The Draconian Woman. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One – The Collector of Empty Tomorrows The whisper spread through the Archive like a breeze moving through an endless forest. Except there were no trees. Only shelves. Infinite shelves. Millions of crystal spheres shimmered in the pale light, each one holding a future that had almost existed. The whispers did not grow louder. They grew closer. Emma instinctively moved beside Serakha. "Tell me that's just the air." Serakha listened carefully. "No." "What is it?" "They're calling names." "My name?" "Everyone's." Emma swallowed. "I liked it better when mysterious places only had strange children." Liora smiled. "I told you it wouldn't stay simple." The Guardian bent down and picked up his broom. He held it differently now. Not like a janitor. Like a knight holding an old sword. Emma noticed immediately. "...That's not actually a broom, is it?" The old man smiled. ...