An: see chapter 1. thanks to DrayvenDrake, Jollygreen483, rockstarmarie and Harriet Noir, who at some absurd time last night read my first chapter and pointed out the error with in chapter 2. this is my second attempt at posting this.
Trans-dimensional space at the Metropolitan Library.
Turns out I wasn't the only person to reject the letter. as such, I was not the only person shown into the secret library by Flynn Carsen (the current Librarian) and Eve Baird (his Guardian).
Jacob Stone was a southern boy who worked on the pipe line. he held a scholarly air about him and eyed the building with great interest. so, I recon a architectural interest. he was somewhere in his med-thirties with dark brown hair and a stoke body. he was the oldest looking member of the group, next to Flynn.
Cassandra Cillian, a reclusive woman that was surrounded by the smell of cleaning chemicals had a very interesting view on the world. she could talk a mile a minute, moving her hands to weave the picture only she could see; a Synesthete. Harrison once had a friend like that a long time ago. Unlike her, Cassandra had a firmer body with a curved figure and light red hair.
Ezekiel Jones as the youngest of the three at the rip old age of twenty-four. he was of Australian descent with dark features. he was the only one of the five individuals that I had met before. As a world class thief he had often crossed my path. we had an unspoken agreement that I would make it very difficult for him to steel from me and if he succeed I would buy it back for market value. it was a good partnership, even if Ezekiel himself wasn't aware of my identity.
As a group they descended the golden steps into the vast expansion of the Library. The group could not withhold themselves as the magical wonders.
"you've got to be kidding me!" Jacob was the first to break the silence, spinning in a full circle to take it all in.
"Not kidding" Flynn announced with a sing-song, before turning serious. Or as serious as someone with a limited attention spa could be. "But we don't have a lot of time. So, questions... ask them." he gave us leave to bombard him, as we walked though the towering shelves of books and the odd little relic.
"Is that the Spear of Destiny?" Jacob happily complied as we walked past a floating spear, surrounded by a old oak case with golden lining.
"Yes"
"Ark of the covenant?" this time Cassandra's attention was caught my the large engraved cask that dominated it's section.
"Yes"
"Wait" Jacob took back over. "What about Bigfoot and Dracula?"
"Yes and No. Yes, on Bigfoot." Flynn moved on from one word responses, leaving it open for more questions.
"So, vampires aren't real?!" Cassandra demanded
"Vampires are real, but Dracula is not, because I killed him." Flynn twisted round to face the group. "Is this helping? I don't know that it is." he raised his voice in annoyed and sped up.
It was amusing to watch Flynn become annoyed at the obsolete questions when he allowed them to be asked. If this is how he though normal people interact then the Librarian needed to get out more. But when had Harrison every had much to say on normal human interactions.
"Ten years ago, each of you received an envelope inviting you to apply for a position here in this library, but you never showed" Eve stopped Flynn from continuing on.
"Ten years ago, I was in a hospital." Cassandra admitted distracted by all the new things around her. Flynn drew in a sharp breath, I just nodded; made sense. She was properly faced with brain damage from a traumatic impact or depression of a tumour, causing her sensory information to become cross wired. Synesthetes weren't meant to have all senses meeting.
"Right, with your tumour." Flynn announced a loud. "Um..." he paused at her surprised looked, but it was a fifty-fifty shot as to what was wrong with her, if you knew what to look for.
"Synesthetes rarely have all five senses involved. you've got full on hallucinations and seizures, indicative of frontal-lobe anomaly, Oligodendroglioma." Flynn shrugged at his explanation before becoming more sensitive. So, not has socially disconnected as I thought. "How big is it?"
"It's about the size of a grape." Cassandra pinched her for-finger and thumb together to indicate size. "which I really wish they hadn't told me. 'cause I used to really like grapes."
"Are you..." Jacob seemed unwilling to finish his question but Cassandra saw where he was going with it.
"Not yet. she smiled bitterly. "Someday. Sooner than I'd like, but not yet. But I Lived long enough to learn magic exits. So, that's pretty cool."
"Very cool" Eve agreed, before moving the topic back to her inquiry. "Stone, why didn't you show up?"
"'cause I already had a job, family business." He shrugged.
"I threw mine out." Ezekiel offered with a laugh. "It was obviously a mistake. I steal stuff. I've been stealing stuff since I was a kid. I'm not gonna get invited to work at a library."
"It is a magic library." Cassandra pointed out. I'm not sure how that explained it, if anything I would be less likely to hire Ezekiel if I didn't know how strong his morals actually were.
"Eh, great. It doesn't fill my pocket. I came here to find out who's trying to kill me." Ezekiel responded. I nodded, at least one other person here had there priorities straight.
"If magic's real, how come we don't see it all the time?" Cassandra asked, I happily let the topic change again. It was an effective question to distract Eve from asking why I didn't respond to the letter. Flynn already had a basis of an idea and I didn't know these people to be willing to share.
