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The professor said. “She is going to move my books? That is imposable. How without using the dolly that it was insisted could not be brought in here, which is why I am having to wait. This is.” He looked at her then at Ray. “It is bad enough to find her here alone, now you say she is to move those boxes. That waif?”

Ray smiled a bit, this was going to be good. “Nacy will be glad to hear that, she was hoping the last upgrades had it. Have you checked the prints? Yes sir, she is. As Nancy told you around here it is seldom safe to judge biased on physical appearances alone. I can’t get the boxes but she can, easily.”

Idrias nodded. “It is doing fine, there was a bit of a delay on the change to the second map but I didn’t have to fix a thing. So it is looking good for printing from storage as well. It will be a big help not to have to scan the map each time a copy is needed. “There that is the end of it so where are the boxes? Sir if you open your storage I can put them right into it for you, if you wish, or where would you like them?” The last she added as he frowned, seeming not to like the idea of her putting them in his locker. She hoped that her offer hadn’t led him to think she could accesses it. Professor’s storages were accessed only by two keys, one they had and one the director of the library held.

He shook his head. “If you can get them in here I will have the storage open. They are to valuable to be left unguarded. I do hope they have not been tampered with.”

Ray said. “You are welcome to come with us sir. The cases are locked in the storage, no one will have touched them and yours were the last placed in. I am sorry that they couldn’t be brought directly back here but we will get it now, and surely it is better that few are here when you are making the copies where you have concerns over them being seen.” He almost nodded, but did move to the door to join them. Ray smiled a bit as he led them to the storage and took the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. “It is these three trunks Idrias. Professor Alderman do you want to check them before she moves them?”

He shook his head. “No need I can see they haven’t been touched.” He looked at Idrais and waited, his face clearly saying that he was expecting her to fail.

 She flushed but turned to the trunks and nodded a bit. “They aren’t charmed against spells put on them only against ones trying to open them. That makes this easy, but you might want to see about it. It would also make it easy for a thief, unless you have other spells on them that you have turned off. That would make sense.” Slowly a blue light surrounded the trunks and they started to float. “I wrapped them in a shield sir that is glow. There is no one else I can sense in this hall, but given the age I feel safest being overly careful.” She started to the door, trusting them to come.

Ray looked and shook his head a bit. “I told you she could do it. I know it is startling as she is so good at hiding, but that just proves the control she has attained. Come on she will be worried that she scared us if we don’t catch up to her.  Last thing I want is for her to start apologizing to me again I just got her to stop.”

Professor Alderman shook his head but started walking. “Scared of her? Really, that little thing might think.” He shook his head. “Poor child, she is a wonder, but no, she isn’t one to scare anyone. I do wonder just why she isn’t watched. The target she is. She has no idea does she? Those trunks should not have lifted like that. Just how? I can see her not recognizing the spells, being unexposed to Hillcraft as she is, but to get around it. Just what is she?”

Ray was sure he thought that he couldn’t hear the last, but still he bristled a bit. If only he had any idea. “As Dr. Groven told you any of our mages can get around those spells. It is not that hard for those that see the energy to work around what is there. Just so you know Idrias isn’t going to pay any attention to what you are doing. She will not look in your trunks, even should you leave it open. The only reason she stayed when you clearly don’t want her there is the copies she is making are not for her.” He looked up and realized that she could hear him so it was best to leave the rest unsaid. There was no need to risk upsetting her. They made it back to the room and got the trunks put away.

Ray smiled a bit. “Idrias do you want to go for a coffee?”

She shook her head. “Not tonight, I need to get these done and back home. We have guests so I might just be missed. I don’t think father heard me tell them I would just go get the copies. This close to the meet there are a dozen that have to be got ready.” That should be safe enough, he knows I have ties to a family and there are regional meetings taking place all around to determine what needs to be brought up in the conference and what can be handled outside of the main floor.

Ray shook his head and said. “Sounds like a long month at your place. Good luck with that, and catch latter then. Lilly is on tonight if you need anything later.” Idrias nodded and he moved on. Letting her get back to her copies.

