Tace held a finger to her lips and motioned to Ademar. They both stood behind the door. She nodded once to Brax.
He opened the door slowly, resting his foot on it.
"Frensia," Brax said.
Tace was glad he was smart enough to tell them who was there.
"Melethiel told me Tace and Ademar were visiting you. I was hoping to speak with the three of you," Frensia said.
"Well, I—" Brax started.
Tace stepped out from behind the door, grabbed Frensia's thin, gray arm, and pulled them into the room. "Brax, shut the door," she said.
"What is this?" Frensia asked.
"I'm going to tell you something, Frensia," Tace said. "And if you ever tell anyone, I'll slit your throat."
"Slitting my throat won't do much good. I'm not a human or orc or elf. There are no vital organs in my throat." Frensia sat calmly on a chair. "It would be an inconvenience, certainly, but it wouldn't do any permanent damage."
"For someone who works in a library, you talk an awful lot." Tace glared at Frensia. She'd liked the umgar at first. Now, she was just annoyed with them.
"Not only do I excel at finding information, but I also excel at imparting it." Frensia flashed that awkward, fake smile at them.
"Stop!" Tace stomped a boot on the floor. "Don't do what you think we want you to. You're never going to make us comfortable like that. Be yourself."
Frensia shrugged. "As you wish. Then please tell me why you are violating rules of the library. Not only are you congregating secretly in a room, but Ademar stole a book from my pile."
"You knew?" Ademar's jaw dropped.
"Of course I knew. Do you think I'm an idiot?" Frensia tapped the table with a long, slim finger. "I remember every book I've ever retrieved."
"Is that why you came here? To take back the book?" Tace gripped it tighter in her hand. She wouldn't let Frensia have it. And if Frensia didn't have any vital organs in their neck, Tace wouldn't stop until she found one that stopped the umgar from breathing. Or whatever umgars did to stay alive.
"No. If I wanted the book, I would have gone to Ademar's room first. I came here to speak to Brax on a more sensitive matter." Frensia turned to the human warrior. "You must leave."
Instead of looking stunned, Brax took the pronouncement in stride. Almost as if he knew it was coming.
"Melethiel—" Frensia started.
"What did you do?" Tace stuck her face right in front of Brax's. Ademar grabbed her elbow, tugging her back, but she wriggled out of his grip.
"Brax and Melethiel had sexual relations," Frensia said in the most deadpan tone Tace had ever heard.
“H-how did you know?” Brax said.
“Melethiel confessed as much to me. As soon as you are gone, she will tell the powers that be,” Frensia said. “And your infraction will be handled with haste.”
"How dare you jeopardize our time here at the library?" Tace yelled at Brax. Raseri flew off her shoulders and circled Brax's head as if preparing to attack.
"Hey!" Brax pointed at Ademar. "He stole a book."
"Borrowed," Ademar said.
"Gah!" Tace paced the room. She'd offered to lead this expedition in the hope that she could learn more about the old orc religions and discover something about the tattoo that had appeared on her wrist—in addition to helping the orcs stop whatever was targeting them from underground. Now these humans were screwing it up for her. She'd been stupid to trust them!
"Calm yourself," Frensia said.
Tace stopped her pacing in front of Frensia. "Excuse me?"
"Calm yourself," Frensia repeated, as if Tace didn't hear them the first time.
"I will not calm down. Never in the history of being told to calm down has anyone ever calmed down!" Without realizing what she was doing, Tace smacked Frensia over the head with the book.
They all stood in shocked silence. Especially Tace. She immediately regretted hitting the umgar.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Are you feeling calmer now?" Frensia asked.
Tace nodded. She had to admit she did.
"Good.” Frensia turned to Brax. "You must leave. You violated our rules."
"What about Melethiel?" Brax asked.
"Oh, don't act like you're concerned about her," Tace said.
Brax raised an eyebrow. "But I am. Any gentleman would be."
Tace kept her sigh to herself. If Brax were truly a gentleman, perhaps he could have lasted more than a week without jumping the first willing female he met.
Frensia shrugged. "Melethiel will be sent home to her family in disgrace. It is the penalty for consorting with visitors to the library. We must all leave.”
"We?" Tace asked, confused.
"Yes." Frensia slipped their hand inside their cloak and pulled out another tome. "It appears I have stolen a book, too. It is the companion to the one Ademar took. Like Melethiel, I will be disgraced and sent home to my family."
"I don't understand," Tace said. "Why would you steal a book?"
Frensia turned to her, their eyes dark and penetrating. "I found something I cannot explain. Something that requires further research. Something that can only be explained by this." Frensia reached out, took Tace's hand, and turned her arm over, revealing the tattoo on Tace's wrist.
"How did you know about that?" Tace demanded. She'd kept the tattoo wrapped up tightly until only moments ago, when she'd shown it to Ademar. No one could have seen it.
"I could sense it," Frensia said simply.
Tace rubbed her forehead. Decisions had to be made, and she couldn't do it with so much confusion.
"If you are leaving, I am, too," Frensia said.
"Why?" Tace asked.
"My thirst for knowledge led me to the library. I knew one day it would lead me away. As the bird guides a lost fisher to land, you, Tace, are leading me to my destination. May I join your party? I think I know where you should go next to find the answers you seek." Frensia looked almost anxious about what Tace would say.
Tace glanced at Ademar. He nodded once, a smile on his face. She didn't even bother checking with Brax; he was probably already too busy planning his next sexual conquest. "I would like that very much, Frensia. How soon can we leave?"
"We must leave now," Frensia said. "Before the guards come to escort Brax away."
A knock sounded at the door. Tace’s hands instinctively formed into fists.
"Who is it?" Brax asked.
"Melethiel," came the reply.
Brax opened the door.
The elf held an awkward assortment of weapons. "I brought your weapons so you could leave with them. I doubt they would have given them back to you before throwing you out."
“Knowing the consequences, why did you admit what happened between us?” Brax asked. “I don’t understand.”
She smiled shyly. “One day, I will explain to you, but for now, I cannot.”
Tace could care less about their romantic entanglement. She took her daggers and sheathed them on her hips. Despite having had her weapons confiscated, she still wore their sheaths out of habit. "Do you know a way we can sneak out without being caught?"
"All of you?" Melethiel asked, her eyes settling on Frensia.
"Yes, all of us," Frensia answered. "Well, not you."
"Of course not," Melethiel said. "I have to face the consequences of my actions."
"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Brax asked—a little too eagerly, in Tace's opinion.
Melethiel rested her hand on his arm. "I appreciate the sentiment, but no. I cannot. Now follow me. I will show you a secret way out."
They followed Melethiel down the hallway as calmly as if they were headed to dinner together. Tace wished they could move faster, but they had to maintain a nonchalant pace so as not to alert anyone else. Raseri chewed on her tail, obviously sharing Tace's agitation.
Melethiel led them to the top of a spiral staircase, then stepped to one side. "Go down this staircase. At the bottom, you will find an unlocked door that leads to a waste tunnel. Follow the tunnel—you will come out under the southern wall of the library. I wish you well. All of you."
As she ran down the stairs, eager to leave the library, Tace wondered where Frensia would lead them once they escaped.