Arascus stared at Mikhail’s request form for materials. It was a list of twenty or so different steel alloys…. He signed off on it and wished the dwarves still trolled their great refineries of old.

  Be normal. Aal. Don’t run. It was difficult for Eliza to maintain her posure. Fleur and Edmonton weren’t doing aer and Lyca was only barely to edge out a nervous joke here and there. “So we stay the night, right?” Lyca asked another farcical question as he strolled with his hands on the back of his head.

  “Shut up.” Fleur replied coldly. “I ’t believe we’re actually doing this.”

  “Well you better believe it.” Lyca ughed, it was mirthless and cold.

  “Just keep walking.” Edmonton shut him up. He was almost half a head taller than Lyca, and he somehow to walk without cheg their surroundings. Eliza wasn’t quite sure of how he did that, every few seds, she would look around at Essa’s Gardens. There was no ohere of course, everyone was at the assembly celebrating with drink and song and fine foods. On one hand, Eliza wished she didn’t have to miss it, oher, she had been through enough assemblies to know she was simply saving herself from a haomorrow. They had all taken tablets yesterday to induce a fever in the m cooked up by Fleur, it passed quickly with an antidote and everyone had a visit by a physi and simply been told to sleep it off.

  They passed by a bench with a small inscription. Blessed by Goddess Essa, of Magi the year 827 PGW. Refurbished in 931 and in 998. They passed by a fountain with a pque. Blessed by Goddess Essa, of Magi the year 212. They walked over a small bridge, this one was simirly blessed. By a blessed great oak, by a blessed flowerbed, by a blessed field, some more blessed benches. And then they finally started to see the Divine Library after a turn. Not blessed.

  It was a huge, magnanimous structure, pockmarked with high towers and snted roofs; gargoyles and statues and hundreds, if not thousands, of windows. It was uhe only building in all of Arcadia that was built of bck ste. The only building where the windows did not glow at night. “The front door should be open, right?” Lyca asked.

  “Are you an idiot?” Fleur bit back.

  “I bet you it is.”

  “Why would it be unlocked?”

  “Why would it be locked?” Fleur looked at the man and threw up her hands in the air as she made some exasperated sigh.

  “Then go check, we’ll sloe don’t want to be seen l around.” Edmonton said.

  “Why me?” Lyca asked.

  “Because it was your idea.” They stopped at the door.

  “It was just a joke.”

  “We’re wasting time arguing.” That Eliza had to admit Edmonton was right about. “I thought you were the big man.” Ahey were arguing.

  “I’m brave but not stupid enough to jump off a cliff.” Stubborn fools.

  “We’re right behind you.” Edmonton said and Eliza tightened her fists. Damn idiots.

  “Likewise, the honour of testing the door is all yours.” Lyca postured towards the door with both his arms.

  “I would eal that honour from you.” They were simply cretins.

  “I’m giving it away.” Cretinous little bugs.

  “I could never accept that.” Eliza had heard enough. She simply walked over to the huge oak doors, turhe handle and pushed.

  The door swung open without even an inkling of pushback.

  The various Arascus Cults have started to move. We’ve mao get spies into two branches in Aris although their ter-intelligence is excellent to say the least. We suspely the leader knows of other branches iy and where orders are acquired from is still entirely unknown…

  …The issue of Anarchia still holds. Her supporters have started to appear more frequently, and seemingly have acquired some sort of magical power which allows them to overwhelm mundane men….

  I am not talking about an increase in budget for personal reasons, I need manpower, I need magis and I need cooperation from the Directorate-General De La Security Internal. The Aris Police force is overwhelmed. The ck of open criminality from both Cults is an indication they are preparing.

  - Report written from the ander of the Aris Police Force to the Rancais Gover.

  Fleur shook her head at the two fools. They were absolute cretins but then again, she did feel some annoyahat it was Ellie who had taken the initiative and not her. She walked into the Divine Library. Ed and Ly didn’t need a remio stuing and follow them in. Ellie stepped in and closed the door behind them.

  Inside, darkness y across the room like a bedsheet, only held back by a few magical mps h in the air. There was rance hall, nor any guards, the bookshelves simply began and they didn’t end. They were tall enough to need a dder to access the tomes at the top, seemingly looming the four intruders as if preparing to devour them. “So what do we do now?” Eliza broke the minute-long silend pulled them out of the trance.

