The Keeper of the Shores bowed to them. “I shall return to my duties now. Should you have the chance to face the Gathering, you will have at least one vote in your favor. Mine. It was given automatically when I allowed you in. I do not think we shall meet again, but one never knows for certain. It was a pleasure to meet you all.”
With the purple-winged eirsenda following silently behind, the Keeper of Scrolls led them to a door on the west side of the library, which opened into a tunnel that took them into the squat, smaller domed building. It was styled in the same manner as the Main Library, with each level a gallery and the center open all the way up, except in this building the dome did open above to the lower levels, all ten of them. But there were no stairs nor any other methods for reaching the different levels. On each of the levels there were many doors, all of them closed. The dome above was not obsidian as he’d expected, but some sort of thick glass that was clear from the inside but dark on the outside. The last rays of the setting sun added an ominous crimson glow to the lantern light.
“The first floor contains our guest rooms. There is a free room for each of you. Baths have already been drawn. Tunics of appropriate size will soon be brought to you. We ask that you remain quiet and respectful. My brothers sleep on the level above you. Remember, it is we who will vote on and decide your fate if the Great Librarian looks upon you favorably.”
Enashoma volunteered to share a room with Kurine and take care of her. Iniru offered to come help her, though she took a different room.
“I will stay outside with the hounds,” said Motekeru, “and guard you all.”
“I assure you that we will not harm you,” said the Keeper of Scrolls. “The Keeper of the Hearth —” he gestured to the purple-winged one “— shall see to your needs.”
“You have your duty,” Motekeru said. “I have mine.”
The Keeper of Scrolls nodded solemnly, and then departed.
“I will remain out here at all times, should you need anything,” said the Keeper of the Hearth.
Turesobei walked into a warm room lined with reed mats on the floor and heavy tapestries on the walls. A single lantern blazed on the far wall. A copper bathtub sat on one side of the room, while a plush sleeping mat was rolled out on the other. There was a desk for writing and a few empty shelves for storing books and clothes. Heat poured into the room through vents in the wall, which was probably why Turesobei was sweating under his clothes already. This was the warmest place he’d been in since he’d arrived in the Ancient Cold and Deep.
“Wow, this is nicer than my room back home.”
“But the neighbors are stinky mean,” Lu Bei whispered. “And weird. But Keepers are like that.”
“You know about them?”
“From long ago. Never expected that’s what guarded this place. Master disliked the lot of them.”
“Why?”
“Because they would never give him what he wanted,” Lu Bei replied. “Only if the Keeper of Destiny ordains it can you gain access to anything they guard, even if all you want is to examine it. Master found this inconvenient, for they guarded many treasures he would have liked to have, or at least study.”
“Chonda Lu wouldn’t just take what he wanted from them?”
“Do not underestimate the Keepers. A Keeper is nearly a match against a Kaiaru. And just because he didn’t like them or their methods, don’t think that Master didn’t respect the Keepers’ mission to protect things that shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. And the eirsenda and the Kaiaru had a long-standing agreement not to fight against one another.”
Turesobei peeled off his many layers of clothing and climbed into the steaming water. He felt as if he’d formed an outer skin of ice and that it was now melting away.
“Ohhhh, I have missed baths and heat so much. This might just be Paradise. Warm baths, warm rooms, millions of books.”
He pushed all the worries he had from his mind — Kurine, getting home, the great shadow, the Keepers — all of it. He needed to rest and relax, or he’d never get through this.
Lu Bei sat on the edge of the tub and dipped his feet in with a sigh. “I wish they’d give us a week — a whole week to rest.”
“I know, but Kurine won’t last that long.”
“You’ll convince them to help us and get her cured, master. I know you will.”
“I don’t know. This time … this time may be different. I wish this was something I could solve with a spell or a daring plan, but it’s not. And the shadow from my nightmares … I think it’s a dragon. And it’s here … somewhere.”
Chapter Forty-Six
A tap sounded on the door. Startled awake, Turesobei sloshed water out of the bathtub as he nearly jumped.
