Connor walked over and looked inside, seeing the stands for each book. "That seems rather obvious, doesn't it?"
"We couldn't see it at first," she said, an idea coming to her slowly.
"What do you mean?" Connor continued.
"The room was behind some sort of illusion. Icarus said only I could break it because it was made of earth and water, a combination of elements instead of just one." She stood now, picking up the book and her staff and making her way to Connor's side, looking into the room.
"Maybe there's something about this room that's special." Connor shrugged.
Laila nodded slowly. She stepped into the room. There was nothing immediately different about the room; it was just a small chamber off of the main library. But it had been the resting place of the books written by the last Magusari. It had to have some significance.
"Give me some time," she said, motioning Connor back into the main room.
Connor raised an eyebrow briefly, but then he walked back to one of the tables, grabbing a handful of food out of his pack and sitting down. Laila turned back to the antechamber. After a moment, she grabbed a chair from the main room and brought it with her. Placing the treatise on one of the stands, she flipped it open and sat down in front of it, pacing her staff across her knees.
Icarus had told her of the knowledge hidden in the earth. Much of what he had learned as a Magus had come from contemplation of the earth itself, guided by his old master. The visions that Grimmere had imparted were a manifestation of that knowledge, brought forth by the power of the Magusari, something a Magus could not do because it required a combination of the elements, not just mastery of one. Perhaps Laila could glean some sort of knowledge from her connection through her staff. Maybe it was not necessary to go through Icarus's limited knowledge of the ancient language of the Magusari...
Laila placed her hands on her staff, reaching into the powerful stone. As she did, she studied the words on the open pages of the book before her. She felt the staff warm under her hands and the light of both the staff and the walls began to increase. She was not sure what she was doing, but she continued to reach into the staff, tapping into her own power, hoping for an answer.
The images from Grimmere danced through her mind. Torin's face, the fiery figure behind him, and the large, dark specter behind them both. Grasping at the knowledge that had provided her with those visions, she focused her thoughts through it like a prism. She had no idea how she could do that, but by using her power, she could see the words on the page begin to shift and change, coalescing into something intelligible.
...Life begins and ends with the Earth. That is why it is the fundamental element, the keystone of a Magusari's power...
Laila sat back. She could read the words, sort of. It was more like the words simply made sense in her mind. As her focus faltered, so too did her comprehension of the words on the page. She took a deep breath and brought her full attention back to the words on the page.
...The Prime Aspects give meaning to life, but the Five Elements give it expression, existence, thus the Aspects will always be subservient to the Earth and the Elements...
She reached out and turned the page, hoping for more than descriptions of the way the world worked, something that might guide her now. As she made her way through the pages, she became less aware of her surroundings, her mind completely enveloped in the words on the page.
Connor was becoming increasingly aware of their surroundings. He watched as Laila sat, one hand on her staff, the other flipping through the pages of the book. The light emanating from her staff and the walls continued to build. Connor stood, unsure of what was happening. He walked up behind Laila, seeing that she was utterly unaware. She was completely absorbed in the book in front of her. Connor heard loud, cracking sounds in the walls around them, like the stone was being put under too much pressure.
Connor startled as a tearing sound echoed through the room, and he saw a large crack appear in the wall across from him. It started at the top of the wall and began to inch its way down to the floor, creaking and grinding as it did. The sound was unbearable, as though the earth was ripping itself apart. He looked down at Laila, but she did not appear to notice.
Another burst of sound, and another crack appeared to Connor's right. A small chunk of stone dropped onto Connor's shoulders, and he jumped to the side, alarmed. He looked up at the ceiling and saw another crack working its way above them, dislodging pieces of the stone.
"Laila!" he said, unable to hide the fear in his voice.
"Almost..." she said. Her voice was distant, oblivious to the falling and cracking stone around them.
Connor waited a moment longer, but more and more cracks were appearing in the stone. A large piece of the ceiling began to shift just above Laila's head. Connor feared that it could fall at any moment.
"Laila! Now! We need to go!" He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, ready to lift her up from her seat.
She brushed his hand away forcefully. "A little longer." Her voice was still dreamy.
Connor's breath came in short bursts, ready to grab her at any moment. He knew he should do something now, but Laila was so absorbed that he did not want to keep her from anything that might be able to help her.
Slowly, another crack appeared in the ceiling, working its way toward the piece that already looked precarious. Connor watched its progress anxiously, desperately hoping that it would slow down or stop. The light continued to grow, and the crack did not falter. Just before it reached the other crack, Laila let out a loud gasp.
"That can't be—"
As she spoke, Connor finally acted, grabbing her shoulders and lifting her from her seat.
Just a little too late.
A large piece of the ceiling broke free and crashed down toward them. Connor was able to pull Laila from her seat, but her head was struck by the falling stone. She went limp in Connor's arms, and blood began seeping from a cut on her temple. Thankfully, she had maintained a grip on her staff. Connor dragged her out of the antechamber and into the main room, her feet dragging on the floor. The light from both the walls and her staff continued to grow. Connor pulled at her desperately.
