The Library of Shadows Read online

  For safety's sake Katherina rang Iversen, who was relieved to hear they were okay. He also thought it was a good idea to do a little training before Jon was let loose.

  Jon had never in his life bought a work of fiction. The breach with Luca had made him hate books to such a degree that he read only non-fiction, but he did own a couple of detective novels that had been given to him as presents. They were stuffed away in the bottom of the wardrobe. As Katherina brushed off the dust, she decided there was no danger of them being charged. They had most likely never been read, and so they were 'dead' in the Lector sense.

  'First you need to familiarize yourself with your powers,' said Katherina, trying to sound serious even though they were lying naked in Jon's bed. 'As you've already noticed, a text can fill up a lot of space in your consciousness. You can't ignore your powers, but you can learn to mute them when you aren't using them.'

  'So what exactly do we do?' asked Jon.

  'You start reading, and I'll jump in if it begins to get out of hand,' she replied. 'The most important thing is that you take it easy and don't try to force the powers or make any big deviations. I have to be able to follow along the whole way.'

  'In a minute you're going to tell me that it's just like riding a bicycle,' said Jon.

  Katherina laughed and blushed. 'Just start whenever you're ready,' she said, handing him one of the books. 'If you sense an obstacle, that's me holding you back, and that means you should stop.'

  Jon nodded and studied the cover. He gave a start when the title rose up towards him like a three-dimensional advert. He observed the phenomenon for a while, getting used to the way the type was pulsating in both colour and size.

  'You doing okay?' asked Katherina.

  He nodded and opened the book. Suddenly all the symbols on the page came rushing at him and he had to look away. He felt sweat break out on his forehead. Stubbornly he forced himself to look at the page again and started to read. His impression of the book pages instantly changed. It felt as if the words and letters were now behaving themselves, waiting for their turn to be read, instead of having all the sentences on the page creating one big confusion like before. Relieved, Jon quickly found a comfortable reading pace, but he still didn't dare put any emotion into his reading, and occasionally he cast a glance at Katherina. She was lying on her stomach, resting her head on her arms, with her face turned towards him. There wasn't a trace of concern in her expression.

  This time he sensed right from the start that he was sitting in front of a multitude of invisible knobs that he could adjust in order to put life into the story. Slowly he began adding more feeling to his reading; he gave the characters more personality and lent more colour to the descriptions. Just like during the activation, the background became glass-like and the type more distinct, but Jon hesitated to break through the white surface. He determined that his perception of the white surface and the images he created from the text were two different things. The images were formed from his knowledge and the interpretation of the text, and they were a product partly of his own experiences and also of the accentuation he was able to give to the scene by virtue of his new powers. The story took place in Copenhagen, which made it possible for him to add details that weren't in the text but that resulted from associations he made.

  Jon experimented with colouring the mood of the images, and he discovered that when he really concentrated, shadows began appearing behind the glass surface. Those images approached the images created by his subconscious. But whenever he got that close, he was stopped, and he didn't try to force his way any further. In this way he tried out various effects for a while, until he heard Katherina calling him.

  He looked away from the book and discovered her sitting astride him.

  'How'd it go?' he asked, tossing the book aside.

  'It was beautiful,' she said. 'You're very talented.'

  'Thanks. But I have to be honest and admit I have no idea what I'm doing.'

  'You'll get there,' said Katherina with conviction. 'I think it went fine. There are two things you need to take into consideration. First, the listeners. Everyone perceives a story differently, partly because of their experiences but also because on that particular day they might be either especially vulnerable or thick-skinned. That's why the tone should be within a certain margin of safety, so you don't have too violent an effect on the weakest of your listeners.'

  'How do I know what the listeners can tolerate?'

  'Over time you'll learn to sense how the reading is being received. That's why we need to practise.' She pressed her belly against his and smiled shamelessly.

  'What sort of practice are you thinking about now?' Jon asked with a laugh. 'But you said there were two things.'

  'The second thing is more difficult,' said Katherina solemnly. 'Because we don't know how it happens – the physical phenomena that you're apparently able to produce. It's important that we find out exactly under what circumstances they occur and how far you can go before they appear. Otherwise we can't stop you before it gets serious.'

  'Thanks a lot.' He told her about his perception of the glass surface and how he had broken through it during the activation.

  Katherina nodded.

  'That could very well be the boundary,' she said.

  'So, have I earned a break?' Jon asked, placing his hands on her hips.

  'You've earned more than that,' she said with a smile and leaned towards him.

  23

  'Why don't we use Mehmet?' asked Katherina.

  They'd gone out to rent a car, a Suzuki minivan, and then driven home to Katherina's place, where she threw together some clothes. Now they were on their way through rush-hour traffic to Libri di Luca. The vehicle was poorly insulated, and they had to talk loudly to hear each other.

  'Couldn't he find out what we want to know?' Katherina wasn't wild about the idea of breaking into Jon's former workplace in order to look for information on Remer.

