Troll in Reviews
As has been noted, there is a troll in reviews spamming guest reviews and trying to frame people by writing their name in the name slot. Just ignore it. It's not worth the effort of paying attention to and I'm only writing this message so people are aware. They're also trying to fake reviews in my name, but you can ignore it. I don't review anything.
Cover Art: Z-ComiX
Chapter 32
Ren offered her a seat in his private testing chambers and pushed several new sheets of paper out the way. Scorch marks on the floor hinted at some new experiment, but the room itself was still small and sparsely decorated. The Initiate himself looked as calm as ever, laying out a saucer with a cup of lemon-flavoured tea on it.
Ruby drank it to be polite, even if it was too bitter for her tastes.
"So, you want to take the Azure Trials this early?"
"Is that what they're called?" Ruby leaned forward. "Can you tell me what I have to do?"
"I guess that answers that question," Ren said with a soft laugh. "I'm afraid I can't. There are rules against it, though nothing against a little advice. The Trials are not something one can get through with only the basics. You're going to need certain spells. Or viable alternatives to them."
"I know a few spells."
"A few might not be enough."
She knew what he was doing and would have appreciated it any other time, but time was the one thing she didn't have. There would be no waiting two or three months until she was more experienced. This was now or never.
"I'm still doing it. How do I sign up?"
"There's no convincing you, is there?" He sighed. "Very well. The trials are something that can be volunteered for, but there is a pre-test of sorts. Nothing difficult, only it's there to weed out those wasting the Arcanists' time. Complete that and you can request to be put through the trials."
"And the pre-test is?"
Ren smiled apologetically. "It's finding how to reach the trials."
Ruby stared at him, waiting for further instruction. The look on his face said that not only would there not be, but that he'd fully expected her reaction. "That's it!?" she cried. "The pre-trial is to find the trial, but I'm not going to be given any hints as to what that is, where or how I'm meant to find it!?"
"I'm afraid so."
"That's… That's stupid!"
"It's fitting, if you think about it. We are the Arcana of Secrets."
Maybe it was fitting but that didn't make it any less annoying. Ruby glared into her tea, frustration rising. What was it that it was now of all times she had to be without Cinder's advice? No. I need to do this on my own. I can figure this out.
"Can you tell me anything that might help?"
"I can't give you any help other than to tell you about it in the first place. The rest is up to you."
"Gah. Is there a time limit?"
"No. You can take as long as you wish. Days, weeks or even months. You're not technically in the trials until you find out what they are, so you can take as long as you need to. The real trials will begin afterwards, and those will be harder still."
Harder than finding something out of nothing with no hints to go on? Ren might as well have told her to look for a single strand of hay in a haystack giving her no instructions past `it's a meaningful strand of hay`. And weeks? Months? Did it really take people that long?
Maybe I'd be better off joining a different Arcana. I don't have months…
No. The Azure Archives were her best bet. They dealt in secrets and right now she had a bunch she needed answers to. "Fine. I'll do it." Downing her tea, she set the cup down. "Just you wait. I'll be in the Azure Archives before the week is out."
"Really? That's ambitious." He chuckled. "In that case, I'll look forward to welcoming you."
/-/
"You're taking the trials already!?"
Weiss was predictably shocked at her sudden announcement, and quite upset as well, though Ruby couldn't figure out why on the last one. Was she angry she was being left behind? If so, that wasn't fair since they wanted to join different Arcana anyway.
"I can't take the trials until I figure out what they are, so no, I'm not…"
"Are you allowed to tell me that? I'm not Azure Arcana…"
"Ren told me and I'm not either." Yet. "It's probably fine."
Weiss played with her fingers oddly. "Why are you so insistent on joining this soon?"
"Hm? Why not be? Don't you want to learn lots of cool new spells and stuff?" It was the cover she'd decided on and one she was sure no one could argue against. True to form, Weiss couldn't shake her head.
"I guess…"
"It won't change anything. Ren says that even when you join, you're still not an Arcanist, so you stay in the dorms. The only thing that'll change is what colour robes we wear."
"And our classes," Weiss mumbled. "We won't share the same ones anymore…"
That was true, and a reason for Weiss to be upset. None of the other nobles would interact with her as freely as she could. Ruby grimaced, but there was nothing she could do. This would've happened eventually sooner or later.
