Waiting For Sunrise - The Books Of Beginning AU

41. Secrets Revealed

The inside of the vault was regal - high ceilinged, lit by crystals embedded in the walls. It was a lot of fanfare for the contents of the room; a single pedestal, upon which an unforgettable emerald book rested. The sight of it tugged at Kate's chest, and she knew, knew in her very bones, that it had been waiting for her.

Hamish, however, was not waiting. He shoved past her, sending her bumbling into wall in his haste to get to the book. 

"No!"

Hamish paused, fingers inches from the cover, and looked back at Kate. She was being steadied on her feet by Michael and Wallace, but where her balance was shaky, her eyes were stern.

"No?" The king questioned.

"You can't touch it," Kate said.

"Oh, I can't, is that right? Well just you watch, missy-"

"You'll die."

Michael and Wallace both looked at her in surprise, but Kate ignored them. She was lying through her teeth - she had no clue what would happen if Hamish touched the book - and she was dead set on making it look convincing. Dr. Pym's frantic insistence that she be the first one to lay a hand on the book rang in her mind. If he was so firm about it, it had to be important that she fulfilled his wish. 

"You're bluffing," Hamish sneered.

"Michael and I are the only ones who could pick it up," Kate continued, "Dr. Pym told me. But, if you don't believe what I'm saying, go ahead and touch it. See what happens. 'Cept, you won't, 'cause you'll be dead." She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side in the most imperious and uncaring way she could muster. 

Hamish glared at her, then looked back to the book. It was obvious he wanted it badly, but his self-preservation instincts won out, because he swore bitterly, stepped back, and snapped his fingers. Wallace nodded to Kate, who stepped forward, only to be grabbed 'round the arm by the Dwarf king. Hamish got in her face, his rotten breath causing her to gag. 

"If you're lying to me, girl, you and your brother are dead," Hamish hissed. "Understand? I'll cut your throats myself and then feed you to the monster in the pool. Now, bring me that book!"

He shoved her forward, and Kate stumbled towards the pedestal. She braced herself on the edges of it, the marble cool under her hands. She stared down at the book, so vibrant and green in the white-gold light. Shining like the magic it contained, like Rafe's eyes when he looked at her. It called to her, she heard it clear as the cry made when a bow sawed across violin strings. It told her that it'd been here for a thousand years, until she came along. It told Kate to claim it as her own.

With trembling hands, she lifted it off the pedestal. It felt warm and familiar beneath her fingertips. 

Alright, she thought to herself. Now what?

As if in answer, she felt a sharp tug in her abdomen, and then the ground vanished from beneath her feet.

***

"Hello."

Kate blinked. She was not in the cavern anymore - she wasn't anywhere she recognized. The room she'd been transported to in the blink of an eye was a study, that was obvious from the papers piled messily all around the room, the rows and rows of books lining the walls. It was not the summer of the past that she'd been snatched away from, nor was it the autumn of 1899 that she was supposed to be living in. Instead it was winter, complete with frosted-over windows, and snow falling heavy outside on a city street bustling with carriages. Yet even the fact that she was in yet another new time and place could hold Kate's attention for long, not when there was a familiar old man sitting at the messy desk, smoking his pipe and smiling bemusedly.