Episode 10: The Magic I Know, Chapter 7

"You have no place in this, Guardian!" Hel hissed, breaking her chant just long enough to respond to her challenger in word and gesture. The wave of darkness struck Sif full across her chest, throwing her backwards into the wall of the cavern. Arms raised once more, Hel turned back to her chant.

The golden head of Sif lay still, her body slumped against the wall. Slowly the shimmering strands of gold faded from the unmoving body. A cry of rage echoed around the chamber, rage that found its way into every redoubled strike of Thor's hammer. It was a sound that brought a smile to the necrotic features of the Queen of the Dead.

Thor pummelled his adversary, rolling to avoid the strike of the serpent and rising to his feet in one smooth movement. He was alone now. He could not tackle Hel, nor reach his beloved, until he had dealt with Jormungand, but the beast would not die! Hit after bone crushing hit had impacted on the skin of the serpent, but not one had resulted in the tiniest tear in it. It was as though there was a forcefield surrounding the monster in invisible and impervious armour. Thor panted in the shadows, dragging in essential oxygen and scanning his foe for clues.

Jormungand reared back and laughed. The sound, a relic of his lost humanity, seemed alien through the half serpentine jaws. Half a hiss and half a chuckle, the chimera slithered forward in undulating curves, backing the god of thunder into a curve of the uneven cave wall.

XXXX

They had met Stone half way back to the Library, his avatar gone as soon as his nemesis was vanquished. With a distinctly Southern oath, he had propped up Jenkins' other side and half carried him back to the Library. The bed in the first aid room was already taken.

"Cassie!"

The weight on Ezekiel's shoulders suddenly doubled as Jacob Stone forgot everything but the woman in front of him. She lay still, too still, and Ezekiel's sharp eyes strained to see any sign of movement in Cassandra's chest. He let go a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. The movement was there. It was small, but it was there. She was breathing. She was alive.

"She's okay, Chuckles, just unconscious," soothed Charlene, raising a hand to stop his movement into the already crowded room. "Make yourself useful and help me clear this table. She's stable. Old Father Time there needs looking at."

"No pun intended, I'm sure," groaned Jenkins. He sat up on the cleared table nevertheless, allowing Stone to distract himself by peeling off the torn vestiges of his cloak and shirt. "I should have worn mail."

"Odin doesn't wear chain mail," muttered Charlene, encouraging him less than gently to lie down. "I gotta warn ya, my stitching ain't my greatest talent."

"I remember!" Jenkins growled, causing Ezekiel and Stone to exchange raised eyebrows in a silent reminder to ask one or both about that story later.

"I can stitch a wound," offered the seated form of Professor Cillian. "I have some medical training amongst my collected qualifications. Please, let me help." She stood and offered her seat by Cassandra to Stone. "Please: I need something else to think about and you need to be near her."

Stone nodded, darting round to Cassie's side. Professor Cillian pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves and held out her hands for the needle and thread. Charlene shrugged and handed them over.

"Houdini: go wash the blood off yourself," she ordered. "Get cleaned up then get back here. I'm gonna need you to play nursemaid once you've got those scratches seen to."

"But Flynn and Eve…" began Ezekiel, waving a hand in the direction of the door.

"I'm on it, now go!"

Ezekiel threw his hands up and departed.

"He's heading right back to them," grumbled Jenkins, wincing at the sudden sting of antiseptic.

"I know," sighed Charlene. "Damn kid thinks he's invincible."

"He probably is," hissed Jenkins, teeth gritting against the needle and thread tugging at his torn flesh.

"No reason to tell him that though," muttered Charlene.

"Go," murmured Professor Cillian. "We can manage here. I know you want to be out there."

"Never was one to run from a fight," nodded Charlene, picking up the sword Stone had dropped the second he had seen Cassandra. "Mind if I borrow this?"

Without waiting for an answer, she was gone.

XXXX

"You cannot defeat me," rasped the monstrosity. "My body has bathed in the river of the dead. Their hands have taken me into its depths entire. Not even the proverbial heel remained untouched, not that I have heels any more."

"And yet, you must be defeated for your queen's spell to work," rumbled Thor. "You cannot survive, and you cannot kill yourself: you must die by my hand!"

"Is it so?" Jormungand hissed. "Are you certain? My sister's hound should die by Tyr's hand, yet I sensed not his presence in this fight. There are others, too, who have interfered, even as my queen knew they would. Do you truly believe she would not consider this possibility in her plans? You know her now: you know her great intellect. She is the genius who will rebuild this world anew. A better world. A fairer world."

