Chapter One Hundred and Six: The Library
His breath was taken away the moment he walked inside.
The library, from the outside, looked like a weathered, peeling, silver-barked tree that stretched about as high and three times as wide as the Eiffel Tower. Which was a gorgeous sight, all things considered... but the interior was what stole every ounce of air in his lungs.
Books.
The entire tree, was filled with books stretching from the ground and so far up that he couldn't even make them out anymore. There were so many that he knew he could spend a thousand years in here and not even read half of them.
From floor to ceiling, thick roots served as bridges, connecting everything together. There were hundreds of thousands of mossy green hammocks, and high above, he saw small winged silhouettes occasionally flitting to and fro.
Many males and females of all ages, appearance-wise, were lazing around with scrolls and books, and all of them looked preoccupied with reading.
"Wow," he breathed, eyes watering from the sight. "Oh... my... fucking... God..."
He walked past his uncle, staring at all the tomes with his mouth hanging open. This place... it was heaven for him. If he'd died, then this building was heaven, because the one thing he'd loved more than making music for Ella had been reading.
It had been his obsession.
When he'd been in his first year of middle school, he'd cleared out his middle school library halfway through the first semester and had been forced to sneak books out of the neighboring high school's library during his lunch breaks. By his third year of middle school, he had consumed every single book of personal interest from every library within busing distance.
He'd been so unsatisfied by not having anything to read that he'd saved up cash for a laptop computer and had started reading things online. That was originally how he'd found Wattpad and had gotten the idea to review other people's stories.
He had been hoping they would throw some good content at him to sate his hunger for books, but all he'd gotten was a barrage of disappointments and terrible writing skills. He'd even gotten bored enough to try his hand at writing his own story, but people had never bothered reading it.
This, however... this was the first thing he'd seen that had made him want to stay in Calcoon for a long, loooong time.
Vordt stared at his open mouth with a flat expression.
"Is it really that surprising?" he grunted. "You look like you're seeing the moon for the first time."
Xaphile fixed him with a stunned expression, literally on the verge of tears.
"The moon can't compare! This is the most impressive thing I've ever seen," he croaked, shaking his head in bewilderment. "I think I just found another goal in life. I might move into this library when everything is said and done!"
Vordt's brows came together.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me!" Xaphile squawked, flailing his arms in wonder. "This place is like a dream come true! I love to read! I really do love it, just as much as music! There are so many books here that I literally cannot freaking fathom just how long it would take to read all of them!"
Perhaps it was because of his excitement.
Or maybe it was because his excitement sounded absurd.
For whatever reason, he had no idea, but Vordt actually let out a low chuckle and shook his head, expression turning unexpectedly soft for once. Xaphile froze under the queerly gentle stare, since the man was looking at him like he was crazy.
And yet, it wasn't an unpleasant expression.
"You are definitely a strange one," he muttered. "It took me around six thousand years to finish off the books in this library, and that's only counting the ones that held my interest. Wait there... I'll gather some tomes you'll find interesting. The library has magic that categorizes everything."
"Are you serious?!" Xaphile squeaked. "They have magic that can do that?!"
It was a dumb question, since he'd seen so many more amazing things than that. His uncle apparently thought so, too, if the dead-fish stare was any clue.
Without bothering to dignify his question with a response, Vordt crouched low and sprang off the ground, enormous wings thundering down and propelling him into the air.
He continued flapping until he was so high up that Xaphile could barely see him.
For a solid ten minutes, he watched as Vordt flitted to and fro, but then he began to descend, slowly but surely back to the ground. By the time he landed, he wasn't even out of breath, although he was sweating profusely.
His arms were also full of books.
"Come," he commanded, nodding with his head towards the far-off wall. "Follow me."
Xaphile wordlessly sprang after him, light on his be-clawed feet.
They ended up settling down on a patch of soft, springy moss, and after they were both situated, Vordt set the books on the ground in front of him. He eyed the old, wordless leather covers with keen eyes, wondering what sort of marvels the books of Atlas held in store.
