The Bookkeeper of Enneduin

Chapter 4

The sound of water dripping had kept Firan awake for a good portion of the night. By the time sunlight had beamed through his small window, he groaned, and determined that he would find the source of the noise that day. And then, at the memory of the only person who could help him find it, he groaned a second time, lower and with more fervor. Daena hadn't said a word to him when she arrived back at the Library the night before. She'd only locked the main door behind her, and headed straight to her bedroom. She didn't even acknowledge his attempt at a "Welcome back".

He half expected the grand room to be empty by the time he'd eaten and washed up in the bathing room. But he was not so lucky. No, there sat that little elf with her fiery temper and sharp tongue. Firan tried his very hardest not to wince when she looked up from her book to greet him.

"Good morning," he muttered, running a hand over his face. Goddess help him, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this tired. He'd experienced plenty of sleepless nights before, but when so little daylight found its way into that dressed up cave, he felt as though his body couldn't distinguish between night and day.

"Did you sleep well?"

Leave it to Daena to insult his pain, even without her knowing. "Not really."

"Oh."

The soldier pulled the chair across from Daena out from under the table, and flipped it backwards to straddle. Daena lifted her eyes and studied him for a breath. Whatever it was she was looking for, it seemed she was disappointed. She cocked a brow and went back to reading her book.

"What are you reading?" Firan asked, squinting to try and make out the words on the page. He wasn't the strongest of readers so reading upside down proved particularly difficult.

Daena did not respond at first, but then grabbed a thin strip of azure cloth that lay on the table, tucked it into the pages of the book, and snapped it shut. Dust billowed into the air, and Firan had to lean back to avoid inhaling all of it. A sneeze burned at the back of his nose anyway.

"The ballads of Ellania."

"For...fun?"

Daena sighed softly, as though it were quite possibly the dumbest question she'd heard in her life. He didn't think it was so outlandish. He'd never known anyone who read purely for enjoyment. Then again, most everyone he knew was too busy training and conditioning for battle. Free time wasn't a common commodity in Rhistel.

"Come on," Daena told him, pushing back her chair and standing. She tucked the book up in her arms, cradling it like a child. "We have a lot to cover today."

She took off before he had so much as straightened, so he threw the chair back around to slide under the table, and jogged a few steps to catch up to her. The hallway that gaped open before them was impressive. Like some giant from the stories his mother had told him. The same sense of cautious curiosity he imagined he would feel in the presence of one of those great monsters seemed to tug him forward. The space yawned even higher, with floors upon floors of bookshelves and ladders and balconies. Even the ancient faelights given to elves by the sylphs millenia earlier glittered on the walls. They were rare now, and Firan couldn't remember the last time he had seen one. The back of his neck began to ache from craning it, but he didn't notice. And then all at once, a distant sound made a memory jump back into his mind.

"Oh!" he cried, making Daena jump a little. The exclamation echoed through the hall, apparently deciding to go on an adventure of its own. "I heard water dripping last night. I assume that isn't ideal for a Library filled with priceless books."

Daena glanced over her shoulder quickly, and she jerked her chin down the hall. "A few of the wings have fountains in them."

Firan's mind couldn't quite process the words at first. "Fountains? In a Library?"