By this point we had finally reached a final destination. more specifically an Oval office with a stair case leading up to a second floor balcony area. Stuff was littered everywhere, even with the enter wall lined with full bookshelves. a large desk bisected the office, with a secondary desk of to the side with more personality to it. assuming the smaller desk was Flynn's the central one was more of a planning space.
Flynn plucked a Cream coloured orb of the larger desk, whilst the three rejected Librarians hovered in the space between a full bullet board and the little desk. Eve joined Flynn by the central table and I wondered over to the stairs and took a seat on a lower step, giving me a good view of the room, but not out of Flynn's line of sight. The space allowed me to take everything in a bit better, never really thought I'd enter the main Library.
"Once upon a time, the world was filled with magic. It travelled long a power network called Ley Lines." He tossed the orb up in the air activating it, allowing it to be suspended in the space, projecting an image of the globe lit by faded blue lines. "See the ley lines, see the magic. Over the centuries the magic was drained off and stored into artefacts."
"Like Excalibur." Eve seemed happy to understand what Flynn was explaining, I hummed low in my throat. So, a guardian that was still new at the job.
"Exactly. He was one of the most powerful." Flynn ignored the questioning 'he' in return. "The magic continued to fade as cities were constructed over the Lay Lines and technology began to advance. And, as you can see now, there's very little magic left. My job is to make sure that what remains doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Like the people who tried to kill the four of your."
"the woman who tried to kill stone had a snake tattoo." Eve offered, now we had circled back round to why we were all there.
"Yes, most of the individuals that came after me had one as well, a coiled serpent in black ink. The more skilled had a Latin verse, always on the bicep." I in puttered a more detailed description.
"Serpent brotherhood... an ancient cult bent on bringing magic back into the world. I've fought them before." he turned his back on the group, expression dimming as he thought. This distraction allowed the three newbies to get a better look at the bullet board behind them. "What did Professor Sheir find that pushed the brotherhood to kill him, then murder their way down the list? Still vexing."
"Does it have anything to do with this painting?" Jacob asked pointing at a photograph that was the epee centre of the information. "Crown of king Arthur?" I moved a bit closure to see as Flynn also rushed over. We were in some serious trouble if these people wanted on of Arthurs legendary pieces, was the only thing running through my head as I connected all the information.
"what?!" Flynn laughed in exasperation. "Crown of king Arthur? You sure?"
"Yeah" Jacob agreed, not sure with Flynn's intense focus.
"Crown of King Arthur was forged by Merlin to give Arthur control over the magic that he needed to build Camelot." Flynn explained. Or at least explained as far as he was aware. The Crown was just to control magic to build magic. It was also to protect against the wild magic that was damaging the lands and prevent magic uses from becoming too uncontrollable against normal citizens and each other.
"So, the brotherhood wants to bring magic back, but they need the crown to control it." Eve asked, trying to clarify what was going on. "Cannot believe I just said that with a straight face."
"Um, why is bringing magic back bad?" Cassandra asked. "because magic seems pretty cool."
"Magic is cool, till warring nations drown each other in tidal waves of blood or use dragons to burn cities to the ground. Magic used well can be good, but a world of wild magic is full of chaos and suffering. I will begin by exa... I will begin by examining the original painting." Flynn had started to put his Jacket on as he spoke and finished leaning over the desk to think.
"Well, I just said that I remember that it was called 'the crown of King Arthur.' Jacob pointed out. "It's an unknown artist. I don't know where that thing's at." He shrugged.
"Munich museum of history and art." Ezekiel jumped in. Knowing where valuable artefacts resided was basically his area of expertise. "Oh, I cased it last month for a heist, memorized the inventory."
"That's why they were targeted." Eve clapped her hands at the group. "You were busy doing whatever Librarians do." Flynn took offense.
"Saving the world... a lot."
"And they... the other Librarians..." she ignored him.
"Not Librarians." Flynn muttered. "I'm the only Librarian. ..."
"Were the people most likely to find the crown. The brotherhood was just trying to wipe out the competition." She finished, not caring about Flynn's pout. "I say we beat them to it."
"Fair enough." Jacob nodded.
"Nobody tries to stab Ezekiel Jones in the back." I smiled at Ezekiel's third person reference.
"if it stops people from trying to kill me." I shrugged indifferently.
"I've never been to Europe, so..." Cassandra shrugged.
"Uh, first of all, no." Flynn waved his hand at everyone. "Second of all, let's not refer to ourselves in the third person. Europe is overrated. And I work alone. So, if you'll excuse me... Goodbye." He went to walk away.
"Unh-unh." Eve stopped him. "I got an envelope. The Library invited me to this party, and I'm taking them to Munich." She started walking the rest of us following. "Maybe we'll see you there. Do try to keep up."
Twintigerlover
So, let's hope that this one actually posts.
Any questions for me? Suggestions and corrections (be nice)?
I'll post the next Chapter (or two) next week. You'll only get two though if I'm not happy with the word count.