"Since you seem so interested in learning about history, culture, and such," Vordt muttered, sliding a few of the tomes forward, "I would recommend these. They are the books we use to teach our young the answer to those very questions. From proper etiquette to the way one must address others, we have it all. Be careful with them, though. Each one is priceless."
"Wow," Xaphile whispered, reverently stroking the thick leather covers. "Thank you!"
"It is nothing worth your gratitude. Since there are many things about yourself and this world that you will learn better from a book, I will allow them to do the teaching when it comes to such matters. I am more of a hands-on individual, anyway."
"I can tell," he chuckled, shaking his head as he slowly opened the first page. "I can really..."
His words died in his throat and he stared blankly at the page. He blinked, then blinked again as a strange, prickling sensation swept over him.
Vordt immediately noticed the change in his expression.
"Are you well? You've gone oddly pale."
Xaphile didn't answer, transfixed as he was with staring at the lettering within the book.
It was a language he'd never seen before.
He'd never seen characters like the ones he was looking at in his whole life. It was like some mystical, ancient form of writing found in archaeological tombs, but somehow modern.
And yet... the strangest part, which made his blood go cold, was that he understood it.
Like reading the English and Russian languages, he knew what he was looking at.
"Ilth laien loborick marth matook," he murmured, staring through the odd words rather than at them. "Shien ehk boethia maht syvi da... naiel... where the waters flow, life will follow. This is how the endless cycle of mortality flourishes. We, the ageless ones, heirs to the land, are to ensure the happiness of all creatures that walk through the mortal plane of life. We are their benefactors."
When he slowly lifted his eyes, goosebumps ran up and down his spine. He swallowed hard, staring at Vordt with a tight expression.
His uncle looked just as perturbed.
"I was under the impression," Vordt muttered, "that you knew naught of our language."
"I... I don't," Xaphile stammered. "I really don't. I've never seen writing like that before in my life, so... I don't understand."
"Understand what?"
"Why I can read it and understand it just as well as I do English. I know what the words mean, and... and when I read each one just a second ago, the meaning came to me in a flash!"
Vordt's expression smoothed out.
"Perhaps the memories you lost after your arrival are stirring," he mused. "Zelphira said that things like this would start to happen over time. Jarring, unfamiliar sensations such as this one would spark something within you and ripple, slowly growing more frequent."
Xaphile blinked, eyebrows raising as he thought about that.
It wasn't exactly something he'd taken a lot of time to consider, but perhaps Vordt was right.
He had, on this world, been someone else before he'd woken up. If the memories he'd lost somehow came back, it wouldn't be a bad thing. If anything, it might be beneficial.
He sighed and calmed himself down, choosing instead to bury himself in the book. Flopping down on his belly and pillowing his head in his arms, he crossed his ankles and began to read.
Vordt watched him with his chin planted in his palm.
"Tell me," he eventually grunted. "What sort of books interested you back on your world?"
"I liked stories on Irish mythology," he absently explained, turning the page. "I particularly loved stories about faeries."
"They exist on your world?!" Vordt scoffed. "Zelphira said quite clearly that they did not!"
"People thought that they existed at some point," Xaphile chuckled, finding his reaction amusing. "They and demons both. In certain parts of the world, there are plenty of mysteries that nobody can figure out."
"What sorts of mysteries?"
Xaphile thought about it for a second, looking up from the book to stare at the wall.
"Well," he drawled, looking at his uncle, "for example, there's this place on my world called South America. There are ruins from civilizations that are just as old as some of the people from your clan. Nobody knows what happened to the people who created them."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, they basically just vanished off the face of the earth. After studying the ruins of the Inca in the rain forests, lots of archaeologists said that their vanishing was abnormal. Many of their structures were only half built to begin with."
"That hardly classifies as a mystery. If they were mortal, they could have just died off."
"True," Xaphile thoughtfully agreed, then smirked at him. "There's another mystery on Earth called the Bermuda Triangle, though."
"The what?"