  'I'm sure he could,' replied Jon. 'But it would take him a long time. Unlike Tom Nшrreskov, Remer is a master at covering his tracks. The files will at least give us a starting place. Everything the firm knows about him has been collected there – information about his business empire, his properties, addresses, investments, everything.' He clenched his teeth as he shifted gears with unintentional roughness in the unfamiliar vehicle. 'Besides, I want to keep Mehmet out of this for as long as possible.'

  They had spent most of the day exploring Jon's transmitter powers. Even with the rather limited selection of literature in his possession, he had still managed to get a sense of his capabilities. Katherina could tell that he now had his powers under control, but they didn't venture outside unless he said he felt confident. She wanted to train him on some of the charged books from the shop, but didn't want to pressure him too much. It was difficult. She wasn't sure whether it was because she'd fallen in love with Jon or because of his powers in general, but when he read, it was as if an unbreakable barrier surrounded them, shutting out everything else. With the right texts, he would be impossible to withstand, at least for her.

  Jon himself was more preoccupied with catching Remer off guard. His expression turned cold whenever he spoke of his former client; he reproached himself for not being more suspicious from the start. In his eagerness to pay Remer back, he had decided to carry out the break-in that very night. Katherina had insisted on coming along, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to help him much.

  They parked a short distance away from Libri di Luca and hurried through a cloying drizzle to the bookshop. Even though it was more than an hour past closing time, the door was still open, and Iversen was strolling among the bookcases, humming. He popped into view at the sound of the door.

  'Oh, it's you two,' he exclaimed, rushing up to Katherina to give her a warm hug. 'How are things?' he asked, studying Jon intently. 'Any problems with…'

  Jon shook his head. 'It's going fine,' he said. 'Though I feel a little like I'm back in school.' He
nodded towards Katherina. 'Sitting in front of the stern teacher.'

  Iversen laughed and then looked from one to the other. Katherina felt heat rising in her cheeks. The old man smiled approvingly and nodded.

  'You're in good hands, Jon. You can be sure of that.'

  'We need some books that are more suitable for training,' said Katherina. 'Jon's collection of detective novels doesn't offer much finesse.'

  'I can understand that,' said Iversen. 'Let's find some…'

  The lights in the shop flickered violently a couple of times, then dimmed, only to return to a normal voltage.

  'Oh no,' said Iversen. He went over to the stairs leading to the basement. 'Pau is having a look at the electrical fixtures downstairs. He said he'd done it before, but so far he hasn't accomplished much other than blowing a few fuses.'

  Jon and Katherina followed him down to the basement.

  'Shit,' yelled Pau from the library.

  'Did something happen?' called Iversen.

  Pau stuck his head out into the corridor.

  'No, I'm okay,' he muttered. 'It's these fucking switches that are giving me a hard time.'

  'Maybe you should turn off the power in the meantime,' suggested Jon.

  'That won't matter – 220 volts doesn't really hurt.' He nodded to Jon. 'The zap you gave me was worse.'

  'Well, it looks like you've managed to fix a few things,' said Iversen, stepping past Pau into the library. The lamps above the bookshelves were on, lighting up the multitude of leather-bound spines with a soft, yellow glow.

  'What about you?' said Pau, looking at Jon. 'You okay, or what?'

  Jon nodded. 'I feel fine.'

  'Have you come to your senses?' asked Pau.

  'What do you mean?'

  'You know, all that stuff about the Shadow Organization,' said Pau. 'Somebody's got to bring the old man back down to earth.' He pointed over his shoulder at Iversen, who was walking along the shelves, gathering a big stack of books in his arms.

  'We're going to get the proof tonight, Pau,' said Jon firmly. 'Then we'll see who comes to his senses.'

  'Tonight?' asked Pau with interest. 'Wouldn't you like me to go with you?'

  'No, thanks,' replied Jon. 'The fewer people, the better, I think.'

  'You sure? I'm good at night exercises,' said Pau, grinning at Katherina.

  She sighed. 'I think we can manage on our own, Pau. But thanks anyway.'

  'Oh well, I'm probably going to be fiddling with the electricity for most of the night.'

  Iversen came out into the hall and handed Katherina a stack of books.

  'I'll just get you a couple more,' he said and disappeared back into the library.

  Katherina noticed the familiar buzzing sensation emanating from the volumes in her arms. It was a completely different experience from holding a mass-produced book, like the ones they had used back at Jon's flat. These were alive.

  'Try to feel it,' she said, holding out the stack to Jon.

  He resolutely placed his hand on the top book. His fingertips barely touched the surface before he yanked his hand back in surprise, as if he'd received a shock.

  'What the hell?' he exclaimed, rubbing his hand on his thigh.

  Pau laughed. 'That will teach you,' he said, laughing even louder.

  Katherina ignored him. 'These books are charged,' she explained. 'There's a difference in how powerful they are. Most Lectors can feel the energy just by touching them.' She cast a glance at Pau. 'Others have to stick their fingers in an electrical outlet to achieve the same sensation.'

  Pau's eyes flashed, but he didn't say a word. He turned round to go back to his work.

  'Did it hurt?' asked Katherina.

  'No,' replied Jon. 'I was just surprised. It felt like static electricity.'

  Iversen appeared with more books, which he handed to Jon. Jon hesitantly took them.

