Chronicles of Ilandri - Volume 1

Deaf Ears (Pt.2)

Nathaniel walked to the library dome which was a room with keyhole shaped floor plan, walled by rows of marble bookcases. There were books, scrolls and even works of art rolled up on the shelves. At the very centre of the room, the round part of the keyhole, was a circular table where an old man was sat in his toga, reading a fairly large book. He was short and thin, making him look frail but his hair was full and bright white, covering the crest of his head. "Are you Ogwyn?" He asked, breaking the silence of the room. The man peered up at him and answered with a simple yes. "I wish to use the library," continued Nathaniel.
"Well you are in it so you can use it at your leisure. A city guardsman is always welcome in these halls," he said, repeating the words of his colleague from the large dome.

Nathaniel looked at the nearest marble shelf. Carved into the end face was the word 'Poetry'. Although he did not think he would find what he was after on that shelf, it did help to show him how to find the categories. Each marble shelf followed the next around the circumference of the table at the centre. He walked round the shelves clockwise scanning the word on each face. He stopped when he reached 'History'. Perhaps there would be something in there. Some mention of dark elves to help him prove his sanity to his friend and the commander. Then he could take it to the ministry and get the city to prepare for the attack. But where in this huge tower of books, all designated 'History', would he find the answers he was looking for. "It is in chronological order, starting at that end and working its way up," said Ogwyn, who had silently crept up behind him.

Beginning with the oldest document did seem like the best idea but by the huge volume of material he would have to read, it would take him days if not weeks of solid reading to get through it all. He walked to the very end and stopped, sighing deeply. He took the first three books, large tomes with faded covers, and carried them to the centre table. The first book began several decades after the completion of the city and its defences. It described how the armies of Ollorath had rid the land of trolls, back when it was the capital of the kingdom, now The Great Republic. The book moved through the full line of kings up to the last of the line, though he never actually became king. There was however no mention of any kind of dark elf or even wizard for that matter. This book was of no help and so he moved onto the next.

This book then described how the last king had granted the formation of the republic on his deathbed. Removing the chance for his son to reign as king. The boy was then banished from the republic and was believed to have sought refuge in the neighbouring kingdoms. The book then outlined the early years of the republic and the construction of the ministry upon the sight of the old royal palace. The masonry from the palace was in fact used for the construction of the senate. Again that book had nothing in it regarding any kind of unusual creatures. The third book he had collected was the second volume of the second book and once again was useless to him.

Nathaniel made several trips back and forth between the shelves and the table, picking up more books to try and speed his research. His day continued the same way, carrying books back and only to discover nothing with regards to this lethal enemy. It was easy to lose track of the time and the daylight began to wane away and with it his reading light. Ogwyn went around lighting candles in the library, which did very little to actually illuminate the room, but Nathaniel could manage as he read on through further books. He must have covered what felt like a thousand years of history with not one mention of anything helpful to him.

It was frustrating but he continued to read on through the enormous series of books. He read well on into the night and saw the sun rise again as he worked his way up the shelves of historical material. When the sunlight lit the room, he took a minute to give his eyes some rest. He then noticed that Ogwyn had been sat with him the whole time. He was unsure whether it was out of curiosity, distrust or just that he had nowhere else really to be. Either way he sat across the table reading books. Ogwyn momentarily brought his gaze up and noticed Nathaniel's tired eyes staring up at him. He then looked back up and offered Nathaniel some help in finding what he was after.