A/N—I own nothing. Nothing at all. Michael Scott owns everything.
This is for Elycia-of-Arc, who's been asking for something new for a while. Thanks for everything! I hope you enjoy this, Elycia-of-Arc.
Summary: A nighttime excursion to the library of Danu Talis reveals a mystery that the Warriors have to solve if they can really fight the battle to come.
Cover It All
No Archon technology illuminated the library. The flickering flame of the candle swayed seductively on the muralled walls, revealing bloody executions, low-lit love scenes, bitter rivalries of years gone by.
Will Shakespeare's hand trembled as he passed the image of a battlefield, full of fallen warriors, soaked in blood and tears.
A drop of simmering wax dripped from the candle, landing with an echoey splatter on the pristine floor. He recoiled, dancing away from the pooling liquid, repressing the frightened squeak that nearly burst from his chest.
He had to know. Had to know more—just a little more—about the half-golden figure who threatened everything they had ever known.
He reached the double doors, and stared up at them, his jaw dropping ever so slightly as he beheld their towering splendor.
Another drop of wax slipped to the floor, sliding down his finger on its way to the ground. He winced slightly at the pain, and stooped to the ground, setting the candle on the floor.
The doors refused to move.
He pushed, his feet sliding on the floor, narrowly missing the candle. Will ceased his attempts for a moment, quickly pushing the candle a little further away, and then he tried pulling.
He landed on his backside for his pains.
After about ten minutes of frustrated work, he stepped back, confronting the problem logically.
He didn't dare to use his aura. Who knew if he was being watched, or put on some sort of alert? He didn't want to find out.
That left physical strength. Will swore softly, cursing—not for the first time—his pitiable position in that area: 5'2" and 179 pounds wasn't nearly enough to move the doors, by any means.
Swearing a little louder, Will spun around, bending over for the candle, determined to go back and wake Palamedes.
Something caught his eye as he whirled around, and he stopped half-way, once again nearly upsetting the candle.
The emblem of an open, blank book was engraved—no, burnt—into the floor. Dark and blurred, it bore the obvious signs of having been implanted there with fire, and its careful centering before the doors clearly marked it as having been placed there on purpose.
Will crouched down, running his fingers over the emblem. The stone was smooth everywhere, another sign that it had been burnt, not carved, into the ground. As his fingers connected with the empty area of the blank page, he felt something tug at his aura, and, before his could pull his fingers away, a trickle of power was sucked from him, and the emblem glowed a bright lemon yellow.
He backpedaled, knocking the candle over. Wax poured over the floor, making his fingers sticky. The smell of lemons was sickeningly strong, and the corridor seemed to almost pulse with the yellow light.
The doors swung open, parting the glow like the black stroke of a paintbrush. Beyond the still pulsating emblem, high shelves towered in a somewhat menacing invitation.
Will collected his candle, and, after waiting a few moments, decided that the use of his aura hadn't set off any alarms. He let a little bit of power seep into the crumbling wick, and a tiny flame sparked.
He hopped over the emblem, too frightened of it to test its powers by walking over it. It seemed, as he crossed the threshold, that he heard a sort of growl, as if something had been angered by his entrance, but he ignored it.
The awe that the library filled him with made his legs weak and his head buzz.
He didn't hear the doors slide shut.