Chapter Nine

From a completed epic fantasy novel told across two time periods.

Erden

1348 (Thirty years prior to present day)

“The Lady left a message for you on her way out,” the guard informed him as he strolled into the vestibule of the Royal Library, not a heartbeat before the ninth bell of the day rang.

“Oh. What is it?” Erden asked.

“I don’t know. Check your desk,” the burly man said.

“I thought you meant she had told you to tell me something.”

“I understand what you meant,” the man said, cutting him off. Scratching himself, he turned to watch as an attractive woman walked by, the interaction with Erden now miles from his mind.

It was highly unusual for Udesip to be away from the library while the sun was up, and equally strange that she had thought enough of Erden to give him a correspondence. He was not the slightest bit comfortable with this convergence of improbabilities.

The note was on a plain piece of paper, in elegant calligraphy. The façade of a sophisticated aesthetic faded as Erden began to read, the brusque phrasing easy for him to imagine in Udesip’s icy voice. The basement is closed for repairs. Entry is prohibited to all, for any reason.

It did not take an intelligent man to realize she wanted it to be clear that Erden was specifically included in the term all. Intrigued, in the way that a child will touch a hot stove even after being told repeatedly that it will burn him, Erden immediately headed toward the entrance to the basement.

The sole door which led to the descending staircase connecting the main floor of the library to the cellar was now barred by several lengths of thick rope tied to pillars on either side. Subtlety was never her style. There were no signs that any ne’er-do-wells such as himself had attempted to breach the barrier. Those were not the only signs missing from the area, however. There were also no signs of construction. No sounds emanating from below, no dirty footprints, no materials strewn about. They must be working solely at night.

For a reason he could not articulate, Erden continued to stand in the middle of the room, eyes locked onto the scene in front of him. Despite her physical absence, he felt as though Udesip would be able to sense something was awry if he were to linger, staring at the entrance to the basement for too long. It would be best to move on with his day, acting with as much normalcy as possible.

Normal for Erden meant a work shift with an uneven balance of work and idling. He found himself spending more time reading the books he was paid to put away than actually cataloging or moving them. Every so often he would look up, sure that he would find Udesip directly in front of him, face unreadable, but body posture indicating extreme disdain. Then, a moment later, he would look back down and lose himself in the book yet again.

This day he was caught up in a historical account of the Kinorick Uprising. A decade past, the Vinredorian army had sailed to the island of Kinorick to quell a rebellion which threatened the stability of all of the Sun Islands in the Southern Sea. The 26^th company of the Vinredorian army singlehandedly fought its way from the shoreline to the capital, easily dismissing the local warriors before locking into fiercer combat with the legendary mercenary company True Brothers. Overcoming oppressive odds, the 26^th reclaimed the island for the Divine King, crushing the rebellion before it was able to poison the region.

He had been a boy during the Kinorick Uprising, and remained captivated by the heroic tales of the 26^th company, and their otherworldly swordsman, Abraham, whose deeds gave the company the moniker, The Blades. On multiple occasions, Abraham had faced down a dozen or more men and won, fighting with a brutal yet graceful efficiency. He was known now the world over as the greatest living swordsman.

“Erden.”

Oh no.

He froze, then attempted to place the book down in a manner which would make it appear as though he was only quickly checking its pages for signs of misuse. Not knowing how successful his ploy was, he looked up, bracing himself for the wrath of The Lady.

It never came. His friend Cupela looked down at him with a perplexed look. “I apologize for interrupting your work,” she said.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Erden said, or at least thought he said, loosening the tension in his body. “I didn’t expect to see you here again so soon.”

“I was lucky enough to be able to visit again.”

“Yes. I mean, I’m glad. So, you are back in the city now?”

“For the moment.”

“And, are you still working with that herbalist, Enfildio?”

“I am,” she said, before quickly adding, “Would you be able to help me find a text?”

“Of course,” Erden said, getting right to his feet. “I can help you find anything. What is it you are looking for?”

“Only some scrolls. Stories about journeys out into the Depthless Sea. Children’s tales, I think. They could be quite old. I looked in the stories on the fourth floor, but I could not find anything before the twelfth century.”

“Right, right. The older tales would be in the basement to be protected from the light. I can lead you there.”

They had taken a score of steps before Erden remembered some crucial information. “Wait. The basement, it’s closed. Repairs, I heard.”

“Could you go and look in my place then?” Cupela asked.

Erden debated how to respond without appearing as useless and impotent as he felt. “No one can enter now. Only the workers. It must be unsafe until they have completed the repairs.”

Cupela grimaced, the look on her face startlingly severe. “Are they making the repairs at this very moment?”

“I’m not sure.”

Cupela had already begun to move ahead. “Let’s take a look.”

Erden stayed a few paces behind her, unsuccessfully conjuring justifications for stopping his friend from going further. Before he had generated even a weak excuse, Cupela had read the sign, her arms crossed tightly around herself.

“I must get down there,” she said.

“Perhaps it will be accessible tomorrow,” Erden suggested.

