Free Cat's Quill by Anne Barwell Page A

seems a bit...." Tomas hunted for a word that seemed appropriate. "Weird."
    "Yeah, nice lady, but almost a split personality at times. Friendly, then speaks in riddles. She knows her stuff, though, and has kept this place running smoothly for years." Donovan mimed the throat cutting again. It was a somewhat overdramatic gesture. "I'm going to browse for a bit and grab my reading fix. If there's anything you want, yell. I know my way around, and that way you don't have to risk the wrath of Phoebe."
    Tomas shrugged. Apart from his favorite authors, whom he read as soon as they published their new books, he had a tendency to know what he wanted to read when he saw it. While he appreciated recommendations, he preferred to explore libraries and bookshops himself. Finding each new treasure was an adventure he did not want to taint with preconceptions and opinions that were not his own. Once the story was an old friend, it did not matter, in fact quite the opposite. His friend Ethan understood Tomas's logic, even if he was amused by it, but he also respected it, and they only discussed books they had both read or Tomas wished to recommend without spoiling any of the details.
    "Suit yourself." Donovan studied the books in front of him, pulling one off the shelf, flicking through the pages, and beginning to read. "I was only being helpful, but obviously I'm wasting my time."
    "I'm not good with social skills," Tomas admitted, leaning back against the wall behind him and crossing his arms. It had been a long time since he had talked to anyone like this, and now he'd done it a number of times in a few days. The change of scenery must be getting to him. "My sister says I act like I've been dragged up instead of brought up."
    Donovan raised an eyebrow. "I think I'm gonna have to meet your sister. She seems to be one sensible lady." He grinned, a smirk crossing his lips that made Tomas very uneasy. "Better yet, I bet she and Heidi would get on really well. They could compare notes."
    "God, no." Tomas shuddered. They might enjoy it, but he certainly wouldn't. Just the thought of it was the stuff of nightmares. Donovan needed to be distracted from this line of thinking, and quickly. "There is an author I'm looking for. I've only ever been able to find one book, but I'm sure he must have written more."
    "Why?" Donovan closed the book in his hand.
    "Why what?" Tomas looked at him blankly. His tone was casual, but he didn't uncross his arms.
    "Why are you sure he must have written more?" Donovan indicated the room they were in. "Some of the really good stuff is a one-time thing. Sometimes writers only get inspired once." He grimaced. "Thinking of some of the crappy sequels I've read, I wish some of them had only written one book. There's some good stuff out there, but others are not worth the paper they're written on. Shakespeare, monkeys, and typewriters, if you get my drift."
    "It's not finished," Tomas said. "There is a sequel. I just haven't been able to find it yet." Cathal might get away with arguing the point on this. Donovan would not. "So, are you going to help me find it, or do I have to unsheathe my sword and take on the Phoebe dragon myself?"
    Donovan snorted. "I doubt you're gonna unsheathe it for her, but yeah, I'll help. I'm a nice guy that way."
    "The author is Wynne Emerys," Tomas said, choosing to ignore Donovan's last statement. "His novel is called In Hidden Places ." It would be just as easy to look on the shelves first on his own, but if Donovan wanted to help, Tomas was not going to stop him. This would be easier with two of them, and his priority was finding this book. That and showing Cathal that his argument, while logical, could be proven wrong.
    "Never heard of him." Donovan shook his head. "Or the book. What genre is it? Some kind of war story?"
    "It's a fantasy." Tomas hesitated, not wanting to share something as personal as this story with Donovan. His tone shifted, warning that if Donovan made some kind of