  “I don’t know.” Ed said. “Explore?”

  “A grand pn.” Ly added.

  “I assume the better tomes will be at the back.” Fleur made her voice cold and ung, although it was hard to get the worry out of her voice. It was ohing to misbehave, it was another eo be here.

  “Aye, I cur with that.” Ed added. The party of fan to walk throughout the cold room. They stopped at the foot of a grand staircase fit for a royal pace. Bookshelves surrounding them, crawling uhe staircase and into the various hallways. “Up or to the side?” Fleur said right, Lyca said up, Eliza said up and Edmonton shook his head. “We split up then. I want to go the right too.”

  “Oh I’m sure the two of you will do a lot of searg.” Ly said.

  “One more word and I’ll kill you.” Fleur replied.

  “Whatever, split up, everyone go read what they want, this is a scouting run, we e baother day, just find what is important.”

  “I don’t want to go alone.” Ellie said.

  “Why not?” Ed asked.

  “Don’t you feel it?”

  “Feel what?”

  “Like you’re being watched?”

  “You’re paranoid.” Ed said but Ly came in to back up his sweetheart.

  “No, I feel it too. The hairs on my neck are stood up.”

  “Are they?” Fleur asked doubtfully.

  “We scout out the ground floor today, then e baother day for scouting round.” Ed said.

  “Excuse me?” Fleur had her say.

  “Are you just going to grab a random book and start reading through it?” Ed crossed his arms and shook his head. “Now that we know it’s this easy, we e back whenever.”

  “I cur.” Ellie said. Fleur threw up her arms and sighed.

  “Alright, whatever.”

  Maisara and Fortia stared at the piece of paper. They had been at the gate for a few days and now Alsaria was calling them baeither of them said anything, nothing had to be said. Alsaria was just an annoying pretentious tyrannous damned fickle little chit who was better suited to be a school bully than a Queen.

  “I’ll do the left, you do the right.” Lyca said to Eliza after they came to a bend ih they took.

  “Alright.”

  “Meet up here in… ten? Fifteen mihen we go on the se.”

  “Uood boss.” Eliza said and they both ughed. Without Ed and Fleur, it was far easier to talk, those two were always too serious. Lyca made it through the first bookshelf, simply sing every tenth or so book. The History of Arda. Siege of Tourai. The Masterminds of the Bck Legion: Arascus’ Generals. Elves In The Great War. Dissolution of the Dwarven Kingdoms. From Mountains to the Overworld: Iion of Dwarven Smiths Post War. So on and so on it went. History was iing, but it would take him aire lifetime to read just this oion.

  The se was more history. Heaven & Hell: Paraideisius and Tartarus. Angelic Assistan the Great War. A Study of the Tartarian Legions. Then more history. And more. And more. Lyca simply kept walking at this point, it was a library alright. He had expected titles more like How to Gain Power. Five-Steps to Increasing Yical Potential. Frankly, he would have even been fih An Idiot’s Guide to the Foundations of Magic.

  Maybe this is why the library wasn’t protected? Because it didn’t actually have anything and it was just an archive for Essa? She was a Goddess, she could have probably read all of these in her spare time. He stopped at a book. The History of Arda. Again? Siege of Tourai. The Masterminds of the-A sound made Lyca’s heart drop. An ear-pierg screech which quelled the fmes of thought and made his blood run on instinct. He turned and ran: Eliza’s scream.

  Lyca ran and ran. He hadn’t travelled far. He couldn’t have travelled far. He was only walking at a brisk pace when iing the books. Was the bookshelf always this long? His run turned into a sprint. The shelves oher side were unending, looming over him like a thick forest. Had he missed his turn?

  He turned left. The left again, his eyes going to the books. Dissolution of the Dwarven Kingdoms… A Study of the Tartarian Legions. Siege of Tourai… This wasn’t the order he remembered.

  The magical mps in the air started to grow dull. A darkness as thick as tar fell over the library. He pulled out his wand from his coat, it started to glht with a white light. “ELIZA!” He shouted. “ELIZA! WHERE ARE YOU!”

  The light in his wa out aopped.

  The stoarted to move. Something pushed him over. He fell backwards with a grunt.

