THE LIBRARY MIGHT HAVE been a pleasant place when it was open, but in the middle of the night, it was creepy. Jax reminded himself that this was also a secret day most people didn't know existed, so the likelihood of anybody lurking behind the towering shelves was pretty slim.

Deidre rapped sharply on a door labeled STAFF ONLY, pushed it open, and called into the hallway beyond: "Hello? It's Deidre Morgan with visitors to see you."

The staff area of the library included a break room with a refrigerator and a stove, two couches, and a private bathroom. Jax wondered if the Taliesins lived off people's leftover lunches and slept on those couches.

A man stepped out of the shadows, making Jax jump.

Jax had met only two people of the Kin race before, Evangeline and Wylit, but this man had the same pale blond hair and stunning blue eyes they did. He held a candle in an old-fashioned holder, and he was dressed in clothes that might have been in style in the 1800s-way worse than the 1980s clothes Evangeline had been stuck with when Jax met her.

Jax did some quick math. If this guy was about fifty years old, but lived only one day for every seven in the Normal world, he would've been born three hundred fifty years ago. Jax glanced at Evangeline, now dressed like a regular teen girl in shorts and a plain T-shirt. He'd once figured out that she must've been born back around 1900, before cars and airplanes and maybe even electricity.

Jax was a little fuzzy on history.

"Come this way," the Kin man said before vanishing into a room at the end of the hallway.

The Taliesin men had taken over the office of the head librarian. There was no electricity in the building on Grunsday, so they'd set candles on the librarian's desk and on the shelves. The man who'd met them in the hallway went to stand behind another Kin man, who was seated at the desk, leafing through a large book.

This man kept them waiting while he finished the page, being rude on purpose, Jax assumed. Finally, he looked up. His coloring was the same as the other guy's, but while the first one had a weak, twitchy face like a squirrel, this one had sharp cheekbones and a large, beak-shaped nose. "Pendragon," he said, greeting Riley without much pleasure. His eyes passed over the group, taking in each of their marks as they raised their hands to show the tattoos on their wrists-which was the standard greeting in the eighth-day world. "The voice of command, an inquisitor, and a truth teller. Overkill, don't you think?"

"It doesn't have to be," Riley replied. "We can keep this pleasant."

Based on the man's expression, Jax doubted it. "I assume this visit has something to do with the assault on the Eighth-Day Spell," the hook-nosed Taliesin said, closing his book. He stood up and looked at Evangeline with slightly less affection than most people looked at a spider. "If she was the culprit, and you've delivered her to us for justice, I must remind you that is not our function."

"Hey!" Jax protested. "She risked her life defending the eighth day!"

"I was not delivered here," Evangeline said stiffly. "We came to find out where you've hidden my sister."

Taliesin paused a moment and then addressed Riley as if Evangeline weren't there. "It would be a very bad idea for those two girls to be together. They were separated on purpose for the safety of every member of my race. Our existence depends on theirs. Having them together would enable someone to wipe out the Emrys line at one blow, destroying the eighth-day world."

Jax could see the guy's point, even if he didn't agree with it. Evangeline and her sister were descendants of Merlin Emrys, the legendary wizard who had cast the Eighth-Day Spell fifteen hundred years ago. The spell was carried in the bloodline of Merlin's family, and Evangeline and her sister were the only ones left.

"It's a very bad idea to have them apart any longer, to be picked off one by one," Riley argued. "Wylit found her brother, and then he found her. Hiding was not good enough. The Emrys line needs to reestablish itself, connect with old allies, and make new ones. They need to be strong enough so that no one dares act against them. My people benefit from the eighth day too; our magic is bound to that day. Without the eighth day, we lose our talents. I have to believe there are Transitioner clans who, for that reason alone, would make it their business to ally themselves with an Emrys."

