Chapter Two: In Shadow

Chapter 2: In Shadow

(As narrated by Gwendolyn Aurreus, a greenery mage)

Like a thief I flitted through the halls of great castle Arxlin, scholarly home of Magery in Tarn. I slipped from shadow to shadow as quietly as bare feet will allow, the only sound in the darkness the subtle rustling that issued from my dress. The long, ancient rug that bore me to my destination in faded reds and golds brought to mind flying carpets from ancient legend, somehow making me feel even more like a criminal.

Like a thief I stopped before the immense double doors that led into the library. The library was a massive complex at the heart of the castle, filled with volume upon volume of dust laden tomes heavy with years, yellowed paper, and long forgotten wisdom. There were also hundreds of scrolls, some with ink practically still drying, and these were filled with younger ideas, fresh thoughts, and recent discoveries.

I wriggled my toes with anticipation and excitement, afraid to so much as breathe too loudly. And yet, I felt effortlessly at home here among the books, the place that had seen so much of my childhood spent. Part of my mind even now idly considered what books I was longing to read even as I strode with purpose on a mission that would change my life forever.

A greenery mage, I had trained under the eaves of this castle for as long as I could remember. My love of books was matched only by my taste for gardening, when there was only sun and soil and the simple joy of watching my efforts take literal root and grow.

Yet grander plans would bring my simple life to an end today. Once I stole the map I was here for, there would be no going back. Like shoving a giant boulder rolling downhill, once I set things in motion there would be no return to normalcy waiting at the end of it all.

Were it not for the moonlight cascading through the skylights, the features of the library would have been totally lost to sight. I nervously fingered the key I’d stolen as I silently strode past the front desk and into the room. Despite how well things were working in my favor I could not seem to help myself from feeling nervous. I’d been uncharacteristically flighty all day.

I’d almost blown it when I stole the key from the librarian, but I had gotten away despite my clumsy fingers. I’d chosen today after months of waiting for a reason.

Today was the king’s birthday.

Every year without fail all the mages able to bear travel and over age sixteen were called to the castle for some mysterious trouble. This was the first year I was old to go but I’d gotten out by faking an illness gained thanks to a special concoction I’d lovingly nurtured in my garden. I’d been left genuinely sick, but only for about half an hour.

And now the moment was upon me.

With breathless anticipation I stole through the shelves, illuminated starkly by the moonlight, everything harshely colored in blacks and whites and greys. At the far wall of the immense room I found a number of mysterious doors, of all different shaps, sizes and colors. After a moment’s thought I setled upon a small blueish door that was perfectly round with a knob set in the center rather than off to one side. I slid my ill-gotten key into the lock and was gratified by the audible click that followed as I turned it.

I pushed the door open quietly to find the most amazingly disordered room I had ever laid eyes on. Papers of all sorts were strewn everywhere. Books lay in stacks, rising imperiously above the piles of rubble like great towers. It seemed the head librarian was not as disciplined with his personal quarters as he was with the rest of the library. On any normal day the thought of the strict, onerously tidy little man wading through this office everyday would have had me doubled over laughing, but today was not a normal day.

Head librarian of the castle Arxlin meant head librarian of all Tarn, a prestigious position with a title, Dominus Clavis, or Keylord. In his possession were keys that enabled one to access just about anything, from ancient history to forbidden magics. Throughout the last several hundred years Tarnian history was filled with famous thefts, in which someone or other had stolen a key and used it for great mischief. But I was not here to steal a secret, but a promise of secrets.

A map.

Without delay I brushed off my shock over the appaling state of the room and began to search. I knew the Dominus had hidden them in here somewhere, I only needed to discover where. Despite the fact that I knew I had all night, my heart pounded in my chest as if all the king’s knights were mere moments away.

Just two days previous seven maps had been discovered in a secret safe that had been uncovered during renovations. I had only been able to weasel my way into five minutes of uninterrupted access, but it had been enough. Six of them were meaningless, even inaccurate, but for the seventh, I had chosen to put health, reputation, and position on the line to steal.

I didn’t bother searching through the sea of parchment at my feet. I strode straight for the desk and began to rifle through everything on it. I found the map in appalling straights. A tea mug had left its mark right dead center in the middle, and there was an assortment of small stains and crumbs all over it, even wax drippings from a candle. I sighed in disgust as I ducked out of the room, barely remembering to lock it behind me.

All but free, I thought to myself. I dashed across the library, faster than before, the walls a blur. The dark hall beyond somehow seemed even more foreboding now. I let my anxiety take hold as I ran for the passageway that exited into my garden. A cool June breeze greeted me as I stumbled out of the castle, nearly tripping over my own boots. I’d left them here along with a small satchel of belongings, in preparation for my flight from home. Both northern moons were out, the Hunter and the Dryad, making the night exceedingly bright. I saw it as a good omen, for my path of travel would be well-lit.

With a last sad look at my lovely little garden, I snatched up my boots in hand and slung my satchel over my shoulder and hopped the short wooden fence that enclosed the area. As the grass touched my feet, still warm from the heat of day, I felt my nerves calm. My uncharacteristic mood lifted, and I laughed aloud as I escaped into the night feeling as if the weight of the world had lifted from my shoulders.