Chapter 2: Keepers and Scribes
The dimly lit halls of the library were silent. A lone figure wearing a dark green robe walked slowly along, the light from his torch illuminating the cold stone passage. He stopped outside an open door, and looked into a small room. Countless books covered the walls, and a large, round table sat in the center of the room. A man with short brown hair was sitting with his back to the door, a few books were stacked neatly in front of him.
"Still waiting Allen?" The person with the torch asked.
The man at the table glanced over his shoulder. "Oh... Keeper Vern. Yes, she's always late."
"That girl... becoming a keeper would be simple for someone with her talent, if only she could stay focused." Vern sighed, stepping into the room.
"She's just so impatient. She wants to see what's in the forbidden library for some reason... I don't know why though." Allen sighed.
"Does she? That's interesting... I wonder..." Vern mumbled.
An irritated voice came from the hallway. "Talking about me behind my back huh? That's really rude you know."
Vern and Allen turned to see a girl with long red hair and an annoyed look on her face standing in the doorway.
"Mia, where have you been?" Allen asked.
"Sorry, I ran into some problems, nothing important." Mia said, sitting down next to Allen.
"I'll be going now." Vern said, leaving the room before Allen or Mia could say anything.
"I wonder if he's okay... he seemed troubled by something." Allen thought aloud.
"I've no idea. It's probably nothing to do with us anyway." Mia lied. She knew it was because Allen told him about her interest in the forbidden library. Telling Allen secrets is a mistake she made constantly, since Allen was too daft to keep them secret for long.
After two long hours of study with Allen, Mia left, saying she had to get some sleep. She followed the twisting corridors, going nowhere near the place she slept. She stopped outside a door, making sure she was alone before slipping in quietly. It was a small study hall, lined with desks for her fellow scribes that were seeking to become keepers. It was late though, so the hall was empty except for the books stacked neatly on the desks. Mia smiled, pulling out one of the chairs and taking a seat.
"It's only me, you can stop hiding." she said, looking around the room.
A hooded figure stepped from the shadows. "It's about time you arrived. I was starting to wonder if maybe you left me here to die." he said.
"I don't plan to let you die, not unless you betray me. We both want the same thing don't we?" Mia said.
"I guess so. Of course, there's the chance that you're lying to me." he said coldly.
"Don't be stupid. I have a feeling this is far too important to make up. That's why I need you to get that book from the forbidden library for me." Mia said, walking over to him. "We each have our reasons, right?"
The hooded man sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. Can I at least have my dagger back?"
"No. I'm not giving you the chance to hurt anyone. You can have it back when you get me what I want."
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "You really are a pain..."
"And you'd be pretty cute if it wasn't for that attitude." Mia grinned as she reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing his short black hair and silvery blue eyes. "Lucian, was it?"
"Yes, but there's no reason for you to remember it. Once you tell me what I want to know, I'm out of here." Lucian said coldly. "The only reason I'm here in the first place is to learn who killed my uncle, remember that."
"Oh please... are you forgetting who could have killed you earlier? You work for me, I spare your life, and we both gain the information we want. Simple."
Lucian cursed under his breath. Being forced into work like this was something he truly hated, especially since this girl acted like such a jerk. Even if she was lying, he had no choice but to get her what she wanted.
"Are you ready? Now is the best time to go." Mia said, walking over to the door.
"I just want to get this over with." Lucian grumbled, pulling his hood back up and following after Mia. "It had better be worth it."
Mia walked through the dim, empty halls. Lucian found it eerie, he thought a place that seemed to be so important would have more guards. Mia glanced back occasionally, wondering if Lucian was still behind her. If he was, he kept himself hidden well. Mia grinned, thinking she might actually be able to pull this off. She opened a door, making sure the room was empty before entering, Lucian crept in a moment later.
"You've gotta be kidding me..." Lucian said, looking around the room. They were in a small storage area filled with extra chairs and bookshelves. "What is this?"
"I found it while trying to figure out a way into the forbidden library." Mia said, pulling out a crate that was against the wall. "It's one of a couple hidden entrances. The others were too risky."
"Okay... so now tell me. What exactly am I supposed to get again?" Lucian asked.
Mia turned to him, sitting down on the crate. "I've only done a bit of snooping around in there, I'm not very good at the stealth thing. I prefer being more direct. From what I've seen in there the book I want should be two floors up from where this takes you. That's all I know."