"The Bermuda triangle," he repeated, then let out a sigh and sat up. "It's this place out in the ocean, a region that's thought to be... dangerous. Bizarre occurrences happen there."
"What sort of occurrences?"
"Well, over a long span of many years, ships and planes vanished without a trace. Some even turned up years later with no sign of the crews, but everything was the same as the day they'd disappeared. The animals on the ships were all still alive, too, and letters were half-written."
Vordt looked perplexed.
"Really?"
"Mhm," Xaphile confirmed, flopping back down. "A few times, people even came back, but every single person was disoriented with how much time had actually passed. One guy even sent a distress call to the base where his plane was supposed to land since it stalled four hours from his destination after hitting a strange cloud."
"A strange cloud?"
"Yep. He said it was oddly green and spiraled, like a tunnel. The weird part is, when he came out of the cloud a minute later, he was about forty miles away from the coast instead of a thousand. When he landed at the airport, everyone was surprised since they hadn't heard the distress call and he was four hours ahead of schedule."
"I fail to understand how that's strange."
"Fifteen minutes later, while he was in the middle of explaining the situation, his distress call was picked up on the radio with him still in the room. It was never properly explained since there's no explanation that anyone can fathom. What he did wasn't physically possible on earth. That's why people believe there's something strange lurking in the Bermuda Triangle."
"Interesting," Vordt muttered, then rose to his feet. "Well, doubtful we'll ever know. We have nothing like that on Atlas as far as I'm aware. Now, you're here to learn, so start reading. I expect you to be finished with at least two of these books by the time evening rolls around."
"Sounds like a plan. Thanks."
Vordt watched as he busied himself with the book in his hands, then turned and walked away, heading for the doors.
Xaphile didn't even notice, absorbed as he was by the strange lettering that he could somehow read and understand.
Time passed in a blur as he flew through the pages, devouring their contents with his eyes. His heart, which had thus far been extremely unsettled, calmed down immensely.
Slow, warm joy flooded through him. Tail flicking lazily back and forth, he read the first book from cover to cover, purring involuntarily from the satisfaction of finishing it.
The sound was pure instinct, such that he didn't even notice he was doing it.
He moved onto the next one, flying through the pages with intense focus. The first book had been about proper etiquette between fae. It had included everything from courting each other, to the acts of domination and submission, to the importance of one's hair and how it was used to display a variety of things, such as when a male or female was mated.
There was a special, permanent braid woven into both the man and woman's hair.
The one he was currently reading was a book on how Aerika had formed as a whole.
It contained a lot of information.
The handwriting in later pages shifted, signalling that it had been added to at some point. He read everything with furrowed brows, reading in depth about the tyranny concerning the country Ella helped to govern.
He also paid a careful amount of focus on how Aerika's government intermingled with the fae, and why they were the ones ultimately in charge. Near the end of the book, however, the writing changed again.
To his shock, he began to read something he recognized.
The fall of Chisago.
"This is the full story on what happened that day," he muttered, blinking in surprise. "Why does it look different from what I heard and saw in Ella's memories?"
Leaning close, he examined the pages intently, frowning as he read through them. His eyes slowly widened as he continued, hair standing on end.
"'And on the day that Count Rochard was supposed to betroth his only daughter to the firstborn son of Olagrell Heseroph, Ruler of the Nimikan Fae, King Votrin... who knew of their opposition... enlisted the services of a spy, who infiltrated the city and gained intelligence.'"
His eyes were huge when the implications dawned on him.
Vordts words suddenly came back to him in a flash.
"This King who rules the mortals... beware of him and his kin, Xaphile. Not everything is as it seems. The death of your father and the Count of the south was timed... a little too well for it to be coincidence."
The implications swept through him with an icy sensation and he lifted his head.
"The king...?" he breathed, bone cold. "Wait... does this mean that the King of Aerika was the one who... caused the attack on Chisago?! That can't be right! If that's the case, then... he was the one who..."
His heart nearly stopped.
If what he'd just read was the truth... then the real reason that Ella had lost everything... the real reason his father was no longer alive... it was the king.
