After a short descent through a tunnel, the Forbidden Stacks opened into an inconceivable space that seemed to reach far higher than was possible for the library being above them, and reaching beyond the limits of Bonesborough outside. "It's an extraplanar space." Amity whispered back, a grin forming on her face. "There must be a directory nearby."
"Cool! It's bigger on the inside." Luz giggled before clapping a hand over her mouth to control her volume. She looked at Amity, running her fingers over her lips and making a tossing gesture. "Sorry. I wonder how far back these books go." Luz whispered, staring in awe at the area before her.
The scenery certainly reminded Amity of Apothecary Y from the crystal ball program. There were stairs reaching out to all manner of levels, menacing stone statues of witches from the past, and immortal texts that likely held secrets that would drive its reader mad. There were ancient mementos on pedestals; likely once powerful magical artifacts, and Amity couldn't help but wonder what capabilities they once had.
There was a large globe to their left, with a half dozen figures resting on its surface. An ancient map of the world? She wanted to explore it, and spin it, and see what was out there aside from the Boiling Isles. Across the hall was the petrified remains of some ancient creature; a Stonesleeper, if she recalled. What if it was still living in hibernation? Further down the aisle was a large gold coin with the side profile of a male witch, with the inscription of Pebody. Obviously someone of significance. She wanted to look at everything, but knew their time was limited.
Small candles and glowing spiders that hung from streams of magical energy provided the only light, as torches would be a significant hazard among so many ancient tomes. The only over-powering scent was of musty paper despite the echo mice that scattered at Amity and Luz's approach. Amity smiled at Luz's elated sounds as she sniffed the air and sighed, revelling in the old book smell. She spun as they walked deeper into the hidden library, amazed by all the sights.
"This is the oldest repository of knowledge on the Boiling Isles, going back to when witches and demons first started writing." Amity said, looking for any familiar symbols that might point the way to a demon decimal cabinet or signage that would lead them to where they needed to go. "If that diary is anywhere, it'll be here."
"I can see why you love this place so much." Luz said quietly. "I could spend days down here."
"We've got a half hour." Amity reminded her. Shadows creeped along the walls, and whispers could be heard emanating from the numerous shelves. She approached the first of the bookshelves, noting a gold placard on the end that read PUBLISHED; 1960-1969. "This must be where the Forbidden Stacks end."
"What happened in nineteen sixty-nine that would need to be forbidden?" Luz asked, rubbing her chin in thought before stifling a snicker.
"That's around when Emperor Belos came to power. The end of the Savage Ages."
"Amity, how much of that do you believe? I mean, we've had some… people in the Human Realm try to control history too, and it's never for good reasons." Luz whispered.
Amity frowned, considering what Lilith had said after exiting the Emperor's Coven, the Petrification Ceremony for Eda, and even the mysterious tower that Luz had brought her to. "It's… hard not to. The history we know has been taught since before my parents were born, and a lot of the people that were around before he took power say that wild magic has been dangerous for as long as their parents remember."
"I definitely get that."
"But I find that I'm reconsidering a lot of things lately." Amity admitted, thinking of her old friendships and treatment from her mother, as well as her opinion on humans…
"You seem a lot more comfortable here in the library than at school… It feels like I'm getting to see the real you."
An immediate frown came to Amity's expression as she suddenly felt exposed, her cheeks reddening. "Uhm, we should get moving. We have about four hundred years worth of bookshelves to get through."
"Right. Limited time only." Luz whispered to herself, following behind. "Hey, what do you think happens to all these books during the Wailing Star? They seem a lot more… dangerous than what's upstairs. That reminds me, I did promise to pay you back for the mess I caused."
Amity chuckled. "Luz, you helped me save Ed and Em from a slitherbeast. I think we're even."
