Sentria: The Age of Adventure (Book 2)

Chapter Thirty-Two: True Fantasy

The high gates of the Ark Library opened to us thanks to Prince Lucas' quick-thinking. These literary men only cared for knowledge, not titles, and Lucas' proposition was just the right offer to ease their grip.

They took our horses and kept them in their stable inside the area and Eldwyn, Lucas, and I walked up to the white concrete path. The library was a white and circular structure with a golden dome at the very top and arches all around its perimeter. Twin torches stood alongside the entrance; as a child, I remembered being told that these flames had been burning for centuries, as they represented knowledge and our quest for it. Eldwyn was leaning on Lucas for support as we crossed the small bridge above a small stream of water with all kinds of colorful fish and we made our way through the large archway and through the swirling golden gates.

Inside was an open space of golden decorations and the banners of all the realsm—even those in the north. There were many rows of tall bookshelves and in the center a thick oak tree that stretched its limbs up to the circular ceiling. It was quiet as the weathered librarians moved through the aisles and climbed ladders to reach books. Visitors were there too, future scholars and commoners alike read at the tables either alone or with loved ones.

"The Great Tree...?" asked Eldwyn, looking up at the tree. He was talking nonsense.

"Take him to a table," I told Lucas, and he carefully did so. When Eldwyn was seated, he put his head down as if holding it up was too much of a burden. I wanted to comfort him, but I needed to cure him first.

Lucas returned and asked, "Where to now?"

I pointed towards the other side of the room where there was a hanging sign that read "Medicine" and we walked over to it. There were hundreds of books—thousands, and the task was daunting but it had to be done. We scanned many of the books searching for any relevant information regarding curses. There wasn't much information about dark magicks cures available, for they were things that polite society felt should be kept unspoken. We searched anyway, looking through books on potions, herbs, allergies, immunities, skin conditions, internal medicine, and topical ointments. Nothing fit the description of the dark wizard's curse. Everything was practical, in relation to what was viewed as normal.

"Interesting..." said Prince Lucas, and I hurried to his side.

"What is it?" I asked, looking over his shoulder.

"It's not about the curse, but this book from Meren." I looked down at the book and saw a bearded man with eyes on his hands sitting cross-legged in the clouds. "It speaks of a being called the Maker God, known to strike down lightning and cause fires. It also says that he can shift the landscape."

"...The Ansel River."

"It mentions three of these beings from the Otherworld that live in the clouds: the Oblivion Witch, the Maker God, and the Unifier. Was this the witch you fought in the sky?"

I thought for a moment, remembering what the Oblivion Witch said to me, "When Eldwyn and I were there she mentioned this being a false land...as if it were some story. She says that there are three kingdoms that I will have to face if I wish to truly save Askeran."

"Prince Darren, have you been carrying this around all year?"

I shrugged. "We haven't the time, Lucas. Eldwyn needs us." We continued to look for the right book and our luck had yet to change by the time we got to the end of the medicine section. I asked a librarian for help and he wasn't helpful at all. He told us that curses weren't real and that royals misunderstood their importance which made us prone to believe in superstitions and myths. 

As I conferred with Lucas in regards to what should be done,  when a little girl, no older than seven years, walked up to us and tugged on my shirt.

"Yes, little one?" I asked, kneeling down to meet her eye to eye.

"Have you read the storybooks?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that we need isn't in fantasy." I smiled and shook my head.

"But...but stories have the answers to everything."

I stared at her for a moment. She was a child but she had an old spirit. As if she had lived this world before. "Thank you." I stood back up and walked to the fantasy section.

"You can't seriously be going to the children's books for answers right now," said Lucas from behind me. "We need a real potion or a spell. Not something made up from a storyteller's mind."

"Fiction can be true," I told him. "Danos knows I've seen some strange scenes."

I went searching through the books in this section; some I recalled from childhood and others were brand new, and eventually, Lucas caved and searched along with me. I pulled out a book called The Wizard's Touch, hoping to find results from the obvious connection. I started to read it intently: 

It was about an innocent boy from an unnamed village who ran away into the Posey Wood and was attacked by an evil wizard. The wizard grabbed him by the neck and it scarred him with a burn mark around his neck. The boy ran away and tried to return to his home, but he got lost along the way and couldn't find his way back. He fell to the floor and gave up, but when all seemed lost, a gray warbler flew down and transformed into a wise woman. She cured him with her pure magic and with the curse lifted, the boy was restored to health. She told him that the next time he returned to the Posey Wood, he had to bring along a friend to protect him.

"I'm not sure how this helps," said Prince Lucas.

"I do," I said, closing the book and putting it back. "Let's away." We went over to Eldwyn and I lifted him up for him to lean on me. We left the Ark Library and stopped at the bottom of the steps. Lucas was still questioning me and I blocked him out. He would see in time. I closed my eyes to concentrate and breathed in deeply. This didn't always work for me, but nature responded to my heart. I had to believe. For Eldwyn, I had to.

"What are you doing?" asked Prince Lucas.

I remained quiet. Then I heard it. The faint chirping of a bird. I opened my eyes and saw one flying toward us in the distance. I held out my hand and it perched on my finger.

"Impossible..." said Lucas.

It was a gray warbler. It kept chirping as if it was speaking to me, and I understood the bird clearly. As it flew away, I turned to Prince Lucas and said, "We must find the Gray Woman in the Invar Mountains."