The king had done it.
But, if that was the case, why wasn't it known?! How had this information ended up in a book?
The answer was clear.
There were people who knew the truth about everything. And yet, they hadn't done anything... they'd simply sat back while it was happening, knowing that corruption was filling the country... but the real question was, why?!
His head spun and he continued reading until he hit the end of the book, feeling numb. Then he sat up and put his head in his hands.
"Ella doesn't know about this," he muttered. "She can't know. If she did, her attitude towards the king of Aerika would be completely different."
A thought struck him and he paused.
Ella might not have known, and it was possible that Amelia didn't, either... but Gus was related to the Captain of the guard. It was possible that he might have known just enough about this situation to answer the questions he now had.
He mentally filed that away and moved onto the next book.
Vordt still hadn't returned for him by the time he finished it, so he took the opportunity to look around. The library, by all rights, was incredible. There were tables and furniture strewn throughout the interior, but it had all been grown to suit the lofty standard of the faeries.
If he hadn't gotten so used to such strange surroundings, he was sure that he would have been acting like the worst sort of rubbernecking tourist.
All over the ground, there were patches of soft moss, and several beautiful blonde faery children, all of which who looked extremely young, were piled together in chatty heaps, all of them reading and talking about their books.
The place was teeming with little kids with elfish ears and happily wagging cat tails.
All in all, it made for a very cozy setting.
Xaphile flopped back down on the moss and stretched out, opening the next book. The finished pile slowly began to surround him.
He'd definitely been there for hours, and he hadn't realized just how tired he really was. Even though he was still reading, his eyes began to droop.
Halfway through the fifth book, he set his head down and closed them. His breathing grew slower, and the soft chattering of children faded away.
The smell of earth and books engulfed him, making him feel safe.
This place suddenly felt more like home than any he'd ever been.
He felt safe here, in this library, God only knew why.
He didn't fall asleep at first, nor did he plan to, but when he ended up submerged in a waking dream, unaware, oblivious to his surroundings, everything was muffled in a warm haze of dreamless rest. His foggy mind drifted off and the sun sank slowly below the treetops.
It felt like only a moment later that he was woken up.
He flinched when a rough, calloused hand touched his own, roused back to full wakefulness.
Groggy, he lifted his head and found himself face to face with Kesh. The boy was looking at him with a warm expression, irises soft and round. His lean face was much less reserved than usual.
"Forgive me for waking you," Kesh murmured, fanning his gorgeous white wings. "I came here to read, but when I saw you napping amongst your books, I wanted to ask for your company. Even if it is only while you sleep, I wish to spend a little time near you."
"Um, sure," Xaphile croaked, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. "Sorry... I got tired and dozed off. I didn't mean to fall asleep. This place is just... really soothing for some reason."
"Indeed," Kesh chuckled, sitting down Indian style. "I sometimes feel the same way, and there are many other vadil and efamil who have fallen asleep within this hallowed tree. The scent, the air, the calmness... the books. There is just something about it that makes one feel safe."
Xaphile smiled and nodded before hauling himself upright and stretching. He was still groggy, but until Vordt came to get him, he would read.
"I agree," he yawned, grabbing the book he'd left off on and flipping it open. "I happen to love reading. After everything is over, I'm definitely coming back to this city. If all I have is time on my hands, I'm going to read everything in here from start to finish."
"That's an impressive goal!" Kesh noted, looking at him in surprise. "I've barely managed to clear the first row of shelves circling us at this level. I plan on going from here, all the way up to the top, but four years have come and gone and I'm still making my way around the first shelves."
"It'll take time," Xaphile chuckled, rubbing his ear. "I don't have enough to actually start yet. I'm leaving in less than a month to go look for my little brother."
"Prince Adariel?" Kesh tentatively inquired. "You will search for him?"
Xaphile nodded grimly.
"He's my brother. No matter what, I'm going to find him."
Kesh fell quiet.
So quiet, in fact, that Xaphile glanced at him.