"She is mad," retorted Thor. "She is not the woman I once knew. She has become obsessed with magic. Driven by it. Taken over by it. Magic is power, and power corrupts. I wondered once what made the Library choose me over her and now I know. It recognised in her something I did not. Something it had seen once in da Vinci and again in Wilde. Something it did not want to see again. It saw arrogance. Arrogance enough to believe she could wield magic without cost. Arrogance enough to believe she knew what was best for the world. Or perhaps just arrogance enough not to care. She doesn't care about you. She doesn't care about anyone! Look at your companions: where are they? Dead or gone, and she does not care. You will die and she will not care. She cares only for herself, no one else."

A cackling laugh emanated from the serpent's half-human mouth. "She cares for you! You alone will survive this battle. You alone will walk with my queen into the new world, to rule by her side. The charm she gave you will see to that. She knows you, Librarian. She knows you would recognise its worth and keep it with you. I need only keep you from her until she has finished her chant and the new world will arise!"

Jormungand rocked back, his head splitting wide with laughter as his jaws unhinged. A thoughtful look flashed across Thor's face.

"You know it is death to drink the waters of the Styx without the appropriate spells in place," he taunted.

Jormungand took the opportunity to chuckle further at his opponent's futile attempt to worry him. "You amuse me, puny god. The only time that water passed my lips was during our transformation. All such spells were fully woven. My queen makes no such imbecilic errors!"

"Really?" Thor frowned, swinging his hammer in easy circles. "The only time?"

"The only time," echoed Jormungand, rising on his coiled body. "My queen makes no mistakes!"

"Oh, I think I can think of one," murmured Thor.

The hammer spun and released, flying upward to meet the jaws of the striking snake. The jaws were already unhinging, widening to engulf the thunder god whole. Their movement stopped as the hammer hit, always on target, flying through the teeth into the back of the monster's mouth. The chimerical head jerked back, its eyes flying wide in realisation, then fell. Beneath Thor's feet he felt the earth shake with the death throes of the Midgard Serpent. The hammer returned to him, brain matter darkening its head.

It was over, then, he thought. Nearly over, at least. Only one thing remained to be done. He turned to face the Queen of the Dead and stopped in his tracks.

Eve Carsen's consciousness had returned slowly, piece by piece. First had been the sounds of fighting and someone chanting in strange syllables; then had been the sensation of lying awkwardly against uneven rock, followed swiftly by pain in various portions of her anatomy; then her ability to move had returned, bringing with it a whole chorus of complaints at she did so; lastly she had felt her eyes open and registered the rainbow shimmer of light and the sinuous silhouette standing before it. Then she had felt herself stand up, and it had crossed her mind that standing up had not been something anywhere near the top of her mental to do list.

Eve watched from somewhere behind her eyes as she walked forward a few paces, her left hand reaching out before her. Her fingers closed around the centre of a bow, its smooth wooden curve wrapped round with leather. Her left foot stepped forward, her body turned side on to her target. Reaching down, her right hand plucked an arrow from the ether and fitted it to the bowstring. She drew the string back to her chin, sighting down a polished wood shaft that gleamed in the coruscating light. The tip of her tail twitched.

Thor watched the ancient arrow fly swift and true. It entered the centre of Hel's back piercing spine and aorta. The chanting died. Blood bubbling from her mouth, Emily Davenport looked down at the shaft exiting her chest. Confusion clouded her features, creasing her forehead and drawing her brows together. She died still wondering where her defeat had come from.

Flynn Carsen watched the caracal ears and tail vanish and his wife slump to the ground. He did not dare to run towards her. In silence and in hope, he waited.

Feet echoed through the stone hallways. Ezekiel appeared at the doorway, the fire around his hands replaced with an emerald green glow. He spotted Eve, glanced at the crumpled form of Emily Davenport, and skidded to a halt by the Colonel's side, dropping to his knees and checking for a pulse. Only once he had found it, his shoulders slumping in relief, did he look up at Flynn.

"She's okay," he called, frowning when Flynn didn't move closer.

"He's not," added a shaky voice at the doorway. "How many?"

"What?" Ezekiel frowned, looking from the newly arrived Charlene to Flynn.

"Seven," replied Flynn.

"Can you wait?" Charlene asked, ignoring Ezekiel.

"I think so," answered Flynn.

"You're an idiot," admonished Charlene, dropping the sword, which indignantly propped itself up against the wall, and walking over to wrap her arms around the gangly figure.

"Probably," admitted Flynn, "but would you prefer I let them die?"

"I'd prefer nobody died," sighed Charlene.