"We'll still share some, and it's not like being away from one another means we stop being friends."
"I-I guess so." Weiss shook her head and forced a smile. "So, what leads do you have on this trial you're looking for? I may as well help. It could be useful for getting into the White."
"Or you could join the Azure with me…"
"What leads do you have?" Weiss repeated, dodging the suggestion.
"None. I have nothing. How can I? It's not like people are walking around talking about it." Groaning, she fell back onto her bed, hands gripping the pillow and kneading it angrily. "I thought about finding someone else doing the same, maybe spying on them or just asking them what they've found, but I can't tell who is and who isn't. I can't just talk to everyone wearing a blue mantle."
Ruby didn't bother to admit she'd already done that, asking upward of fifteen people if they knew anything about the trials and getting a range of answers. Some had no idea what she was talking about, suggesting they hadn't started. The one that had freely admitted he'd not found anything yet and was in much the same situation as her.
Worse, he'd been searching for two months!
"I'll admit, it sounds like a doomed task. As expected of the Collegium – nothing is going to be easy here. Hm. It must be a riddle."
Ruby's head perked up. "What makes you say that?"
"It's the only thing I can think of. The task really is impossible. How can you track something down when you're not even told what it is? There must be a trick to it, otherwise they might as well tell you to locate one specific person in the city but not give you a name, description or even a gender. It's impossible. That would also explain why no one can give you any hints – because doing so would invalidate the whole thing."
A trick, huh? It sounded just reasonable enough to make sense but that didn't help much. Just knowing there was a trick ironically widened the net even further. Now instead of just looking for information on the trials, she had to figure out the gimmick. It could be anything.
"Back to square one…"
"I'm afraid so." Weiss smiled indulgently. "What will you do? You're not the type to back down just because something is difficult."
"I'm going to spy on people."
"What!?"
"The Azure Archives is open to anyone to go in and out of," she explained, "So I'm going to spy on them and see what they get up to. Maybe I can witness something useful." Or better yet, something she could use as blackmail. Not something she'd admit to Weiss, but every Azure Arcanist had been an Initiate at some point.
Discovering secrets worked in different ways, didn't it? It wasn't like they could argue if she worked the answer out of someone instead of finding it herself. Not Ren, obviously, but maybe that Merlot guy. He'd let a Grimm loose in the halls after all. No wait, wasn't that with the Grand Arcanist's blessing? Damn it.
Hm. The Grand Arcanist had said she could visit him if she wished. Maybe he could help.
No. He had an Azure Gem, which meant he knew about the trials, so if she went to him for help, he'd know that just like everyone else, he wasn't meant to tell her anything. And if there was one person she wasn't going to be able to force into helping her, it was him.
It really was hopeless.
It can't be. Ren managed it, so I can as well. Think, Ruby. Think.
"The answer will be in the Azure Archives either way," she mumbled. "I'll have to search there."
"That seems likely. I suppose that means you'll be occupied after lessons?"
"Ah." Ruby winced. "Y-Yeah…"
"It's fine. Just… spare a little time for me, won't you?"
"Of course." Ruby tossed a pillow at her roommate, earning an indignant squawk but, to her immense pleasure, the pillow returned with incredible haste, slapping into her face. "Did you just throw a pillow at me?"
Weiss froze, aware of just how `common` such an action might be. "N-No. A noble would never-"
"Pillow fight!"
/-/
Sit down. Read. Stand. Leave. Sit down. Read.
The Arcanists that came into the Azure Archives followed that routine without pause, except for the rare few who travelled to distant chambers inside for their experiments. There was no stalking them without being seen. As it was, she didn't have to put to use all her experience in thievery to spy on the Arcanists. They read brazenly, picking books down without a care in the world to the non-Azure Initiate nearby.
And why would they care? The books were impossible for her to read.
The one open before her, used to make it look like she wasn't spying on people, featured nothing but blank pages over and over. She flitted through them uselessly, running her fingers over the pages as though to feel something. Anything.
Oddly enough, the book itself didn't feel magical. They'd learned to detect and sense magic and this felt normal. Was it the bookshelves that cast the magic on the books? If so, would sneaking one out reveal its secrets? Idly, she leaned back and ran a hand down the smooth wooden shelf.
It was cool and lacquered to the touch, but perfectly normal.
