Soul Goblet

by J. A. Culican

  “And so Beru had achieved his goal and found the stone long thought lost for the ages. But as he was returning, he was trapped within the cave by Dag’draath and his top lieutenants. Having already seen them approaching on the horizon, Beru had known what fate was about to befall him. Before the dark army could reach him, Beru hid the stone again. When he met at last with Dag’draath, it was him and him alone, his armies slaughtered outside by the overwhelming masses of ur’gels.

  "He fought with such skill, a warrior amongst warriors. It was more than any mere mortal could have accomplished. But Dag’draath and his forces were too much. Their inexorable advances proved so devastating during the time they fought that Suun received word Beru, too, had been lost to his enemy. Even though Beru held his own, Suun, now having lost his beloved and his most trusted ally despaired and went ahead with a new plan which did not require the stone, fearing for good reason that all had been lost to Dag’draath.”

  Stumbling, I nearly overbalanced. During my reading, each tablet had become higher and higher until I was standing on my tiptoes, stretching as far as I could read them. There was one more tablet, but it was too high.

  I could see it glowing, taunting me, yet not within my reach. I stretched my cramped toes, thinking about what I’d had read.

  Onen Suun’s top lieutenant had not betrayed him. He'd been caught, his army slaughtered, but through it all he had remained loyal and he had found the stone. It existed! Suun's original plan to trap Dag’draath had not been the one he used.

  Something bothered me.

  If there had been another plan involving a stone I'd always thought to be just another myth, maybe there was a way to trap Dag’draath other than how Suun had trapped him.

  I scanned the room again, wondering how someone could reach the books near the ceiling. Surely there must be a ladder or lift of some sort. But nothing obvious presented itself and a small growl of frustration escaped me. How much could I read and understand by jumping up and down? Then I remembered my satchel.

  I wrinkled my nose, grabbing two books off the shelf. I looked them over carefully. They appeared to be elementary primers for young students, which was perfect for what I needed. I opened my satchel, which currently contained my notebook and writing implements, and stacked them inside with it. Together, they would add several inches, and hopefully it would be all I’d need.

  Placing it underneath the tablet, still glowing as if it was waiting for me, I stepped up. I still needed to stretch slightly, but now I could at least read the text.

  “With the tablet and his most loyal subject lost, Suun’s original plan to kill the lieutenants and send Dag’draath to another planet was impossible. But not impossible was putting him into a stasis sleep, until the time when the stone or another plan could be found. As the gods are immortal, Onen knew even with his enormous powers it would be impossible to end Dag’draath's life on his own.”

  I slowly fell back on my heels, done. The original plan had been to send Dag’draath to another planet, removing him from ours completely. It would have been far better than what had happened, and the prison wouldn’t now be breaking. Assuming, of course, he was unable to ever return. I looked at the wall, expecting to see another tablet light up, but there was nothing. Apparently, the story the Library wanted me to read was finished.

  What had I gleaned? Several new, important facts. Firstly, no matter what the stories said about Beru, the tablets were evidence he’d likely never faltered in his devotion to his lord. Secondly, Suun had trapped Dag’draath in stasis only to buy time, not to remove him for good. The solution he’d found required the stone Beru Halsted had found and re-hidden when Dag’draath’s army confronted him.

  Was that why things were failing now? Not because Suun had done something wrong, but because it was only supposed to be a temporizing measure until he had the stone?

  Chapter 15

  I stepped off my bag and put the books back on the shelf, luckily no worse for the wear. I had no reason to believe the Library could talk, but still had the sensation of being watched.

  "Thank you for showing me about Beru," I spoke aloud to the room, turning slowly on the off chance an answer would come, and wanting to see where it originated if so. "So, Onen wanted the stone. Is it still possible to send Dag’draath away, somewhere else, and end this if I find it?"

  The room remained silent and I exhaled. I was ridiculous, talking to myself and pretending I was talking to the room. And yet. The sensation of being watched and potentially judged wouldn't leave me. I swung my bag back across my shoulder, tucking it behind me, and looked around the room again.

  The deep grinding sound of a heavy stone caused me to turn around. The door had reappeared and along with it, Jarid. He raced in, looking panicked and short of breath, like someone was chasing him. He leaned over, bracing himself on his knees as he desperately gulped the stale air inside the room. In between his efforts to breathe, he looked up at me with wide eyes.

  "Luban is coming," he panted.

  I came closer, tentatively touching his back, which was unpleasantly sticky.

  "Are you all right? Where’s Sel?"

  Jarid waved his hand behind him toward the door, which thankfully hadn’t disappeared yet. "Yes. Fine. Sel’s outside. Nothing. Except Luban. Sel. Holding off. We must go. He's. Furious."

  It took me a moment to interpret Jarid's one- and two-word sentences. When I did, I crossed my arms and scowled.

  "What do I care if Luban is coming? Wasn’t he the one who told you to show me whatever I wished to see?"

  Jarid’s eyes remained wide and fearful.

  "We weren't supposed to be here. I wasn't even supposed to show you the book on dragon history."

  Less breathless now, it became easier to understand him. But it didn't change how I felt.

