by Amy Cross
Looking over my shoulder, I see that I'm several hundred meters above the main part of the Library. Far below, the city of Papyr spreads out for miles in every direction, and in the distance I can see the river twisting its way through the land.
Taking a deep breath, I turn back to face the citadel and, with a heavy heart, I try to fight the urge to run. I wish I was brave enough to do this without being scared, but with every step I take, I'm tempted to turn back. I know this journey to the citadel might be an insanely stupid, even suicidal thing to do, but deep down, I know that there's no way I can leave my parents here. My only hope is that once I find them, we can work together to find a way out.
"Hello?" I shout again, getting closer and closer to the gate. "I'm here to -" Before I can finish, however, I realize that up ahead, the gate is hanging partially open, as if the top section has been pulled off its hinges. I'd expected an impregnable fortress guarded by fierce creatures, but so far the place looks to be completely deserted. In fact, as I get closer, I realize that the gate has been badly damaged, as if some kind of huge force has smashed into it and caused the iron to buckle.
Once I reach the gate, I peer through the crack and see that there's nothing inside but darkness. Although it occurs to me that I should turn back, I force myself to keep going; after climbing through the crack, I find myself in a dark chamber, with the only light coming from a few narrow windows high up on the wall. It's hard to see much, but there definitely seems to be rubble strewn across the floor, and after I've taken a few more steps, I realize that there's a dead body nearby, its limbs twisted and contorted and its heavy armor partially ripped open.
I stop in my tracks.
Something's wrong here.
The way Carstairs described this place, it sounded like some kind of vast, grand building, but so far it just seems to be a complete dump. There are a few more dead bodies nearby, as if all the guards have been killed, and the entire building is silent, other than the faint whisper of a chill wind that's blowing across the main chamber. I'm no expert, but I'm starting to think that someone got here before me and caused a hell of a lot of damage.
"Hello?" I call out, but the only answer is the echo of my own voice.
Turning, I look back at the door. I figure I should turn back and get out of here, but at the same time, I've come too far to just give up. It's looking less and likely that I'll find anyone alive in this place, let alone my parents, but I guess it's possible that they might still be here somewhere, cowering in the shadows. I keep trying to prevent myself from thinking about what could have happened to them, but every so often I get an image in my mind of them being cut up or burned or...
"I knew I'd find you here," says a familiar voice.
Turning, I see that Carstairs has somehow crept up on me.
"When you ran off," he continues with a faint smile, "I knew there was only one place you might be headed." Looking up at the darkened roof, he pauses for a moment. "It looks like there's nobody home, though. The damage is clearly recent, and there's no way the Setters would have allowed their own citadel to fall into such a horrific state of disrepair." He walks over to a nearby table and picks up a gold candlestick. "Whoever did this, they weren't after the Setters' more obvious treasures. They left everything of monetary value."
"Then what did they want?" I ask. "And who did it? You said that no-one could break into this place."
He pauses again. "I was right," he says eventually. "No-one can. But maybe there's another force that would have the ability."
"The Angel?" I reply.
He nods.
"But why would the Angel do this?"
He smiles weakly. "The same reason the Angel does anything. Because of me. I can't even begin to imagine how many people have died purely because the Angel wishes to keep me safe."
I stare at him for a moment, trying to understand what he means. "I don't get it," I say eventually. "None of this makes any sense. What have the Setters and my parents got to do with you?"
"You're right," he replies, "it doesn't make much sense, does it? Not unless you consider the possibility that the Angel knows that I'm helping you, in which case perhaps he feels that he can use your parents to draw me closer. I think it's quite possible, maybe even probable, that he took your parents from this place, and he caused all this damage in the process."
"Then you have to show me where to find him," I say firmly. "I know you don't want to go to this Angel thing, but I've got no choice. I have to find my parents. Just point me in the right direction and I'll go the rest of the way on my own."
"It's not as simple as that," Carstairs says with a sigh. "When you came up here today, to the Setters' citadel, you didn't know we'd find the place in such disarray. In all my years spent traveling the Library, I don't think I've ever seen such absolute bravery." He pauses. "Maybe I should learn a lesson from you, Thomas. Maybe it's time for me to face my own fears."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I've been running from the Angel for so long," he continues. "I think it's time to stop running. If the Angel took your parents, it was so he could get to me, and I doubt he'll release them unless he gets what he wants. If you can come storming up to the Setters' citadel, then I should damn well be able to summon up the courage to go and face the Angel and find out what he really wants. Besides, I have a horrible feeling that it might be the only way to get your parents back."
"And you'll do it?" I ask, stunned by this change in his mood. "You'll come with me and find the Angel?"
"It's time," he replies, clearly nervous but putting on a brave face. "I could keep running, of course. I could probably run forever. But what would be the point?" He takes a deep breath. "Come on, Thomas. Let's go and see what the angry old thing wants, and why it's so god-damned interested in me. And if we can, we'll get your parents back while we're at it."
Epilogue
He wanders all night, making his way along aisle after aisle, never really knowing where he's headed. Badly burned and bleeding from several wounds, he stumbles several times, but something in his gut makes him keep going.