“Come in!”
Lu Bei popped back into fetch form — he had been lying on the sleeping mat — and rubbed his eyes. Lu Bei only needed sleep when injured, but he enjoyed napping.
Motekeru stepped into the room carrying a second towel and a saffron-colored tunic.
“Oh, it’s you,” Lu Bei said, and he turned back into a book.
“I offered to distribute the clothes,” said Motekeru, “so that I could check on everyone.”
“Thank you, Motekeru. That was … that was incredibly thoughtful.”
Motekeru nodded. “Of course, master.”
“You know, when I first met you, I thought you’d be nothing but a killing machine, since that’s what you were made to be.”
“Master … Chonda Lu … he did not like for me to be anything else.”
“Because you were once an enemy and he wanted to keep punishing you?”
“Yes, master.”
“What did you do?” Turesobei asked.
“I killed one of his lovers, an assassin named Shi-Kun. Chonda Lu sent her after my liege. She was supposed to be unbeatable, but I stopped her. After he found out, Chonda Lu unleashed his full might against us. Once we were defeated, he made me into what I am now, so that I could always guard him.”
“That’s awful, truly awful.” Sometimes Turesobei was completely embarrassed to be Chonda Lu’s heir. “I’m so sorry that he did that to you.”
“That is why I gladly serve you, master. Because you are everything a liege should be.”
“I am honored, Motekeru. But you don’t have to serve me. You can be free once we return. You can do whatever you wish.”
“What would I do? In this form, there will never be joy for me. Before, I wanted to be left in limbo. Now, I choose to help you. I trust you to always do what’s right.”
Motekeru bowed and left. Turesobei said to Lu Bei, “You two didn’t get along because of Chonda Lu?”
Lu Bei returned to fetch form, and sighed. “That was part of it.”
“And the rest?”
“We are very different beings, Motekeru and I. He wasn’t always this casual, carefree, lighthearted, and friendly, you know. And the bigger reason is that by the time I came along, Master had tired of giving the orders to Motekeru himself. It no longer brought him the same old pleasure it once had. So …”
“You were the one who had to deliver the orders?”
“No one likes the messenger that brings bad news. Motekeru doesn’t like killing, not humans anyway, even if he’s made for it. He hated me because he couldn’t refuse the orders. There must be at least a dozen spells inside Motekeru binding him to Chonda Lu. Master bragged to me once that not even he could break the spells and free Motekeru.”
Turesobei got out of the bath and dressed in the saffron silk tunic, belting it at the waist. The tunic went down to his knees. He drew the sandals Motekeru had brought him onto his feet, and wound the cross-gartered straps up his calves.
“After all those thick clothes for weeks, I feel absolutely naked in this. Honestly, it’s way too little for decorum. No one in our world wears anything this skimpy, except to bed. Are they going to make the girls wear these, as well? Even I don’t think that would be decent — Narbenu’s going to lose his mind
.”
“I think he might be too exhausted to — no, you’re right. He’s going to throw a fit.”
Turesobei went to Kurine and Shoma’s room and tapped on the door. Iniru opened it. She wore a burgundy tunic that was no longer than Turesobei’s. He’d seen her in less: her shorts and shirt that she wore under her uniform. But he wasn’t supposed to have seen her in so little, even though it wasn’t truly revealing.
She was stunning. He’d seen so little of her on the ice, except when he’d healed her that night, that he’d forgotten how beautiful her red-brown fur was, how supple her muscled limbs were.
A hint of playfulness danced in her eyes, and she started to smile — but then stopped. “Gonna stare at me all day long?” she whispered. It took him a moment to shake his head. “Good, because it wouldn’t be right to do that in here with your betrothed.”
“How is she?” Turesobei asked.
“Getting worse.”
Enashoma joined them. Her tunic was solid black.
“You look beautiful, Little Blossom.”
“I feel —”
“Naked?”
She nodded.
“I know.”
