The quiet of the library shattered when a pamphlet struck the wooden table with a sharp, unforgiving smack. The sound cracked through the still air like a small explosion, startling Varka out of the comfortable haze he had settled into while leafing through his magazine. His shoulders jerked instinctively, the sudden disruption sending a ripple of irritation through the otherwise tranquil corner he had claimed for himself.
“Shh!”
The reprimand came immediately. From a few tables away, an elder