by Jill Cooper
The Last Library by Jill Cooper
A rebel girl with the hidden ability to read sets off to save the world one book at a time.
One girl, Tarnish Rose rescues what was meant to be destroyed. Finding an occasional book long forgotten, those heart-warming tales speak to her very soul and could land her in the hands of the Dark Lord Creighton.
Her ability to read is a closely guarded secret, but as the man she’s betrothed to is set to be killed for violating code of conduct, Tarnish finds her secret on the verge of being discovered.
Unable to let this happen, Tarnish is about to launch on the journey of her life not only to free him but to stop the Dark Lord Creighton himself. With the hunter death squads on her tail, she’ll rush for a waiting train and discover the world is full of secrets and join forces with other rebel librarians.
If the death hunters don’t get her first.
Copyright, All Rights Reserved, 2018. Jill Cooper
Published by: The Wooden Pen Press, INC
Cover: Ravven
Editor: Karen Boston
Prophecy of The Untold Times
In a land that time had forgotten, our futures wouldn’t be carved by stone. They would instead be written with a simple quill using the curves and lines of symbols long buried in the dark by those who would oppress us. These symbols formed stories long outlawed, for they brought creativity and hope to all who heard them.
These symbols, known as the alphabet, could strike fear in the Dark Lord Creighton and all he controlled. So, when man gave him the power to take shape and wield power over their kingdoms, he banished what could destroy him.
Art and music were the first to go. Creative play and the pursuit for knowledge was next. Then the books were burned, and the oral representation was punishable by death. Next up was secondary education, except for the rare few who fell on bended knee to the dark lord and his wielders of power.
The ministers ruled the cities and the death hunters enforced their laws as those in the cities fell into submission, while the rebels were pushed away from the cities and into the forgotten lands—a terrain so terrible, none were thought to survive it.
The people became two. Those ruled by the ministers became known as the Civilized while those living in the wild frontier of freedom without oppression, were considered Barbarians.
But humans will rise up again and unite once the story is told. The creative word will be unleashed, and she will be discovered. A girl with the power to destroy the Dark Lord Creighton because of her ability to create, to read.
A girl with the power to discover the Lost Library.
For she is the last curator of books and knowledge, and she shall be our savior.
--Christine Rose
Chapter One
Tarnish Rose
The hunters were on my tail. I had to be quick. I needed to make my escape.
The house was warm, thanks to a wood-burning stove and the thick black draperies hanging over the windows we passed. Through the cramped hallway covered in a pile of rugs, the short woman—Beth—ushered me along.
“This way, Tarnish! This way!” Beth ran ahead, glancing back to make sure I still followed.
I raced after her dark form, hidden by the folds of her black cloak, like the one I also wore. Time was short; outside, the hunters were out in force, waiting for me. I’d eluded them, but it was only a matter of time before they snared me. I carried the one thing they despised more than freedom.
I carried books.
I’d dressed simply so I wouldn’t stick out in a crowd. I’d been careless in forgetting to insert my special contacts—the ones that hid my unusual green eyes—and my stupidity had only endangered me more. My long brown hair was tucked deep inside the hood of my black robes, a brown belt cinched my waist and I hugged my messenger bag tight to my chest. Beth entered her cozy kitchen and led me past the large wooden table. She came to a halt at the end of the passage, then peeled back the heavy black curtain and I stepped into a hidden room.
“Stay safe,” she whispered as she drew the curtain shut behind me.
I had to hurry.
Beth’s family encircled me, her daughter, Diana, was waiting for me with outstretched hands. She, too, wore a robe like mine, and unlike the other people I have met in Efflestop—a town fallen on hard times—her brown eyes sparkled with life.
Diana’s offering to me was a book. A simple brown leather-bound book. And just seeing it caused my heart to flip. The edges curled with age, but the pages were still bound. As if by magic, somehow books found their way to me.
It was perfect.
My hands shook as I took the treasure from her. It was better than gold, or even the sweetest meal. I held it to my nose and gave it a deep sniff.
It smelled earthy, as I knew it would. It warmed my heart faster than a roaring fire.
“I found it hidden in the junkyard. I was chasing a mouse I thought to make a pet.” Diana’s eyes gleamed as though she had found the world’s most treasured possession. And by all accounts, she had. “As soon as I saw it I knew I had to save it for you.”
I smiled sweetly, but worried about her safety. “Thank you but you shouldn’t have. You put your life at risk. Please promise me, Diana, that you won’t do that again.” I bent down and stroked her chin, and held it a moment longer than necessary, hoping that she would understand what I was trying to say.
Her eyes grew sad and she tilted her head with remorse. “Can you read it to us?”
“Of course, I can.” Nothing would’ve made me happier.
“What does it say, Tarnish?” Diana bounced lightly on her feet, her mood shifting from sadness to delight in an instant. “What does it say?”
