Chapman Leatherby Libraries Novels & Stories

She could spend hours browsing through all of this and not get tired. To her delight, a section of the library was dedicated to books on law and governance, with case files and newspapers in them. No, it would be too rude to ignore Logan and read through these. She forced herself to give it back to him and sit silently. "I'm glad you like it," he said. "I asked for Laurel's advice. She said you would need a comfortable and fluffy chair on which you can read, so I ordered it. It should be in transit as we speak."

he said. He spoke quietly into his earpiece. A pause. Then he nodded once. "Yes," he said. I walked back to my room with the book held against my chest. The negotiation book. But my mind was still on the other one. Dark green spine. Faded gold lettering. Third shelf from the bottom. Four books from the left. Stone City's history sitting quietly in the corner of Ryan Thompson's library. Waiting. I sat on the edge of my bed and looked at the cover in my hands.

Moreau’s perpetually simmering anxieties. Liam navigated the creaking floorboards of the library, the only room in the house that still held a semblance of its former grandeur. He ran a finger along the spine of a leather-bound book, the title long since obscured by age and grime. He didn’t care about literature; he cared about leverage. And Julian Davenport was the ultimate lever.

Chapman spat at Tom, then left triumphantly and tore the card into pieces. No one in the classroom dared to speak. They only looked at the pitiful Tom with sympathy. After he left, the two tall students glared at Tom fiercely. After a while, the dead silence of the classroom slowly returned to its noisy state. In a matter of moments, the class was finished. Everybody left the study hall and went to the jungle gym. Chapman carried the two tall understudies toward the northern piece of the school library. There was a restricted hallway behind the library. Chapman got a kick out of the chance to smoke there after class. He even had intercourse with young ladies in the hall without any attempt a

There has to be more going on here than meets the eye. This note is only one more mystery on top of the others. During the tour, Gladys glossed over the library, barely mentioning it before pressing on. Could there truly be some type of devilry harbored there? Caleb isn’t sure, but with the note, he can’t take chances. Not with Harper. So he makes his slow, winding way to the library. Fortunately, when he arrives, the room is empty. Walking in, he takes in his surroundings. There’s a desk to one side. The walls are entirely lined with bookcases, tomes new and old lined up on the shelves. There’s two comfortable looking chairs and a loveseat with a blanket thrown over the back.

Leila walked between the aisles, surrounded by old copper kettles, once fine German porcelain, toy trains, and oak plant stands trying hard not to look bored. One stall caught her eye—a pile of books, mostly battered children’s tales and lonely volumes of the classics not worth much without the rest of the lot. Some books looked interesting, bound in old tooled leather. Then something caught her eye. She spotted a volume in the middle of all that artful chaos. It was a thick, faded book with a tan leather binding. The title, The History and Artifacts of the Ancient Germanic Tribes, was elegantly crafted in gold letters. Leila’s pulse quickened. She was looking for this volume in the library

The wall shuddered—and then split inward, folding open as if inhaling for the first time in centuries. Air rushed out. Cold. Dust-heavy. Scented with old parchment and sealed. Before them opened a vast chamber. Shelves stretched wall to wall, carved from blackened oak and bone. Rows upon rows of books stood untouched, bindings of wolf hide and scaled leather catching the torchlight like distant stars. Casius stepped forward slowly. “Gods,” he murmured. “It’s a library.” Amalia’s breath hitched. “No. The library.” Her voice trembled. “Shadowmere’s.”

Maybe this could be the start of a new era. I was dragged out of my daydreaming when I saw an old leather book tucked into one of the shelves. Despite (or maybe because of) its one-word title, it caught my eye immediately. There it was, in black and white: SAMUEL I grabbed it off the shelf immediately and tucked it under my arm. Another few steps revealed a reading chair with a lantern expertly angled to give the perfect amount of light. Deep down, I wondered if the library was somehow alive, anticipating my needs. I decided that was a mulling over for another day.

Dim overhead lights cast long shadows between the rows, and the air carried that comforting, dusty scent of old paper and leather bindings. Lila Harper had worked the late shift at the circulation desk for three semesters. At 29, she was the youngest full-time librarian on staff, with sharp hazel eyes, shoulder-length chestnut hair often twisted into a loose bun, and a body that her modest cardigans and knee-length skirts couldn’t quite hide. She knew every quiet corner of the building, including which sections offered the most privacy after 9 p.m.