"Well not to keep score, but you saved me from that abomiton, so…"
Amity froze, resulting in Luz bumping into her with a grunt. Towering high above them in the empty darkness was a spike covered creature that consisted of a muscular torso, topped by a featureless head aside from shut eyes that were allowing a soft pink glow through its lids. Two pairs of long, lithe arms were crossed over its chest, ending in wicked looking claws. Dropping from its midsection were dozens of tentacle-like appendages that were reaching down into the stacks, ending in ethereal hands that were large enough to grasp either one of the girls, but were dextrous enough to be sorting books. They were like beautiful trails of pink light extending throughout the extensive hidden library if one ignored their source.
Luz clapped a hand over her mouth again to suppress a surprised scream, and Amity had to bite down on her own lips to keep from doing the same. Luz reached for her arm, and Amity reached down to reflexively grab the hem of her shirt, but found herself taking Luz's hand instead. Luz reacted first, pulling Amity to the side to hide behind one of the stone statues out of view of the creature. "What is that?" she whispered through her fingers.
"I think that's Yahuda. Legendary librarian. I thought it was just a horror story." Amity whispered back. The beast definitely wasn't something she was going to question while she was sneaking about, but they could be lost for hours if they didn't come up with something. "We need to figure out how everything is organized down here."
"It looks like it's sleeping." Luz said, finally calming down enough to take her hand from her mouth and notice Amity's hand clenching hers. Her quiet, pained whimper grabbed Amity's attention and she eased her grip on Luz's hand before reluctantly letting go entirely.
"Sorry. Grudgby grip." Amity admitted, looking down the aisle to hide her face from Luz and wipe her sweaty palms on her shirt. "It, uh, looks like that creature is moving deeper into the stacks." she said, noting another placard on the end of a shelf further in that read DONATIONS, 1900's. "I think we have a-ways to go yet."
The pair continued their journey through the aisles, avoiding Yahuda as it slowly moved over the shelves. It was moving books, scrolls, and tablets from one part of the library to another. After quietly making their way to a large display reading 1800's; with 1800 to 1850 pointing left, and 1860 to 1890 pointing right, they spotted a large crystal ball atop a pedestal sitting below the placard. "You think there's a directory for each century?" Luz asked, rushing to the orb.
Amity grimaced, trying to reach out and stop her before she crossed into the next section. "Luz!" she hissed, looking back and forth to see if anyone was witnessing her standing out in the open.
"Amity!" Luz whispered back, waving her over. "Check it out!"
Growling, Amity looked both ways again before slinking across the open space while keeping her eyes on Yahuda as it retreated. "Did you find the diary?" she asked, watching Luz already manipulate the crystal ball like an expert.
"Not yet. But look at all of this stuff. Smothering Wights, To Kill a Giraffe, Little Witches, A Krampusnacht Carol. I wonder why these have been hidden?"
"Luz, we're here for the diary. We don't have time to look at everything."
"Right, right. You're putting your job on the line for me. Focus, Luz." she said to herself. "Here, look. Sixteen hundreds. Fiction, Historical, Biographies. Here: Donations."
"Looks like it's in the Deadwardian Era. Passed the Tomb of Arthar, down the Cerebellum corridor." Amity said, running a finger along the map inside the sphere. "We take a right before going through the Hall of Travesties, and then it should be a straight walk into the sixteen hundreds."
"Will we be able to make it there and back in time? I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable…"
"No time." Amity said, interrupting her. Luz was the first person Amity had ever been close to since Willow that was concerned about what she wanted; what she was comfortable with. She couldn't disappoint her. She tapped the top of the crystal ball to shut it down and gave Luz a gentle push to get her moving before she could start searching for something else. Amity would love to be able to search for all the answers of history she ever wanted, but they had to stay focused on their goal if they were going to get out again.
Haunting, guttural growls echoed through the library as the pair made their way closer to Yahuda again, sprinting quietly between shelves for several minutes before coming to a large open space between the eighteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was decorated with stone statues, twelve in all, of witches and demons dressed in suits of armor and either wielding intricately carved swords or brandishing palisman staves. "Cool… who are these guys?" Luz asked, sneaking her way up to the nearest statue.
