The Gentle Giant

Prologue ~ Four

Sunlight tickled Emir's face. He opened his eyes with a groan. "Morning, Emir!" said Portia as she sat out a tray of breakfast pastries while he slowly sat up. "Ah, what a lovely sunrise! Did you sleep well?"

Emir nodded, "Yeah. This thing was like sleeping on a cloud!"

Portia smiled, "I'm glad. Countess Nadia wants you to meet her in the library once you've eaten and dressed." Portia sat a neat pile of elegant clothing on the bed beside Emir. He unfolded the top piece, marveling at the way the fabric moved. "We took your old clothes to be laundered. Milady asked me to provide these for you. I'll be waiting in the hall!" With that, Portia ducked out the door. Emir moved the silky garments aside and tossed back the bedcovers. He ate quickly. Because he didn't want to keep the Countess waiting, and because he'd never eaten anything that fancy before the recent events. The pastries were warm and flaky, each more delicate and whimsical than the last. Emir then disrobed and pulled on his new clothing, fumbling with the clasps and buttons. When he left his room, Portia smiled brightly, "Ooh! Don't you look nice! The Countess has a real eye for fashion. She'll certainly be pleased."

Portia stopped before a panel in the wall, three times her height. It was crafted of smooth wood in all the colors of rippling honey. Carved with dizzying intricacy was a great tree at the height of maturity. Its leaves and fruit were inlaid with jewels, precious stones, and mother of pearl. "It's the Countess's own work. Beautiful, isn't it?" Portia retrieved a ring of keys from her pocket. There were about a dozen. Each was carved of the same wood as the panel, and each bore a distinct jewel. One by one, she found their locks in the panel. With each key, the roots of the tree started to unwind from each other, pulling free from the floor. When all the locks had been turned, the panel folded upon itself on either side like a paper fan.

"This is the door to the library?!" Emir thought with wide eyes as he gazed upon the books that winded up the walls, reaching for the ceiling.

Countess Nadia waited for the two, seated in a reclining chair. Loganne sat on a large pillow on the floor. The Countess's eyes glinted with approval when she saw Emir, "My, you look positively radiant." She gestured to the towering shelves all around them, "Do you read?"

Emir took a second to think before responding, "I mean... I know how to read. I'm just not much of a reader."

Nadia tempered her surprise, "Ah, I suspected that you might. It is a great gift to read. Where I come from, it is shared amongst all citizens." She then sighed, "But it is woefully uncommon here."

Loganne nodded, "That's true... She's, uh, actually been teaching me how to read." he said with a tinge of shame.

The Countess stood up and gently took Loganne's hands in hers, helping him to stand, "There's no need to be ashamed." Loganne's cheeks flushed as he nodded. The Countess smiled then turned to Emir, "This way, if you please." she led the group deeper into the shelves. Emir couldn't stop staring at all the books. His fingers itched to run along their spines, but he was able to resist. "Emir.. you are my guest. If you would like to return here, you need only ask. But for the moment," Countess Nadia stopped before an alcove nestled between the shelves, "I ask for your undivided attention here." A desk stood in a slim ray of daylight cast from a tiny window. Books, journals, papers, and scrolls covered every inch of the desk. Despite the clutter, everything was carefully organized. Someone's place of study, preserved in time. "This was Doctor Devorak's desk. He was employed at the palace, as was your cousin. We called upon them to concoct a cure for the plague."

Emir shivered at the thought. "Ugh, I can't remember the last time I saw someone's white eyes that shade of red."

"Physicians, scientists, alchemists, fortune tellers, magicians... All were invited in hopes that our resources may aid in their research. Perhaps he was plotting even then... but the doctor accepted our invitation. As did Asra." The Countess's gaze shifted to the window. It overlooked a large willow tree, that hung over the fountain in the garden below. "I have had the desk and its contents examined laboriously. Nothing of consequence has been found. But perhaps you will make better use of it. It is the best lead I can offer." She then drew away, passing Emir and perfuming the air with jasmine. "The search for Doctor Devorak is now in your hands. You may proceed as you see fit. I ask only that you meet with me for dinner this evening." Countess Nadia smiled serenely and swept out of the room. Loganne and Portia followed in her wake.