by Bill Albert
“I know,” Blinks suddenly shouted and pointed down an aisle. “Get it to go that way,” he pointed.
“Why that way?”
“I explored this aisle before. There are recipes for honey here,” he said and ran off before she could respond. With no better options, she backed down the aisle.
The beat swiped at her a few times and increased its pace. With only her to fight it was better able to sense her moves and got closer.
A massive swing from the bear’s claw barely missed her and tore through a dozen books.
Lincilara continued to beat on its head.
She struck the bear with her club and heard cracking from its shoulder. It stumbled and its pace slowed a bit but was still centered on attacking her.
She took a quick peak over her shoulder wondering exactly what Blinks was doing. She winced as the razor-sharp claw cut into her arm and tried to pull back as the bear lurched forward. She focused on the bear’s jaw and chopped with all her might. She hit her target dead on and heard more cracking, but the jaw was open wide, and the club was embedded inside. The bear had a good grip on her weapon and with incredible strength jerked its head back and forced her to let go. Sensing it had an advantage it started to move at her faster.
She’d backed away a few steps when she suddenly heard a cheer from Blinks. She looked behind her expecting to see him coming but there was only an empty aisle. Before she could consider anything else Lincilara was suddenly at her shoulder smiling and shaking her fist.
“Get it!” the fairy called.
Coming down from above like a maniac Blinks landed hard on the bears back. He spiked his flame sword down on the bears skull and it howled so loud the nearby shelves shook. It dropped Angelia’s club and she quickly retrieved it. The bear stood up on its hind legs and clawed at the air sending Blinks tumbling onto the floor. Blinks held the flame sword pointed up at the bears chest as it froze, the effects of the casting gone, and it was a badly damaged, but now harmless, stuffed bear.
They all paused for a moment, sure that it was not a trick, then started to relax. Blinks took a breath and let the point of his flame sword stop when several hundred pounds of stuffed bear came unbalanced and crashed down on top of him.
It wasn’t just the massive weight of the bear the broke him but the burning of the flame sword that caused him to cry out in pain. With an arm pinned down he was unable to move immediately, and Angelia quickly tried to roll the bulky object off him. Despite her own strength, Angelia could not match the bulk of the former beast and it took a casting in just the right place from what Lincilara that set him free. The three of them backed away and Blinks ground his teeth and shook to control his pain.
“It’ll be okay, the cast on the armor is healing the wound. It’ll only take a few minutes,” he answered the look in Angelia’s eyes then pulled the orange cloth from where it was hidden in a pouch and stuffed it into the terror. “You’d better go.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” she said but stop suddenly when the smell of his fresh blood reached her senses. She felt her own heart increase as she breathed heavily and licked her teeth and fangs. Her lips trembled at the sight of his bloodied side.
“I’ll stay here and protect him,” Lincilara said bobbing up and down.
Angelia clenched her fists and felt the desire for blood rise in her. She closed her eyes and her fangs glistened in the light of the library. With a sudden hiss from her throat she rose and walked away.
Blinks watched her go without saying a word. Then he laid back but flinched at the pains from the claw marks on his side. He tried to relax and let the casting work, but his thoughts followed Angelia.
It took nearly a half hour before he could stand and walk comfortably. Lincilara stayed fluttering in circles around him the entire time. Had anything moved anywhere in that part of the library she would have known.
Blinks got to his feet and started walking the direction Angelia had gone. Lincilara turn invisible but he could hear her wings fluttering near him.
“Where did she go?” Blinks asked after a few aisles had been found empty.
“I don’t know. I can smell her anywhere,” Lincilara said mystified. “The older of your blood is too strong.”
They stopped, looked at each other, then realized where Angelia would be. They turned and sprinted right back to where they had left the bear. Angelia stood there, her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the bloodstained floor. Blinks said nothing but held a handout to her. She looked up at him guiltily before she stretched out her hand and he could see the light blood stain spread across her fingertips. Blinks gently took her hand, kissed her fingers, then pulled her away from the location.
Without saying a word, they traveled as quickly as they could. It wasn’t long before the invisible fairy caught their attention.
“There! Behind you! To the left,” she whispered, and they took a few steps back and look to one side. They were relieved to see a flight of stairs going up to the third floor. If they gleaned from one side to the other the steps could not be seen. It was only visible from a single isolated angle and direction.
They hurried towards it and quickly climbed up to the third level. Here it was impossible to see the walls and the ceiling. It looked as if this portion of the library extended for ever in every direction. There was light of various colors in different areas, but it was impossible to see any light sources. There was also a distinct aroma of cinnamon when they look in one direction but an apple aroma when they face the other.
“It smells wonderful,” Lincilara whispered at first but changed to a shout. “There’s someone coming!”
“Where?” Blinks asked.
“This way,” she called and fluttered loudly pass them. They follow her direction and saw a person approaching at a run. They ready their weapons and decided needed to advance no retreat from this position.
As the figure neared, they could see sparkling, blurred lights approaching with the figure and soon they could hear her voice.