The one thing that wasn't invisible was the spine. She could read the titles of the books, just not the contents. The one she had out was titled, `On Vale: Laws of the last century` and sounded about as boring as it could be. Apparently, they didn't just keep secrets of magic here, but also books looking out onto Vale and probably the rest of Remnant as well.
It's no use if I can't read it. All the books here are useless.
Or were they?
If there was one thing she'd learned from two and a half days of lurking, it was that the library was everything. Arcanists came and went, but they almost always spent the majority of their time in the library itself, going through thick tomes over and over. Even the ones working on their own experiments would stop to come out, search for a book and then read on one of the tables. Rarely would one be taken away back to chamber, but it did happen. The archive itself was the main prize of the Azure Archives, containing all the secret knowledge for their use.
Even if she couldn't read it, other people could. There wasn't much hope convincing Ren to read a book out to her, and probably no one else would either, but the contents of them had to contain something.
I wonder if they'd have the answer to the trials.
Probably. There wasn't much point keeping it a secret after you'd already passed, was there? And since only Azure Arcana members could read the books, there was no need to be cagey about it. Giving up on the boring Arcanist she'd been watching, Ruby snuck back into the deep aisles between bookshelves, losing herself in the tight crevasses and hallways.
Something about the Azure. Or the Archive. The books weren't kept in order of the alphabet, but `topics`. She'd figured out that much while wandering around so much. Stuff about Vale was kept in one section, magic in another and so on. The sections were huge, each comprising of several giant bookcases several times taller than her.
Ruby hesitated in one aisle, but quickly spotted a youngish woman down the way. Older than her, but clearly a full fledged Arcanist given the full blue robes and the Arcanum proudly pinned to her chest.
"Excuse me, Lady Arcanist?"
"Hm?" The woman closed the book she'd been browsing and glanced down. Ruby didn't recognise her, but that was perhaps a good sign. It meant the woman wouldn't recognise her either. "Hello there, Initiate. Was there something you required?"
"I need to find a certain book. It's about the Azure Archives and its history."
The woman smiled indulgently, but also a little patronising. "May I ask why? You would not be capable of reading it, young one."
"Doctor Merlot asked me to fetch it," she lied. "I mean Arcanist…"
"No. No. That eccentric man does prefer doctor, doesn't he?" She chuckled. "And fancy roping an Initiate into doing favours for him. What did he promise you, girl? Spells? Expertise? A little training?"
Ruby didn't know how to answer.
"I suppose it's no business of mine. The sections on the various Arcana are on the second floor." She pointed up toward the balcony that ringed the outer edge of the Archives. "It's the largest section, given that it's our own Arcana, we naturally have more information on it than any other. I can't detail exactly what book you should be looking for, but it would be there."
"Thank you, Lady Arcanist!" Ruby bowed eagerly and waited for an answering nod before scurrying away. Most of the books were on the shelves in the centre, and she hadn't actually been up on the balcony yet. There'd never been any reason to. Luckily, it didn't appear to be restricted and she was allowed up the stairs without being challenged by the Arcanists coming down.
Again, no reason keeping her from anywhere when she couldn't read the empty books.
Stepping up onto the upper floor, she skipped out the way of a distracted Arcanist and walked along the small tables and chairs. Given the smaller space of the balcony over the ground floor, the chairs and tables were all single seaters now, study desks set against a marble balustrade, keeping an open pathway by the shelves themselves, which were now set into the wall. Bronze or golden plaques detailed the various sections, and just as she'd been told the section marked simply as `Azure` was by far the largest.
The Azure Archive, Scions of the Azure, On the Founding of the Azure, Notable Arcanists of the Azure Vol II, Notable Arcanists of the Azure Vol III. The books went on and on, some having absolutely ridiculous titles such as `The Azure Archives: A look back on the last 500 years and what has been leaned`. Most were shorter. Ruby's finger hovered over one simply titled `The Archives` but she moved on. The Archives came with being a member, so it probably wouldn't have the answer.
`Secrets of the Azure`.
Ruby stared at the book's spine. The font was in gold and etched into the leathery material. It was dappled like tiny scales and a rich blue in colour.
Secrets could mean anything. The whole Azure Arcana is called the Arcana of Secrets. This could just be spells or a map. The word `secret` means more to the Azure than it does to everyone else. In that regard, a book titled the secrets of the azure might not necessarily contain deep, dark and intriguing information that would help her figure out how to get into it.