Two older men tightened the circle around as I licked my lips.
“When Aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife. The sun and wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they were gray also. She was thin and gaunt, and never smiled now. When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the child’s laughter that she would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy’s merry voice reached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find anything to laugh at.”
The older men fell silent. You could hear a pin drop as they listened so intently with excitement on their faces. Diana’s cheeks flushed with excitement and the men laughed for what must’ve been the first time in years.
As I read, the pages of the book glowed and cast a golden light not just on my face, but the faces of my audience. What was so special about this book that it lit up when I read the words? Whatever the reason, my heart shone with love, as though experiencing an awakening.
“There are pictures. In color.” How could we have been so lucky to have found one like this? I spun the book around so the gathered listeners could see the colorful illustrations done in gold and red. The pages were browned with age but you could still make out the golden etchings along the edges of the paper, bordering the images.
A scarecrow. A lion. A yellow brick road.
“Pictures! Actual pictures!!” Diana gasped and covered her mouth with her hands while the men teetered on their feet as though they may faint.
Jacob narrowed his eyes. “How is it you do that? How do you know what those letters say?”
William shook his head, worry in his eyes. “She’s reading,” he whispered. “Reading. We’ll go to the gallows for this, I am sure.”
“The hunters will come down from their towers for us. They’ll melt our innar
ds with one look from their soulless eyes. Snap us in half like brittle branches with their skeleton hands,” Jacob said.
I slammed the book shut and slid it into my messenger bag with my other treasures. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“When do we get to hear more, Tarnish?” Diana—my kindred spirit if ever I’d had one—asked with intent and expectant eyes.
“Soon, but I can’t stay here any longer and put you at risk. I’ll come back and read another chapter next time I pass by.”
“Please stay,” Diana touched my hand. “I love your eyes. I’ve never seen green eyes before except yours.”
One of the reasons I needed to go. My eyes had been green since I was born and the special contacts I wore kept me safe from scrutiny. They hurt—I truly hated them—but I slipped them in before I headed outside.
I blinked several times, trying to adjust to wearing the rough sand paper on my eyes. I bent over and stroked Diana’s cheek. “I’m sorry, dear one. I’ll be back again sometime, but I must get home. My father is waiting for me.” And if I was late, he’d worry himself into the ground for good this time.
My mind also lingered on my beloved George, the one I was set to marry. We had been apart for too long already and my heart longed to see him again—even if it shouldn’t. By the workmen and the ministers, if anyone found out how I felt about him….
Here, my mission to save the books came first. I couldn’t explain my compulsion; it was just something I needed to do. I pushed past the curtain heading back into the kitchen where Beth busied herself preparing a simple evening meal. Not much more than potatoes but in Efflestop that was pretty much all they had.
Beth wiped her hands on her robe and hurried after me as I moved past her and made for the door. “You’re not leaving, are you? What about dinner? What about them?” Beth whispered and glanced fearfully around the kitchen as though someone were about to jump out at them from the shadows. She reached out and grabbed both my arms, staring at me the way a mother would.
Her touch made me miss my momma.
I appreciated Beth’s concern for me but my worry for her and her family was much more powerful. “I can’t put your family at risk anymore. Tell Diana if she finds any more books…” The thought of the words I was about to say horrified me and I couldn’t bring myself to speak the them.
Don’t call. Don’t signal. Pretend you didn’t see them. Oh, I just couldn’t do it.
Instead, I nodded as Beth waited for an answer, her eyes wide and innocent. “Post a parchment in the town square. Something simple…a drawing of two black sticks and one gray one. I’ll know what it means next time I pass through, and I’ll know it’s from you.”
Hugging goodbye, Beth held me tightly, reluctant to let me go. “You be careful out there, Tarnish. Don’t let them get you.” When she pulled away her eyes shimmered with fear and concern, her lips turned down and the beginning of tears formed in her eye.
Poor Beth. I hated to upset her.
“Wish me luck. I need to brave the city. I need to get home.”
Beth eyebrows furrowed; I wasn’t sure she’d ever heard of luck. Maybe she hadn’t. Maybe none of us even had such a thing as luck before.
But maybe it was time for me to make some luck for all of us.
Chapter Two
Tarnish Rose
The bell gonged in the distance. The hunters were looking for me and using the fear of men to find me. When hunters smelled something they didn’t like, they never let go. If they caught me, I’d meet my end.
The city streets were dull and gray, nothing more than a slum. The cobblestones beneath my feet were cracked and broken, and the brick slab buildings around me hadn’t fared much better.
My feet splashed into the puddles collecting in the shattered bits of stone of the sidewalk as I pushed past the crowds of people. A shriek chased after me, a sound that brought pain and horror. I pushed on as the expressions on the faces around me turned to terror. Like me, they wore robes with hoods to protect their heads from the constant mist up above.
A group of citizens blocked my way. When I tried to move past, a man hollered, “They’re looking for someone!”