“I found it,” Angelia said as her figure became distinct. “I have the way to free the fairies.” She said waving a book, but she stumbled and came to a stop as she came to a stop and stared at the mirror image next to Blinks.
He glanced back and forth at the two identical Angelia’s standing around him. He looked for some differences to identify which one was which. He looked deeply into their eyes but there was no difference in the way they looked back.
“Rats,” Blinks said.
“Blinks, trust me, that’s Marassa,” the one nearest to him claimed.
“No! She’s Marassa!” The one holding the book charged.
“Now, this is an interesting situation,” Blinks said trying to look cool but failing at it. “One of you is an evil woman in disguise, the other is not. One of you is going to try to kill me, the other is not. One of you is an evil woman in disguise, the other is… Well, the other is an Other. The question is how can I tell you apart?” He asked looking back and forth between them. “Seriously, how can I tell you apart?”
“I have the book,” one Angelia said. “This will tell us what we need to know.”
“You must be the real Angelia,” Blinks said confidently stepping towards her. “Only the real one would know we came to the library for a book.”
“For goodness sake, it’s a library!” The other Angelia yelled in frustration. “Why else would we come to a library?”
“That is correct,” Blinks said stepping away from the Angelia holding a book.
“I kissed you,” Angelia said looking at him with great concern.
“You must be the real Angelia,” he said stepping towards the other.
“Blinks!” The opposite woman shrieked. “She’s been in the library a long time! She knows how to get around and she shifted shape, she could easily have seen is kissing.” “That is correct,” Blinks said stepping away from the Angelia not holding the book. Casually he slid the flame sword into its sheath and crosses
arms. “That’s, of course, is our dilemma. Luckily, I have everything under control.” He held his hands in front of him and with his palms open flats he called, “Lincilara!”
“Here,” the fairy became visible 3 feet above and in front of him.
Blinks looked up at her and then down at his hands twice before she realized where she was supposed to be and landed on his palms. “Lincilara has an incredible sense of smell. Tell me, Lincilara, which one is the real Angelia?”
Lincilara looked back and forth between the two figures. She brushed her hair back as she watched them and finally turned to face Blinks.
“I have no idea,” she answered with wide set eyes. “Every place you check has a strong aroma to it. It’s overwhelming. One of them smells like pumpkins she said pointing to the Angelia with the book. “The second smells like an evergreen tree.”
“Of course,” Blinks said letting his hands drop and retrieving the flame sword from its sheath. Lincilara tumbled towards the ground but managed to get stable and flap her wings before she hit anything. She flew to face him and glared at him. “Sorry,” he said, and she fluttered to a safe distance away from him.
“Back to where we started,” Blinks said and face the Angelia holding the book. “You have the book that will tell us how to release the fairies. Angelia would give me the book, no matter what, so we can hopefully, release the fairies. Marassa would keep the book so we couldn’t release the fairies. What will you do?”
Angelia looked at the book, back at Blinks, then proudly handed the book to him. He took them up with his left hand, glanced inside, then instantly struck her in the chest with the flame sword. There was a brief shimmer and even before the flame sword stop moving, Marassa was in front of him screaming and range.
As he withdrew the flame sword the real Angelia sprinted in and struck Marassa with her club. The older woman fell back to the floor wriggling in pain. They approach are tentatively, and she rolled onto her back with the silver tip wand already in her hand. She flicked it briefly as she spoke, and they pushed each other out of the way as a razor-sharp string of flame shot past them. The fire string struck a shelf with enough force and several of the books fell to one side and onto the floor. The shelf itself shows smoking burn scar.
The library trembled more than it had before, and they cover their ears to protect them from the scream.
“We have to go, now!” Lincilara pleaded with them
Blinks regained his footing as Marassa fired another fire string. This was shot forward a full yard then swung to the left directly at him and he ducked, and the string hit the books behind him broadside and caught fire.
“Go,” Blinks yelled at Angelia, but she was reluctant to leave without him. She got to her feet and swung her club at Marassa who was standing as well. Despite they cast on her robe they could see blood rapidly covering her chest. They could see the deformity on her side from the strike from Angelia’s club. Worse still was the maniacal look in her eyes.
Angelia step forward taking two swings and Marassa who was forced to step back. Blinks leaped towards her and grabbed the book Marassa had been holding. Just as fast Blinks and Angelia were moving away
Lincilara was above them and dove downward just as the fire string shot pastor. They glanced up and were shocked that some of the string rose high until it was swallowed in the darkness.
They sprinted to another intersection and came to an immediate stop. Blinks and Angelia crouched low and Lincilara covered close by them. They glanced back and were relieved to see nothing coming down the aisle towards them. Somewhere in the distance they distinctly heard a painful moan.
“That was in her,” Angelia gasped.
“I know,” Blinks said. Out of curiosity he opened the book and glanced at a few pages. He was relieved that they were still the unrecognizable shapes of the Dragon alphabet and its 897 letters.
“How did you know she wasn’t me,” Angelia asked. “How did you know which one to kill?”
