Free The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman Page B

factions among the dragons. Not all of them support the royalty.’
    Irene sighed. Yet another uncertainty. ‘So I can’t be sure of their involvement.’
    ‘No,’ Coppelia said. ‘You can’t. Or rather, we can’t. And no, we don’t have any secret back-channels that we can use to ask about it, on behalf of the Library, either.’
    Irene tilted her head slightly. ‘
On behalf of the Library
, perhaps not, but how about from a private perspective? Isn’t there anyone out there who knows someone who knows someone, who could ask …’ She let the phrase trail off hopefully.
    Coppelia shook her head, a definite no, but she also looked wary. Clearly there was someone who knew someone who knew someone else out there, even if they couldn’t handle this particular issue.
    ‘Of course there isn’t,’ Irene agreed bitterly. She could see where this was going. ‘Even if someone did have access to the dragons, they’d be too high-ranking within the Library to act alone. And the Library can’t be drawn into this?’
    Coppelia spread her hands. ‘Precisely. There’s only one person in this situation who can ask …’
    ‘All right. All
right
.’ Irene saw Coppelia’s eyes narrow at her tone and she tried to calm down. ‘All right. It has to be me.’
Who puts her head into the dragon’s mouth. And who will take the blame if it goes wrong.
‘But I would like to ask a question first. A general question, before I get down to specifics.’
    ‘You can certainly ask,’ Coppelia said carefully. ‘If I don’t answer, then it isn’t because I want to cause you further difficulty.’
    Irene nodded. ‘In the widest of terms then - why bring Kai into the Library? Seriously. You
knew
what Kai was. Why take him in as a trainee at all? And why assign him to
me
?’
    This was a conversation that should have been held behind shuttered windows or heavy velvet curtains. It felt wrong to be having it so openly. Wrong, and far too exposed.
    Coppelia looked down at the desk. ‘There have been other young dragons here before Kai,’ she said slowly. ‘None as highly born, but - well, it has happened, and it is politely ignored when it does happen. Even if the people brokering a placement may have thought their deception remained hidden. There are hidden protocols. There are understandings. No dragon has yet chosen to remain and take vows as a Librarian. To be honest with you, I doubt Kai will, either. It will not be in his nature.’
    Irene nodded, accepting the words. ‘But why me?’
    Coppelia hesitated, then nodded to herself. ‘Because,’ she said in the Language, necessarily speaking truth, ‘we thought it would be best for both of you.’ She dropped back into English, looking up at Irene again. ‘And that’s all I will tell you for now.’
    ‘For our own good?’ Irene said drily. There was no
time
for all these damned mysteries. She was the child of two Librarians, an unusual combination - was this supposed to make her better suited to handling dragons? She couldn’t see how.
    Coppelia shrugged. ‘We make the best decisions that we can. Do you object to him?’
    ‘In what sense, object?’ Irene temporized. She knew she was avoiding the question, but she wasn’t sure of Coppelia’s meaning.
    ‘Has he given you any offence?’ Coppelia fired the question at her like a bullet.
    ‘He is courtesy itself,’ Irene said. ‘As you know.’
    ‘Has he done you any harm?’
    Irene thought of Kai’s eyes, of his hesitation, his sincerity. He’d wanted to protect
her
, when it was her responsibility to protect
him
. ‘No, and you know it. Is it really necessary to get into all this, here and now?’
    ‘I’m establishing that you have no reason to want to get rid of him yourself.’
    ‘For pity’s sake!’ Irene exploded. ‘If you don’t trust me, then there’s nothing more to be said. Besides, please give me credit for some intelligence. If I was trying to kidnap him myself, I wouldn’t be in here telling