Queen of The Reach

13

"Here we are." Velum gestured with both arms extended towards the massive space before me. He didn't keep his position long turning his head over his shoulder to look at me. His dark hair was messy and it fell into his eyes which were a delightful green for the moment. Brushing it away quickly he left only his boyish grin intact. "Well what do you think?" he asked, growing impatient at my silence.

Though I had no words that would do justice to this cathedral like library that arced overhead with its pure glass ceiling. I looked through at dreary skies but found it easy to tear my gaze away, there was so much more to see inside.

The heavy wooden doors we had entered through were decorated with ornate handles and hinges and although the metallic finishes were cold in colour on the outside, the library itself was warm. I walked forward to where the balcony ended and I peered over the edge noting that we were three stories up with two rows of balconies below us, each row housing twelve spots like the one I stood in. White pillars stood between for support but they also added a royal air to the room. This place was colossal, I assumed it took up an entire wing of the castle. I'd have to ask Velum later to be sure.

From where I stood I saw three walls, all identical, the one I took in the view from made up the fourth that bordered a central seating area at the ground level. There were dozens of ebony wood tables, I counted seating for eight at each, that sat upon a white marble floor reflecting the light from outside. I walked to the edge of the balcony and touched the cold railing, copper in colour, just to make sure it was real.

"Velum I'm in awe." It really was breathtaking. He grinned wide and then spun me around to look more closely at the pod we were in. Even after taking the time to survey the library I found myself looking at the small details of it with wonder.

While the library was polished and shined even with overcast skies, the books were in disarray. Leather bound spines protruded from the dark shelves that matched the the rest of the furniture and others remained neatly in place. I wondered if Velum liked to keep this space to himself and didn't have the time to keep it orderly. I hadn't seen any servants in the area which was peculiar in his home.

Brass ladders on wheeled contraptions attached to the highest parts of the shelves were left at what appeared to be random places where Velum would have climbed to retrieve the books that appeared out of reach. Judging from the mess, I figured we wouldn't need to use them at all. Velum likely had already gathered the materials we would be researching today.

His low chuckle brought me out of my fantasy. "Come," he said and walked away from me. His footsteps echoed off of a matching white marble staircase that curved down to the ground level as he walked. "We could be here for a while. We'd better being our research immediately." I hurried after him wondering how many more times I'd allow myself to follow him. I still needed to be careful enough not to misplace my trust.

He pulled out a chair that moved quietly on the floor and took up a seat at a table that was already covered in partially read books with markers set at varying lengths. Although I wasn't quite ready to end my exploring I pulled out a chair myself and sat beside him. We had work to do.

"What's all this?" I gestured around the table. There must have been a reason he had these specific volumes set out. They had that familiar smell to them, the unmistakable scent of old books. I smiled to myself, I'd surely spend hours on end here if I hadn't had my heart set on leaving The Reach behind me.

"These are all works on this world, maps and legends, everything, written by those who came before us." He sounded excited, proud even.

"How old is this world then?" I asked. He pushed a book in my direction and I smirked at him. "Okay," I said, "It's a good thing I know how to read." He raised an eyebrow at me. "You're not much for answering questions." He laughed at me but we got started right away. Our escape plan was on the verge of discovery and I felt my chest tighten with the anticipation. I kept quiet, studied quickly, I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to catch up to Velum's place in his existing reading list.