The dim, flickering lights coming from the enormous crystals spread throughout the tree lapped at the boy's face; his catlike eyes were wide and focused. The expression was unnerving, like he was trying with all his might to see straight through Xaphile's eyes and into the depth of his thoughts.
It was uncomfortable.
There was nothing particularly remarkable about Kesh's features, except for his naturally blonde hair and his eyes, maybe. Not the color, or even their almond shape. It was their intensity, the way he observed things, as if memorizing everything he saw.
His irises were uncanny and inhuman.
"Is there something bothering you?"
When he asked, there was a startled moment on Kesh's part, and with that, the boy blinked and looked away.
"Quite the opposite," he said softly. "I want to thank you. On behalf of my entire family."
Xaphile stared.
"What?"
Kesh glanced up again, looking at him so intently that he frowned. It didn't stop the boy though. For a strange instant, Xaphile could only stare back... but he had to wonder, had he done something wrong? The guy certainly didn't look angry, but this intensity was very bizarre.
But then, Kesh lifted his hand and leaned forward, pressing it palm down against his chest.
He held it there, right above his heart, and leaned in close.
Xaphile swallowed fiercely, eyes widening at their uncomfortably close proximity.
"You spared my little brother," he said in a soft voice. "You will forever have my loyalty, gratitude, and service for anything you may ever need in the future."
"W-what?" Xaphile scoffed, brows raising. "I appreciate the gesture, but..."
"From this day forward," Kesh interrupted, smiling loftily, "you will forever hold a place among my Kin. My brothers and I are all in agreement... our house, our home, our very lives are yours to command. We have discussed this and have come to this decision on our own."
He could only stare at the blonde boy with his mouth hanging open.
"Uh, why? I mean, I get why, but still... why?"
Kesh pulled back and looked at the mossy ground beneath them.
"Piper," he said softly, "is the most beloved of our brothers."
"I get that, but still, this is a little overboard."
"No, it is not. A life is exchanged for a life," Kesh growled. "My brothers and I share the same blood, but we are all different people with different tastes. We are as different as brothers can be. None of us ever agree on anything, and we fight over everything... but the one thing we have in common is our love for each other. Different though we may be, we are a family."
Xaphile nodded, letting out a sigh.
"That still doesn't explain this."
"Piper has the kindest heart of all of us, and he is the gentlest of any male we have ever known. Our family is very, very protective of him," Kesh reluctantly admitted, then grit his teeth and hissed, "but because of what he did to your servant... in that moment, we couldn't protect him any longer. He committed a crime worthy of death. Our sire... wept. My brothers... wept. We were all expecting the worst."
A lump formed in his throat when he thought about the struggle his family had received.
What Bonks had done to Amelia hadn't been right, at all... but...
"It's over and done with," Xaphile muttered. "It was an unpleasant situation, but it was handled properly. That's the only thing that really matters."
"That is so," Kesh sighed, leaning forward and gripping his wrist, "but it changes nothing."
Xaphile jumped when the boy forcibly tugged on his arm. He almost pulled away when he was dragged forward, but before he could figure out what Kesh was doing, he bent his head down and set Xaphile's hand on his hair.
It was softer than satin, and rippled like water beneath his fingers.
"You have my deepest respect, affection, and trust," Kesh murmured. "If you are ever in need of aid, my brothers and I will come to your side no matter what. Thank you for forgiving our foolhardy, pigheaded little brother... you are worthy of your title, compassionate one."
Xaphile's heart softened into jelly and he sighed, gently ruffling the boy's blonde hair. He seemed surprised by the gesture.
"Bonks is a good guy," Xaphile muttered, finally pulling away. "What he did was wrong, but he was not completely at fault since he was under the influence of powerful magic. Regardless... I think that he got lucky."
"Lucky?"
"Yes, lucky. He was stopped before he did any real harm to Amelia. It might have turned out much differently had he actually managed to achieve what he was attempting to do that night."
The very thought of what could have happened to her chilled his blood, but it hadn't, so there was no point in dwelling on it. Kesh nodded and rubbed his eyes.
Then he paused.
