CHAPTER X #3
She’s wearing a simple grey dress without sleeves, her snow white hair twisted at the front and falling into a large, plaited braid down her back.
The deep red flames under her skin are moving slowly, but the color looks to be just as powerful as the Prince’s.
Her flames are greeted by too many wrinkles that I can’t count, the lines darting across her arms and hands and into her face.
She’s a well-lived woman, whoever she is, and has a tiredness in her features that only greets someone after they’ve lived a satisfactory life. The sight of her makes me smile.
The new woman stops in front of us and gives Clair a friendly nod.
I hold back a gasp when I notice the color of her eyes, the pair a milky blue in color that almost reminds me of Prince McQuoid’s.
But where the Prince has a normal set of black pupils to accompany the unnatural blue, hers are unlike anything I’ve ever seen and slanted like that of a cat’s.
“You do not stare at me in discomfort,” the old woman turns her gaze on mine, head slanting just slightly to the right, “but in open interest and fascination.”
Clair grins as I sink into a very low bow.
“I stare because I am intrigued by you, Duhni,” I offer her the greeting of a Discerni elder, unsure if it applies in this Kingdom but still offering it as a sign of respect.
“As I will be of you, human. The first of her kind to ever enter our Old World libraries,” she replies with a small bow of her own.
“Alexis, I’d like to introduce you to Morose, Prince McQuoid’s grandmother,” Clair smiles as I extend a hand to the old woman.
Morose grips my hand firmly as Clair continues, “Morose, this is Lady Alexis of the Kingdom of Disce, the young human woman King Zander called a Kingdoms Council for. Morose will accompany me in showing you the lay of the library this morning.”
“Thank you,” I nod, “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.”
“Morose is fine, child,” she corrects as Clair takes a step forward.
The Princess looks up into the expanse of darkness around us and raises a hand from her side.
Slowly, and in motion with her fingers, thousands of crystal lanterns and candles light the mountain walls around us, their bright lights revealing a massive library that’s now doused in crystal sparkles that hit every direction.
The silver shimmer continues up and up to rows of bookshelves for as far as I can see, brightening the various halls and staircases that intertwine at every level.
Hundreds of books of different colors and sizes line every space, the complete library nearly triple in size to what Bardot has.
I hold back my scowl at the sheer size of this place and look at the large open space in front of us.
There’s a giant roaring fire set in the middle, its flames undying just like Barnes’ and already adding that homey smell of campfire to the mountain.
Long tables and chairs sit around the fire in a semi-circle, all of them resting over plush red rugs of varying colors.
Blankets are thrown over the chairs as well as some pillows, the full sight of this bottom space giving off an immediate feel of warm coziness.
I walk towards the fire and look up to the many halls and staircases that circle the expanse. The different colors of the spines all shine in hello, the texts greeting me with winks from the crystal lights, each one challenging me to try to conquer this place.
I sigh at the sight, knowing there’s no way I’ll be able to get through this library in three days.
No. Way.
“Will anyone else be here with me?” I ask the women, not wanting any distractions or polite conversations to take me away from my work.
“We’ve closed off the library for the next three days,” the Princess replies, “I’ll need to leave after this tour to host a few meetings today and tomorrow, but Morose will remain here to help assist you.”
I nod quietly and walk to a table by the fire, letting my fingers skim the wood with another sigh.
Golem is adamant that I’ll find the book here, but after actually seeing the size of this place, I have to disagree.
This place is too vast. The halls quite literally span across every inch of the mountain and there’s too many levels that I lose count as they go higher.
A library like this would normally fill me with excitement, but this one just gives me an aching head.
I could attempt to go level by level and pull the books from the library’s catalogue that have the correct search terms…
Ancients! Do they even have a catalogue?
“Please tell me you have a catalogue?” I turn to the two women with desperation in my voice.
Morose nods and gives a smug smile, “of course.”
Relief floods through me as I continue walking past the table, fingers still skimming the wood as I make out a plan.