Finally he reaches a small clearing, and he stops for a moment, hoping to get his bearings. He's not sure where he is, and although his best guess is that maybe he's somewhere in Ireland, he's starting to think that perhaps he's even further afield. He blinks a couple of times, staring at the long shadows caused by the slowly rising sun.
Iceland?
Greenland?
Spain?
"Where am I?" he mutters.
It takes a moment before he notices the dead body nearby.
Taking a couple of steps forward, he realizes that there's an old man on the ground, his dead eyes staring up at the sky. Wearing some kind of bright blue and yellow cape, completely with a large pointed hat, the man looks like a wizard; or, rather, he looks like someone who has dressed up as a wizard for a fancy dress party, since Carstairs knows full well, even in his delirious state, that wizards don't actually exist. Besides, even if they were real, he finds it hard to believe that they'd dress up in such a crude costume; the poor old man looks more like a child's drawing of a wizard than an actual man of magic.
"Huh," Carstairs mutters, leaning down and gently closing the old man's eyes, before picking up the hat. It's a strange, slightly crumpled thing, and when he places it on top of his head, Carstairs feels faintly ridiculous. Pulling it away, he tosses it to the ground before leaning down and pulling the cape free from the corpse. Shivering against a cold wind that's blowing along the aisle, he feels the fabric of the cape and realizes that he needs all the warmth he can get. Even though he feels rather embarrassed, therefore, he slips his arms into the sleeves of the cape and adjusts it, before wrapping it tightly around his body.
"Sorry, old chap," he mutters, looking down at the dead old man, "but I don't think you need your togs anymore, do you?"
He takes a couple of steps away from the corpse, before suddenly he feels as if there's something reaching into his mind, tryi
ng to pull him back the way he came. He turns, almost expecting to find someone standing behind him, but all he sees is the aisle stretching back toward the spot where his plane came down. For a moment, he can't help but stare at the distant glow on the horizon; he imagines the wreckage still burning, with his friend's body still strapped in place. Finally, forcing himself to keep moving, he turns and stumbles along the next aisle, determined to get as far away from the plane as possible.
Still, he can hear a voice in the back of his mind, calling out to him, begging him to turn back. Although he has no idea where he's going, however, he continues to stumble onward, making his way further and further across the vast library.
Part Seven
The Angel
Prologue
"No," her father says with a weary tone in his voice. "We're not there yet. Now can you please try to find something to do? Didn't you bring enough books and magazines?"
"I didn't know we were going to spend forever getting there," Alice mutters, keen to emphasize her sense of boredom. Wedged into the backseat of the family's too-small car, she's intentionally got her knee pressed firmly into the back of her father's seat, just so there's no chance that he can forget about her.
"Alice always moans," Thomas mutters, sitting next to her and keeping his gaze fixed on the comic he's been reading for the past few minutes. "It's just what she's like. She's got no friends, so it's her only hobby."
"Shut up," Alice says darkly. "I've got friends!"
Thomas smiles.
"It's horrible out there," Alice continues, looking out the window and watching as snow continues to fall. "It's freezing. Why can't we have a car with heating? Hell, why couldn't we have just stayed at home like normal people?"
"Watch your language, honey," her father says calmly. "There's no need to go crazy here."
"We'll be there soon enough," he mother says, turning around from the front passenger seat. "Have you really read everything you brought with you? I told you to bring a few more books."
"I've read everything I want to read," Alice replies tersely.
"I've got some comics you can borrow," Thomas says.
"If I wanted to read comics," Alice says, turning to him with evident disdain in her eyes, "I'd have brought comics, wouldn't I? Think it through."
"Just trying to help," Thomas says with a smile.
"Well don't. Not everyone wants to read stupid fantasy garbage about superheroes running around saving the world."
"You've got no imagination," Thomas adds.
"Alice," her mother continues before she can respond, "can you please try to entertain yourself for a little while longer? We're not that far off now, and no-one likes being out in such terrible weather. We all just need to be patient, though, and sniping at your brother won't make us get there any faster, will it? Do be co-operative, dear."
Sighing, Alice turns back to stare out the window. As the snowy landscape rushes past, she can't help but wish that she could suddenly be back home, doing the things she'd normally be doing on a Saturday afternoon; instead, she's stuck in the back of the car, listening to her parents' terrible taste in music, and generally having an awful time. Her brother's apparent enjoyment of the whole experience just adds a little more grit to the whole thing, and Alice can't help but fantasize about opening the window and leaping out.
"You know what'd be fun?" her father says after a moment.
Alice rolls her eyes.
"I know it's kind of old-fashioned, but why don't we try to cheer ourselves up by playing a game? That's what my parents always used to do when we went for long drives."
"Dad," Alice says, turning to look at him, "the last thing -"
Before she can finish, there's a loud banging sound and the car seems to suddenly slam sideways, its tires screeching as it's pushed off the road by some kind of roaring invisible force; Alice doesn't even have time to scream before everything seems to tumble upside down, and the safety-belt pulls tight as the car rolls over and over down the snowy embankment before finally coming to a crashing halt that smashes the windscreen and sends Alice's head slamming against the side of the window.