“Who are they looking for? Let’s give them what they want!”
“Move!” My teeth clenched as I yelled the words and pushed the gathered crowd apart, making my way through. If the hunters caught me, it’d be over. They didn’t believe in second chances.
Running fast, I hugged my bag tight and pulled my hood down lower around my brow. I couldn’t see the hunters, but the sky turned dark as they came, flying against the moonlight. They smelled me, they knew I was there, they knew what it was I possessed.
My body ached as I pushed past my comfort level and ran faster but I kept going, kept pushing. I wasn’t ready for life to be over. I was just getting started.
I turned left and raced down a narrow alley that dumped a few feet away from the train station. Here, a crowd of men and women shuffled along the street. Like me, every one of them wore black or gray, with a hood that covered their hair to protect them from the dewy mist lingering in the night sky.
The sky was gray, never blue. Sunlight was a thing of legend. From behind me came a shriek of terror. The death squad growing ever closer.
No matter how hard I pushed, I still lost ground.
I had to keep going. I charged up a hill, my boots sinking through the mud, as I made a break for the fence in my sights. Brown and splintered, the posts of the fence were broken, and I had to skirt the broken pieces before I came out the other side. I disappeared into a crowd of women with children, all sitting outside a school building.
In the distance, the bell continued to ring.
All around were signs that pointed in the direction of downtown and the local shops. The signs, however, have no words. Instead, everything is drawn out in pictures and symbols. There is no more written word—it was outlawed in the days of the reckoning when art, beauty, and books were banished from the land.
I run as fast as I can, my feet pounding the pavement. I turned down a dead-end street. There’s one house at the end and I’d stayed there before. A brown sign outside shows a symbol of sanctuary.
A little girl sat on the steps. She was dressed in a black robe and her hair was stuffed underneath her hood. Her eyes were haunted and sad as she gazed up at me. In her hand was a gray-and-white doll, hand stitched with fabric and stuffed with cotton. But he had no smile, and his eyes are black. All of it so lifeless, even for a doll.
The little girl could only clutch it. Playtime, make-believe, imagination, those are all things that were no longer tolerated, that were snuffed out by the hunters.
Before I reached the front door, the girl’s mother and aunts stepped outside. They waved their hands at me. “No, no. You’re not welcome here.”
“Please.” My anxiety-ridden voice ripped through the air. “They’re coming. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
They had to help me. Had to.
The mother scooped her daughter up into her arms while the aunt placed her hands on my chest to stop me. “You’ll only bring trouble here. Leave! Get away!” she hissed at me then rushed back inside.
I hurried toward them to make my way inside. How could she not help another person? “Please! The penalty is death. Death!”
She slammed the door on me and I grunted with frustration. I held my messenger bag tight across my chest, and I leapt over the fence into their neighbor’s back alley and crashed into a collection of trash barrels of varying size.
Could trash throw the hunters off my scent? I sure hoped so. One of the trash bins was only half full. It reeked of onions and day-old milk but I squished myself inside and placed the metal lid back onto the can.
I could take it if it meant I avoided being killed. I regulated my breath, the sound so loud it echoed in my ears. Lifting the lid ever so slightly with one finger, I peered out and saw three robed figures drifting by, investigating the area.
>
The hunters.
Being this close to them made my bones ache and my teeth chatter. The black robes they wore covered them entirely and they didn’t appear to have limbs—but something held the ropes around their waists up. I knew that if they looked in my direction, I’d be able to see their glowing eyes, buried deep inside their shrouds.
They circled, pausing as they looked for me under stairs and around every corner. As they stopped at the trash cans, I’m convinced I’m a goner.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and prayed. Please, move on. I shivered with fear. When they did move away, the release of anxiety is so strong that my eyes well up with tears.
Lifting the lid, I peeked around to make sure the coast was clear. Shivers ran up my skin as I got a good look at the sky. Free and clear. Relieved, I pulled myself out of the trash bin and went back the way I’d come. The little girl wasn’t back on the front steps, but her doll lay face down on the cobblestones.
I picked it up and placed it back onto the front step. I hoped one day she’ll know a better life than I do. What her family did, I couldn’t hold against them. They were scared, same as I was.
I didn’t have time to reflect too long; the frightening call of a hunter was at my back again and a mist of fog came with it, trying to flush me out.
Breaking out into a full-on run, I sped between buildings as the hunter gets closer to my position. Outsmarting him was harder than I’d thought it would be. I crossed two streets and the train tracks were in sight. I glanced at the clock hanging off of a brick building.
It’s coming. Oh, by the workmen, I’m going to miss the train!
Whistles pierced through the air, alerting the townsfolk to keep their distance as the Minister of City Affairs and his squad of deputies rushed in to control the crowd. If I could just get a little further ahead…just a little bit further…Then I felt the rumble of the train as it went on by—it didn’t even stop.