But it might.
"Desperate times," she whispered, pulling the spine down and sliding the book out. It was thick and heavy, weighty in an almost satisfying manner. No one made to stop her as she carried it to the nearest desk, drew the seat out and sat down.
Her hopes of opening it up to words and sentences died a quick death. The pages were blank.
Guh. It's useless. Her fingers ran over the pages again, detecting no magic. Turning the book over, she felt the spine and cover, and again came back with no lingering traces that should have shown up. The book felt as mundane as ever, as did the shelves.
Was it the Archives itself that kept them secret? If the Sanctum could make it so people couldn't use magic, then the Archives might do the same. Which means if I somehow get the book outside, it might be readable! The same way someone in the Sanctum was only cut off while they were inside it. It's worth a shot, but how can I sneak something this big out?
There could be ways of the archives sensing it. Sneaking out the doors was all well and good, but she had no excuses if she was caught and that Ironwood guy was already suspicious. Ruby looked about for inspiration, eyes quickly singling on a tall and open window, the thin curtains moving in the faint breeze.
Slowly, she stood and made her way over.
It wasn't overly warm inside. In fact, it was bitterly cold out thanks to the recent rains that still had the Collegium waterlogged. Still, someone had left it open and there was nothing to say she couldn't find a nice, relaxing spot to read. Stealing another random book off a shelf, Ruby propped herself up on a chair by the window, resting the book on the stone ledge and pretending to read.
Arcanists walked on by, some debating to one another and others lost in an open book. Even then, the pages were blank to her eyes. Ruby waited for a moment where few were coming and gave the book a gentle push.
"Oops," she said, in case anyone had seen her. "Oh no!"
The book tumbled away and fell, landing in a bush with a soft sound. As heavy as it was, it punched about a foot deep into the branches before coming to a stop. Ruby looked around, waiting for someone to accuse her.
No one reacted. And the Archives didn't set off some warning system.
Even so, she gave it half an hour, pulling out her new book and pretending to read that instead to keep anyone walking by from seeing something strange. As thirty minutes passed and no one came to collect the book down below, she stepped away from the window and to a desk, giving it another thirty just to be safe.
Patience wasn't her strong suit, but fear of being caught lend her some aid. When a full hour had passed, she stood and put her second book back on the shelf, then excused herself to walk down the stairs and out the library, back into the large open hallway with the fireplace and its chairs. She passed Ren en route and gave him a friendly nod that he returned along with a quick greeting.
No one stopped her leaving. No one reacted to her skirting around the side of the building. No one paused to wonder why an Initiate was elbow deep in a thorny bush, rummaging within the branches, or why she hid whatever she had claimed from it under her robes.
Ruby strolled away, prize in hand.
/-/
Empty.
Empty. Empty. Empty. Ruby swore under her breath as she flicked through hundreds of blank pages, silver eyes wide as she glared down at the stupid thing. All that effort, all that panic, and for what, a book of blank pages?
"Horse piss!"
"Do you mind?" Weiss asked indignantly, looking up from her own book. "I don't need the mental image."
"Everyone pees, Weiss. Even horses. Especially horses."
"Even so, it's vulgar."
Stupid Weiss. Stupid horses. Stupid Azure Arcana.
Stupid her, apparently, who couldn't figure out what the stupid thing was all about. Everyone else who joined seemingly had, including Ren. What was she missing? Where was she even meant to start? Ren said she might need spells, but what kind of spells?
Illusions?
Ruby checked Weiss to make sure she was distracted and then stared down at the book. Nervously, she willed a small amount of power to the fore and mentally commanded, Remove any illusions from this book.
"Did you just cast something?" Weiss asked.
"Just trying something," Ruby answered dutifully. Weiss could tell something happened, but not what. "Practicing."
"Nothing destructive, I hope."
"No, Weiss." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to blow our room up. Besides, I'd practice anything like that on someone, wouldn't I? Probably Martyn."
"Not if you want to avoid another trip to the Grand Arcanist…"
Ruby ignored her and Weiss went back to reading. It was just chatter. The spell had worked. Maybe. She assumed it had, since something happened, and the book hadn't burst into flame. Whatever the case, her wild magic hadn't made it any less a blank book.
Gah. This was so annoying!
