“Let go!” Alden shouted, jerking the bundle toward himself. They struggled, paper crinkling between them. Rowan’s weight slammed into a shelf. The rusted metal groaned and tipped, sending ledgers crashing down. One heavy volume struck Alden’s leg. He cried out, collapsing, the crowbar clattering from his grasp.
Dust billowed as the shelves settled. Alden lay pinned at the ankle, cursing, fingers clawing for the scattered pages. Rowan, shaking, snatched the folder with his father’s handwriting and the medallion, stuffing them into his jacket. “You can’t leave me here!” Alden yelled. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”