CHAPTER 217

Mike was having a privacy gate put up once the materials arrived.

The conversation steered away from the apocalypse and toward more mundane things. Cyrus asked plenty of questions about the Underworld itself, and provided Mike with anecdotal tales from his time in the Order. It was hard not to like the man, but Mike could tell that theirs wasn't just a casual relationship.

It was part of the reason that he had Death with him. The Grim Reaper not only interjected at odd moments and provided a distraction, but Mike knew if the Order were to ever assemble a dossier on him, it would likely include the fact that the physical manifestation of Death itself was one of his best friends.

Anyone who chose to fuck with him or his family while knowing that information deserved whatever fate they got, which brought him back to Leeds. The bastard was still locked down in Oregon, but the opportunity to escape would come eventually. That was a problem that required a unique solution.

"Mike Radley." Death loomed over him now, his eyes shining brightly despite it being midday. "Your tea has gone cold."

"You're right. It has." He held up his cup. "Top me off, would you? I promise I'll finish it this time."

"You seem distracted. Maybe it's something I could help with?" Cyrus leaned forward, his eyes wide with excitement. "I bet I can help. Please let me help."

Mike chuckled, then held his freshly filled cup to his lips.

"I could tell you the details, but then I'd have to kill you." He winked, causing Cyrus to groan. The man knew all about the incident with the horsemen, but it would be a cold day in Hell before Mike shared anything about Oregon.

That, after all, was strictly a family matter. By the time he bid Cyrus farewell, it was early evening and his stomach rumbled with hunger. Anticipating a large meal, he walked into the house and noticed immediately that the air lacked the familiar scent of dinner. Puzzled, he walked into the dining hall to find Beth and Reggie eating plain sandwiches and chips while going over some documents.

"Where's Sofia?" he asked.

Beth shrugged, then held up her sandwich. "No idea. Looks like we're fending for ourselves tonight."

Without fail, the cyclops had prepared meals like clockwork for the entire time he had known her. Worried that something had happened to her, he grabbed a handful of chips from the bag on the table and then ran to his office to move the red book to its proper location. The world blurred around him as he was transported to the Library.

What had once been a lonely space was now bustling with activity. Hundreds of rats scurried about in organized chaos, several of them pulling carts full of books across the lobby. A few stopped when they saw Mike, and a couple even waved.

"What the hell is going on here?" He walked up to the front desk and saw that a golden bell had been placed on the counter. Curious, he hit the plunger. A ringing sound echoed along the colossal stacks for several seconds before disappearing.

A platform loomed overhead, then sank down to the floor. Standing on it was Sofia, looking regal in her Head Librarian's gown.

"I must have lost track of time," she muttered, then stepped off the platform.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. "You never showed up for dinner."

"You know, it was never my job to cook meals for you." She narrowed her eye at him and frowned.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. I don't care that you didn't cook for us, but when someone breaks from their routine, I go check on them." He took a step forward and slipped his hands around her waist. "So what are you up to? Anything I can help with?"

Sofia kept a stern look about her, but her cheeks reddened. "As a matter of fact, there is plenty of work to do around here. After the incident with the horsemen, it was discovered that we did in fact have some texts that pertained to our situation. The Library, first and foremost, is a repository of knowledge. It is time that I work to restore its function, which includes better cataloging and access to materials."

"That's great," he said. "But it doesn't have to be something you do alone."

"And it isn't." Sofia sauntered away, her large ass swaying as she did so. She stood on the platform and tapped her staff. "I have something to show you. Are you coming?"

Not yet, he thought with a grin. He stood next to her and grabbed onto the railing. "Let's see what you've got going on."

Sofia stood stoic as the platform rose, her hair rustling around her as they lifted into the air. From up above, Mike could see the rats were surprisingly coordinated in their efforts. It seemed that they were gathering up books from distant stacks and moving them to an empty section of the Library.

"There's quite a backlog of incoming books," Sofia explained. "The rats haven't learned to read yet, but the Library has a translation feature. While they don't completely understand the wording, they have been taught the difference between genres."

"That's great, but does Reggie know about this?"

"It was his idea. Ever since the last incursion, he decided that his people would be safer in a more neutral territory. To that end, we put them to work for room and board." The platform was moving fast enough now that the breeze was pushing Mike's hair back. "So what do you need from me?"

Sofia looked over his shoulder with a grin. "You'll see."

They traveled for a few more minutes before landing on a giant stack that had been hollowed out. Most of the books had been removed, leaving behind what looked like a bundle of networking cables that looped around the structure.