“You baojendari!” Iniru said.
“You’ve got to admit,” Turesobei said, “that after all that cold weather gear …”
“That even I feel naked?” Iniru asked. “No, I feel free at last. That was torture.”
“Enjoy it while you can,” Lu Bei said. He landed beside Kurine and looked her over. “This doesn’t look good, master.”
“I’m going to do one more poison delay spell on her,” Turesobei said, kneeling beside Lu Bei. “Diminished returns, I know. I can’t heal her anymore. I’ve done all I can.”
“Master, her fevers have been high. The longer this takes … a cure may not be enough. She may die anyway … or … or be irreparably damaged.”
“I know.” Turesobei cast the spell on her. He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m doing all I can for you. Hang in there.”
Motekeru entered. “Master, you are needed.”
The Keeper of Scrolls waited for him outside. “The Great Librarian will see you now. You and your fetch. The others should wait here. Their presence is unnecessary.”
“She doesn’t want to interview us all?” Turesobei asked.
“You are the only one who matters to her,” the Keeper of Scrolls replied.
Motekeru stepped forward, but Turesobei raised a hand. “I’ll be fine. We are at their mercy anyway. Stay here with the others. Tell them where I’ve gone.”
Turesobei followed the Keeper of Scrolls back into the library and up the spiraling staircase. He suspected the Keeper was merely climbing the stairs now for Turesobei’s benefit. It was strange, because even though no one used these stairs, they were polished and entirely free from dust. The guest rooms, which could not have been used in centuries, were in perfect condition. Nothing here had deteriorated, and everything was kept spotless. But maybe that was what the Keepers did to occupy their time.
At the final level, the Keeper walked through the stacks to a place where a ladder led up to a trapdoor. “Go up. The door will open for you. She will be occupied. You must wait for her to acknowledge you.”
Turesobei climbed the ladder. He reached the top and was about to push on the trapdoor, but it flipped open on its own. He climbed into a room capped by a glass dome. In the center of the room stood a tall woman with a baojendari frame but incredibly angular features: a sharp jaw, high cheekbones, deep-set eyes. Living tattoos in silvery blue ink danced across her pale, parchment-colored skin. She was naked, so he could see that the tattoos covered nearly every inch of her body. Blue-black hair cascaded down her back, all the way onto the floor, like a cape. Her eyes were a solid scarlet that matched the kavaru embedded into her navel.
The moment he saw the channeling stone and felt its power, Turesobei and Lu Bei whispered her name at the same time.
“Ooloolarra.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Turesobei and Lu Bei glanced sharply at one another. Yet again, he had recognized a Kaiaru instinctively. But unlike the eidakami-ga, this was a real Kaiaru, the first he had ever met, or at least the first who hadn’t become a dragon.
Ooloolarra, the Great Librarian, didn’t give any sign that she’d noticed their entrance. She was observing a section of the glass interior of the dome. The entire surface was alive with text in all sorts of languages and sizes constantly scrolling and shifting.
Turesobei bowed and knelt on a cushion that sat nearby, he assumed for this purpose. Lu Bei flew around examining the text. Turesobei gestured for Lu Bei to kneel beside him, but Lu Bei gave him his “whatever” look and carried on. Turesobei tried to read the text while he waited. Every now and then, he spotted characters from a language he knew, but it would scroll away too fast for him to read any of it.
He tried hard not to stare at Ooloolarra. He failed. Not because she was naked … not just because she was naked … but because the shifting tattoos mesmerized him. Like most Kaiaru, her form was unique. Chonda Lu had been one of the few who’d taken on an almost entirely normal human appearance.
Over an hour had passed when suddenly she turned and said, “Chonda Lu, my old friend. I never expected you to come here seeking my help.”
“I am not Chonda Lu,” he said, bowing. “I am Chonda Turesobei.”
Her eyes darted to Lu Bei. “I suppose you are … Chonda Turesobei.” She made a gesture, and then peered at a specific spot on the glass dome. Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she bit her lip. Turesobei followed her gaze to the section of now-frozen text, but he couldn’t read it.
