Rune Stealer

The Study

"Do you have anything else?" I asked Mercy as I scowled at myself in the mirror. The white silk nightgown that Mercy had for me hugged my features more than I felt comfortable with. The bodice of it cascaded down all the way to the floor in an elegant white waterfall. Lace sleeves reached the edge of my shoulders and the neckline seemed to plummet down my chest. It was easily the most lady-like piece of clothing I had ever worn.

"Not anything that is respectable for a lady," chided Mercy. She fussed in and out of the bathroom, cleaning up the mess of water that I made. I offered to help clean, but she refused and shooed me off.

"But this is so," I whined. "It's just so," I said again as I searched for a word.

"Beautiful," Mercy said for me. "And comfortable, is it not?"

"I guess so," I admitted. It was pretty comfortable, it felt as if I was wearing a cloud.

"Good," Mercy nodded as she went back into the bathroom.

I pulled my hair to one side of my head and began braiding it as I turned around to look about my room. A grand bed sat in the middle of the back wall. Two windows were placed on either side of the bed and they let in the light of the dark night sky. The vanity was tucked in the corner behind me on the wall adjacent to the one which held the bathroom door. The wall parallel to that was nothing but a single, plain door.

"Where does this door lead to?" I called to Mercy.

"It leads to a study," responded Mercy, her voice echoing off the bare bathroom walls.

"A study?" I asked turning to Mercy as she walked out of the bathroom, her arms full of wet rags.

"A study is a room that is usually used for reading," she answered.

My eyes widened. "Reading? As in books? Are there books in there?" I spun back towards the door and without waiting for Mercy's answer, I ran to the door and threw it open.

I was greeted by the smell of a low burning fire that glowed dimly in the fireplace that sat in the small room. The fireplace, one window, and one other door across the room from which I stand were the only things in the walls. The rest of the wall space was taken up by dark brown bookcases filled with a variety of book and scrolls of all different colors, shapes, and sizes.

"Books," I sighed as I stepped into the room. I stepped around an old beige love seat to stand in front of a bookshelf. "Oh Mercy," I exclaimed. "I used to have a book. It was purple and was about lost love I believe. I read it cover to cover probably three times over." I trailed my finger down the spine of a thick golden covered book. "I had to trade it in for food long ago. Unfortunately, I was unable to find another one to steal." A small laugh bubbled in my throat.

I was just about to pull out a book when someone cleared their throat behind me. I spun around expecting to see narrowed eyed Mercy, her mouth open ready to yell at me to march right back into my room. But it was not Mercy.

In middle of the study were three decrepit love seats placed strategically on a green rug. In the love seat facing me sat Cress.

"Hello Laika," greeted Cress as he set his book open upside down on the arm of the loveseat.

"My Lady," gasped Mercy when she stormed into the study. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and they flicked nervously between Cress and the slim white nightgown I wore.

Gathering her bearings, Mercy clasped my wrist as she hissed, "It is severely frowned upon to be in the presence of a man while wearing a nightgown." I couldn't help but laugh as the flustered Mercy attempted to tow me out of the study. I twisted my wrist out of her grasp and then stood to face Cress as he stood.

"But Mercy," I whined, "the books!"

"I will not have you prancing in front of a man in night wear my lady," screeched Mercy, her face turning a deeper red. I laughed out loud and smiled sweetly at Mercy. She only flustered more and grabbed my wrist once again and began to pull me through the door.

"Here." A rough surfaced object was shoved into my hand. I turned to see Cress putting a large emerald book into my hand as I crossed the threshold into my room. "This book is one of my favorites." The door shut, cutting off Cress's slow smile.

I felt the roughness of the book in my hand and looked down at it in amazement. "Look Mercy," I exclaimed as I held it up to her face. "A book!" Obviously annoyed, she pushed it away.

"Yes, yes I see that, but Miss you cannot-"

"Oh would you please stop calling me that?" I requested as I flopped down onto my back on my bed holding the book to my chest.

"Well what do you desire me to call to call you," demanded Mercy.

"My name of course," I chided as I held the book above my face to examine it. The green cover was marred by age so the golden scribbles on the front were illegible. Pages were worn and some were falling out. A perfectly respectable book.

"Well Laika," started Mercy, "woman do not show themselves to a man in night wear unless they are wed! Do I have to..." my mind wandered back to the book, blocking out Mercy's words. Carefully, I opened the book and put the crisp pages up to my face and inhaled deeply.

"Mercy!" I sat bolt upright stopping Mercy in mid lecture.

"What is it," she gasps holding her hand to her chest, her eyes wide with alarm.

"This book," I gasped. "It smells wonderful! The book I had before smelled like mold and wet animal, but this book smells like-" I stopped and contemplated this carefully, trying to find the perfect words. "Like trees soaked in cinnamon." I looked at Mercy, a wild grin on my face. Her stern look was slowly replaced with a soft smile and a shake of her head.

Mercy walked over to the vanity and took a candle and put it in a holder. She lit it on one of the torches that brightened my room. Once she set the candle on the night stand by my bed, she took the torch out of the holder on the wall and held it by her side.

"If there is nothing else I can do for you, I'll leave you to your book," Mercy announced, with a smirk.

"Thank you Mercy," I cheered.

"Goodnight Laika." The door closed behind her, enveloping me in a dark room lit by a small candle flame. My gaze ran across the cover of the green masterpiece once more before my eyes traveled to the door to the study.

With one last glance at the door Mercy had left through, I climbed off my bed and crept over to the door. I put my hand on the door knob and turned it.

Cress stood with his back to me looking at some books on a shelf. I stepped into the room and the door clicked shut behind me. Cress pulled a small brown book off the shelf.

"This is a good book too," he informed as he turned around. He walked over to me and held out the book.

"Thank you," I mumbled as I took it. I held the book to my chest. "What are you doing here?" Cress looked over his shoulder at the door placed between two book cases.

"My room is through that door," Cress smiled.

My mouth opened to make a silent "Oh."

"Well my dear Laika." Cress took my hand and brought it to his soft lips, his eyes never leaving mine. My heart beat quickened slightly. "I bid thee a goodnight." He let go of my hand and I let it hand by my side limply. Cress turned around and walked through his door, closing it behind him with a soft click.

I stood there silently, hugging the book to my chest with one arm, letting the other hang by my side.

Confused, I cocked my head to the side and whispered, "What had just happened?"