Everything goes black.
And quiet.
Finally, sluggishly, Alice tries to open her eyes, but something feels wrong. She's vaguely aware of a scratching sound, and she can't shake the feeling that she can hear one of the car doors being rattled. Although she tries to open her eyes, however, she can't quite manage to muster the necessary energy until, finally, she's able to blink a couple of times and look out the window.
Silence.
Apart from a faint ringing sensation in her ears.
"What..." she whispers, trying to remember what happened. "Where..."
For a moment, the world seems so calm and quiet. She stares out the window, unable to stop marveling at the beauty of the snow-covered world. It's hard for her to believe that anything could ever be wrong again, but at the same time she has this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that there might be a problem. It takes a moment for her to get her thoughts together, but finally she realizes that everything seems to be upside down. Also, she thinks she was wrong about the world being calm and quiet. It's not at all. In fact, her breathing is getting faster and faster, and she thinks there might be someone behind her, tugging on my arm, and it's even possible that they're screaming at her.
So she turns and takes a look.
"Help!" Thomas screams, trying to unfasten the safety-belt. "Alice, we have to get out of here!"
Alice Never
"The Angel seems angry tonight," says the Emissary, standing by the window and looking out across the Library. "I've sensed this storm gathering for quite some time. If I didn't know better, I'd almost believe that the wizard is in town." He pauses, before turning and smiling at me. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?"
"Please let me go," I reply, trying not to sound as if I'm panicking. I'm cold and tired, but I feel as if my heart is beating pure adrenalin through my body. "I just want to find my parents. I don't belong here!"
"I know all that," he replies calmly, walking toward me. "I can smell your humanness from here. It's a curious aroma of weakness, sweat and fear. I dare say you've left a trail all the way through the Library. There are probably creatures far and wide trying to track you down, although I doubt they'll get here in time. Things are moving so fast now that the Angel's fury has been awakened."
"I don't know anything about this Angel you keep talking about," I continue, as the Emissary begins to walk slowly around me; it's almost as if he's sizing me up or trying to come to some kind of conclusion about me. Whatever his intention, he's giving me the creeps. "I've heard it mentioned a few times," I continue, "but no-one's explained it to me, and I don't really care. All I want -"
"The Angel is my master," he says, interrupting me. "For now, anyway. I've served many masters over the years. For a while, I even worked for the Setters who owned this very citadel. As you can see, their time is over now. The Angel swept through Papyr and ended their dynasty with crushing finality." As he finishes his circular walk and stops in front of me, there's a pause. "Can you imagine what the Angel wanted?" he asks after a moment. "Something in this place made him reach out and cause all this damage. I doubt the Setters knew what was happening until it was far too late."
Looking over my shoulder, I can see what he means. The whole building seems to be in ruins, with chunks of stone having been ripped from the walls. There are a few dead bodies scattered across the floor, with blood leaking from beneath their armor, and there's a smell of rich iron in the air, almost as if the stench of blood is accumulating. I just want to get out of here, but I'm fairly certain that this Emissary guy wants me to stay; he's left some shadowy guards by the door, and although he hasn't specifically threatened me with the use of force, violence is implied in his steely gaze.
"You have a brother, do you not?" the Emissary asks after a moment.
"What about him?"
I ask, panicked at the thought that Thomas might have anything to do with this. I told him to stay by the car, but I also know that he tends to ignore everything I say.
"He was here," the Emissary replies. "He was in this very city, in this very building, just a few hours ago."
"You're lying," I say firmly.
"He's been traveling with a wizard named Carstairs," the Emissary continues. "They took a very different route to the one chosen by you and your friends, though. A smarter route, perhaps. Thomas and Carstairs went through Grandapam territory, which some might say was a mistake, but they were able to get on their way eventually. Grandapams can be very awkward to deal with, unless you can get into their good books and play them at their own game. Or unless you've got some rather powerful help to keep you safe." He pauses. "Your brother and Carstairs arrived in Papyr ahead of you, since you spent so much time crossing the river and traveling through the Valley of Dead Books. I suppose Carstairs was a good guide for your brother, whereas Table..." He smiles. "She's good for absolutely nothing, you know. Nothing good, anyway."
"I've worked that out," I mutter.
"And yet she has a very interesting soul," he adds. "I took it from her once, you know, back in the days before I worked for the Angel. It was entirely voluntary on her part, even if she didn't quite know what she was getting into. I don't think she read the small print in our agreement, but that's hardly my fault. She was young and naive, but she thought herself to be far more worldly. I ripped her soul away and drew great strength from it, and then I sent her on her way, thinking there was nothing more than I could gain from her. But do you want to know something strange? Over time, I began to sense that her soul seemed to be returning to her, or regrowing in her heart. I must admit that, as a connoisseur of souls, the thought of revisiting such a delicious meal is extremely enticing. I've had to rely upon the Angel for my sustenance for so long, but this time I have the opportunity to feast for eternity on just one person. I'm sure you'll understand that I cannot let her simply disappear into the night."
