Harley Merlin 12

protecting the house. The SDC is unknown territory. I’m sorry. I know you’re eager to meet Harley and the rest of Finch’s… uh, Muppet Babies, but it’ll have to wait.”
She sighed sadly. “Being the Librarian sucks sometimes.”
“But it comes with some damn good perks.” I flashed her a wink.
Honestly, my reasons for keeping Melody away weren’t entirely selfless. I wanted to keep her safe, sure, but I had no clue how my mental state would play out. Even if it was just a case of severe anxiety layering itself on top of my gremlins, I needed to be around people who understood my condition in case it got worse. Which I had a horrible feeling it might. I’d already had four pills today, and I may as well have been taking Tic Tacs.

Five


Finch
There wasn’t much more to say after that. Luke wouldn’t let Melody run wild in San Diego, and I had a book to find and a sister to hug. So, I’d said “See you later” to them and popped my head in to say thanks to Cecily and Richard before heading back to the closest thing I had to a home. I’d have preferred a glitzy set of ruby slippers to get me there, but a chalk door to the Science Center and using the front door worked just as well.
It felt weird to walk these hallways again after everything I’d been through at the Fountain and the monastery. I kept expecting a monk to suddenly appear and usher me into a pottery studio or something. Instead, I got some curious looks and whispers from the other members of the coven.
That’s right, lads and lasses, get a good eyeful—the boy is back in town. I checked my phone and saw a message banner. I’d texted Harley the moment I landed, so to speak.
You’re back?! Meet me in the Alton Waterhouse Room! I promise I won’t strangle you.
Not exactly the fanfare I’d been after, but at least I’d get to see her. Man, I really had missed her. Being the Count of Compartmentalization, I hadn’t let myself linger on it, but all that delayed emotion crashed into me at once. Having to keep secrets from her, and not letting her help me, hadn’t been easy.
Fifteen minutes later, I stood nervously outside the Alton Waterhouse Room—formerly the Luis Paoletti Room. A fitting tribute to our fallen director. I’d want something way bigger if it were getting called the Finch Merlin Room, but hopefully there’d be no homages to me anytime soon.
I stepped in. Immediately, a Harley-shaped bulldozer hurtled into me, almost sending me flying back into the corridor.
“I missed you so much!” She flung her arms around me and squeezed tight. This time, I knew exactly what to do. No limp-arm syndrome here. I pulled her close and hugged her hard, stopping just short of crushing her.
“I missed you, too,” I murmured into her shoulder. “So friggin’ much.”
She pulled away. “It’s so good to see you, Finch. Seriously, after you disappeared from the Jubilee mine, I almost lost my mind. Everyone was pretty glad when I finally got word from Ryann that you were okay. I went a bit militant for a while.”
I chuckled. “What’s new? I blame the special-agent uniform.”
“Hey, I like this uniform.” She stared at me like she couldn’t quite believe I was real.
“That’s part of the problem. You’ll have everyone saluting next.”
Her eyes turned suddenly sad. “You look like crap, bro. Haven’t you been sleeping?”
“Not really.” I’d popped two more pills before I came back, to keep the gremlins behind enemy lines. But I could still feel them nagging away, trying to wiggle through. Like mental fruit flies that I couldn’t get rid of, no matter what I did.
She looked concerned. “You’re not doing well, are you?”
I shrugged. “You know me. I’ll be fine, I’ve just got a lot on my plate.”
“Are you going to tell me what exactly is on your plate?” She ushered me over to the stools by the main workbench. I sank down, letting out the kind of weary groan you’d expect from an octogenarian trying to get out of an armchair.
I hesitated. “Didn’t Ryann tell you?”
“She told me you were on a job for Erebus, that’s it. I tried to get her to say more, but she said you’d explain when you were ready.” Harley put her hand on mine and curled her fingers around it. “What’s going on with you, huh? You can tell me. Whatever it is, I’m here for you.”
“I know…” The “but” hovered in the air between us.
“Actually, I’ve done some research into Erebus myself. I know you told me not to get involved, but he’s got you by the balls, Finch, and I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. I wanted to try and find something, anything, to… well, get your balls free, if that’s not super-weird of me to say.”
I gaped at her. “You haven’t. Tell me you haven’t.”
“I’m your sister and you’re in trouble. Of course I wasn’t going to listen to you.” She squeezed my hand tighter.
Panic rushed through my veins, piggybacking on my twitchy anxiety. She’d been researching Erebus? Why hadn’t she listened? I’d more or less begged her not to do anything about it, and she’d gone ahead and investigated anyway. Then again, I’d have been a class-A hypocrite if I laid into her about it. If she were in my position, I’d have done exactly the same thing, swooping in to try and save her. In fact, I’d already done that.
I’d snapped at Erebus just this morning about being transparent, when I was leaving my own trail of frustrating breadcrumbs for my sister. Knowledge had power. And, maybe, the best way to keep Harley safe was to give her the bigger picture. Then, she might understand the danger everyone I cared about was in. And that might be enough to stop her from digging deeper and traveling into even more treacherous waters.
“You need