Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 27

 Ready to check out the library in Alexandria? I'd love to hear what you think!

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Kami stared at the library as they waited for Samuel and Chris to join them. The curved walls were built with gray Aswan granite and carved with characters from human scripts, one hundred and twenty different characters according to Yasmin. The sun glinted off the roof, which was a half circle, tilted back at a 45-degree angle, representing the rising sun.

"Wow," Kami breathed as she looked at the impressive structure. 

"To think," Samuel murmured, "if only Caesar hadn't gone all pyro happy, we might still have ancient histories from Atlantis in this very building. When I think of all that precious knowledge melting away in the flames, it makes me want to weep."

"Of course, it may not have been Caesar that did it," Yasmin said. "After it burned down, we know the surviving documents were moved to a new location. Over time, it was probably a series of fires that decimated the library. This library was rebuilt in 2001." 

 As they walked towards the building, Liam caught up with Kami. She glanced at him. He was grinning broadly, and his eyes were alive with anticipation. She felt the same giddy enthusiasm herself.

 "I still can't believe I'm here. This is incredible," she said.

 "I know. We get to see a copy of the Secret of Secrets. I feel like a little kid," Liam said.

 "I am particularly interested in the papyri fragment as well," Samuel said. "I've read Al-Gilani's version cover to cover at least twenty times. I am particularly interested in his mention of the Emerald Tablet."

 "Why?" Kami asked.

 "The First Hermes was Thoth, the god of all learning and hidden knowledge. It is believed he taught man hieroglyphics. He hid the Emerald Tablet in a pillar in Hermopolis to prevent it from being destroyed in the flood. The Second Hermes was probably Akhenaten, the Egyptian pharoah who set up a monotheistic religion instead of the polytheistic. 

"According to at least one ancient papyrus, the Great Pyramids couldn't be built without the Emerald Tablet, so a search was made to find it. Later, Alexander tracked down Ahkenaten's grave near the temple at Siwa and found the Emerald Tablet. He put it on public display in Heliopolis. After Alexander died, the tablet was hidden away again. It was later found by a Syrian boy named Balinas who became the Third Hermes. He absorbed the teachings and became known as Apollonius, after Apollo, Greek god of enlightenment. The Emerald Tablet is described as the sum of all knowledge for all those who are able to understand it. I am on a path to discovering a 30,000 year old secret," Samuel said.

They climbed the stairs and entered the library. Kami craned her neck back to absorb her surroundings. The main reading room was airy and spacious with gleaming wooden floors. The slanted roof was supported by concrete columns that stretched to the ceiling and sprouted lotus leaves in an ancient Egyptian style, but the overall architecture reflected a modern feel. 

The gray walls were covered in an abstract pattern, and green and blue lights ran along the support beams. Sunlight streamed through large rectangular skylights onto rows of desks where readers sat quietly at computers. There were several levels in the reading room containing row after row of bookshelves, many of them only a half or a third full. The shelves, desks and stairs were constructed of a pale wood, possibly maple or something similar.

"See the square holes in the walls?" Yasmin asked.

Kami nodded.

"They built it that way because that was the way ancient scrolls were stored," she said. 

Yasmin stepped forward and spoke to a dark-haired woman at the information desk. Clearly, they were very familiar with each other. The woman called out to a young man wearing a dress shirt and slacks. He smiled broadly and walked over to shake hands with the boys. Everyone spoke in Arabic of course, although Kami wasn't sure how much Chris and Samuel understood. She wished she could understand the language so she knew what was going on. 

Kami held out her hand to shake his hand as well, but he just looked away shyly and walked over to help another patron. Feeling a little embarrassed and bewildered, Kami dropped her hand and looked over at Yasmin.

"Don't mind that Kami. He believes shaking a woman's hand goes against his religion. It's nothing personal."

"But Haji shakes hands, and he's Muslim."

"Not everyone follows the rule, and I imagine as a tour guide Haji has to shake a lot of hands. I don't want you to think Moshe is being rude. He's actually very nice."

Yasmin linked her arm in her cousin's. 

"So the boys are heading downstairs to the Antiquities Museum. We will join them in a minute. I did not think there was any reason to hold them back just because I needed to use the restroom. Did you ever see such eager faces?"

Kami shook her head.

"They better not forget that finding our grandparents is the real reason we are here," Yasmin said as their feet clipped over the floor at a rapid pace. "Did you know the original library contained more than just books? The library was just one part of a museum, which was basically a big research institute. It even held a zoo of exotic animals."

Kami felt a warmth on her chest and glanced down. The necklace glowed brightly, which could only mean only one thing—oh no!

She stopped and grabbed Yasmin's arm. Her cousin's eyes widened as she stared at the scarab. They heard a loud crack, then a grinding sound, as if concrete was scraping over concrete.

"What do you think..." Kami started to say.

A screeching sound severed her question. She looked up to see a large drinking fountain careening across the floor, ripping up the wooden planks and coming straight at her face.

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Okay, okay. I know that was cruel. You can let me have it. ;)  

The dedication for the chapter goes out to my little sis Becky. She and I both love books and libraries, so I saved this chapter for her. We both agree, when we move to a new place, it's not home until we've gone to the library and signed up for a card. Love ya sis! Thanks for reading ;)