Invisible Entanglements

Chapter One

Irene leaned her head on Kai's shoulder, trying her best to make the action seem as casual as possible. She watched as Kai took the quill from the inkwell and signed his name in the book before handing it to her. She signed her name too, her mind racing all the while.

There were too many people for her to just grab the book and go. But, at the same time, if she waited, she and Kai would have to sneak into the castle somehow and find out where they kept the book every other day, and then grab it and make a run for it.

So it only seemed logical that she and Kai played along with the crowd, even if it was only for a short amount of time.

Briefly, she studied the book in front of her. It was only one man's diary, and it was hundreds of years old; what made it so relevant to the Library that they decided to send her and Kai to retrieve it? She'd have to ask around about its significance... If it was even possible to do anything like that without raising a huge red flag.

"No one's behind us," Kai pointed out in a whisper, "you want to try it now?"

Irene shot a surreptitious glance over both shoulders. Kai was correct: nobody else was currently in line to sign their names in the book. In fact, nobody at all seemed to be paying any attention to them at all. It would be risky to try it right now, in broad daylight with several people milling about. But what other choice did they have?

She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod to Kai, who quickly opened the large satchel they had brought along for this book heist. Irene looked around in what she hoped was an indiscreet manner before closing the book, tucking her fingers under the back cover in order to lift it up...

"Hey!" a sharp voice called from somewhere to their right, "stop what you're doing right now."

Irene looked up to see a young woman-- probably somewhere in her mid- to late-twenties, early thirties-- dressed in guard uniform, standing on one of the two ramps that led from the balcony down to the big palace square.

And the woman was pointing at them.