I take a deep breath, deciding to risk a small gamble. “Have you ever heard the name Thorne Valtheris?”

For the first time in the conversation, Davina’s composed exterior cracks ever so slightly. “Thorne Valtheris,” she repeats, her voice tinged with…something I can’t quite place. Curiosity? Caution? I hope it’s the former. “A name I haven’t heard in quite some time. Where did you come across it?”

“In the course of my research,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “I stumbled on a reference to him in a fragmented text from the Skoll’s early texts on the planet they called Gaia, but it was incomplete. I thought perhaps you might know where I could find more information.”

Davina leans back and hums to herself, brow furrowed. “Thorne Valtheris was a Borean dissenter. A scholar, if I’m not mistaken, though not much is known about him. Most of what we have is speculation, as the Boreans weren’t exactly forthcoming with their records. However…” She taps a finger on her desk, then stands, crossing to one of the shelves behind her. After a moment of searching, she pulls out a thin, unassuming book and places it on the desk between us.

“This is one of the few texts we have on Borean dissenters. It’s more of a summary than a comprehensive account, but it might provide some context. I suggest you start here.”

I glance down at the book, trying to play it cool even though my heart picks up a beat. The title reads Voices of Dissent: Forgotten Rebels of the Borean Empire.

“Thank you,” I say, picking it up and turning it over. “I can’t wait to dive in.”

“Page,” Davina says. “I trust your instincts as a historian. But I also know when someone is holding back. Whatever you’re working on, I hope you understand the risks involved—not just to yourself, but to your career and to this institution.”

I meet her eyes, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I understand, but I promise it’s worth it.”

She studies me for another moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a small nod, she sits back down in her chair.

“Alright,” she says, “but I want a full report on these mysterious sources of yours in two weeks.”

My eyes widen. “Two weeks?” I murmur. “But there’s…well, a lot of information there?—”

“Then the archivists will need to know about it,” she says. “We’ve already discussed how the material in the Obscuary can be dangerous; I don’t like the idea of you stumbling on something that could put you in harm’s way.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen,” I assure her.

Davina nods again, her gaze softening slightly. “I believe you, but I also know the lure of the unknown. Even the best of us can become consumed by the mysteries we feel we can’t solve. Promise me you’ll come to me if you discover something troubling.”

“I will,” I say, trying to make it sound authentic. “Thank you, Davina. ”

Her expression remains unreadable, but she finally dismisses me with a small wave. “I assume you have research to do. And remember, I want that report, Page.”

I stand, clutching the book in my hand. As I step out of her office, I let out a breath.

Two weeks. It’s not enough time.

I have two weeks to figure out how to tell the galaxy that the Boreans aren’t actually gone.

And Davina definitely suspects that something’s off.