Lucian sighed. "Can you at least give me a title?"
"Oh... sorry. I'm not sure what it would be either. Just look for something that lists artifacts or antique weaponry, I'm not positive where you could find them." Mia chuckled.
"You are no help at all..." Lucian grumbled.
"Oh yeah?!" Mia said, standing up and raising her hand. "Watch this!" She slapped the wall.
Lucian stared blankly for a moment, waiting for something to happen. "What?"
"Huh?" Mia muttered nervously. "Wh... where'd the glyph go?!" she panicked, examining the wall. "Crap... did they seal this entrance?!"
Lucian shook his head, leaning against the wall. "What a waste of time..."
"This was open yesterday! I... oh... wait a minute..."
"What now?"
Mia turned around, walking over to the other wall and sliding a crate out of the way. "No wonder, that was the wrong wall." she laughed.
"I still don't see any passageway."
"That's why it's called a hidden passage, idiot." Mia said, touching the wall. The wall started to shine brightly for a moment, then faded, revealing a small tunnel. "There's the way in, you remember what to do, right?"
"Yeah..." Lucian got on his knees, looking into the dark tunnel. "Are you sure about this?"
"I've been through there plenty of times. There's a turn to the right and then left, after that it's straight on to the forbidden library. It comes out in a place that's usually empty, I've never been much further than that."
"You're a great help." Lucian said sarcastically.
"Shut up and get moving!" Mia said a bit louder than she meant to, giving Lucian a firm kick in the back.
"I'm going, I'm going... geez, what a..." Lucian's next word was muffled by the sound of Mia moving the crate back in front of the passage. He looked back for a moment before crawling further through the pitch black tunnel. "I thought she said there was a tur-" Lucian was cut off as his head struck a wall. He groaned, turning right and continuing toward the forbidden library.
After hitting his head against the wall at the next turn, Lucian found himself at a dead end. He placed his hand against the wall, but nothing happened. It felt like wood instead of stone, unlike the other walls. He pushed on it and it slowly slid away from the wall. Lucian crawled out of the tunnel, his back a bit sore. The room he was in looked almost exactly like the one he left, but there weren't as many chairs piled in the corner.
Lucian stepped up to the door, listening for voices on the other side. Not a sound, not as much as a footstep. He went out the door and kept to the shadows, hoping to get what Mia wanted without any trouble. Unfortunately, trouble always seemed to find him. He came to a large room at the end of a hallway with two people in it, they were sitting at a large table in the center of the room. They seemed to be discussing something, but Lucian wasn't interested. He turned to try a different hall he had passed a short while ago when he heard footsteps coming from the hallway behind him.
Lucian hurried along the edge of the room as quickly as he could without being seen, quickly hiding between one of the bookcases and a desk by the wall. Not a second after he got there, someone stepped into the room and spoke.
"Excuse my interruption, but Keeper Leon has asked me to give you this." He said, handing a book to one of the people sitting at the table. Before they could respond, the person left as quickly as he had entered.
"I wonder why Gregory's in such a hurry... what did he give you Mary?"
"Notes about... oh, that's interesting." Mary mumbled.
"Something important?" he asked, but got no reply. "Mary?"
"Nemo... read this." Mary said abruptly, handing him the book.
"A... all right, I don't see what could be so..." Nemo trailed off, staring at the book. "Oh my... so it's true."
"It is according to Leon." Mary said, leaning back in her chair. "I wonder when it will happen though."
"It looks like things are already in motion." Nemo muttered, turning the page. "Leon will probably call a meeting about this so-" he was cut off as someone else entered the room.
"Keeper Nemo, Keeper Mary. Leon requests the both of you in his study." the newcomer said seriously.
"That was sooner than expected. Shall we?" Nemo said, standing up quickly.
"Yes..." Mary mumbled, following the other keeper as he left the room.
Lucian peeked around the corner as they left through the hall he had come from. As he did his foot slipped, bumping the desk he was by and knocking an unlit candle over. Nemo turned back, hearing it fall.
"Who's there?" Nemo asked, taking a step toward where Lucian was hiding.
Lucian pressed himself up against the wall, if he got caught here he had no hope. No weapon in reach thanks to Mia, and the footsteps were slowly coming closer.