"Ah, that reminds me," he murmured, glancing at him in surprise. "Is it true that the Nameless King is your mentor?"
Xaphile blinked.
"Are you talking about Vordt?"
"Er... yes. The Sky Queen's younger brother is called the Nameless King."
"Seriously? Why?"
"Because he does not have an official title. It is a gesture of respect and gratitude amongst our people, since he has done more for the forests than the queen herself. His magic is actually stronger than hers."
"Oh. Well, yeah, he's my mentor."
Kesh blinked, then smirked and mischievously looked around before leaning close.
"I have heard rumors," he murmured, "that you are also his kin by blood. Is this true?"
"Yes," Xaphile confirmed, blinking once. "He's my uncle."
Kesh froze like a statue and his eyes widened in shock. He looked like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"You... are the queen's nephew?" he breathed. "Why were we not informed of this?! Surely she must know of the connection between you two! Why would she not formally introduce you to our community?"
"Probably because when I first got here, I was never intending to stay this long," Xaphile pensively shot back. "I was going to leave right after getting the mark I placed on Ella removed, but a lot of stuff happened. I ended up staying longer than I originally anticipated by chance."
"Oh," Kesh muttered, brow furrowing for a second. "That makes sense. Still terribly informal, but it does make sense."
"There will be more time for things like formalities later. Right now, I need to finish this book. It's part of my training for today."
"Is that so?"
"Yup."
"No need," a new voice noted, making both of them jump. "You've done enough for today."
Xaphile looked up to see Vordt leaning against one of the shelves, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. His face was skeptical, but there was something else that danced behind his eyes.
"I've only finished five of the books though," he protested, instantly sitting up straighter.
"That's your own fault for dozing off, and if you haven't forgotten, your goal was to read two."
Xaphile pouted a little, then sighed and rose to his feet, regarding the man with a faint expression of gratitude.
"Well, at any rate, thanks," he said, collecting the books. "I enjoyed the time I spent here."
"We'll make a few more visits in the future before your group departs," Vordt snorted. "Starting tomorrow, we'll resume your muscle exercises. If you do well with those, perhaps we can somehow fit another magic lesson into the schedule."
"Sounds like a plan," he murmured back, handing Vordt the books. "I look forward to it."
"Good. You'd better. Now, let's head back."
Xaphile nodded, then turned and waved at Kesh, who watched him with his head cocked to the side and his tail flicking back and forth.
"I'll see you later," he called, smiling a little. "Thanks for sharing your feelings with me."
Kesh returned the gesture with a deep bow of his head, smiling right back at him.
"Not at all."
Crisp night air washed across his face when he stepped outside. He heard beautiful voices trilling their music in harmony, punctuated by the sound of speech. It smelled faintly like a rainstorm was coming, and far in the distance he heard the unmistakable sound of thunder.
"Are they calling another storm?"
"Yes, they are. The joys that rainfall brings are many. We are wild, but we are also very playful creatures on occasion. Frolicking in the rain is a very common sight around here."
"Really?"
"Yes, fool. Calcoon is a rain forest only because my people sing the skies to life and call down storms for personal enjoyment. It is a selfish reason, but it is not without its wonders."
As he spoke, a flash of lightning lit up the darkening sky. The voices in the distance coalesced and more joined in, harmonizing beautifully and making the very air around him vibrate. Their song made him feel alive, vibrating the marrow of his being and sending shivers through him.
It was a lovely feeling.
"I love the sound of their voices," he absently sighed. "They sing like angels."
Vordt stopped walking and looked at him with a frown.
"Anyone here in the city would be honored to sing for you if you asked."
"No, I prefer to listen as they are now," Xaphile explained. "I feel weirdly happy when I hear your people singing. It just... I don't know. A piece of me feels safe, and another piece hungers to be a part of the song. But I don't know how to be a part of it, so I can only listen."
Vordt raised his eyebrow again, but chose not to respond and continued walking.
The trip back to the lodge was silent.
As was the flight across the lake.
All in all, though, it had been a really good day.