"This must be the Tomb of Arthar. I remember my dad telling me stories about him." Amity explained, noting a large throne-like chair set into the stonework of the far wall where the rest of the statues were facing. On it sat an armored, long dead witch with a skull adorned sword larger than either Luz or Amity was tall. "How he was a scourge that started the Savage Ages that turned witches and demons against each other. It's rumored that Emperor Belos was the one that finally ended his reign."
Luz studied the first statue, looking into its face in wonderment. "Don't you think it's weird that all these statues kinda look to Arthar with… I don't know. Hope?"
Amity was eager to continue on, but Luz had her curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"
"Look at them. How they're situated. How they're looking at him. These statues don't seem fearful or threatening." she said, looking at the surrounding architecture. "These kinda look like the ruins up on the Knee, remember?"
Growling in impatience, Amity moved up to Luz to take her arm in hand and drag her away before she saw what Luz was seeing. There hadn't been much for ruins left during her magic practice on the Knee, and she didn't recognize any of the symbols engraved in the throne. The wall behind Arthar depicted some sort of faction symbols that were partially broken, as though it had been the victim of an explosion, with a large brass bell hanging in thick webbing in an alcove above him. "Do you think he was like a Mayor, or King, or some kind of Champion?"
"I don't know, but I don't think he was as bad a guy as the stories say."
"It's impossible to know right now, Luz. We have to go."
"I just have to wonder who won, y'know?" she said, gesturing to the stone carved crowd and their patron. "I mean, look at this guy."
Amity pulled on Luz's arm again, a chill running up her back. "Luz… why do you think the statues are stone but Arthar isn't?"
Luz looked from the armored skeleton, to the statues, and back again as a look of recognition crossed her face. "Yeah… I agree. We should go."
They passed the tomb and snuck into the next hall that lead into the previous century's set of maze-like shelves and pedestals. The Cerebellum Corridor was decorated with wrinkled, nausea inducing walls that moved organically in a spiral, and both Amity and Luz had to shield their eyes as they passed through to keep from getting dizzy.
"How much further do we have to go?" Luz asked from her place trailing shortly behind.
"Actually, we're here." Amity replied, stepping up to the edge of the Hall of Travesties. They were looking down into a pit, with ancient tomes scattered about on the floor as though someone had been doing research. As they delved deeper into the library, the smell of dried, nearly disintegrating parchment was becoming more prevalent. While she could see perfectly well in the time, glowing-spider light, she could tell from Luz's movements that her human eyes were having difficulty.
"Whoa." Luz exclaimed with a whisper. "Let's get lookin'." she added, about to begin descending the stairs.
Movement caused Amity to gasp, and she grabbed Luz's hand, pulling her to the floor. "Wait!" She took a brief moment to see Malphas enter from the hall and she ducked back from the edge, pulling Luz with her before the Head Librarian could spot them. She could feel Luz's warm breath on her cheek, causing her entire body to flush. She clenched her eyes shut, trying her best not to make a noise until she could hear Malphas glide away on his giant book. The pair rolled away from each other, decoupling their hands and sitting up. Amity hugged her arms to herself nervously, unable to look at her companion.
"So, we'll be super sneaky and quiet. Got it." Luz said quietly, but with an understanding smile that Amity could simply feel.
She still couldn't help but avert her focus though. She could feel the blushing in her cheeks, and she didn't want Luz to feel sorry for her, or be uncomfortable. "Malphas is actually the one who gave me my job and my own study room. He's usually nice, but if we're caught, he'd feed us to the book worms." she explained, trying not to sound as worried as she felt.
"I know here that probably means unholy, blood-sucking snake monster, but in the human realm, that's just a cute name for nerds."
Amity began to feel her worry fade despite the still very real threat of being caught and fired… or worse. "Huh. The human world sounds… odd." she said, trying to imagine what the Human Realm must be like. Luz didn't always seem like the barbarian as portrayed in Planet of the Humans, but she couldn't help her curiosity getting the best of her.