“I do not have until tomorrow,” Cupela said, scanning the area in all directions. “Help me untie the rope.”

“We really should not. It is probably quite unsafe. There could be a cave-in.”

Cupela gave him an incredulous look. “You needn’t go with me. I suppose I can even remove these ropes alone.”

As he watched her dismantle Udesip’s barrier, Erden became increasingly unsettled. “I will go down as soon as it is safe. I will gather every text I can find and deliver them to you.”

“I’m sorry, Erden, but that won’t do.”

“Why such urgency for children’s stories?”

“Never mind that,” Cupela said, exasperated. “At least stand watch for me, will you? Put the ropes back as they were until I knock. I will move as quickly as I can.”

The door closed behind her, and Erden could hear her footsteps on the stone stairs, her pace rushed. The thumping died off until he was left in silence. If I put everything back as it was, I can wait fifty paces away and look busy until I hear her knocking. Please hurry.

He was unsure if he was using the same knots that Udesip had used, but they were the only knots he knew how to tie, so they would have to do. He saw no one as he glanced in different directions every few heartbeats, but that did nothing to calm his nerves. He was not accustomed to breaking the rules, and had he wished to travel down that path, he certainly would not have started by disobeying The Lady.

When the ropes were set back into place, Erden scurried to his work station to collect the materials he would need to feign the role of a competent employee. Selecting the perfect assortment of documents and practicing different expressions of dedicated concentration made him feel akin to a character in a tale of mystery. He had not been so enthusiastic about his work in ages.

Returning to the door with his cart in tow, fear was losing its grip, the feeling giving way to excitement at his role in such a mischievous act. Once safely amount the bookshelves, he paused to listen for any sound from Cupela. Fairly confident that he did not hear anything, he began to make an effort of pretending to be searching for the correct location to place a book. This act became terribly boring within a quarter of an hour, and before he knew what had happened, he was leaning against a shelf, reading. The danger he was so concerned with had vanished, as the entirety of his focus was now on Ten Principles of Herbalism, a topic that he had despised when he was a student. I would make a fantastic herbalist. It is all research and mathematics, areas I excel in.

Occupied with congratulating himself on his hypothetical prowess in the field of contemporary sciences, he was unaware of the figure who stopped to watch him for a moment before disappearing into a forest of books.

He did not know how much time had passed when he was finally aware of a light tapping sound. After ensuring that it was coming from the basement, he rushed to the door and untied the expertly knotted ropes with surprising ease. When he opened the door, he was greeted by a tower of documents. “Help me, would you,” a muffled voice pleaded.

While Cupela did a convincing job of blocking off the basement yet again, Erden eyed the many items she had brought with her. There were a scant few books, and those were in rough shape, with no titles in view. The majority of the documents were parchment paper, rolled and tied into tight scrolls. Without opening anything, he was unable to get a sense of what she had found. When Cupela had finished with the ropes and turned back to face him, he was still looking at the pile, head askew.

“As I said, it’s nothing but children’s stories,” Cupela said as she began to collect the documents. Before Erden could question her, he heard a voice from directly behind him.

“For what purpose did you defy my order?”

Erden turned to face The Lady. Although he was more than a hand taller than her, Erden was petrified by her presence. How long had she been there? Had she witnessed the entire scheme? Why had he been so foolish?

Erden could only look at Udesip, unable to formulate a reply. Cupela spoke in his stead. “It was my doing. Erden did not wish to, but I pushed him. He has no blame in this.”

As Udesip spoke, Erden became aware that her eyes were fixated on the documents that Cupela held. The Lady had not once looked at either him or his friend. “What is your name?”

“Why do you need to know my name?” Cupela asked.

“Why were you so eager for these documents?”

“I’ll put them back until the construction has been completed,” Cupela tried.

“You will leave them here,” Udesip said in her toneless affect. “Come with me to my office.”

With half of the documents in her arms, Cupela somehow managed to withdraw a small glass vial from her pants pocket.

“Do not!” Udesip said in a voice as cold and harsh as death.

Cupela did not listen. She uncorked the vial with her teeth before downing the light green liquid within. As Udesip called for the guards, Cupela raced forward, nearly knocking over the smaller woman.

After a moment of shock, Erden and Udesip ran after her, but Cupela was moving at an inhuman speed, the distance between them widening with each step. When she reached the library entrance two guards attempted to block her path. They drew their swords in futility, as Cupela was able to veer to the far right, taking advantage of another patron’s arrival, and flee through the massive doors and out into the streets. The Guards gave chase for a moment before the young woman cut behind a building, and was gone from their sight.

Erden stopped a few paces from the doors, panting hard. He looked out into the city, too stunned to think. A heartbeat before he turned around, he spotted an object lying in the doorway. He bent down to pick it up, and saw that it was the glass vial that Cupela had drunk from. Not knowing why, he softly squeezed it in his palm, and then placed it in his pocket.

Behind him, he felt a presence approach. Despite his recent exertion and the heat of the day, a chill coursed through his body.