Yes.
“Red Falls?”
Yes.
“How about the library there?”
A small pause, then a shake of his head.
“New for us both, then,” I turn his way, “I don’t want to pry too much into the King’s reasons for having you travel with me, but if I asked you to join in my search, is that something you could do?”
Yes.
A surprise sigh of relief escapes my lips. I wasn’t expecting that answer. I’ve been alone in my search for the past two years due to the rule adopted by all Four Kingdoms thousands of years ago after the events of Great Rift. It’s a rule that denied humans entry to any mystical libraries in the Old World that held information on summoning, a rule aiming to punish the newly created mortals, to stop them from ever attempting to summon again.
Not that we could if we wanted to...
Humans lost all capacity to practice the mystics after that fateful event. The magic of the Old World no longer runs in our veins.
But even still, the law has been in place for thousands of years, closing off all the mystical libraries of the Old World to every human mortal.Iam the exception to that rule. The first and only human to step foot amongst the ancient texts my ancestors used to covet as much as the Discerni, and it’s all because of Zander.
It was a shock when I first learned what His Grace was asking of me, but that shock quickly quelled when an innate curiosity rose deep in my soul. By nightfall the same day I knew I needed to take on the job, so I promptly returned to the King and accepted his proposition the next morning. That feeling of curiosity was briefly sated as I started out on this now two-year journey, but to this day I still have no idea how Zander was able to bend the law for me.
In the first months of my travels I received mixed looks of disbelief and anger from the Discerni librarians whenever I pulled out a sealed letter from the King that allowed my entry. More than once I’ve seen them pull out an oak slab and write directly to the King, questioning if the words in the sealed letter were real and written by him. None of the them offered any help in my search when they found out I was allowed in their halls, and nearly all of them stalked me from afar to make sure I wasn’t doing anything nefarious to the books they coveted. I don’t know if they kept their distance from me due to their traditional beliefs that a human doesn’t belong, or if Zander’s letter expressed the need to give me privacy for what I was doing on his behalf.
Regardless, the Old World rule was still in place, which meant that I couldn’t take Cal inside with me. And as the twins weren’t privy to the details of my job with the King, they also stayed behind. I’ve been entering the forbidden libraries by myself for the last two years without any help, and still to this day, each entry is a bit foreboding every time.
There’s a theme to most of the mystical libraries in Disce, one I’ve grown accustomed to now but used to fear in the beginning. The old walls and fading bookshelves are usually dark, shielding the pages from any natural light so as to preserve them for the thousands of years to come. Most have an eerie feeling about them, a quiet void in the air that I can never quite place. It could be the heavy magic that’s contained within their depths or the Discerni who keep a silent and watchful eye on me from afar, but whatever it is, each library is graced by something heavy in the air. Bardot’s library is one of the few exceptions to that theme, the only library within Knowledge that is as welcoming as it’s King.
Once I got over the eeriness of the libraries themselves, I found myself absolutely terrified by some of the things I was reading. I’ve come across books that detail outdated methods of torture by using the elements, each text riddled with drawings of bodies that are contorted in the cruelest of ways. I’ve read texts of summoning so powerful that it had to be disbanded and ruled out of existence by the Ancients when they still roamed the Old World- Summoning so terrible that it became too heartless to use. Some nights I would stay awake reading of the vicious creatures of old, pondering why any author would jot down ideas on how they thought they could bring the creatures back to life. Everything was equally maddening and curious in the most improper way, and over the past two years I’ve learned more about the Old World and its use of the mystics than I have in my whole life.
But no matter how dark my searches have delved, I never once let them lead me away from the true purpose of my travels. My attention has always been on the book I need to find for Zander… I’ve just never indulged with him the mental torment it takes to find it.
“I’m glad you’ll be there with me,” I bow my head to Golem in my walk, “truly.”
The magical creature moves to touch my arm, as if he’s heard the thoughts running through my head. No embrace comes as we round the corner to the inn, but he does reach back and pull his hood more prominently over his face.
“You don’t have to do that, Golem.”
He nods.Yes, I do.
“Do you think it makes people more comfortable?”
Yes.
“Well I’m not uncomfortable,” I smile, already becoming familiar with the slippery texture of his skin, “so the choice is yours.”
Golem’s eyes dart to mine and give me a curious look beneath his hood. I shrug and push through the wooden door of the inn, instantly spotting Cal’s bushy auburn beard and hair in the crowd. He’s sitting at a table closest to the massive fireplace in the pub, the rest of the crew already there and seated with him. Desmond sits across from my friend with Alanna by his side, the two Warrior Discerni, Barnes and Claymore, talking at the far end of the table while Holis and Mana do the same from the other.
Cal catches my gaze in relief, his eyes warming as both Desmond and Alanna notice his reaction and turn in my direction. I nod to the group and hold the door open for Golem, watching as the King’s creature moves silently into the crowded room and keeps his head down. Immediately, Holis and Mana both stand in their seats from afar, their round eyes mimicking those of Desmond and Alanna who also stand in hurried respect. Barnes and Claymore notice their companions and turn their heads in small curiosity, the look of disinterest quickly leaving their faces as they stand from their chairs as well.
“You’resurethis is okay with the King?” I ask Golem quietly, the two of us walking towards the table together.
He doesn’t respond and instead moves to greet Desmond first, the Master Informer remaining silent as he nods to his father’s creation with quiet and stoic features. Golem turns to greet Holis and Mana next, the two brothers instantly bending into a low and formal bow that to my surprise, Golem returns, his head lowering in a respectful greeting before straightening and nodding to the rest of the Warrior crew.
The only one not standing or watching us in shock is Cal. My big friend just sits quietly in his chair with his hand on his auburn beard as he gives Golem a pensive look.
I hurriedly take the seat next to him and pull out another for Golem, but the magical creature shakes his head and moves to stand directly behind me, hiding in the darkest portion of the wall as Holis takes the empty chair at my side.