Okay. It wasn't an illusion making the pages blank. It also couldn't be the Azure Archives acting like the Sanctum as she'd first thought, because now the book was far away and still blank. It also wasn't the book because it was inert, and not the shelves both because they had no magic and because the book was now far away from them.
Was it written in some different ink? Ruby held the book up with a page out, inspecting it with the light from a candle shining behind. The paper took a yellowish tint and the candle was visible through it, but there were no markings.
On a whim, she pulled out an ink pot and a glass quill from their desk, dipping one into the other and bringing the quill out wet. Gently, she dabbed on one corner and left a little black dot. Eyes narrowing, she scraped a straight line and then a circle.
The ink followed, pooled and then slowly began to dry on the page. Dabbing it away with her sleeve removed most but left a fair smudge where she'd vandalised a potentially priceless magical book.
Except that didn't make sense. The school's lesson books were all enchanted so that they remained in good condition. They could drop it in water, pour ink over it or throw up on them if they really wanted to and the pages would all stay clean. Why would books for Initiates to learn from be better protected than books from the flipping Azure Archives!?
Sure, no one could read them outside the Azure, but that didn't mean those people couldn't damage them!
Angrily, Ruby took a corner and pulled. The paper came away with a loud rip.
"What are you doing!?" Weiss demanded. "Please tell me you didn't just tear a book to pieces?"
"No?" The lie was unconvincing. "Look, it's just a blank thing. It's not a real book." Ruby showed the pages off over her shoulder and heard Weiss relax. "I was just pulling some paper out."
"Right. A notebook."
In a way that was what it was like. Empty pages and nothing to speak of. Ruby let it thump down and then thought better of it. If she was caught with this in hand, she'd be in real trouble. "I have to go back to the Archives."
"This late?"
"I forgot something. I'll be back in a bit."
"Okay…"
Taking the book, Ruby pulled on her cloak and went back out into the hallway then down and outside. She'd be in trouble if the vandalism was noticed but so long as no one caught her with it, that'd be fine. It was only a corner removed, and the one she'd doodled on. Checking the weather and pleased to find it no longer raining, she hopped out onto the wet grass and started on her way back to the Azure Archives.
Halfway there, she spotted a familiar figure making his way back from the direction of the Sanctum. He looked tired and worn, skin pale.
"Jaune?"
He froze, tensed up and then saw her. She was relieved to see him relax and smile her way, waving and then trudging his way over. His heavy boots sloshed in the mud the grass was quickly becoming. "Evening, Ruby. You're out late."
"I forgot something in the Archives."
"The Azure? Ah right. You're planning to go there, aren't you? That's good."
Was it? Ruby wondered what that meant. "Were you in the Sanctum?"
"Hm. Not the Inner Sanctu-" Jaune cut off quickly, shaking his head. "Sorry. I was just standing guard tonight and helping feed some of the prisoners. I'm just out of it since we also did a load of normal guard stuff earlier. My days have been getting busier ever since the wall fell."
"Because of the Rogue Arcanist?"
"The what now?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Ironwood said it was a Rogue Arcanist abducting and targeting nobles…"
The confusion on Jaune's face told her he knew the truth just as much as she did. It didn't mean anything, however, since she couldn't admit it without giving away herself and Jaune had to treat her like an Initiate and play dumb. "Ah. Right." He smiled awkwardly. "That. Yeah, it's because of that. I'm just standing guard, but it's still tiring to do that all day and all night."
"You should get some rest. You look tired."
"I feel tired." He grinned sorely. "But don't worry, I've been granted tomorrow off for rest. Speaking of, would you care to share dinner? Sun is busy and I'd appreciate the company."
"Sure. Can I invite Weiss?"
"Ah." Jaune winced for some reason. "S-Sure. If you wish to."
"Is there a reason Weiss shouldn't come…?"
"No. No. I just… never mind. I'm fine with her if she is with me. I'd just thought we could…" He stopped again, shaking his head and then spying the lump at her side. "Is that a book? I never took you for an avid reader."
Why was he changing the subject?
"It's a test from the Azure Archives," she said, lying only a little. "I'm supposed to figure out how the magic on the book works." She held it out to him. "Here. Try reading it. It's all just blank pages to me. The writing is hidden by magic."
Jaune held both hands up and stepped back. "I really don't think I should touch it if it's a test…"
"Eh, what's the harm. It's all blank anyway." Ruby foisted it on him.
