Artemis led Garrett down the alley and away from the terror of the merket square. He wound through the endless twisting backalleys and crooked streets, staying far from the orange lights that signified yet another scene of fire and death. Near the Stonemarket Artemis turned into a small garden courtyard. "This city has burned before and will do so once again before the end time." he muttered to himself as he placed Galen down on a green park bench and moved to a clear space of wall. Garrett moved close to Galen and knelt beside her, touching a pair of fingers to her neck. Her pulse was steadier now and her breathing more even. At the sound of a whisper Garrett looked up.
Artemis was facing the wall and had something in his hand that Garrett could not see. He didn't need to, he knew what would happen next. Slowly the wall just above the keeper's head began to glow blue. Thin lines traced themselves into a sweeping pattern of crisscrossing energy. When the glyph had been formed, the blue light faded to dim and the outline of an archway became visible in the stonework. Slowly on invisible hinges the wall swung inwards and a passage gaped before Artemis. Garrett rose and lifted Galen into his arms as he followed the keeper into the passage. When they had passed through the arch the stone returned to its place unbidden and the glyph above it faded, leaving no sign that anything more than a wall had been or would ever be there.
The passage sloped down at a fairly steep angle before leveling out into a torchlit hallway of dark stone. Artemis walked silently ahead of Garrett, the silhouette of his hood shifting as he walked. The footsteps of the men echoed in the empty passage despite the typical silence of Garrett's feet. At the end of the hallway was a large wooden and iron-bound door. There was no apparent handle anywhere. Artemis removed something from his pouch and pressed in against the door. Something chimed from behind the portal and a few moments later a metal slit built into the door slid open to reveal a set of grey eyes. The eyes examined them for a moment. Then a muffled voice spoke "Vibi Velius brother Artemis." Artemis smiled "Vibi Velius brother Daval." He replied. The metal slit closed and from beyond came the sounds of locks being unbolted. The door was pulled open and they entered quickly.
The room inside was a sparse guard room with the simplest of accouterments. A hooded keeper stood from his chair at a wooden table and bowed but said nothing. Behind them the one who had closed the door bolted it once more and then approched them, his grey eyes shrouded beneath his hood. "First Keeper Orland is waiting for you Artemis, he has been most impatient for your return and the return of…" The hood turned towards Garrett. Artemis nodded once to the man. "Has the council been assmebled yet?" He asked. "No brother, some have yet to arrive from their posts in the city, it is… difficult to travel quickly under such conditions. Also, our brothers in the City government are seeing to the stability and safety of the lord governor and his entourage. All told it will be several hours before the council can be assembled." Artemis nodded once again. "Very well I shall report to keeper Orland at once, please see to it that Garrett and the woman here are given appropriate quarters." Artemis turned to leave. "Ah… brother, the First Keeper has also requested an audience with the…. the Betrayer." He looked to Garrett again. Beneath his hood Garrett scowled darkly but held his tongue. Artemis was silent for a moment. "Then let us at least bring the woman to their rooms, she will need rest and silence for a time." Keeper Daval nodded. "I will send someone to inform keeper Orland and brother Julius here will lead you to some suitable rooms and then to Orland's chambers. I must remain here to admit other arrivals." He said. "Many thanks brother Daval." Artemis replied. Daval nodded and then the second keeper motioned for them to follow him through a door at the back of the guard room.
The guard room connected to the vast library towers. Octangonal spires were lined with tall wooden shelves and packed with leather-bound volumes of lore from every imaginable branch of knowledge. High stained glass windows coloured the evening light streaming down into the library to lie across the tesserae floor, which depicted scenes from the various chronicles of the Ages. Here was bold Cironix in his burnished platemail thrusting a blade into the side of his trecherous brother Dialius during the Age of Might. There was beautiful Nali from the Time of Growth, lying half-clothed in white amongst the greenery of a dark forest, an apple held delicately in her hands and the lines of the tesserae crossing her pale alabaster skin.
The shelves were mounted by ladders on rails and across the floor was set many wooden tables and chairs, covered in yet more aged tomes, some lying half open with their pages illuminated in the flickering orange of short stubby wax candles that dripped out their life on the tabletops. The libray towers were devoid of life on this night of death but along the upper balconies of the towers and through the dark hallways could be heard the quick shuffling of feet and the murmer of low voices occasionally punctuated by the sharp click of a door being closed or opened.
Artemis descended the wooden platform around the tower wall behind keeper Julius and strode quickly along the mosaic floors and through the stone arches connecting the towers with Garrett following behind. He led them to a spiral stair case leading off one of the towers and they ascended two levels, before exiting onto a marble balcony overlooking the lower library tower floors. They walked along this to another wooden door and entered. This was the scribarium, empty for the moment, like the library. Rows of slanted wooden desks held inkpots and quills in their indented surfaces always prepared for the scribing of new glyphs and prophecies. Out this door and through several smaller libraries and stuides they finally arrived onto a quiet hallway with many doors leading off of it.
"The room at the end is empty." Brother Julius said without pausing in his step. He stopped in front of the room and unlocked the door with a key from the ring at his belt. He opened the door and moved aside to allow Garrett to enter. The room held a large simple wooden bed that while meant for one person could accommodate another if needed. A wooden nighttable was beside the bed with an electric lamp sitting atop it. A dresser stood to one side with silver bowl and pitcher standing on it, along with some clean towels. The other side of the room held a chair and desk with a candle atop it and two drawers built into the front. An inkpot and quill were set into the desk corner. Near the bed was a glass paned window, the window was open to allow air to flow in but the curtains were shut. Tonight the city would not be pleasing to look upon.
Garrett carried Galen to the bed and lay her gently down onto the clean white linen. He turned on the electric lamp, letting a warm glow into the darkened room. He dropped his hood back down for the moment. He carefully pulled her boots off and placed them near the dresser. His hands moved up and undid the braid, allowing her red hair to come down. He loosened some of the straps on her bodysuit before pulling the sheets back and placing her snugly beneath them. A final check of her pulse revealed it as being completely even now and she was breathing peacefully as if in a deep sleep. Her skin was beginning to warm to the touch as well and he let his hand linger on her neck, feeling the warm life returning to her body.
He rose up and looked down at her lying there. Something stirred within him, something which he had not felt before but always knew was there. He didn't acknowledge it, merely knelt, brushed the hair from her face and then did something he could not remember doing in a long time.
He smiled.
It was a not a smirk or a grin or a self serving feeling that welled like a font within him now. It was a smile pure a cleanly for someone else, for her.
It was gone as soon as it had come but for an instant he was not who he had been. The mask was gone and now was back. He turned to face to the two keepers that had watched him from the doorway and pulled up his hood. "Show the Betrayer to the First Keeper." He said coldly.