More footsteps echoed in the passages and Cassandra's face appeared around the edge of the doorway, Jacob Stone at her back. They each took in the scene and, in true Librarian fashion, jumped to utterly the wrong conclusion.

"Is Eve…" Cassandra couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"She'll be fine. They both will," said Flynn, feet still locked to the floor.

Stone spotted it first. "What's happening?

Cassandra looked from Flynn and Charlene to Eve and Ezekiel. "They?"

"All magic has a cost," murmured Flynn, his voice unnaturally loud in the silent stone sepulchre. "Sometimes it's the risks we take. Sometimes it isn't."

Cassandra's brow creased. "What?"

"It's the story, sweetheart," murmured Stone into her ear. "Somethings you can't change."

Cassandra's eyes dropped as she ran her mind back over the story of ragnarok. She hadn't studied it as much as Stone and Ezekiel, focusing her research on creatures and artefacts that could be of use to them instead. She reached the end and looked up. "Oh! Oh, Flynn!"

She hurried forward, hand reaching towards the vial at her neck.

"Won't work," said Flynn, hands reaching out to catch the redhead as she reached him. "I knew the price. I was willing to pay it then, and I'm willing to pay it now."

The vial of apple juice dropped, still stoppered, to hang still around Cassandra's neck and her arms reached out to wrap her mentor in a tearful hug. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"That's just it, Cassandra," sighed Flynn, reaching round her to shake Stone's hand, "it's exactly what was meant to happen."

"Don't mean we have to like it," growled Stone. "You sure there's nothing we can do?"

"Absolutely sure," nodded Flynn releasing Cassandra. "Damage is done."

"We fixed it before," piped up Ezekiel, still kneeling by Eve. "We're stronger now."

"That was different," shrugged Flynn, shaking his head. "There's no magical fix for this. You can't just cheat a spell like this of its price."

"Cheat is exactly what we could do!" Ezekiel retorted. "The story say nine steps: I can give you wings so you never need to take another step ever!"

"The story says nine paces, not nine steps," corrected Flynn. "It's a measure of distance just as much as anything else. Flying or walking, that's how far I get."

"And there's only seven steps left," added Charlene.

"Seven steps to what?" Eve groaned, coming round at last.

"Ezekiel, would you mind helping Eve over here please," said Flynn, clearing his throat and straightening his ragged clothing.

"What's going on?" Eve growled, looking from one Librarian to another in deepest suspicion. Her eyes settled on her husband. "Flynn, why are you standing there like that?"

Flynn Carsen hugged and kissed Charlene and Cassandra. Stone, an arm around Cassie, shook his hand again.

"It's been an honour," he murmured.

"Likewise," replied Flynn, looking over the three who would, with considerably more training than he had ever had, finally fully take over the reins from him. "I'm so proud of all of you. So very proud. Now, if you don't mind, I believe I would like to spend some time alone with my wife."

Eve's face was pale as the other four backed away and left the room. Her voice shook when she turned back to her husband. "What's going on, Flynn?"

"My love, I need you to understand I had no choice in this," began Flynn.

"There is always a choice," cut in Eve, hating the tears that were welling up inside her. "You had a choice!"

"If not me then who?" Flynn shrugged, reaching into Eve's pocket and plucking out the amulet Emily had given him when they had 'bumped into' her during their honeymoon in Egypt. He waved the winged figure in a circle between them. "Who would you have me choose, Eve? Cassandra? Stone? Ezekiel? Maybe you think I should have picked Jenkins or Charlene: they've lived more life than any of us. Who would you have picked?"

Eve choked back a sob. "Me," she admitted, hating herself for it. "I'd have picked me."

"And I couldn't do that, my love," smiled Flynn, drawing her into his arms and slipping the little piece of ancient Egypt back into her pocket. "You know I couldn't do that."

"But we were supposed to have a future! A child!" The tears came freely now. "We didn't get enough time."

"Oh, my love, my darling, my heart, my world, I think we did. Maybe just enough. And it is possible to know too much about your future."

XXXX

Ezekiel was the last to break. His tears came when Eve's tortured scream filled the waiting silence of the halls. Shaking his head in defiant silence he turned and ran back to the Library.

"Come on," sniffed Stone, loosening his grip on Cassandra. "Eve's gonna need us."

"They both will," nodded Cassandra. She didn't spot the odd look Stone flashed in her direction.

The trio hurried round the corner and through the door. Cassandra headed straight for Eve, wrapping her arms around the kneeling guardian and turning her face away from the crumpled form in her lap. She watched Jacob lift the body, pausing to let Charlene brush his hair from his face and straighten his cravat.