"As you did?" the hook-nosed Taliesin replied, his gaze dropping pointedly to the honor blade Evangeline wore at her side. It was Riley's personal dagger, the one he'd used since childhood, which he'd offered to Evangeline as a symbol of their alliance after he had gained King Arthur's blade, Excalibur.

"He treats me like an ally and an equal," Evangeline said testily, "instead of a . . . a pawn." She repeated Mr. Crandall's assessment of her worth to others. "Someone whose personal interests don't matter as long as I'm serving yours."

Meanwhile, the squirrelly guy muttered and tsk-tsked to himself like an old woman. "This won't do at all," he said to his brother.

"I agree," the other one said. "We cannot support an Emrys clan led by this girl. She was educated in unsavory ideas by her treacherous father and allied with Kin who wanted to wreak havoc on the world. She can't be trusted to preserve the eighth day."

Evangeline flinched at that statement, and it ticked Jax off. It was true that Evangeline's father had plotted with that lunatic Wylit to break the Eighth-Day Spell. But it was unfair to suggest she'd been a conspirator in his plans. She'd been just a kid at the time. Jax opened his mouth to defend her, but someone else beat him to it.

"I can vouch for her actions at the pyramid," Deidre said. "She was not allied with Wylit, and she helped repair the spell."

Riley flashed Deidre a grateful smile, but Beak Nose didn't seem impressed. "Nevertheless, a female Emrys cannot wield the family talent well enough to lead her clan, and she'll be susceptible to those who would use and manipulate her." Here his cold eyes wandered to Riley in silent accusation. "I prefer that the girls remain separated. When they are old enough to marry, we'll choose appropriate matches for them and hope for a male heir who can someday lead the Emrys family with both magical strength and honor."

Choose matches for them? Wait for a male heir? These guys really were out of the Dark Ages! Jax had heard enough. He yanked out his honor blade and stabbed the tip into the wooden desk. A moment later he remembered this wasn't really a Taliesin's desk he was damaging, but it was too late to take back the dramatic gesture, so he went with it. "You! Chinless Wonder!" He pointed at the squirrelly Taliesin with his other hand. "Where is Adelina Emrys?"

The man stammered, fighting the compulsion to answer. Jax had picked him as the weaker target, but for a moment it looked as if he might still resist. Then Riley joined in, his talent causing goose bumps to rise on Jax's skin.

"Answer the question."

Jax's inquisitor talent and Riley's voice of command together defeated the guy. "Vermont," he whispered.

"What's the address?" Jax demanded.

Chinless Wonder shivered all over, but Beak Nose grabbed his arm, lending him strength. Jax gathered his talent to try again, and Riley moved forward, no doubt meaning to get a grip on the man, which would increase his power of compulsion. It also meant this was going to get ugly, and the Taliesins would never trust the good intentions of any of them again.

"Wait!" said Evangeline. Jax paused and Riley took a step back, although he put his hand on Excalibur. Evangeline lifted her chin and spoke coldly to the Taliesin leader. "My vassal and my ally can coerce the information out of you, but it would be better if you cooperated voluntarily."

"Why is that?" he snapped, addressing her directly for the first time.

"Because I am the Emrys clan leader whether you like it or not," Evangeline said. "Not some future male heir, and sadly, not my poor brother-who died because you couldn't protect him. I'm the leader of my bloodline, and I am committed to preserving the eighth day. You need to accept that. We shouldn't be fighting among ourselves. We're facing a crisis. The Morrigan was seen presiding over Wylit's attempt to destroy the world."

Deidre sucked in her breath but did not deny what Evangeline said.

"Chaos is upon us then!" gasped the Chinless Wonder.

"Not if I can help it," Evangeline said calmly. "The Morrigan may be guiding events toward some great conflict, but the outcome isn't preordained. The Emrys talent is supposed to run stronger in males, but I was strong enough to repair the Eighth-Day Spell. So choose, Taliesin. Are you really on our side, or not?" She closed her hand around one of the candles on the librarian's desk and whispered a string of words in an incomprehensible language.