It wasn’t long until she was done and had everything gathered up.  After a last check that she had everything she turned and went to the door then paused as it felt wrong not to say something. “That’s it for me. You have a good night sir.” That was odd, but should let him know she wouldn’t be coming back. Seeing the red switch she said. “Would you like me to turn the motion light on, so you know when someone is coming to the door? I never thought, not needing it, but you might.” He might not even know it was there. I should have offered sooner. He isn’t a shifter so likely could use the added warning.

He said. “No, I have my wards. You are not going out alone? Ray told you to call, it isn’t safe.”

Idrias smiled. “My family has a permanent gate here and that is where I am going. The library is safe, so no worries there. Now if I was going to leave the library that is when I would call Lilly, for all my brother tells me the campus is safe I just don’t feel right about going around it alone.”

He just shook his head as she left, clearly still not seeing how anyone would let her wonder around the library after hours, more so where she was apparently somehow attached to a major family. Only they had standing gates to the campus, though he wasn’t clear on which ones. Clearly she was a target, and not aware of it in the least. Just what was her family thinking? Then none here truly did think. Well that wasn’t his problem. He turned back to his work, still a bit amazed that she hadn’t even glanced at the trunk when he opened it. In that he did have to give her respect. She had not pried at all, which was a relief.

Idrias got back to the study and sorted the copies out, to triple check that there were six complete sets. Once she had them sorted and laid out she went over to the men and waited for a break in their conversation. It didn’t take long.

Her father smiled at her. “So Ray didn’t drag you off for coffee this time? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon, sure he had something you just had to try.”

Idrias said. “He offered, but it is busy for them as well. No doubt he will have something wild for me once the semester is done. Some of the students were talking about some new type of sweet from Xia the other day. Something about a pine. I have no idea, but likely will experience.”

Iron laughed, but nodded having heard of the café visits from Seth. “I can bet you will, given what I have heard. They do get some strange things there. I still can’t believe that tea.” He wasn’t too sure, but the guards said they would watch so he had seen that her account would work anywhere on campus, not just the library as he had first set up. I still don’t think it was a good idea, but once she had the port there was nothing more I could say, and I’m not going to have her taking gifts when there is no need. They were forcing her to, before now at least we are being probably billed. Not that it was her fault, I should have realized he wouldn’t stop at the library. That he didn’t have even that much sense. Well what is done is done.

 Idrias shook her head. “That maple tea is still being sold. I still don’t see why, but some must like it. Most of the stands have it. I have the copies sorted and on the table there, sirs. Is there anything else I can get you?” I hope that sounds alright, I am never sure.

Oliver said. “Thank you, that was fast. Right now I think we are fine but likely at some point more maps will be needed.” Iron nodded, but with a slight frown.

Idrias said. “I am sure that there will be others that can get them by then, but if not I will be glad to. Now I had best let you get back to what it was I interpreted, and I had best go see if Mother needs me.” For all I would much rather go up to my room, I can’t, not yet. I had best go out for a run or I won’t sleep after this.

Iron said. “I told her that you had went to the library, so would likely just go up to your room when you returned. Therefore you can just go to that book you have waiting up there. Have a good night dear, try not to stay out to late.”

Idrias blinked, then nodded. “Thank you sir. You have a good night to.” I do hope that I wasn’t slipping that much, I thought I was doing good. Yes it is stressful and I need to get some space, but I didn’t think it was showing. Clearly I had best plan on slipping out each night, where he would tell me to go I must have slipped at some point. It is hard to remember not to change my eyes, as it is noticeable. At least it wasn’t enough to scare anyone so likely only he noticed, thankfully. Shaking her head a bit she made her way up to her room and did curled up with the book she was reading.