“You are Lu Bei, yes?”
“I am, Madam Ooloolarra. Don’t you remember? We have met before, on numerous occasions.”
“Oh, I remember,” she said. “But I just wanted to be sure. You were much smaller then, and didn’t have the Mark of the Storm Dragon on your chest.”
“Some of the energies Master took in when he absorbed the Storm Dragon’s Heart bled into me. I grew and gained a little power.”
“You can turn into a book,” she said with a spark in her eyes. Her lips curled into a smile. “I never knew that before.”
Lu Bei frowned with worry. “Master wished me to hide that from you.”
“Oh, I am certain he did. But now I know.” She nodded toward the dome. “Now I know … well, almost everything. Everything written throughout history is here on my screen. There is a lot to read through. Stand please, my brother. We are all siblings, the Kaiaru.” After Turesobei stood, Ooloolarra stepped in close … and stroked a hand across his cheek. Her breasts lightly brushed against him. He averted his eyes and tried to keep his focus. “You even look a lot like him. You know, we were always friends, Lu and I.”
“Friends?” Lu Bei said. “That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
“Well, we were not enemies. We helped each other on many occasions. For a Kaiaru, that amounts to friendship, wouldn’t you say?”
Lu Bei shrugged. “It’s true that you weren’t enemies.”
“I hear some of the other members of Chonda Lu’s … menagerie … are with you. Though Rig and Ohma were before your time, as I recall.”
“Indeed, madam.”
“And Motekeru is here.” She shuddered.
“I summoned them by accident before we came through the gate,” Turesobei said.
“Child, nothing in your brief life has been by accident. Everything has been to Chonda Lu’s design. I am sure of that.”
“The big destiny I can’t understand,” Turesobei said. “I know. But Lu Bei returned too soon.”
“That’s true,” Lu Bei said.
“Is it?” Ooloolarra asked. “I wonder. Just because you returned before Lu said you would doesn’t mean it’s earlier than he desired.” She gestured and another cushion appeared from nowhere. “I have stood a long time. Too long. Perhaps a week, I think. Come, let us sit and talk for a while. You ar
e no doubt full of questions. I am guessing you do not understand the nature of the Ancient Cold and Deep, is that correct?”
He nodded as she sat lotus-style across from him. She was terribly close. He shifted uncomfortably, and mostly kept his eyes averted.
“My nakedness bothers you?”
“All of this bothers me,” he replied. “But yes, especially that.”
She delicately touched her cheek and batted her eyes. “You don’t think I’m beautiful?”
“You are — very much so.” He kept trying to look away. “It’s just that … um …”
“Master is confused by everything here,” Lu Bei said, coming to the rescue.
“Is that so?” Ooloolarra said.
Turesobei nodded. “I’m in a strange place, and I’ve never encountered a Kaiaru before, and yes, you are naked and I’m … unused to that. It’s not proper in my society.” He had actually never seen a woman naked before. “I’m sorry.”
“Do not be, then.” Chuckling, she scooted a little farther away and placed her hands in her lap. He realized then that she had been toying with him.
“What is this place, really?” he asked. “The Ancient Cold and Deep … it’s not exactly what I expected.”
“This realm is a duplicate of the part of Okoro you call Zangaiden and some of the ocean beyond it. This perfect copy was placed in a pocket dimension separated out from the normal world. Every snowflake in that portion of Okoro, every book, every living being … duplicated and placed in this little dimension with its finite boundaries leading off into nothingness. And yet despite that, the world functions just as you would expect. The sun and moons rise, the wind blows, and life goes on. The original Zangaiden and all its inhabitants went on living their normal lives in their normal world, completely unaware of what had been done. They experienced nothing more than a mild earthquake and a wave of vertigo.”
Turesobei shook his head. “But that’s … that’s just …”
“Ridiculous?” she suggested.
Storm Phase Series: Books 1-3 Page 90