Luz hesitated as though thinking about how to respond before answering. "Maybe it would be less odd if I showed you around someday." The color drained from Amity's face at the implication of joining Luz in the Human Realm, and her instinctual reflex caused her to immediately begin looking for an exit to rescue herself from the flood of emotions that surged through her. "But, uh, let's turn back. I don't wanna push you."
Amity grabbed Luz's hand and dragged her to her feet. If she was going to give in to her natural instinct to escape, she would be taking Luz with her. "We're getting that diary." she insisted. Her determination had returned, and Luz let out a surprised cry as Amity pulled her along.
The corridor leading to their destination was decorated with portraits of what appeared to be some sort of war in the past. They depicted Witches on one side, and Demons on the other, though Amity didn't recognize the already mostly dissolved Titan in the background. It was a common belief that there were other Titans that gave rise to various people in the world, though the Boiling Seas made exploration difficult, if not impossible to reach.
"Was there a time that Witches and Demons didn't get along?" Luz asked quietly, looking up at the portraits next to Amity. "I mean, less so than now?"
Amity shook her head. "Not that I've ever heard of." she replied, pointing out the differences in the Titan compared to the Boiling Isles. "The Oracle Coven assures us that our Titan is the most intact."
"How would they know?"
"Astral Projection, mostly. Divination."
Luz's eyes grew wide with realization." Aw, I missed that class when I got detention on my first day. The Baby Class got to visit the Astral Plane."
Amity tried to suppress a grin at Luz's comical regret at not having been in the Baby Class after all, and covered her mouth. "Mostly they just sit at home and send their spirits out. It's how they've explored the other planets around us, too. I'd rather actually go see these places."
Somehow, Luz's eyes grew even wider at the mention of exploration, and she had to cup a hand over her own mouth to stifle a squeal. "Oh my gosh, that's so cool."
"Still, I've never heard of a Witch vs Demon war. Anyway, it doesn't look like it happened here." Amity said. "Come on. We need to keep moving." She looked back to see Luz lingering at the portraits for a moment more, thanking, before following along.
The placard for DONATIONS; The Deadwardian Era; 1600 finally came into view and echo mice scattered from around their feet as they began their search. "You take the right side, I'll take the left." Amity ordered in the slightest whisper. Yahuda hovered directly above them, it's tentacles sorting through the texts that sat precariously on the shelves. It placed a book on a shelf only inches from Luz, nearly causing her to scream before she clapped a hand over her mouth.
A tattered journal on the bookshelf caught Amity's eye, titled 'The Demon King' that reminded her of Luz's previous visit to the library and King's tower. She reached out to touch it's spine, only for it to crumble into dust. She frowned, letting out a surprised squeak as she hoped Luz hadn't just seen it disintegrate. Her attention was averted by Luz letting out a quiet squeal, and Amity crossed the aisle to stand next to her. In her hands was an old, leather bound notebook, tied shut by a rotting string holding the protective flap closed. Its cover was riddled with worn patches that indicated its age, but a handwritten signature in the top corner that read Philip Wittebane revealed that it was exactly what they were looking for.
Neither of them could help but giggle excitedly at the find, shushing each other quickly when they had nearly gotten too loud. Readying herself, Luz took a breath and opened the journal.
Inside, along the edges of the pages, were small pictographs of various circular drawings in the margins. Some had strange notes that made little sense without context. The pages were yellowed with age, torn at the corners where one would typically flip them from. In the center of the pages however, was nothing. A tiny, surprised echo mouse, having its nest just exposed to the dim light of the glowing spiders, looked up at Luz in confusion as it continued to nibble on what little was left of the inside of the book. Luz gasped, even more surprised than the echo mouse. And angry.
"You little RAT!"
The word echoed through the entire chamber and a fearsome growl joined it as Yahuda opened its eyes at the noise. The hanging spiders retracted up to the ceiling, and the bell from Arthar's Tomb began to chime. Amity covered her own mouth out of reflex to keep from shouting, or gasping, or even breathing.
"Oh no…" Luz whimpered as a thick fog began to grow around them.
"Amity?!" groaned a terrifying voice, and Malphas' shadow suddenly grew to loom over them.