Grimm Tales: Rise of the Yokai

Chapter 6 A Darker Shade Of Magic

The Crystal City Library looked as impressive as ever. Towering over a large plaza near the middle of town, the colossus of white stone would have looked right at home in Athens or Washington, D.C.

Elaborate columns the size of redwoods stood along the front of the building, the overhang they supported shading the main entrance, a set of sturdy doors carved from a rich dark wood, big enough to drive a semi through with room to spare.

The inside of the library was, if anything, even more impressive. Far bigger than the footprint of the building should allow, there were miles of shelves. Millions of books. First editions of everything ever printed. And that includes comics. I checked.

A large round circulation desk sat about fifty feet in from the doors, manned by a dozen librarians helping visitors find what they wanted in the maze of shelves.

Clusters of plush, comfortable chairs had been set up throughout the library. In one of the clusters closest to the circulation desk, a girl sat with her legs draped over one of the arms. Her chestnut brown hair was tied back in a loose braid that hung over one shoulder, and her green eyes scanned the book she was reading with dizzying speed.

"Hey, Sarah," I said. "Got your message. And, uh, nice job with the fireworks this morning."

She held up a finger, and I waited for her to get to a good stopping point. Sometimes I think Sarah Blackstone must have been born with a book in her hand. I understand the urge to read any book within reach (a problem I'm all too familiar with), but despite my best efforts, I was never able to convince her that A Brief History of Time did not count as, and I quote, 'light reading.'

She slipped her bookmark, a battered old queen of hearts card, in to mark her place, and snapped the book shut as she looked up at me.

"Thanks," said Sarah. "Always nice to give the crowd a little dazzle." As she spoke, small multicolored sparks popped around her hand. "You weren't too bad yourself. Redirecting lightning like that isn't just some parlor trick."

I felt the heat rise in my face. Coming from her, that was quite the compliment. I'd always thought Sarah's control over her magic was leagues better than mine.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"Something new for the Vault. I offered to take it, but she said it had to be you. It's some kind of cursed... something or other."

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"This eagle-eyed description brought to you by the girl who once quoted Hamlet from memory in the fifth grade."

"Want to hear it again?" she asked.

I held up my hands, "No! Nope, nope, no. You know, I'm... I'm good."

"Oh, come on," she whined. A human skull (that I really hoped was fake) appeared in her hand. "I'll even make props!"

"As... tempting as that sounds, I should probably get this... whatever it is, squared away."

"Party pooper," muttered Sarah as the skull vanished. With that, she disappeared back behind her book, the dragon on the cover hiding her face from view.

While Sarah lost herself in Middle-Earth, I made my way deeper into the library. I wove my way through the rows, but I didn't have too far to go.

Set into the wall of the library was another set of doors. Unlike the library's main doors that had been made of wood, the doors to the Vault were forged from a dark metal. While not quite as big as the ones at the entrance, they were no less impressive. Carved into the doors were figures so life-like I wouldn't have been surprised to see them move.