by Alice Wilde
The design has several major differences as well, where the hall I'd seen yesterday had a large dome-like ceiling and two oval pale, stained-glass windows, our hall had a more cathedral-like appearance and large fiery stained-glass windows that stretch along the lengths of the hall from floor to ceiling. It takes me a moment to realize that the overall size of the hall is a good bit smaller here as well, and I wonder how many other differences there are between the two planes.
Chairs scratch against the floor, and I look up in the direction of the staff table to see that they've finished their meal and are preparing to leave. I must have been sitting here far longer than I thought, and I've barely made a dent in the food I'd selected earlier. I make quick work of as much of the food as I can and then hurry to leave the building before it's closed for the day.
The sun is well above the horizon now and more than a little hot. I probably should have chosen a thinner pair of stockings, but I don't have time to worry about that now.
By the time I reach the Hall of Antiquities, sweat is trickling down the inside of my shirt and I can feel it pooling against my lower back as my clothes start to stick to my skin. As I finally catch my breath, I notice a sign hung on the outside of the door.
Closed, try harder next time.
It’s just like Janus to have a snarky sign like that, but it didn't make the situation any less frustrating. I wonder where Janus goes when he's not working, I'd never seen him walking around grounds or mingling with the other students and staff... Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen him outside of the Hall of Antiquities.
I sigh deeply, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand and turn to walk back across the grounds, slower this time. The main library would have to make due for today.
My footsteps echo against the marble floor as I walk through the main entrance of the library. It’s eerily silent with no other students filling the tables to study or climbing the ladders to reach the highest shelves. Even the librarian’s desk is vacant. I suppose I should have expected that with no students to keep an eye on, and it being day. Why would anyone waste their time watching over a bunch of books when there’s no one around to take them?
I continue on, making my way upstairs to the second level and over to one of the sections I’d noticed earlier in the year while browsing for one of Thoth’s classes.
It hadn’t seemed particularly important at the time, but now that I had an idea of what I was looking for, it might be. I run my fingers gently over the spines of the aged books as I pass them, a tingle of delight running down my spine at their scent. This was one of the few places I could almost always count on to find some form of comfort; tucked away between the pages of one of these books.
I come to a stop in front of the shelf I've been looking for, my eyes light up with excitement. I'd walked past the section of the library many times, but up until now I hadn't had much reason to look further into them. This was the section on realms, and the way the different planes interacted with each other. Aside from shadow walking, and that one time going to the pizza shop, I had a little interaction with the different realms. But after yesterday's experience, I needed to know exactly how they worked, and why there seem to be multiple portals within the academy.
I start at the top of the shelf and carefully read each of the titles scrawled on the spines of the books, searching for one in particular that would pertain to my current situation. More than a few of them sound fascinating, but have little to do with what I'm looking for. There books on portals through time, portals in space, and various studies on realm walking. I look over the latter much more carefully, but they all seem to pertain to shadow walking and traversing the world through the supernatural realms. Scanning the titles on the shelf, I stepped back and confusion.
There doesn't seem to be a single book pertaining to the human realm, or how to access it. This doesn't make sense. It's not as if the human realm is any secret to us supernatural beings, so why are there no books about it?
I mean, if Nyx knows about the secret passage in the kitchen, then surely other students must know about it and possibly others as well. Besides, Kate somehow manages to live in the human realm over the holidays. So, there must be other means of traversing the realms, and I wouldn't expect the knowledge of that to be hidden. Stepping back further, I lean against the bookcase behind me as I examine the shelf from afar.
As I look at the bookshelf from a distance, I noticed that more than a few books seem to be missing. The bookends at each side of the shelf had been shifted significantly, as if a number of books have been removed. I wonder why hadn't noticed this before, but it looks like only one of the shelves have been affected. And, of course, it's the shelf that should be holding the books I'm searching for. It's almost as if someone had read my mind and knew what I wanted, getting to it before I could.
I push away from the bookshelf and turn to leave when my eye catches on the title of a book as light glints off its embossed lettering. Bending down to get a closer look, I read Hidden Paths and Humans: A Guide to Mortal Realms.
This can't be real. I reread the title again. It hasn't changed in the past five seconds, and I can already feel my fingers itching to hold it. I lick my lips in anticipation, as I carefully pull the book from the shelf. It must have been misplaced on the shelf based on the books surrounding it, something that would normally bother me but makes me thrilled beyond belief right now.
Clutching the book tightly to my chest, I walk through the rows of bookshelves to one of the chairs by the windows. Nestling into the seat, I look down at the book in my lap and trace the outline of the beautiful lettering on the cover.
Books never cease to amaze me, but this almost appears to be an original piece. The cover is worn, but sturdy and ornate. I carefully flip open to the title page, and admire the attention to detail in the design. This was going to be a pleasure to read, and not just for the value of the information within.
Turning to the first chapter, I begin to read eagerly, but no sooner have I started when the book suddenly slams shut on my hand causing me to yelp in pain.
