Smoke and Iron (The Great Library #4)(113)

“It will have to,” she agreed.

“You don’t have a specialty yet, do you?”

It seemed an odd question. She shook her head. “I left before I chose one.”

“Maybe one’s chosen you,” Santi told her. “You were born for this, Khalila.”

“For what?”

“To lead,” he said.

She laughed, half in horror. “I’m no one. There are Scholars far older and wiser than I am.”

“That’s true. But soon enough, I think you’ll be rising up among them.” Santi closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. “I’m proud of all of you. But especially of you.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Thank you seemed too little. Before she could find the words, he heaved a sigh and stood up, to the Medica’s evident annoyance. “Come on, then,” he said. “We have work to do. Whatever happens tomorrow, we’re a wounded beast in a world full of wolves. And we had better learn to use our teeth before it’s too late.”

She followed Captain Santi into the crowds, to begin the hardest work of all.

Survival.





EPHEMERA



Text of a letter from King Ramón Alfonse of Spain to the Archivist of the Great Library of Alexandria. Available in the Codex.


Respectful greetings to the new Archivist of the Great Library. Long may you hold the keys of this great and ancient institution and uphold its true purpose throughout the world.

However, I remain concerned that the Great Library stands in such peril and turmoil, given the rebellion of the former Archivist and one-third of the High Garda and a full five hundred of its Elites. Please do not bother to deny these facts; I am well aware of what occurs within the city, and indeed within the Serapeum itself.

Your Curia is new and untried. Your Obscurists are demanding new freedoms in exchange for operation of the most basic of services and causing great disruption in what we have come to depend on out in the world.

One can only assume, now, that your weakness leaves the greatest treasures in the world—your Archives—to the strongest and fastest at your gates. And that is unacceptable to those who, like you, value and wish to preserve such knowledge from destruction.

To that end, the combined navies of Spain, Portugal, the American colonies, Russia, and Japan sail for your port, and our forces will come to you as friends, not as conquerors. I pray you stand down your armies and allow us entry.

If not, I pray for us all, and the dark days to come.





To be concluded in Volume 5 of

        THE GREAT LIBRARY





SOUND TRACK




As always, music played a huge part in getting me into and through this story. Enjoy the songs? Please buy them from the artists and support their work.


“Go to War” Nothing More “Who We Are” Nothing More

“Wonderful Wonderful” The Killers “Under Your Spell” The Sweeplings “Ahead of Myself” X Ambassadors “No Roots” Alice Merton

“Who We Are” Welshly Arms

“Revolution” The Score

“Be by Our Side” The Sweeplings “Wrong Side of Heaven” Five Finger Death Punch “Bloodfeather” Highly Suspect “Champion” Fall Out Boy

“Becomes the Color” Emily Wells “Cold Blood” Valen