Every candle flame in the room swelled to three times its size. Even the electric lights bloomed. The one in the ceiling flared impossibly bright and then shattered. Broken glass rained down, and everyone except Evangeline threw their arms over their heads to protect themselves from the shards.

She stood perfectly still and glared at Taliesin. "Where is my sister, you horrible man?"

"Impressive," Deidre said as they walked back through the empty library.

"Thank you," Evangeline replied. She held a paper with a name and address written on it.

"If you're coming out of hiding at last, Riley," Deidre said, "I approve. But watch your back. There are plenty of people who won't want to see you gain any influence."

"Noted," Riley grunted.

"That goes for you too, cutie." She looked at Jax. "Be careful."

Jax lifted his head in surprise. Who would be after him?

Mrs. Crandall narrowed her eyes at Deidre, then looked at Jax as if she wanted to stick a stamp on his forehead and mail him back to Delaware.

Deidre escorted them as far as the door, where she wished them good-bye and good luck. "Let me know when you've got the girl and you're ready to do business with the Table." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "I'm going to help Rufus and Enoch clean up the glass. As much as I enjoy a good explosion, I don't want this library getting a reputation for poltergeists. It'll draw unwanted attention here."

Rufus and Enoch? Really? Jax snorted. They were better off with the names he'd given them!

Back at the Land Rover, Riley spread a map across the hood and plotted a route. "It's about an eight-hour trip," he concluded. "We can get there by midmorning if we drive all night."

Mrs. Crandall cleared her throat. "She's living with Transitioners? Not being watched from a distance, but in their house? That's unusual."

"Why?" Jax asked.

"Because it's better not to get emotionally invested," Mrs. Crandall said vaguely.

"Mrs. Crandall means you don't want to get personal with someone who's supposed to be just a job," Evangeline explained. Jax remembered that she and Riley hadn't known each other's first names until Jax had stuck his nose into their business, even though they lived next door to one another and Riley had been guarding her.

"Addie's thirteen now, but she was eight when we were separated," Evangeline went on. "I'm glad they didn't make her live by herself, like they did me. I worried about that quite a bit. And Elliot was only six . . ." She bit her lip.

That was too sad to think about-how little her brother was when Wylit stole him away from his Taliesin-appointed protectors and forced him to try and break the Eighth-Day Spell. "What are we waiting for?" Jax said, to change the subject. "Let's go get Addie!"

Riley opened the car door for Evangeline. When she passed him getting in, he leaned over and said something to her. Jax probably wasn't supposed to hear what was said, but he did.

"You were never just a job for me."

Evangeline turned bright pink, but at least she didn't look quite so sad.

5.

PINK TENDRILS ILLUMINATED THE purple Grunsday sky at dawn, when they made a rest stop at McDonald's. Jax shook Evangeline awake, then stumbled out of the car, rubbing his hands over his face. He hoped he hadn't been drooling in his sleep. He was looking forward to bacon and eggs until he realized McDonald's wouldn't be serving breakfast. He'd only have a choice of what was cooked and available at midnight on Wednesday.

"Get whatever you want," Riley said, leaving cash on the counter.

They helped themselves to wrapped burgers from the bins, and Riley pulled a tray of fries out of the hot oil. Evangeline took one of everything, as if she didn't want to miss a single thing in her first fast-food experience.

Jax couldn't blame her. She'd never eaten from a drive-thru or at a sit-down restaurant. She'd never seen a ball game or a play. She'd never been to the movies or even watched a television show. Jax grabbed a large paper cup and tackled the milk shake machine. Dang it, if there was anything left in the pipes, Evangeline was at least going to have a milk shake.

They sat down in a booth next to a table occupied by a single tray of half-eaten food and an open issue of People magazine.

"So, which one of you is going to tell me about this Morrigan person?" Jax asked, chomping on a french fry. "Is she a Transitioner or Kin?"

