Page 77 of Scars Like Wings
“Oh, I’m just looking for a few books.”
It took no time at all to find each one I was looking for. One-by-one in the proper order, I pulled them out so just a corner peaked past the shelves and then I pushed them back into place.Belovedby Toni Morrison.Jane Eyreby Charlotte Bronte.Pride and Prejudiceby Jane Austen.The Color Purpleby Alice Walker. WithTheir Eyes Were Watching Godby Zora Neale Hurston, the girls and I heard a distant ding from above.
“Uh, what was that?” Maisie asked.
I squealed with glee before I followed the noise, knowing exactly where to go and where to be. I had done this countless times in the past twelve years. I’m sure I could do it in my sleep by now. The floor’s wall was typically just a wall with some paintings matching whatever the ceiling above portrayed that day. But instead, an expansive elevator door stood now.
“Uh, Byrd?” Simone asked.
The elevator cart arrived with another ding, and the doors opened to an empty but lavish elevator with mirrors and gorgeous tiles all around. I eagerly bounded inside. The girls exchanged a glance before joining me. I pressed the button for thirteen, and the elevator dinged once more before the button lit up and the doors closed.
“So. Are you going to just keep us in suspense, or are you going to finally tell us who we are going to see?”
“Sorry! It’s just really cool to play like Batman or something with the Archive. It’s very, like,ClueorKnives Out. You’ve got to admit that it was kind of awesome.”
Maisie shook her head. “You are so lucky you are a loveable and adorkable nerd.”
“Okay, it was very cool. But all the secrecy and theatrics? I mean, you know I love the drama, but is it really necessary?” Simone asked.
“Well, you can’t have justanyonegoing to see the Director of Procurement and one of the Archive’s Guardians, now can you?”
“I’m so very sorry. Thewhat?” Simone exclaimed.
“I thought Rhois was the Director?”
“Oh, she is. Rhois is the Director ofLibrary Services. She takes care of the people side of the Archive. So, patron support, employee management, processes for checking things out, the works. Journee, one of the Archive Guardian throuple, is in charge of the Bistro, but they do also dabble in customer requests since they know what everyone wants naturally. The other wife takes care of all the backend work: getting and stocking materials, cataloguing, spell and rune maintenance, all the above!”
“Okay, I know I sound like a broken record. But wait.Throuple?” Maisie questioned, astonished.
“Dr. Rhois Dubhglas ismarried?! Journee ismarried?! They are all married to each other?!” Simone cried.
I laughed. “Of course they are! You think three immortal and beautiful folks who are all at least four-hundred years old like them would stay single this long andnottry to make a play at each other? Rhois is literally a supernatural creature who drained men of their blood and spent most of her time surrounded by women. Journee is a nonbinary genie—I honestly don’t think I need to expand on that. And the woman we are going to meet can only be found by taking out books that are all written by women. I literally cannot fathom anything gayer.”
“Okay, very fair,” Maisie replied with a smile.
“You said guardians, right? I didn’t think the Archive was that in need of one, let alone three.”
“Oh, of course! It is the one of the oldest libraries in existence that acts as an ancient safe haven for society’s others. It has texts that you can’t find anywhere else from cultures and languages lost to time. There are also materials about creatures that are rare or extinct that have to be protected. Guardians act as those defenders. They are usually a special breed of supernatural, like a specific kind of shifter who act as bodyguards. They tend to be powerful with magic to link them to what they are guarding and to keep it safe and secure. Their purpose is to maintain the safety and security of what they are guarding.”
The elevator opened to a massive, airy and bright room. It was decorated in a Moroccan-style full of vibrant purples, reds, and golds. Thin curtains draped lazily from above doing nothing to filter the bright natural light coming from the Archive’s dome above. A table sat at the center of the room surrounded by large poufs. Open books, scrolls, and loose pages covered the floor, only allowing for small glimpses of the brilliantly colored rugs underneath.
“Considering all the good the Archive does, this placeneedsa Guardian. Although our best Guardian, Izzy, likes to spend most of her time reading the dark romances I recommend over translating texts or protecting the cultured integrity of humanity and supers,” I teased.
“I heard that, little lotus!”
Isidora Belgreaves-Dubhglas descended with her hand on her hip and a smirk playing on her lips. Behind her, a double set of wings the same dark shade as her hair flapped to keep her suspended above us, blowing a cooling breeze around us. I did my best to ignore the chill cutting through me in favor of smiling up at her and enjoying seeing her again. Still, I couldn’t stop the shiver that came over me. Ever the observant mother-type, she tucked her wings behind her and landed softly on the floor in front of the three of us.
“Byrd, my darling,” Izzy said, touching my face. Her hands were warm as they always were, and her dark eyes twinkled as she looked down at me. Izzy towered over us just like Rhois, and her affection for high-heeled boots that added at least five inches to her height didn’t help. But despite the almost two feet difference in our heights, I always felt like I was on the same level as Izzy, like we were equals. She was like an aunt to me, all the Guardians were.
“Long time no see! What has you so stuck up here? I haven’t seen you in months outside of a hi-and-bye!” I said, placing my hand over hers.
“Apologies, sweet lotus. We have had some rather…interestingcataloguing issues. Some books have been going missing, and I have been trying to find the culprit.”
I furrowed my brows. “That’s odd. Like, no one checked them back in or something?”
“Not quite. These books are from the Vaults.”
My eyes widened. The Vaults were the highest floors of the Archive, and they were only accessible to the highest members of management, meaning me, Rhois, Journee, and Isidora. Reaching them was difficult, even if you had theverypowerful rune magic and the Archive’s blessing required to access it. It was insanely high-security, as it should be. The floors housed the rarest materials and those about supers that the Archive strived to protect. Which is what made it wild and scary that anyone would steal from there.