CHAPTER 22 #2
After my frigid encounter with the Queen, I continued exploring.
I found rooms that resembled the Professor’s office; less cluttered, with small closets and storage areas, other bedrooms that were unoccupied, and sitting rooms. I was about to call it quits when I found one last hall to explore.
There was a set of large double wooden doors at the end of it; they opened, and an older man walked out carrying a handful of books.
Do they have a library here? Curiosity got the better of me, and I walked towards them, passing the gentleman as I did.
We exchanged pleasantries as we walked past each other, but I noticed his eyes wander to my arms. I pushed the doors open, which were surprisingly lighter than they looked, and stepped into the room.
The room was bright, lit by fairy lanterns everywhere.
Books lined every wall, surrounded by wooden bookcases, which encircled the room and continued up for at least three stories.
A staircase lined the outside of the walls and spiraled upwards, allowing access to every book.
My gaze traced the railing of it, following it up to where it disappeared above.
At the top, it looked like there was a sitting area, but the most breathtaking part was the stained-glass ceiling.
The light shimmered through the colored panels, dancing off the books below.
The colored glass made an image of a wolf's head howling at the moon. Suddenly, the wolf décor fell into place, a silent tribute to the House of Darkness and their bonded companions. The beauty of this place took my breath away. Lowering my gaze to the center of the room, I saw multiple round tables surrounded by chairs. I walked closer to one, intrigued by the tabletop design, until I realized that it was not a design at all, but a slab of wood. A solid piece of wood from a tree; a tree that must have been extremely old by the number of rings spreading outward across it. I didn’t realize, lost in my awe-struck, but I was not the only one here.
On the far side of the room, tucked away at the smallest table, was a young lady.
She looked about my age, with smooth mahogany skin, and looked like a younger version of the Professor.
Her dark hair was long and tied into an abundance of tiny braids, which moved with her as she leaned her head this way or that.
Tied into her braids were tiny… acorns? She looked up from the book she was reading and noticed I was looking her way; she smiled and waved gently, and I returned the gesture.
I decided to walk over to her; she seemed friendly enough, and I sat down at her table.
“Need some company?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t mind.
“Sure! I love meeting new people. They have the most fascinating stories!” Her voice was cheerful and happy, and I instantly felt at ease with her.
“My name is Ketraen, but you can call me Ketra. Most struggle with the pronunciation, and you are Avyn Ashwood. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“It is nice to meet you, too, although I think you know more about me than I do about you.” I let out a small giggle, and she did the same.
“I take after my father, the Professor here. Knowledge is our best power, and I refuse to be powerless.” She said confidently.
Her confidence was astonishing, and I admired her for that. She knew who she was, well, and who everyone else was, apparently.
“I knew you looked familiar. He is giving me lessons right now.” I said.
“Ah, yes. He told me he was. I must apologize for the way he rambles, but, in all fairness, I find myself doing the same sometimes. When something is so fascinating, it is hard to stop.”
She flipped the page of her book. Was she reading while talking to me?
“What are you reading?” I asked, trying to get a better look at the book in front of her.
“A History of Runes, it is really interesting! Did you know that runes can power almost anything? Although they haven’t been seen in over two hundred years.” Her voice sparkled with excitement.
“I’m sorry, runes?” I shook my head in confusion.
“Oh, right, sorry! You’re new to all of this. A rune can be made of stone or bones.” Her eyes drifted back to her book.
“Bones?!” I shot back, wondering what bones they would have used.
“Yes, bones.” She confirmed, “They are imbued with power to do basically anything the creator wants. We lost the ability to create them long ago when the last one was destroyed. The art of how to create them died along with it.”
“Oh. What were they previously used for?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me like always.
She flipped the page again and continued, “Oh! Anything! You could have one that guarded your home, one that prevented snow from falling, and one for healing the wounded. Anything you could think of, really. Well, at least, that’s what I have read so far.”
Another page flipped through the air.
“Did you have those markings when you came here?” She changed the subject, noting my arms.
“No, they just appeared.” I didn’t want to give her too much information until I understood what it was. “The Prince thinks that the weapons I chose had some sort of incantation to prevent thieves from stealing them, and I triggered it when I picked them up.”
Still wrong.
I rolled my imaginary eyes at the voice. Then what is it?
Silence. For something that liked to give an opinion, it was quiet when questioned.
“Fascinating! I can do some more research and see if I can find anything else out, if you would like? I will probably do it anyway, but I can tell you what I find?” Her eyes were wide with excitement.
“That would be wonderful. I would really appreciate that.” I responded.
I spent the rest of the afternoon in the library with Ketra, learning more about Drycartha's history, the houses, and their bonded companions. I guess I was going to get my history lesson today anyway.