  "I don't care. If the Library showed it to me, I was meant to see it." I punctuated my sentence with one emphatic head nod.

  Jarid looked down, lips pressed together.

  It was clear that no matter what I said, he didn’t agree with me.

  I didn't care.

  We’d passed the tests to get here and find the room in the first place, which he hadn’t even known existed. If the Library really was alive the way he made it seem, obviously I had just as much right to be here as Luban or anyone else.

  Instead of arguing with me, he stopped, looking around with wonder. His breathing had returned to normal levels and he was obviously as impressed by the room as I’d been when I’d entered. Unlike me, though, he gravitated toward the pedestal.

  I turned to the closest bookshelf, figuring I may as well find what I could while I had the chance. If the Head Librarian was going to arrive and yell at me, I didn’t have much time.

  Leaving Jarid to the pedestal, I scanned the row next to my bag. If Jarid’s suspicions about Luban were correct, it was unlikely I was going to get a chance to do any extensive research in the room.

  What would be worth spending my final few minutes on?

  I’d already determined Suun had an entirely different plan involving a stone tablet from legend to send Dag’draath to another planet.

  What could I read that could provide any information in the time I had left?

  Then something caught my attention.

  Sitting beside the two books I’d replaced after boosting myself was a small, red velvet-bound book, even smaller than my notebook. It shouldn’t have seemed unusual. It was a small red book, tucked between ordinary reference texts. I wouldn't have noticed it, but something about it glowed, as if the red of the velvet hid a fire within its depths.

  I found myself reaching out, picking it off the shelf cautiously. It felt like a normal book in size and shape, but it almost thrummed in my hand, as if it was emitting heat or had a heartbeat. I pulled it in, cradling it against my body, then another book caught my eye. It, too, was small, but, unlike the first book, was bound in dark blue. If it seemed the red velvet book gave off heat and light, then
this one appeared to absorb it.

  The moment my hand touched it, the unmistakable sound of Sel shouting just outside the door interrupted my trance and I made a split-second decision. I didn’t have time to read the red book now, which was written in a language I wasn’t familiar with, so I tossed it in my satchel inside my notebook. It was the perfect size to hide between the pages.

  I snatched the blue one, glancing at the door, and flipped to the first page. It was enough to tell me what I'd hoped as the name Onen Suun jumped out at me from the first line.

  The scrape of stone grinding against stone echoed through the room and I shoved this book into my tunic. I didn't know what kind of man Luban was, and while my bag may be searched, I was hoping my person wouldn't be. Hopefully, I’d succeed in sneaking at least one of the books out.

  I stood, moving from the wall where I’d been to stand beside Jarid, who was moving just as rapidly away from the book on the pedestal. We stood together, defiantly waiting to see if the noises originating from the other side of the door were who we expected.

  "I'm sorry. I held him off as long as I could."

  An apologetic Sel bowed his head as the door swung open, revealing the angriest Librarian I’d ever seen.

  "It's okay. He's the Head Librarian after all. He has every right to be here. Luban." I greeted him respectfully, hoping if I played dumb it would defuse his ire. But Luban was having none of it. His face was so red it was almost purple, and I was sure it wasn't healthy for anyone to have veins pulsing so prominently on their temple.

  Did Librarians have veins burst?

  "What in the name of the Lost Tombs of the Sisters do you think you're doing in here?"

  Luban glared at me, but swiftly turned his fury toward Jarid when he saw him cowering next to me.

  He dropped to one knee, bowing his head as he apologized. "I'm sorry, sir, but the reference text…"

  Before he could get the whole sentence out, Luban had snarled and strode across the room, slapping him on the back of the head. The crack rang through the otherwise silent room and I winced, knowing the blow must have hurt.

  Jarid crouched at the Librarian’s feet, flinching as he covered the side of his head which had been hit. His shoulders were rounded as he cringed, glanced up as he apologized. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know. You told me to show her everything she required. I used the reference text as I’ve been taught, that’s all…"

  Luban cuffed Jarid on the opposite side of his head, and his other hand went up to shield his head.

  I couldn’t watch any more of the abuse and tried to intercede.

  "Sir! How were we to know this was unacceptable? When we last spoke, I told you what I was looking for. Am I to assume you didn't mean what you’d said about Jarid helping me find whatever I needed? What type of hospitality is this, in the greatest Library in the world? Your young scribe here has been most helpful. The books I have found for reference have not found me the answers I sought yet, but I believe I’m close. Surely, if I passed the tests to get where we are now it means I’m supposed to have the information, does it not? Or am I to believe the Library does not have a say in what happens here?"

  I raised an eyebrow, channeling my mother as accurately as I could. If all my friends called me a princess, surely, I could use my upbringing and her haughtiness for something.

  The moment the words left my mouth, I could tell I had misjudged Luban. A flicker in his eyes gave him away when I mentioned the Library had allowed me.

  Maybe I wasn't supposed to know?

  Luban turned his ire toward me. He looked me up and down, sneering as he did.

  "You told me simply that you were looking for a book, not that you were about to stir up something you have no business getting yourself involved in. You are a stupid, foolish elf." His words dripped with icy anger. "Go back to where you came from. Back to the cliffs where the low elves live. You are too stupid and foolish to understand what it is you are messing with. Go home and get married."