"He never did learn to keep his receipts," she sighed.

XXXX

It was another hour and more before Jenkins came round. Charlene was there, waiting, when he did. Somebody had to tell him. He took it better than the others had, but that was to be expected: he'd had more practise. She could tell he was waiting for her to leave, though. When she did, her feet didn't take her back to the office, where Cassandra, Stone and the Professor were comforting Eve. Instead, they took her in an altogether different direction and it was some time before they returned.

The same four people were in the office, now joined by Jenkins. Somewhere along the way various questions regarding the nature of magic, Einstein-Rosen bridges and the Library had been answered, by whom Charlene would probably never find out, for the Professor who now seemed as at home here as she might in her own study.

Eve looked up at the sound of the door. She took in Charlene's appearance and frowned. "You're leaving? Now?"

"It's not all mine," Charlene shrugged. "I won't be far away. I'd say Houdini needs a chaperone, but I think housekeeper might be nearer the mark. Don't worry: I'll keep an eye on them both. Somebody needs to be there to take charge of things when the Clan Chief's away. Even when he's there, come to think of it! And the house will be opening to the public soon."

"But…" Eve began.

"I'll be back for… for the important things. I'll drag fairy-boy's backside back here too, if he doesn't come willingly. For the important things."

Eve nodded and watched Jenkins reset the door. "Mr Jones may be able to move through mirrors, but I would appreciate it if he used the door to get back. He'll need training – well, they both will – but if he intends to move between here and there, he should know it is far more difficult and dangerous to try to step into a magical extra-dimensional Library than out of it that way."

"I'll pass it along," nodded Charlene. "I can deal with the basics. When they're ready for more you and I can swap over for a time. Sound good?"

Jenkins nodded. "I believe it should suffice."

Charlene turned and nodded to the rest of the group, her eyes coming at last to Eve's. "Remember: I'm just the other side of that door."

Eve nodded, her gaze locked on the door as it flashed into life and closed again.

"Come on," sniffed Cassandra, pulling the larger woman to her feet. "I think we need to go take a little test."

Eve's face turned. Her eyes focused on the top of Cassandra's head. She frowned. Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes growing glassy in realisation. Her hand dropped to her abdomen. She let Cassandra lead her out of the room.

XXXX

Cassandra watched Jenkins lead Eve away. One test taken, there was another that had to be booked at the local doctor's surgery and there were other arrangements to be made. Arrangements Jenkins had far more experience making than any of them. The office was empty but for Cassandra, still staring at the door where Eve had vanished from sight, and Jacob, his arms around her, unreadable face buried in her shoulder.

"Marry me," Cassie whispered, not moving. She felt his head lift.

"What?" Jacob's voice was thick with unshed tears.

"I want to be your wife," she breathed. "I get it now. It's not about faith, or religion, or commitment. Or not just about those, anyway. It's about becoming one person, one life. Right up until your dying day. And in this job, especially in this job, that day could be tomorrow. It could be centuries away, true, but it could just as easily be hours away. Minutes, even. I don't want to wait until it's too late. If I die, when I die, I want it to be as your wife."

"Are you sure?" Jacob Stone sounded as though he thought she'd gone mad.

"I'm sure," she nodded. "Eve and Flynn, they didn't have long together, but they didn't waste a second of what time they had. Jenkins and Flora stayed together even though they had an ocean between them and a curse keeping them apart. Charlene and her first husband treasured every moment together even though their jobs meant they spent most of their time apart. Sure, every marriage is different and not every marriage works out well and every single one of them takes work, but whatever kind of marriage we have I truly believe it will only bring us closer. Maybe not physically and maybe there's no scientific reason for why it should, but maybe there is a reason. Somehow."

"How did you know?" Jacob asked, frowning at something that had just resurfaced in his mind.

"Know what? About us or about the others? I asked Flora and Charlene…"

"No, not about that," mused Jacob Stone. "How did you know Eve was pregnant?"

"Oh, that!" A smile, sad but sweet, flickered across her face. "Flynn told us. When we got there and he said 'they' were alright."

"I thought he meant Eve and Ezekiel," frowned Jacob.

"Why would he tell us Ezekiel was alright? Ezekiel had just come from the same door as us not five minutes before."

"In this job a lot can happen in five minutes," argued Jacob.

"True," agreed Cassie, "but it seemed fairly obvious that it hadn't. Besides: we know Judson will exist and Eve was absolutely sure he was Flynn's son. And he was in their dream. She told me all about it."

"That little talk go both ways?"

Despite herself, Cassandra blushed. "I think she'd already worked out most of it."