Its another short one, but here's where the plot really kicks in. I'm so excited about this! :)
The three of them worked as a very effective team. Ezio scaled the ladders that they needed to get to the top of the bookcases, Leonardo waited at the bottom to take them gently from him, and the Doctor stood back, hissing orders at them both. When they had collected what Ezio found that they needed from the first five cases, they had ten boxes with thick, heavy books that thumped around inside of them as Ezio and Leonardo carried them to a table that was set up in the middle of the floor.
And then they sat down to read.
All the books, they found, were on phenomena and mysterious objects of power that had been reported throughout the ages. The Doctor barely registered the importance of what they were reading, skimming over the pages with gentle fingers, growling in frustration each time he shut a book without finding anything important. Ezio found it strange at first as he went through the books carefully that everything was written in standard Italian, and was about to ask the Doctor before realising Leonardo had briefly explained the TARDIS' translation circuit to him before, so didn't. He didn't want to look foolish. Perplexed, but resigned to just get on with it, Ezio carried on looking through them.
'Anything important, anything at all...' the Doctor muttered furiously. 'Anything you recognise?'
'Nothing, I'm afraid,' Leonardo sighed, closing his last book.
'Nothing in these,' Ezio said, doing the same. Well, it made sense to move on if they didn't find anything. He force his tired eyes into their heightened vision (they'd been aching from raking pages, studying tiny print with eyes that were meant for staring at landscapes and the tops of trees) and gazed at the shelves, disheartened. A couple of cases glowed dimly, but none really stood out.
Except for that one at the top. It was glowing so fiercely that it hurt Ezio's eyes to look at it, and something about it called to him. Blinking the vision away, he got out of his seat.
'Which one is it, Ezio?' Leonardo asked, recognising Ezio's focused look at once.
'That one, at the top. I'll get it.' Ezio stated distractedly, going to the ladder and climbing a few rungs. The top didn't quite reach the shelf he wanted, so he clambered off the ladder easily, clinging to the shelves as he shuffled along. His grip tightened as he neared the book.
'Go on, Ezio! You're nearly there!' Leonardo called up to him, running beneath him. Ezio ignored him for the moment, reaching up with difficulty to take the case. It was surprisingly light in his hands, and for a moment he was unbalanced. With a grunt, he seized the shelf with his spare hand, and took a moment to ground himself.
'Be careful!'
Leonardo went ignored as Ezio concentrated. He shuffled back along carefully until he met the top of the ladder, carefully edging his toes back onto the rungs. He held the ladder with one hand as he clambered down, holding out the book to the Doctor, who near snatched it from him and scurried back to the table with it. Ezio briefly squeezed Leonardo's shoulder, assuring his worried friend that he was fine. Leonardo smiled back at him, and they both went back to the table as the Doctor opened up the book with eager hands.
And then they saw something they never expected.
'Ezio…' Leonardo breathed. 'Do you see - ?'
'I do see,' Ezio murmured, stepping closer.
Because there, on the first page of the book, was a naked figure. And in his hands, he held something spherical that glowed on the page with great blocks of light falling from it. His eyes were glowing.
And the title read:
SPHERES OF POWER
Oh, "spheres of power".
Wonder what they could be.