He tried to duck back again. Not having expected it, she'd already tipped the book forward. His sudden retreat made it lurch and fall from her fingers. She tried to catch it but only managed to clip the spine with her hand and knock it forward.
It hit Jaune's legs and he caught it instinctively, clutching it in both hands and swearing under his breath. "Take it back!" he insisted, all but forcing it on her. "Quickly."
"Jaune, it's fine."
"Ruby-"
"Look!" She opened the book.
Blank pages greeted them.
Jaune froze.
"It's all empty," she said, flipping through with one hand to show him. "I don't think it even matters if the stupid thing falls in the mud. Whatever spell is on it prevents me from seeing anything. I'm about ready to burn the thing and see what happens."
"T-There is no spell…"
"I mean it's – wait, what?" She stopped and looked up at him. Jaune looked shocked, maybe even relieved. He was no longer trying to throw the thing away and instead held it mutely. "What did you just say? No spell…?"
"Ah. It's nothing." He laughed. "Here. You should take this back and not drop it next time." Far from how he'd been not ten seconds earlier, Jaune held the book out and waited for her to take it. "It sounds like an unfair test to me, but I don't know much about the Arcana. Well, not about the Azure anyway. They've always been more mysterious than the others."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Taking the book back, she held it under one arm. "I'm losing my mind."
"Well…" He looked around before continuing. "I probably shouldn't help but maybe you're looking at it the wrong way." He continued when she eagerly nodded to show she was listening. "We're always taught that you never know what you might be up against, especially if it's an Arcanist involved. We can't memorise every spell in existence, so we have to guess what's going on from what a spell does from how it affects the world around it."
"That's not always easy. Some spells can do all sorts of things at once, but Lord Winchester always says that sometimes you need to stop overthinking things and go with the most obvious answer. More often than not, it's the right one."
"The obvious answer…?" Ruby cocked her head to the side.
"Yes. That book." He nodded. "If it looks like an empty book, acts like an empty book and reads like an empty book… well…"
Ruby's eyes widened. "Maybe it's just an empty book…?"
The trick Weiss spoke of. The riddle. Ruby stared down at the stupid thing and swore loudly, surprising Jaune.
"I have to go," she hissed. "Thanks. Seriously, thanks! You're awesome! Lunch tomorrow, right?"
"Y-Yes. I'll see you at noon?"
"Yep. See you then. Thanks again, Jaune. You're the best!"
His confused laughter chased her away, but he waved until she was out of sight. Ruby's feet pounded as she ran. It seemed so obvious, so blindingly, stupidly simple. And it might not be. Jaune might be wrong, but he'd sounded so sure – so certain – that the book had no magic to it. That echoed everything she'd been able to find out so far, both through her own senses and the tests.
The Azure Archives rose up ahead. Even late in the evening it was still open and populated. Ruby sped in through the front door, dodged an Arcanist and slipped into the library before the man could shout out for her to slow down.
Ten or twenty people sat at the various tables. Arcanists came and went, but now that she thought about it – now that she really thought about it – there was something wrong with that.
It was too few.
Where were all the Azure Arcanists?
They might be in their chambers doing tests like Ren and Merlot, or they might be out in the Collegium on their own business, but she wasn't sure that accounted for enough of them. And she kept running into Ren here and there but never in the library. He came and went through the hallways, sometimes passing by the front entrance but never found in the library itself reading from one of the books.
Ruby pushed her stolen one back onto a random shelf. If she was right, it didn't matter. If she was wrong, well, she didn't want to be found with it anyway. Picking a darker spot by a bookshelf, she sat down on one of the seats and watched a nearby Arcanist, an older man with greying hair and a short goatee. He had a book open on the table before him and his eyes focused down on it. Ruby watched, attention not on the pages or the book for once, but on his eyes.
The Arcanist looked down on the book but his eyes didn't move. His attention didn't turn from word to word. He didn't dip his head in the reading to follow the words down the page, nor did he make to turn the page, even after a solid three minutes had elapsed.
Eventually, he did, but it was a slow and lazy motion. There was no reaction on his face. No flicker of interest, amusement or recognition. He simply turned the page and went back to staring at it. That continued for another twenty minutes, before the man stood, closed the book and carried it back to a nearby shelf, slotting it into place before leaving.
