Titus had mentioned this before, but now I finally understood what he meant. When he had said, “Your kind doesn’t know, do they,” he was talking about natural progression. Living a full life, dying, and then being born again into a different realm, assuming you passed all the tests from your previous existence.
I wondered why the human realm had lost this knowledge. We only possessed fragments of the story. Perhaps our short life span, combined with our lack of magic to preserve such information, made it impossible to protect books this old.
Then there was a section outlining recommendations for progressing to the next realm.
“Cheating souls will not progress. Lying souls will not progress. Envious souls will not progress. Murderous souls will not progress…”
I leaned back in my chair and blinked as my thoughts raced, the realization clicking into place. These rules sounded eerily similar to the Ten Commandments of Catholicism.
Maybe humanity had once been given the same book by the Guardians. Over time, most of the knowledge was probably lost. And maybe the Ten Commandments were the result of that forgotten text, passed down imperfectly through generations. The final fragment of a truth we no longer fully understood.
The next realm was the Shifters’ Realm, home to an immortal species capable of shifting from a Fae-like form into an animal one. After that came the Angel Realm, and the final realm was simply called Eternal Rest. I assumed it was similar to the concept of heaven, though little was known about it.
That must be how the realms knew of one another’s existence. The Guardians, whoever they were, had given each realm a copy of this book and the knowledge of natural progression. It went on to explain that long ago; all the realms were one vast existence. But because of an imbalance of power that led to slavery, wars, and other unspeakable suffering, the Creator commanded the Guardians to divide the universe into six realms. Species were separated by power in order to restore balance and end the chaos.
So, the Guardians were something like gods. Separate from the Creator, yet responsible for maintaining order across the six realms.
They determined that power had to be earned. Souls needed to prove their worth by living meaningful lives and progressing forward. The six realms were sealed, and now souls could only move between them through natural progression or with the aid of a God Dragon.
Ugh. My brain felt like it was about to explode. I had just uncovered the meaning of life and the deepest secrets of the universe. Maybe it was a good thing humanity had lost this knowledge. It was a difficult reality to accept.
I rubbed my throbbing temples. “I need a glass of wine,” I muttered to myself.
As if in response, a bottle of wine and a glass appeared on my desk.
I stared at them in amazement. I would never get used to magic, no matter how long I stayed here.
“Um… thank you.” I could not believe I was talking to a library, but it was far from the weirdest thing that had happened to me lately. I picked up the unlabeled bottle and uncorked it, intending to analyze it first. Since it was only mid-morning, it did seem a little early to start drinking, but I decided that was only a rule in the mortal realm.
I poured some into the black volcanic glass goblet and raised it to my nose, inhaling deeply. My senses ignited. The first scent was dark, overripe cherries and the rich earth of a forest floor after a storm. Then came a faint aroma of smoke, something ancient and forbidden, followed by the intoxicating sweetness of vanilla and caramel. It was unlike any wine I had ever had.
I took my first tentative sip, and the flavor flooded my tastebuds with an intensity that surprised me. The rich, dark fruits I had smelled, cherries, plums, and sweet berries, exploded on my tongue. The sweetness was balanced by something deeper and earthier, with a faint hint of spice that tingled like a whisper of heat. The wine made me feel alive in a way I had never known before, a liquid embodiment of pleasure and desire. It slid down my throat, warming me from the inside out, and a wave of profound relaxation and euphoria followed. My inhibitions melted away, replaced by a confident, daring energy I had never known. Whatever was in this wine, it had me completely in its thrall, and I did not mind one bit.
I had not been offered any wine since I arrived here, and now I found myself mildly upset that I was only just discovering, thanks to my new best friend the library, that the Fae made incredible wine. I could not decide if it was a drink or a drug. Probably both.
All my cares seemed to peel away one layer at a time. I decided the floor was more comfortable than the wooden desk chair, so I sat with my back against the desk. I flipped off Titus’s candles beside me with my middle finger. They were probably not even his, but whatever. He was a jerk and still deserved it.
I refilled my glass and skimmed another book, The Anatomy of the High Fae. Why did he want me to read this? Curious, I flipped through the pages. Blah, blah, blah. The Fae were a superior species in every way. Taller. Smarter. More traditionally beautiful. On and on.
Just then, I heard Calpurnia trot toward me. “Lady Delilah, I’ve brought your lunch, oh my!” She dropped the platter.
I stood up, or rather made an extremely poor attempt at it, and promptly fell to my side like a fainting goat. The image of it in my mind made me laugh hysterically on the floor. The look on her face was equal parts worry and amusement.
“Who gave you Faerie wine, Lady Delilah? That is not going to affect you the same way it does us, love,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.
“The library, and I think it’s affecting me just fine. Come sit.” I rubbed my palm against the floor beside me, doing my best to stop laughing.
She snapped her fingers, and the mess from the dropped tray disappeared. A new one appeared neatly on my desk. Then she sat down beside me.
“Library, can my friend please have a glass? And we could use another bottle,” I asked.
Right before our eyes, the requested items appeared on the floor in front of us. I grabbed them and poured Calpurnia a full glass. She hesitated.
“Come on, the boss is out of town. Let’s have some fun.” I winked at her.
She rolled her eyes, then caved, and we clinked glasses. “Lady Delilah,” she began.
I interrupted her. “Please, don’t call me lady. I get enough of that from Aurelius. My friends call me Lila.”
