Virus (A Minecraft Story)

Chapter 4

We descended the stone stairs in silence, the only sound our slow, cautious steps in the darkness. The only light we had was the torch Amber was tightly holding, casting a wavering light over the ivy-covered cobblestone walls. The slab above us had rumbled shut a while ago, and now the torch was the only thing stopping us from stumbling blindly forwards and pitching head-first down the stairs.

The darkness seemed like a malevolent force that wanted to crush us all, only just held at bay by the burning stick of light.

I happened to glance over at Ana, and saw how pale she was; she was a big fan of the earth and being underground, but she didn't like the darkness at all.
I put my hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "It's alright," I told her quietly. "Just a couple more minutes to go."
She gave me a wobbly smile, and pulled her dress tighter around her.

As she tugged on it anxiously, I caught a glimpse of the edge of a black tattoo, imprinted on her shoulder.
I frowned, concerned. Out of all the years I had known my friend, I had never seen that before, and Ana had never mentioned it.
She let the dress fall before I could ask what it was, so I decided not to say anything.

Amber came to a sudden stop, causing us to run into each other with a loud resounding smack, followed by a loud chorus of curses and complaining.

"We're here." She announced, ignoring our protests, and we craned our necks to see what was happening. A massive wooden door was barring our way, the knocker made from solid iron and the stone around it chiselled with ancient writing.

Carved into the door was the engraving of an open book, also surrounded by the same letters on the doorway, and that's when I understood where we were going.

Amber knocked on the door three times, sharp and short, and it silently swung open to admit us.
She ushered us in with a dramatic, sweeping bow. "After you, ladies."
I poked her in the shoulder as I passed her by, and Loca, bringing up the rear as we filed through, paused to smack Amber over the back of her head.

We walked into the room, still grumbling and rubbing sore shoulders, and then stopped abruptly, transfixed.
I thought I knew what was in store when I saw that engraving, but, apparently, I was wrong.

Dug out underneath the village, mined out and then sanded down to smooth perfection, was a massive stone room, the ceiling hung with lamps of glowstone that emitted a strong, burning light. Torches were bolted to the walls, flames flickering and giving off a warm, welcoming glow.

And, taking up the hidden room were rows upon rows of towering bookshelves, running from one side of the room to the other to form neat, orderly corridors through the bookshelves, probably containing thousands of years of knowledge.

A chest sitting in front of the entrance to the maze of knowledge, labelled Novels, was bursting to the brim with old books and scribbled-out pages,

And I caught glimpses of the white-robed villagers who took on the role of librarians walking about, browsing the shelves, gathering armfuls of books and then disappearing again in a swish of crisp white robes.

I had been to the villager's above-ground library before, chatted with the villagers and read a couple books.
But I never knew about this secret library, this secret section buried deep within the ground beneath the village.
I stared in awe at the amazing place I had just entered, and the others let out low whistles that indicated that they, like me, were impressed.

"Pretty cool, right?" Amber said, grinning proudly. "Not many people know about this place."
Then she forged ahead. "C'mon, we're going to see Roran." She winked at us. "Now you know where he disappears to."