He'd read ten pages. Or twenty, assuming both sides. He hadn't left a bookmark or taken the book with him or made any effort to make a note of where he'd stopped so he could pick it up again later, and why would he?
The book was empty. All of them were. They were all empty notebooks with suggestive titles, to better act as a false lead. Or a shield. Magical books might have kept Initiates out, but members of the other Arcana were all professional Arcanists. Surely, with enough effort and the will to do so, they could break the protections on a simple book. The Black Arcana could probably do it with their eyes closed.
The books here weren't safe and the Azure knew that. So, what was the best way to keep all that knowledge hidden? Through magic? Normally yes, but not in a Collegium where everyone could use it. No. You needed another protection. Something deeper.
The Azure Archives was a lie.
Or to be more specific - this archive was a lie.
But there was always a kernel of truth hidden in every lie. Rising from her seat, Ruby crept after the oblivious Arcanist, for once focusing not on the archives or the books, but the individuals themselves. He travelled down corridors she'd passed through before, but he ignored the chambers inside marked for the various people who wanted to do their tests. Instead, he kept going deeper and deeper, eventually reaching a large, locked door.
He paused there and Ruby darted back, hiding around the corner when he turned her way. She counted to five and peeked back around.
He was gone.
The door hadn't been opened, she was sure. It would have made a sound. Giving it another full minute before she dared move, Ruby crept down the corridor and toward the door. It was big and heavy with a huge round handle made of bronze. She reached for it, then stopped, sensing the faint trace of energy coming from it.
The Arcanist hadn't gone through the door, so why should she?
But where had he gone? It was a dead end with stone walls to her right and left. He'd either entered or come back, and he definitely hadn't walked past her on his way out. Ruby's lips pursed as she looked the door up and down as a thief would. Heavy oak. Bronze handle. Reinforced with metal.
Rusted hinges.
Very rusted. Those would make all sorts of noise when it opened, if it would open at all. Honestly, they looked like they hadn't seen use in years. The archives were a lie, so who's to say the door isn't a lie as well?
Or the walls.
Tentatively, Ruby reached out to her left.
Her fingers touched the wall – and then sank into it. The rough stone rippled like water under her touch, cool and shimmering. Her lips pulled back, teeth showing an excited smile as she took a deep breath and stepped into the wall. It gave way before her, washing over her body as she closed her eyes against the bright light.
An illusionary wall. One that was next to a door seeping with magic for the express purpose of being so obvious that it smothered the senses, hiding the far subtler magic placed on the wall itself. Secrets hidden behind obvious means. The door would no doubt be enchanted shut, causing someone to waste their time trying to break through.
I bet there's something that looks amazing but is useless on the other side, like another blank book with a title designed to make an intruder think they've found something incredible.
On the other side of the false wall was a short staircase set in stone with two lanterns on either wall. At the end, a much lighter door that looked well used. Ruby's heart raced as she skipped down, too afraid of an Arcanist coming up behind her to stop now. Reaching the door and touching it, she instantly felt the stirrings of magic beyond. With a deep breath to centre herself, she pushed the door open and stepped through.
Impossible.
Impossible!
Bookshelves. Rows upon rows of them, ten or more metres high, each a metre thick at best. They spanned into the distance in every direction, her position that at the top of a flight of stairs that led down ahead, to the left and to the right. It was high up, letting her see above the shelves and into the distance.
And what a distance it was. The shelves went on forever. Hundreds of metres. No. Kilometres. Miles! Ruby's eyes bulged as she took in the shelves fading into a distance unperceivable by the human eye. There was no back wall to be seen, no walls at all, only an endless ocean of bookshelves fading in every direction, travelling an unknown distance and then on and on, seemingly forever.
The floor was wood but shone like not a spec of dust had ever touched it, smooth and pristine. Arcanists in blue robes walked it in their hundreds, each one a tiny insect in comparison to the gargantuan and impossible library that stretched out into eternity. The impossible dimensions of it hurt her brain. Ruby gripped her head, eyes shutting against it, trying and failing to understand.
"Impossible," she whispered. "I-Incredible…"
"It is both," a voice said behind her. "Welcome to the true Azure Archives, Initiate. Or should I say, Azurite."
Yep. An endless library. I mean, it's a fantasy magical world so why not, right?
Next Chapter: 15th March
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur