Mikkel Birkegaard - The Library of Shadows

'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.

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.