“Lincilara said she smelled like pumpkins and I hate pumpkins,” Blinks said with just enough glimmer in his eye that she suspected he was teasing her. Before she could find out a dark red liquid dropped onto the pages of the book. Then a second drop of blood joined it. They looked up to see Marassa ready to Flickr wanted them floating a few feet off the floor.
They instantly rolled out of the way as another fire string slapped against the floor. Splinters expelled into the air as it shattered in part of the carpet caught fire.
There was yet another scream as the library shook. This was not a cry of pain but one of anger. Blinks and Angelia simultaneously rose and struck upwards at Marassa. She managed to hover out of range, but it was obvious she was slower and in pain. She quickly used her wand and two more fire strings exploded against the books near Blinks.
The roar of pain and anger from the library shook them so hard they fought to stay standing. They also noticed the lights were going out.
Again, they went back to the main island started running.
“This way,” Lincilara said and swung to the left at an intersection.
They turned at full speed, but more lights were going out around them.
“Lincilara, we need you, glow as bright as you can. Will follow you!” Angelia called.
Lincilara’s glow increased immeasurably and they followed her easily. There were two more strings that surpassed them, and more books caught on fire. This time the library trembled so fast Blinks and Angelia fell to the ground.
“It’s just over there,” Lincilara call to them. I can see the stairs!”
Angelia helped Blinks to his feet and they ran knowing Marassa was above and behind them. They got to the first step when there were two explosions behind them as to fire strings struck nearby shelves. The entire floor lurched and they both stumbled head over heels down the stairs.
Angelia hit the bottom step hard and called for help. Blinks scrambled over to help her rise well Lincilara felt herself above her to deflect any attacks.
There was a mad, while scream at Marassa was at the top of the stairs. She smiled maniacally at them and flicked her silver tip wand at them twice. The fire string is shut towards Blinks and Angelia, they looked back to prevent their faces from being burned.
When they felt nothing, but heard Marassa scream and despair, they quickly looked at each other then back up the stairs. Marassa fired two more fire string is at them but both strings passed into the shadow at the bottom of the stairs and disappeared. She fired again and the strings also were absorbed by the shadows.
Marassa stumbled down the stairs and started casting the fire strings in every direction. Like a type coming in shadows were flooding in around her. She took two steps downward sending for fire strings and directions at random. Each string was quickly absorbed into the darkness and she frantically began swinging the wand and trying to send more. At one point, she extended an arm into the darkness to try and chase it away. She struggled as if something in the shadow, or maybe even the shadow itself, had grabbed her arm. Suddenly her hand jerked back with a splintered wand burning as bright as any of Jakobus’s torches. She dropped the burning cinder and turned to go back up but there were no stairs above her. There was just an angry darkness. She took a step downwards and lurched forward headfirst. There were no stairs this way either and she fell forward into the bed of shadows. Her screen vanished as quickly as she did.
There was absolute silence around them. There was no moaning, no shrieking, just the smell of burnt books everywhere.
Blinks and Angelia slowly rose. They moved carefully and made sure they stayed away from both the books and the shelves. Lincilara fluttered down and landed on Blinks his shoulder.
“Where did she go?” Lincilara asked. In the silence that surrounded them her thin voice seemed incredibly clear and loud.
“I don’t know,” Blinks admitted.
“The lights are coming back on,” Angelia said with relief.
Slowly, steadily, light was r
eturning to the library. The light intensified until it was back to normal. There was still no sign of a light source, but it was spread evenly across the library and there were no shadows on the books.
Sadly, the library was still in shambles. Bookcases were broken and shattered leaving piles of books across the floor.
The side of the building was still cracked, and, in the rubble, they could see the tree was still dry and leafless.
The only striking difference was a figure standing tall amongst an area of toppled shelves. The stairs to the third floor were gone and the figure stood where Marassa would have landed. They carefully approached it and stop 10 feet away from what appeared to be a giant stuffed bear. Lincilara looked at Blinks and Angelia then back at the bear.
“It’s her, isn’t it?”
Neither Blinks nor Angelia could deny that, despite it being a bear, there were some recognizable hints in the face that made it look like Marassa.
They decided not to go closer and found the nearest flight of stairs downward.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: WOUND DAY
“I have to go. I can’t stay here anymore,” Lincilara announced a day later.
They had spent most of that day scouring the library for clues on how to read the ancient Dragon language. At the same time there’d been a glimmer of hope that the true book, not what Marassa had been carrying, was yet to be found. They had found nothing to help them, even the elusive third floor had stayed hidden when they return to the original spot.
As they searched, they could hear the whining moans of the library and remembered just how wounded it was. Whenever possible they would stack the shelves and straighten some of the bookcases to help the library heal and possibly gain his trust.
“It can’t help us,” Angelia had said during the exhausting search. “The library. It’s wounded.”
Both Blinks and Angelia also noted the change and Lincilara. At the start of the search she would cheerfully bounce from case to case while her singing echoed down the aisles. After several hours, she stopped singing, after a few more hours they lost sight of her, and they were sitting down trying to plan the next area to search when she announced she was leaving.