"Excuse me,” a stern voice says. "What are you doing here?"
I look up and into the face of one of the librarians.
"I'm sorry, I thought the library was open," I say. "I wanted to get some studying in during my free time."
"You thought wrong," she says darkly, pulling the book from my hands and reading the title, her brow furrows.
"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," I say. "I was told—"
"You were told wrong," the woman snaps. "Where did you get this book?"
"It was on the shelf—"
"You went into the forbidden room, didn't you?"
"I didn't!"
"Lies. Books on realm walking were banned months ago."
"I promise I didn't know. It was on the shelf about portals and the cover happened to catch my eye," I say.
The woman's eyes narrow as she watches me, and I can't help but squirm in my chair.
"Get out," she finally hisses at me. "The library is closed, don't come back until the semester begins."
I scurry from the library as fast as I can, the librarian following close behind and slamming the large doors shut behind me the moment I've stepped outside. Blinking in the bright sunlight, I do my best to hold back tears.
I don't know what I did to deserve any of the things that have happened to me this year. I know I shouldn’t cry over being shut out of a library, but I can't help but feel like yet another thing has been torn from me. What am I supposed to do now?
I sit down on the library steps and bury my head in my hands. Nothing is going the way that I thought, and I don't know what to do about it. Without the library, how am I supposed to use my time today, or for the rest of the summer for that matter?
Well, there's no use just sitting around. I get up and start walking across the grounds toward the gardens, perhaps there will be something interesting to see.
At the very least, I could go back to that secret space that had found yesterday and see if anything had been left behind. I wonder why hadn't thought about it before, but I suppose it's because I followed that strange man through the portal.
I glance up toward the sky, and notice that the sun is directly above my head. It must be noon, that would explain the heat. The grounds are still and quiet as I walk through the gardens, not even a soft breeze blows through the tree branches. I suppose most of the animals are taking everything next by now, and I should probably do the same but I can't help my curiosity. Besides, I'm far from sleepy.
Making my way past the statues, I look around to make sure that I'm alone before proceeding to the secret passage that I noticed the day before. It's still there, hidden as ever. Glancing around once again, I slipped through the opening onto the overgrown path beyond. I walk quietly down the path, as quietly as possible while I listen for signs of anyone else up ahead. But all is quiet, and I continue on in search of whatever lies beyond.
Turning the bend in the path for the man had appeared, I'm surprised to find a small clearing that's been quite neatly taken care of. It's a little strange in comparison to the overgrowth of the rest of the area, but looks comfortable enough.
I step into the small clearing which is about the size of the small round fountain. The path doesn't cut through the clearing, instead starting up again on the other side of the circle. Lush grass carpets the clearing, and I can't help but notice the way my feet sink down into it. As I'm admiring the grass, I noticed a glint from within and crouched down to push some of the grass to the side.
Embedded in the grass is a line of white...no, opalescent stones that appear to lead all the way across the circle. I push aside more of the grass as I follow the line of beautiful stones toward the center, but it isn't just one line. At various points along the line, strands of stone across it in different directions. Almost like a pattern.
I stand, frowning to myself as I try to work out the pattern in my head. Drawing visible lines with my finger where I imagine the lines all to cross, I'm able to piece together exactly what I'm seeing. This beautiful clearing, and those pretty little stones make up the shape of a pentagram.
What was this place? As beautiful as it is, I can't help the strange feeling that's crawling over my skin. I quickly stepped out of the pentagram and back onto the path, but this time on the other side from where I'd come. Yet another unanswered question, and with nowhere to go and no one to ask. I sigh deeply, trying not to let my growing frustration overwhelm me.
Taking one last look at the clearing, I continue on down the path in the direction I haven't yet seen. The trail winds back and forth through the overgrowth, and I'm surprised by how long it seems to continue on. If it weren't for the path, I would've turned back a long time ago for fear of getting lost.
The sky is already starting to grow dark by the time I stumble upon a fork in the path, I can't begin to imagine where else this might lead, but I'm going to have to save this for another day.
I shake my head in dismay, today has been far from successful in any way. It feels like just as I'm about to get somewhere, I'm always forced to turn back… or the progress I've just made it is quite literally ripped from my hands.
I take one last look at the two paths winding off in different directions, and then turn and make my way back along the path. Somehow, I manage to make it back to the clearing in a much shorter amount of time. The sky has grown dark, and the moon has already started to rise. I stop just short of the clearing and look on in amazement, my mouth falling open in shock.
The lines of stone have started to glow in the moonlight, the image of the pentagram going clearer and brighter with each passing minute. As beautiful as the scene in front of me is, I can't keep the uneasiness I felt before from returning. There was something off about this place, and it's not just my aversion to pentagrams in general. While the shape itself holds little significance for me, I can't deny that it's a powerful symbol of the Fallen. This is most certainly a place of power, and without knowing what this place is meant for that most certainly means this is not a safe place for me to be.