  Chapter 16

  I blinked, realizing I’d never been spoken to in such a dismissive manner. I was used to my family ruling me out as attractive marriage material while simultaneously attempting to marry me off, but I’d never been written off as a foolish girl before.

  It stung.

  Perhaps because my brain was the feature I valued most about myself.

  "That's not very polite." I trailed off lamely, stunned not only by his hostility, but at having a stranger tell me what I'd been hearing for years from my family.

  Luban looked close to physically attacking me, and it was obvious I wasn't the only one who thought so because before I could say anything else, Sel and Jarid flanked me.

  "Get out! Get out, now."

  Luban’s face was now a vicious mask. I opened my mouth, then thought better of it at the frightened way Jarid hunched forward, avoiding eye contact with him.

  I ducked my head as well, heading for the door while giving Luban a wide berth in case he made good on my concerns about a physical threat. While I’d learned how to fight somewhat during my travels, I wasn't eager to challenge someone so furious, especially on their own turf when I still needed access to the Library.

  I pushed the door, fully expecting to enter the forest, but to my shock, the door swung open to the same hallway I remembered from earlier, when I'd first begun my search for the symbols outside the reading room.

  Jarid avoided my questioning eyes, walking at a brisk pace down the hall.

  I had to jog to keep up.

  Sel and his longer legs had no such problem.

  "What just happened?" I whispered to Jarid, but he didn't answer.

  He seemed to be trying to place as much distance between us and Luban as possible. Had I ruined everything for him? I hoped not. He'd seemed to understand from the moment he’d given me that book this was a possible outcome but had helped anyway. He was braver than I might have been in the same situation, especially when I didn't understand the workings of the Library in as much detail as he did.

  We were almost at the lobby when I put my hand on his arm and stopped him.

  "Jarid, I just wanted to say thank you. You took a big chance today, and it means a lot."

  His lips quirked in a half-smile, but he looked down, brushing aside my appreciation. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll calm down in a while."

  His eyes slid away from me and from the way he looked nervously toward where we’d last seen Luban, he didn’t seem sure at all.

  I left the Library with my faithful shadow Sel a few feet behind. I was strangely humiliated by what had happened. It was uncomfortable, like I’d been caught defacing an important monument. I hardly saw the streets or felt the cobblestone under my feet as I sifted through my uncomfortable emotions.

  But what I saw in front of the hotel caused my heart to stop, yanking me out of my head more completely than anything else could have done. A small circle of onlookers was in front of the hotel, almost an exact repeat of the day before, except for the fear gripping me by the throat.

  In the center of the circle, the focus of all the bystanders, was the slaver.

  And Gwen was pinned beneath him.

  I leapt forward, only to halt when I noticed she wasn't alone.

  Will had returned at some point during the day and moved to intercede just as she slipped out of the slaver’s grasp. She twisted in a way that looked almost magical, squirming into a position behind him which allowed her to kick out hard with her legs. She sent the slaver sprawling into the dirt, almost knocking over one of the onlookers on his way to the ground, where a puff of dirt made a small cloud on impact.

  "Let me help you!"

  Will yelled at her, but she waved him away, her face tight with anger.

  "You have to let the wolves go. They’re basically gone already. The minute he wants something, he won’t stop until he gets it."

  "No!" she snapped.

  To my shock, she hauled off, pulling back her arm before letting it
fly, her fist neatly connecting with his nose.

  As though she’d pressed a button, blood spewed from his face, all over the front of his uniform tunic as I covered my mouth.

  I had to intervene.

  If I didn't, someone was going to get hurt, or worse. I just wasn't sure if it would be him, her, or the slaver.

  After her impressive punch, I was a little less worried about her than I was for Will.

  I weaved my way through the crowd until a tug on my arm stopped me. I turned, irritated, but came to a standstill when Jarid appeared behind me.

  "Jarid? Why aren’t you at the Library?"

  He looked around furtively before extending his hand.

  Perplexed, I put my hand out to accept what was in his palm. When I felt the crinkle of paper, I became even more confused.

  "What is this? Where did you get it?"

  A blush spread rapidly across his face and he looked away. After a moment, he met my eyes with difficulty. "I was supposed to. Well, I had to." He shrugged, blush firmly intact. "I know it was a big day, so I'm not sure how much you believe, but it was almost like the book told me to."

  I accepted the paper dumbly, not understanding a single thing that was happening, but before I could open it, a yelp came from the center of the crowd. This time, it sounded like Swift. Without looking at the paper, I opened my bag and stuffed it in with my notebook and the other books and headed for the center where the action was.

  "You son of the spawn of Neira…"

  Gwen practically spat the epithet, but didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because the slaver backhanded her violently across the mouth. I winced when she spat blood at him, but she didn't appear upset at all.

  Will had backed off and was now standing at the side of the loose crowd, holding his nose while he glared at her. He clearly wasn’t going to help her now.

  I didn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I could tell by the fact that the slaver was raising his hand again he wasn't about to let her go without creating as much damage as he could.