Analyze the catalogue for the words, pull each book from the varying levels, bring them back down here to read and repeat.
If certain levels of the library are categorized into different subjects that would be helpful as well.
I could then disregard areas that I knew the book wasn’t likely to be found.
“And the levels?” I inquire, “or perhaps one side of the mountain versus the other. Are they organized in any way?”
“I was thinking we can walk you through that first,” Clair strides over to me with Alba at her side, “let’s lead you through the heights, which is what we call every level here, and give you an overview of what we’ve done to organize.”
“That would be perfect.”
Morose walks over to join us, the swiftness in her movements quick and not at all reminiscent of her age. She places her crystal lantern on the table next to us and turns towards a staircase in the wall, pointing in explanation.
“Think of this library in symmetry with the cardinal directions, with the back entry tunnel you just came through as the point of north. You have the east staircases and halls, which I’ll lead you to now, the south staircases and halls, and the west staircases and halls.
The north curve of each height will host no books or halls but they will hold the catalogues and a few tables and settees should you need to read on that height.
I advise utilizing them. Once you’re in the middle of the mountain you won’t want to trek up and down to the main fire room. Trust me, it becomes too tedious.”
I nod and follow her up the eastern staircase and onto the second height, frowning in desperation again at all the rows of books.
“We are now on the eastern wall of the second height. Each cardinal will provide roughly eight to ten halls of books with the exception of the north. Some may be longer than others and lead farther into the mountain, but each will shrink in size as we travel up the heights…”
Morose points directly to the center of the height, towards the full wooden beams that act as railings to guard from the drop below, “be mindful of those. Some are old and haven’t been reconstructed yet. If you lean against them, I can’t guarantee you won’t fall.”
Clair rolls her eyes as the old woman leads us to the northern portion of the height. True to her word and my relief, there’s no halls or bookshelves in this area, just an open space of red rugs and wooden tables facing a stack of drawers in the wall.
“Each height will have its own catalogue that can direct you in your search specific to that height. Grab them and bring them to wherever you need to read, and don’t worry about putting the books back where you found them,” Morose nods, “time is of the essence and the mess made will give this old bird something to occupy her years to come.”
“I appreciate it,” I nod, “but what of the heights? Are they organized in any fashion?”
“They are,” the old woman smirks.
“Morose is being modest,” Clair adds, “the moment we came back from the Council we immediately started detailing our largest libraries. Morose has been organizing this one for the past two years, now.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, young Alexis, we’ve been expecting you,” Morose chuckles.
Both women eye the halls with pride as my own narrow in disbelief.
“We’ve said something wrong,” Clair says slowly, noticing my gaze.
“Out with it, young one,” Morose demands.
I shake my head, unable to understand why they’d take the risk.
“If you’ve been organizing the library this whole time, then you’ve been disregarding King Zander’s comment at the Council.
Princess, you told me he had a fear that the book would turn to ash if handled by anyone not human, and yet you’ve asked others to touch and move the books around this whole time? ”
Clair and Morose turn to eachother and share a deep look, as if they’ve debated this question before and have yet come to an agreement. Morose pulls her gaze from the Princess and levels me with a stern look, no doubt about to tell me whatever argument she’s already given to Clair.
“I have had many conversations with my granddaughter about this, Alexis, and I will tell you what I have argued with her on numerous occasions. In all my years on this Old World, never, have I ever heard of nor come across any book that possesses the ability to turn to ash at a person’s touch.
Magical or human. Nor do I believe that such a book exists… ”
I open my mouth to argue but she cuts me off, “I do, however, believe that if a book is not meant to be opened by someone, then that book will safeguard itself and its secrets by burning itself upon opening.”
Dear Ancients, what semantics!
She’s gambling.
“My grandmother has walked this Old World for many years, Alexis,” Clair says softly, “many more years than you and I can care to count. She has seen all forms of magic in these lands, from Pyre to the other three Kingdoms, and while I may not agree with the wager she takes at each touch of a book, I do not deny the wisdom and knowledge behind that wager and nor should you.”