The corridors were quiet and dark. Of course, that made no difference to me. Thanks to my half-Elf heritage, seeing in the dark was no big deal to me. I quietly walked in the shadows and carefully rounded a corner. The door to the study was around the corner and dimly lit by a low burning torch on the wall. Looking around to verify that no one was watching, I quietly walked to the door and opened it just enough to peek around. To no surprise, the room was dark, the only light coming from the windows. I snuck inside and quietly closed the door behind me. Walking up the wide, winding staircase, I approached a gated part of the study that seemed darker than the rest.
A thought suddenly popped into my mind. Are you in the Library?
Yes, I thought. I'm at the gated section.
Great. I'm here too.
I looked around me, but didn't see anyone.
Where?
Inside. I found something that you should see.
Curiosity peaked, I opened the latch and walked inside. Looking down the rows of bookshelves for Ranien, I spotted her looking in a large book.
"Ranien!" I whispered loudly.
She looked up and waved me over. "Look at this!"
I walked over to her and looked at the book she was holding. It was very big, the writing in gold and they seemed to glow with a faint yellow light. Again, I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but when I touched the pages, they were warm.
"What is this?" I asked.
"I'm not sure, but when I saw it, it's like… It seemed to call out to me."
"I think I know what you mean…" The book seemed to have a hypnotic charm because I couldn't take my eyes off of it. The words leapt out at me:
The Phoenix-Born: A millennium ago, the first Phoenix-Born were born. When the Phoenix incinerated itself, a curse laid on it by an unknown deity or demon lord, caused it to scatter its ashes instead of resurrecting as normal. Whether it was a backlash from an epic spell or purposefully done, its powers were transferred to an unborn human child. This became the first and true Phoenix-Born: Chaos Von Kreiger. After a thousand years of breeding, the powers of new generations have been diluted, though with perseverance and training, their ancestral powers can be unlocked. Afterward followed a list of powers known to the Phoenix-Born: Power Flare: Hair and eyes change color to gold, ancestral tattoos appear on body. Fire resistance and fast healing, but gains vulnerability to cold.
A sound suddenly came from the door of the study. Ranien quickly shut the book, the hypnotic charm broken by the soft sound. Peeking around the shelves, we looked down the staircase and saw a Watchman open the door to the study. Knowing their keen sense of sound, I used hand motions to signal to Ranien that we should make our escape. She hid the book we had been reading under her cloak, and we silently moved toward the door and left as the Watchman made his routine check. Racing down the hallways, we were able to make it back to my chambers without anyone detecting us.
"That was close," said Ranien with a wide smile that she always got when she'd gotten away with something.
"We didn't find what we were looking for though…"
"We'll just have to try again tomorrow." She took the book out from beneath her cloak and handed it to me. "Take it. Hide it somewhere safe. If anyone realized that it's missing, I'll probably be the first they'll search. You know how I always get into trouble," she added with a mischievous grin.
I sighed and took the book.
"You should leave and go back to your room then. If anyone finds you missing, I'll be the first they'll search."
She laughed lightly and said, "You're right. Goodnight, Kari. Tomorrow, we search again."
"Goodnight, Ranien."
She quietly made her way out of my chambers and I was left alone with the book. I wasn't sure why we took the book, but it seemed important to me. And Ranien. But I wasn't sure why at the time. I hid the book in a secret compartment in one of my vanity tables, and decided it best that I rest for the night. If Ranien had her way, we'd have a very long day ahead of us tomorrow.