No Solace (The Flames of Retribution - Book 1)

Chapter One -Saint Atrize's Festival

On the tenth day of the month of Atrize, the five day festival to the Saintess began. In three hours, we would have to clear the steps of the Imperial Library of Sanfelton so the governor could make his opening speech to launch the festivities.

The Denver, named after the land that once stood there in Sanfelton's place before the Great War, was bobbing from each leaping footstep as her crew bounded up and down the ramps, carrying the ancient books from the ruins of the Library of Parthia, a Library that was built after the war, but suffered during the cataclysm.

The Denver was a small ionocraft designed for cargo transport. Up until just a few days ago, Gladys Brightgarden, the most amazing and wise woman to walk the empire, had piloted that ionocraft as a Head Librarian.

It was the first day of the festival, and normally that would bring me joy, as I loved a good party, but I could not smile at that moment, because Gladys Brightgarden was dead, and no one could explain to me why.

"Ah, Solace! I thought that tall, raven-haired beauty must be you." Governor Jatron Path walked to the side of our vessel where I was supervising the unloading of the books.

I turned to the governor, who'd known me since I was a child, and after placing my right fist against my chest, I bowed low in a formal salute. "Greetings, Governor Path. I believe it's considered a grave offense to lie on the first day of Saint Atrize's festival. She will be frowning to know you have done this even before your grand speech to us this day." My lips tried to tip into a smile, but failed.

"What lies? Your hair is the color of--"

This was his favorite routine when greeting me, and to be truthful, I loved it, but I had such bad news. I answered with my usual retort, humoring him. My news would break his heart so it could wait a few moments more. "...parched dirt..."

"Now who's lying? And your eyes are like brilliant Saph--"

" ...the gray of a weathered barn." He hadn't yet guessed my mood. It would be soon.

"It's not polite to correct the elderly, Madam." Governor Path sniffed at me, then scowled.

My attempt to smile failed again. "Another lie, Sir, as you're not yet forty." Then I turned to bark at one of the workers unloading the craft, happy for the momentary distraction, "Careful! Those are paperbacks! Don't allow them to crumble before we get them to the restorers!"

The porter righted the load with help from another worker, and I breathed a sigh of relief. That we'd found paperbacks among the treasures in the Parthia Library was miraculous. It was only due to the fact that the books had been in chests that had been sealed in an airless room. The library had been state of the art in its day, and that particular room had escaped the disaster. We had one hundred priceless paperbacks to thank for it.

"Paperbacks!" Governor Path exclaimed. "But why do you have such an air of sadness when you've found such treasure? And where has Brightgarden gone?"

So he had seen but had been trying to cajole me. Affection flooded my heart, then I stiffened my back to hold in the stab of grief at the mention of her name. "Despite our great gain, we've had a great loss, Governor. Head Librarian is dead. Our communication equipment failed so I apologize to surprise you with this."

It was odd how mice got into the communication works. We kept a clean ship, and vermin never had made a home there in the past. I hoped to mount an investigation once the cargo was offloaded.

All of the governor's playfulness died in shocked silence. Finally, and with much sorrowful resignation, Governor Path asked, "What happened?"

"It was a sudden inflammation to her magicore. She fell into fevers and delirium soon after." I turned back to the workers again when I saw them unloading boxes meant for the smaller annex library on the Sanfelton Academy's southwest campus. "Not those! Put them back on the Denver. They go to the southern annex."