  'You can always borrow more,' said Iversen. 'But these will be a good start. There's a little of everything, with varying degrees of power.' He gave Jon a wink. 'But I think we'll save the more powerful ones for a while.'

  'Good idea,' said Jon. 'At least I need to be able to hold on to them.'

  Upstairs they put the books on the counter, and Katherina told Iversen about the progress they'd made so far with Jon's training.

  Iversen nodded pensively. 'Every transmitter has his own way of perceiving his powers,' he said. 'But most have the feeling they have some sort of toolbox or palette at their disposal, which they can use to influence their listeners.'

  'For me, it feels as if I'm standing in front of a big mixing console that has endless ways of being tweaked,' said Jon, with a smile. 'It gives me a real feeling of… power. I think I could get used to this.'

  Iversen looked at him intently.

  'Be careful,' he warned. 'In the beginning you're only allowed to use your powers on other Lectors, and preferably when Katherina is close by.'

  Jon nodded.

  'Many people are tempted to overdo it the first couple of times,' Iversen went on. 'In your case, it could be downright dangerous, but even for an ordinary transmitter it can have unfortunate consequences. Aside from the emotional effects the text may evoke, the listeners can get headaches or feel nauseated if the transmitter doesn't dole out the accentuation carefully, and always in keeping with the message of the text.'

  On a few occasions Katherina had witnessed a transmitter who had carried out such distortions, as they were called. It typically happened if an inexperienced transmitter tried to force the message of the text or actually tried to twist the meaning too far from the original intent. Pau had been one of the worst offenders when he first came to Libri di Luca. Since he'd never been trained, he didn't know the strength or limitations of his own powers, and he had distorted most of his readings, out of either ignorance or impatience. Fortunately his powers were limited – a fact he didn't like being reminded of – so not much happened. After a couple of months of instruction under Luca's supervision, Pau was able to get the distortions under control, but he'd never become a particularly skilful transmitter, like Iversen, nor was he nearly as powerful as Jon.

  'We're going to get the information on Remer tonight,' Jon told him. 'Can we meet here tomorrow, before you open?' He stacked up the books on the counter and then stuck them under his arm.

  'Of course,' said Iversen. 'I'll be here an hour early.' He gave Katherina a hug. 'Be careful,' he whispered in her ear.

  The law firm of Hanning, Jensen & Halbech was located on Store Kongensgade in an old building with a majestic facade and a view of the Nyboder district. It was two a.m., but lights were still visible on the floor where the Remer office was located.

  'What now?' asked Katherina, both disappointed and relieved at the prospect of having to give up the break-in.

  'It could be someone working late,' Jon admitted. 'Or maybe someone forgot to turn off the lights. Or it might be the cleaning staff.' He looked in both directions. At this time of night there was no traffic and only a few windows had lights on. 'Let's find out,' he said.

  They crossed the street to the redbrick building. They stopped in front of the heavy oak door, and Jon took another quick look around. Then he took out the key ring with Clever Smurf and unlocked the door.

  Silently, and without switching on any lights, they climbed the stairs. At each landing a glass door led to exclusive corporate offices, but the lights were out everywhere until they reached the third floor, which belonged to Jon's former employer.

  He peered round the corner through the panes at the reception area, then swore under his breath.

  'Anders Hellstrшm is here,' he whispered, letting Katherina see for herself.

  Beyond the window was a big, open-plan floor with grey desks and flat-screen monitors at every station. At one of the desks sat a man in his shirtsleeves. He had his back to them, and the desk was covered with ring-binders and piles of documents that threatened to topple to the floor if anyone happened to slam the door too hard.
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br />   Katherina concentrated on what the man was reading. She noticed that he was tired – his reading was uneven and unfocused. Images of a bedroom and a comfortable-looking sofa kept popping up in the flow of legal terms, and several times he had to start over on a passage he had just read.

  'Where do we have to go?' asked Katherina quietly.

  Jon pointed at one of the doors at the very back of the room. There was no way to get there without being seen by the man sitting at the desk. All he had to do was glance up.

  'I can distract him,' Katherina suggested.

  Jon gave her a look of astonishment but then nodded and selected a key from the key ring.

  Katherina again focused on what the lawyer was reading. This time she helped him to concentrate, reinforcing the printed text as she shut out irrelevant images. She sensed the man's feeling of relief and a rising interest in the document lying in front of him. Soon he was so absorbed that she only needed to give him a slight nudge to maintain his focus.

  'Now,' she whispered. 'But we have to be very quiet and walk close to the wall.'

  Jon nodded and coaxed the key into the lock. The man didn't notice, so they stepped into the room, closing the door behind them. Katherina enhanced the pull of the text even more as they tiptoed along the wall, as she had suggested. Meanwhile, the lawyer kept on reading, paying no attention to anything around him. As they passed the man, Katherina could see his florid face with obvious black circles under narrow eyes fixed on the text. It was apparently a case about a conflict between neighbours, and the documentation he was reading was dry stuff about the homeowners' association's easements and plans.

  When they reached the far side of the room, Jon let them into a small office filled with filing cabinets. Only after they had closed and locked the door behind them did they dare speak.