"Neither." Evangeline peeled back the bun on her burger to see what was in it. "She's not a person at all. She's a force of nature-the embodiment of destruction and chaos. The Morrigan takes the body of a girl or a grown woman or sometimes an old crone, and she's usually accompanied by carrion animals, like crows." Riley shook his head, disagreeing, but Evangeline put her burger back together and went on, ignoring him. "She hand selects combatants for conflicts that will change the world, and she supposedly decides who lives and dies. There are reports of her appearing at Normandy, the Somme, Waterloo, and the Norman conquest of England." She glanced across the table at Riley. "And the fall of King Arthur."

"It's just a scary story to tell in the dark," said Riley.

"Your friend Deidre believes it," Evangeline replied.

"She's more superstitious than you might think."

"Most soldiers are," commented Mrs. Crandall.

Jax polished off his double cheeseburger and licked ketchup off his fingers, grateful for the hot meal. Then he realized something. "Hey! How can these burgers be warm? They've been sitting under a heat lamp throwing leftover light since midnight. Why aren't they cold?"

"Nothing will stay warm now that we've been here." Riley pointed a french fry at the neighboring table. "That food will be stone cold by the time the Normals get back."

"What do you mean, now that we've been here?"

"I keep telling you, Jax, it depends on the point of view of the observer. Don't you remember what I said about Einstein's theory of relativity?"

Well, he remembered Riley yammering in the car on their way back from Mexico, but as for what he'd said. . . . Jax's science wasn't any better than his history.

Riley saw the look on his face and sighed. "Time doesn't pass for inanimate objects on the eighth day unless someone observes it passing. No observer, no effect on the object."

"Back at the college there were some basketball players," Jax said. "Their ball kept bouncing after midnight."

"Because you were watching it."

"But I was watching a girl on a bike, too, and her bike froze in place."

"She's observing that bike a lot more personally than you were. But if the ball was already in the air . . . and if the velocity wasn't too great . . . " Riley paused to consider it. "Well, it's complicated. There are a lot of factors."

Evangeline slurped noisily at her milk shake. "Magic can't be explained with science. You might as well not try."

Riley grinned at her. "You believe in the Morrigan but not science?"

"Why didn't you go to college?" Jax blurted out. Riley was smarter than he looked. A moment later, Jax realized the answer to his question was sitting right next to him. Riley wouldn't have gone to college and left Evangeline unguarded.

But Riley gave a different answer. "Bad grades. Take that as a warning."

Jax slumped in his seat. Yeah, this wasn't a good time to remind Riley about sending him to school.

They finished eating, and Jax packed Evangeline's leftovers into a paper bag. They were waiting for her to come back from the restroom when they heard her scream. Riley reacted first, running down the aisle toward the ladies' room. Before he reached it, the door flew open and something the size of a large rat bolted out. It swerved around Riley, leaped onto a table, ran across the tops of several more, and came to a stop on a railing inches from Jax's face.

He yelped. The thing rose up on its hind legs and stared at him with black, glittery eyes. It was almost a foot tall when standing, with thick brown fur and sharp-looking incisors. "What is that?" he yelled. It wasn't a rat; it had no tail. And its face was flat, like a pug dog-or an ugly old man.

"It's just a brownie," Mrs. Crandall said with exasperation.

"What d'ya mean, brownie?" Brownies were chocolate desserts cut into squares, not dog-faced, tailless rats.

Evangeline came out of the restroom looking embarrassed. "Sorry. It climbed out of the trash can and startled me."

Riley waved a hand at the creature. "Shoo," he said gently. "Leave us alone."

The so-called brownie turned and scampered toward the kitchen, where Jax assumed it would chew on the food and leave poop everywhere.

"Did you command it?" Evangeline asked Riley in surprise.

"Nah, I just have a knack with 'em." He shrugged. "Not a skill I normally brag about."

Jax stared after the brownie. "That's the first animal I've ever seen on the eighth day."