Harley Merlin 12

as well have licked her face.
Melody nodded. “I found three locations. It’s a rare book, but it’s not the sort that’s impossible to find, or buried under a temple somewhere. There’s actually one in your neck of the woods, Finch.”
My heart leapt. “There is?”
“Yes, in a bookshop called ‘Buy Its Cover,’ located in Waterfront Park. Does that ring any bells?”
I tapped my temple. “Oh yeah, they’re all clanging.”
“And you think the solution might be in this book?” Luke prompted. He clearly just wanted to hear her rattle on some more… and to be honest, on this topic, so did I.
“I think it might give us more information about Erebus and how he liaises with his underlings. You mentioned he has eyes and ears all over, and that got me thinking—what if he’s able to do that through a network of djinn? What if they make up the bulk of his minions?” Melody said excitedly. “I’ve learned that djinn are connected to one another, and they, in turn, are connected to Erebus, so it makes perfect sense. That would give him a certain level of omniscience, or at least be enough to fake it.”
“I thought he was omniscient. Aren’t all the Children of Chaos?” I frowned. Had that thorn in my side duped me?
Melody shook her head. “Not in the way you might think. They must all have similar networks that allow them to give that impression. Take Gaia, for example. As she controls where Chaos goes, she can probably use all magicals with that gift to see and hear through. As for the others… I don’t know what their networks are, but they must have them. I imagine they wanted to keep an eye on the mortal world after they were shipped off to their otherworlds for being meddlesome.”
I frowned. “But how does that relate to me?”
“You and the djinn have something in common where Erebus is concerned. You’re technically one of his minions, too. So, if anything, or anyone, knows how to detach someone from Erebus’s ‘network,’ it’ll be the djinn.” She shot me a hopeful grin. “And the book should be filled with general information about Erebus, as well, since it’s very old and is aimed almost exclusively at djinn lore, and ergo, Erebus lore. From what I’ve found, it was written before the Bestiary was even founded.”
I gave a low whistle. “She’s going to be dusty. I’ll pack my antihistamines.”
“Then don’t go operating any heavy machinery.” Luke snickered, pleased with himself.
“I’ll try to keep away from the combine harvesters and cherry-pickers, just so you don’t worry yourself over little old me.” I gave him my best butter-wouldn’t-melt smile.
“I don’t worry about you,” Luke replied stiffly.
I made a show of wiping my eyes. “Ouch, that hurt. You wound me, Luke. You wound me deeply.”
“With skin as thick as yours? I doubt it,” he huffed.
“I might look like an elephant, after all that goat cheese in Greece, but I’ve got quite a thin skin, really.” It was only half a lie.
“Did you know that elephants, when they see humans, have the same mental reaction that we have to puppies?” Melody chimed in.
I mustered a lackluster chuckle. “I imagine it’s similar to the reaction Luke has to you whenever you enter a room. Although, that might give him too much credit—he’s probably just the puppy.”
“That’s not true!” Luke protested. “I’m not some puppy.”
“Could’ve fooled me. All you’re missing is the wagging tail,” I shot back, but I wasn’t really feeling it. Usually, landing a comedy jab gave me a rush of satisfaction. But this one just left me… hollow. Maybe another symptom of anxiety. Or maybe I needed to take another dose of my pills. I was supposed to take two a day, but I’d upped it since leaving the monastery. The mind gremlins had grown rowdier than usual after my first orange-poison trip, and the only thing that kept them vaguely at bay were those pills. Truthfully, it hadn’t been this bad since I’d first met Harley and messed with the gargoyles back at the SDC. My condition, and my gremlins, hated being ignored. Soon, I’d be taking half a bottle to stop them fighting their way through.
Luke opened his mouth to retaliate, but Melody put her hand on his arm, and he closed it instead. He eyed me curiously, making me feel as if I were under a big, glaring spotlight. Why was he looking at me like that? Did he know something was wrong with me? Could he sense it? I hadn’t told them about my delusional disorder, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t see it in me.
“So, I guess this means I’m going back to the SDC for a while?” I didn’t want to banter anymore. And I didn’t want them to start asking questions. “I can go and get the book, and I’ll drop in on my sister at the same time. You know what, this could be good timing—I’ve kind of missed the place.”
“Aww, you miss her!” Melody clasped her hands together. “I’ve actually wanted to meet the famous Harley for a long time. Why don’t Luke and I come with you, to keep you company? I’m very interested in learning more about the SDC and in putting faces to the names of all these people you’ve been telling us about. The Rag Team—that’s what you call yourselves, isn’t it?”
“Muppet Babies, and I’m only an honorary member,” I corrected her, using my preferred term. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come along. Another time, maybe. I should scope out the security first before I bring the new Librarian over. We wouldn’t want you causing a ruckus, now, would we?”
Luke nodded. “I agree. I’ll need a full security report before we can even think about going.”
“I’ll be fine. No one will know who I am,” Melody replied desperately.
“Even so, we can’t take the risk.” Luke offered her an apologetic smile. “You said it yourself, Melody—we’re safe here, with the spirits