A few chapters later she put the book down and stood up. No one would be looking for her this late so it was safe to change her clothes. It was a relief to get out of the dress and into something with less frills. She would have gone for pants, but her sister had asked her to stay in dresses for the conference. Why she wasn’t to clear about something to do with the inlanders saying we never wore civilized clothes. It made no sense, but was a simple request so might as well try. Her clothes changed she left her room and made her way down the back stairs and out to the forest. Glad that she had been found old enough to be safe in it. It was not the safe place the library was, there were dangers here but it was still a comfortable place, a place to recharge. She made her way to a screened cave and took her clothes of then relaxed and let her limbs lengthen as she dropped to all fours. Soon she was a large white tiger and moving out into the trees for a run. It felt could to stretch and feel the wind on her fur. The would that was open to her in this shape was vastly different then when she was human. As was how she related to it, even as she was still the same person she wasn’t. Yet this time, the time running in her other skins helped her be her. This time to run helped her to see who she was, after all the four legged panther was Idrias just as much the too legged human was or the winged being that she could seldom be. As she ran she thought about the questions and their belief that she would be taking the Universe exams with Seth in a few months. She had never thought about it, never consider it was possible so what was the point? Yet could she? Shifters had needs that the non-infected people didn’t. Like the need to run.

That was something Mat had agreed with the books on, that second and third generation shifters needed time in wild places. That they, we, need this connection to the wild world in order to balance, that the changes in the genes made us tied to it like those whose forms we take. It is a mess here we are generations after the first release and still not sure just what the virus does, what the full effects are. There is so much fear still, and likely guilt for the role we played in it. No one knows where it came from, who set it free, but we were one of the lands that funded the creation of it. Even if it wasn’t one of our labs that let it out, we are quality because we helped make it. We supported it, thought it was a good idea to create nonhuman soldiers, never stopping to think just what the real cost was. Never stopping to think of the lives that were spent, the damage done, not even after the virus got out and the first wares were made out of the labs did it stop the experiments. It was a bad time and there is still a lot to atone for, a lot to repair. The changes are still being found and we are still learning how to live with them, what to do about it. That is why there are so many different ways of treating, of deal with, shifters. Why there is such a debate over what we are. What they had been trying for was simple killing machines, but that isn’t what happened.

However it effects how shifters are looked at. First generation are ill, they are affected by a virus that can’t be treated. That is not their fault and they are defiantly human, just ill. That was an easy thing to adjust to, even the fact that they need to be locked in a room every twenty days during the full moon was an easy adjustment. After the lawsuits were settled and money grants funded to see that every house was fitted with a room it was moved past and became just another thing. Until the first of their children proved that the changes were inheritable, and that in the children the ability to shift wasn’t tied to the moon. That stirred up the fear. It should have helped when it was learned the children were not taken over by the need to kill that the first gen have. That we do not lose ourselves to the animal, that we still have all our memories and abilities of human reasoning. However it didn’t. No one has yet determined what we are, or how impaired having this makes us. Mat tried hard to convince me that it didn’t make me less, that I was still human. That it didn’t mean I was damaged and couldn’t be trusted. Yet, well he is a shifter, so should I trust him over the doctors that have studied us? Trust him over the guidelines that have been made, the rules I have told I need? Can I truly be safe without my family watching me? It is scary, this not knowing. There is just too much fear I don’t like adding to it and that is what changeling the rules would do. Yet I don’t want to be treated like I am six. I don’t know what I want, but I am tired of watching myself, of playing dumb, of watching my words because it is dangers for me to know so much.

It is right to put myself forth, to go after what I want even if it compounds the fear? All my life I have been told that I needed to hide what I was. That being a shifter made me less, that I am hampered. My ability to reason is compromised. My judgments are hampered by the animal that is in me, that it places limits on me. The books support it, even the ones that Father told me I was not read said that we were no longer human. For all they said there was no cognitive deafest found, that there was no reason to believe that we developed any slower than any child.  I know there are a few schools here and more in other parts of the empire, that do accept us as students. Yet I was told that it wasn’t for me, that I didn’t need it given that father was able to hire teachers to come to me. That was fine when I was younger, but now? Is it wrong to think of what I want instead of the family? Landers has always put forth what he wanted, not hiding it for the family. Why can’t I for once? So what do I want? That is what I should work out, then see how much I am willing to push for it. I don’t see why it hurts to think of myself for once.

That much decided she relaxed more and realized just how late it was. If she didn’t get back and get some sleep it would make for a long day. She dared not stay in the forest this time, she would be expected to join the others for breakfast. So with a sigh she went back to the cave and changed to dress and return to her room. Yes she would think of what she wanted, but that didn’t mean she needed to be alarming. It was silly to make them worry by staying out when she knew they would be expecting her.