There's no way to get to the other side of the path without crossing the clearing I take a tentative set forward and hold my breath, but nothing happens. Soon as I realized this, I hurry across the rest of the clearing down the path toward my dorm.
As soon as I'm safe in my room, I breathe the heavy sigh of relief. While today didn't turn out exactly as I expected in anyway, at least I can hope for a better day tomorrow. I'll have to get up as early as possible and make my way over to the Hall of Antiquities before it’s closed for the day.
In the meantime, there's no good reason why I can't enjoy a hot bath. I spend the next hour soaking in the hot water, but as soon as my aching legs have relaxed enough I dry myself off and hurry to get into bed.
Whatever happens tomorrow, at least I'll get a good night’s sleep.
I'm not sure how long I’ve been asleep when a loud crashing noise wakes me. I start up in bed, looking around me for any signs of danger, but my room is empty. The quiet chirping crickets slowly returns, and I carefully ease myself back onto my pillows. My heart still beating a bit too fast in my chest, but soon it too slowly returns to normal and I drift off back to sleep.
I'm out of bed before the sun has risen the next morning. If I can't use the library this holiday, then I'm going to do my best to catch Janus before he leaves for the day.
Soon as I'm dressed, I sprint across grounds to the Hall of Antiquities. But I stopped short in disbelief, there's a new sign hanging on the door.
Closed.
That's it, there's nothing else and no indication of when he'll be back. It doesn't make sense, someone must've changed the sign overnight, but why hadn’t Janus told me that he wouldn't be here the last time that I saw him? If he was the one changing the sign, then he must still be somewhere on the grounds. Perhaps one of the professors knows.
Turning from the door, I make my way over to the staff building. I wait patiently outside the entrance after knocking loudly, several minutes pass by and then the door creaks open to reveal the same little man who had answered before. I guess I have seen a supernatural being shorter than the human.
“What do you want?" He asks.
I stare at him blankly for a long moment as I try to come up with an answer
“I… I…Is Professor Thoth here?”
“No,” the man says with exasperation. “He left as soon as the semester ended. I don't expect him to be back until the new semester begins. Now, why don't you leave me in peace and go bother someone else?"
“But—”
Before I can finish my sentence, the door is slammed in my face. I clench my teeth to keep from crying, and turn back to walk across grounds.
Fine. If I have no means of study, then I am going to explore every possible inch of the academy’s grounds, and I am going to start with that hidden path. No sooner than this thought has crossed my mind, I'm stopped short. I raise one of my hands to wipe a drop of water from my cheek, and then look up at the sky. No wonder the day seemed so dark, heavy gray clouds have covered the sky and they're growing darker by the second.
Another drop of water hits my face, forcing me to blink. As if today couldn't get any worse, it looks like I won't be doing anything outdoors. I raced back to the dorms in an effort to beat the rain, by the time I make it back I'm already soaked.
The storm doesn't let up over the coming days, and aside from racing across grounds to get my meals, I'm forced to content myself with the strange little library in my wing of the dorm. I may have dismissed it before, but there are actually a number of very interesting topics in the library. Well, interesting is one word for them.
I'm pretty sure Nyx would have a field day with these books. As there's not much else to do, I allow myself to read them purely for informational purposes. Although I can't keep myself from blushing every few pages as I learn something
new. It seems the art of lovemaking, something I tried not to think much of outside of studies, is even more complicated than I thought.
What little I actually knew of the act prior to falling from heaven, mostly consisted of the need for reproduction, the continuation of our species… But I've never actually considered that it might be for pleasure as well. The sheer number of ways that one can attain pleasure is baffling to me. Of course, the books read more like informational textbooks than anything else, but I can't help the strange feelings that seem to be rising within myself the further I read.
I slam my book shut, instantly regretting the harshness of my action, but it couldn't be helped. For most of the books I'd read over the past few days have been rather tame, this one took things to a whole new level. And I wasn't sure I was ready for it.
Glancing out the window from my window seat, I see that it is still raining quite heavily outside. I sigh deeply, what I wouldn't give for a nice day outdoors to do some exploring. To get out of my mind, and relieve this uncomfortable tension in my body. It had to be at least a week since it started raining, and it was showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. The skies have been dark and gloomy, usually a comforting time to be reading, and I may have thought so if the topics were a bit more… Comfortable?
I lay the book down beside me, and then hop down from my seat. With the skies going as dark as they are, it should be getting close to mealtime and I might as well make my way over to the Feasting Hall.
As soon as I make it to the hall, I wish I’d never left the dormitory… No, I regretted leaving the moment I stepped out of the dorm, but by then I was already soaked and it didn’t make sense to turn back. Drenched and dripping on the floor, I grab a plate and select the food I want to eat before making my way over to one of the tables not too far away from the staff table. There only two people sitting there today, and none that I recognize… But then again, I haven't recognized anyone around the grounds since the holiday started. I stare blankly into the distance as I eat my food when the conversation suddenly piques my interest.