  A darkfur walked over to Fer. “Pack Master, they have called upon anreat Hunt.”

  “How many this time?”

  “Four Sects have already joined, we smell that another four will join. Maybe ten in total.”

  “Then we move once again.”

  Lyca opened his eyes to his three looking at him. His mind was turned off, his body moved by itself. He stood up, pulled out his wand, it started the tip started to shine bright with fme and he did two quick spins, his eyes sing every crevice, every shadow, every bookshelf around them. “No one’s here.” Edmonton said in his usual annoyiral tone.

  “Why did you scream?” Lyca ignored him.

  “I tripped and appeared here.” Eliza said coyly as she rubbed her rear. “Everything just went dark and then something pushed me backwards.”

  “Same story here.” Edmonton said.

  “Likewise.” Fleur said.

  “Same thing to me.” Lyca firmed. “So how long was I out?”

  “You just appeared behind us.” Edmonton answered. “Eliza appeared first, then Fleur behihen I appeared when they weren’t looking and we were just looking up there.” Edmonton poi the grand staircase. “We heard you shout for Eliza.” His face was exceptionally grim.

  “What’s with the tone? I ’t be worried for friends?” Lyca bit back.

  “We heard you.” Fleur pointed in the dire she and Edmonton had set off in, the opposite route that Lyca had walked down. “From over there.” Lyca looked to Ed and Eliza, he got nods of affirmation firming. “I think…” Fleur bit her lip. “We may have tripped something we weren’t meant to.”

  “The’s get out of here.” Lyca said. “Before aches us.”

  “About that.” Edmonton pointed behind Lyca. “The door…” Lyca turned ahe blood drain from his face. They had walked straight to the staircase and split up, the door was visible from here… it should be visible: the library was big but it wasn’t THAT big.

  “Where is it?” Lyca said, the tip of his wand started to burn even brighter.

  “trol yourself Lyca.” Edmonton waved towards the wand. “And I have no damn clue where it went.”

  “I’d suggest trying to break through the wall.” Lyca felt a chill go down his spine. He couldn’t… wouldn’t… shouldn’t… move… His eyes darted to the sides, to Eliza on his right, her fingers iwining through his and Fleur with Edmonton to his left: both of them stood straight backed, alert and alone.

  “Who said that?” Lyca finally broke the silence.

  “Who indeed?” From behind… Lyca’s eyes met Edmonton’s. He saw the man’s face give the ti nod, he khe signal already. They were done for already, if a teacher was here, the only way they would get out of this is to kill them and leave before reinforts arrive. Eliza and Fleur would shout at them ter, but it was better than the sequences of being in found in the Divine Library. Lyca extehree fingers. Three. Two. One.

  The two men turned, wands held straight, one r with fire, the other blue as it dehe air around it to water. Lyca’s eyes travelled up the staircase and he felt his heart drown in doom again. At the top of the staircase stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

  She was tall, taller than Edmonton, even taller than an elf. She wore a red dress and a bck cloak on her back, it covered her well but her face… Lyca could stare into those crimson eyes and feel soul begging to leave his body. It wasn’t a face, it was a masterpiece crafted by the fi artists on Arda. Her raven-bck hair cascaded down in waves, only bringing trast to the pale skin. She smiled like a succubus, like a hungry wolf ready to devour her prey. “Straight into it? That is certainly one way to greet me.”

  “WHO ARE YOU?!” If Eliza wasn’t there, Lyca wouldn’t have been able to shout. But she was, and he had sworn he would protect her.

  “Who am I?” The woman lifted a pale hand and touched her chest. “I don’t know, who may I be? Who do you think I am?”

  “ologize profusely for entering the Library.” Fleur quickly shouted. “We promise, we swear on our lives, may the Divines curse us if we ever set foot in here again. We promise to leave and never return.” The woman only ughed.

  “Oh my dear girl.” She took a step forwards, as if about to walk in the air. Lyca blinked and the woman wasn’t there. There was the click of a heel on stoile behind him. Before Lyca could turn, he saw the pear in the edges of his vision: on his left and right. Two of them? He gingerly moved his head towards Fleur. No, there she was again, two times o Ed, two times o Fleur. “Here, you shouldn’t be w about the Divines cursing you.”

  An o of darkness swallowed all of them.