When they reached the staircase, Connor watched in horror as the ceiling collapsed on the library, burying it. As the stone collapsed, the light from Laila's staff and the walls went out, plunging Connor and the unconscious Laila into the total darkness of the stairwell.
Connor sat in the darkness. He had no idea how much time had passed since the lights had gone out and the library had collapsed. It could have been an hour; it could have been days. He could hear Laila's shallow breathing, so at least he knew she was still alive, but he had no way of determining the extent of the wound on her head. She could be bleeding out, and he had no way of knowing. He had carefully pulled her to the top of the stairs, hoping that they could somehow get out that way, but there was nothing he could do. Laila was the only one who could open the strange stone door.
He placed his ear against the stone, trying to hear if anything was happening outside. He could just hear the rain beating against the ground, but even that sound was faint. So he sat and he waited.
After another indeterminate amount of time, Laila began to stir. He had her head in his lap, trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. He heard a sudden gasp from her, and she sat up with a jerk.
"Where are we?!" Her voice was desperate. "Connor! What happened?"
Connor could feel her reaching out in the darkness, scraping against the walls, grasping at her staff.
"It's alright, Laila. I'm right here. We're in the stairs." He reached his hand out, hoping to grab her shoulder, to calm her down.
With a burst of light, Laila's staff lit up the stairwell, and Connor found that he had been reaching for her waist. He quickly withdrew his hand and stood to face her. She reached a hand up to her head, feeling the wound at her temple. Connor saw the grimace of pain cross her face as she gingerly touched the laceration.
&nbs
p; "Let me see," he said, still keeping his voice calm, hoping that would settle her.
Laila withdrew her own hand and leaned toward Connor. She gripped her staff intensely. Connor looked at the damage, but saw nothing that was immediately concerning. Dried blood still coated the side of her face, but the wound was not deep, and he could see no bone.
"It doesn't look too bad. A good cut, but nothing that'll kill you." He smiled at her.
Laila looked around her, oblivious to his smile. She seemed unsure of where they were.
"What...what happened?" she asked.
"I don't know, really. You were reading something, and the lights kept getting brighter," he began to explain. He pulled a small knife from his pack and cut a small piece of cloth from the base of his cloak, wiping off some of the dried blood on Laila's cheek and forehead and wrapping the cloth around her head to cover the wound. "Then the walls started to fall apart. It was all I could do to get you out of there. You didn't seem to want to leave. I was able to just pull you out from under a big piece of the ceiling that fell, but it caught you." He pointed to the wound on her head. "And knocked you out."
Laila stared at Connor in the dim earthlight. A sudden realization struck her. "The book! Did you get it?"
Connor shook his head. "I could barely get you. Everything else is down there," he pointed down the stairs, "covered in earth and stone."
Laila looked down the stairwell, and desperation worked its way across her face, as though she was searching for a way to go back down and find the ancient book.
"It's gone," Connor said, trying to console her.
He saw her knuckles turn almost white from gripping her staff. After a moment, however, he watched a degree of calm pass over her. He had seen her do that from time to time on their way to Balon. She was apparently able to draw some sense of confidence from her staff. Not for the first time, Connor wished he could do that as well.
"We should get back to Icarus," Connor said, trying to redirect Laila's focus.
Laila looked at him and nodded slowly. She brushed past him and placed her hand on the wall. After a moment, the stone wall snapped backward and slid to the side. Laila stepped out into the darkness and rain first, looking up and down the road. Connor followed her quickly, stepping in front of her protectively. There was no one around, giving Connor at least a slight sense of relief. They both stopped when they saw the large sinkhole to their right. It was at least three feet deep and looked as if a giant boulder had been dropped on the center of the road, collapsing it downward. Rain water had begun to pool in its base, giving it the look of a small pond.
They exchanged a quick glance before Laila turned back to the wall and closed the hidden door. Constantly glancing up and down the streets, they made their way back through the city to the inn and Icarus. It took them longer to find their way back in the darkness, and a few times they had to divert their path to avoid being seen by the small, roving bands of Guardians. Finally they reached the small inn.
Dripping their way across the main room, they climbed the stairs and entered their rooms. Icarus was standing, pacing near the window. Dark circles surrounded his eyes. He had not slept. As they entered the room, he looked up, relief clear on his face, and made his way over to them. Before he said anything he helped Connor lower Laila onto her bed; the walk through the darkness and the rain had taken its toll, and the wound on her head had opened again, blood mixing with the rain water streaming down her face.
"What happened?" asked Icarus.
Connor described the incident at the library while Icarus attended to Laila's wound. As he finished, Icarus looked at Laila, wanting to question her about her experience, but she was already asleep.
"One of us will need to stay up with her. I fear the blow to her head might have caused more damage than it seems. We'll have to make sure she keeps breathing through the rest of the night." Connor could see the weariness in Icarus's face.
"I'll stay up," Connor said. "It's my fault anyways."
Icarus cocked his head to one side. "Child, do not blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done. Laila is still learning to control her power. You could not have helped what happened. I don't know that I even could have. She surpasses me." The last was said under his breath, but Connor still heard it, and he wondered at what the Magus meant.
Grabbing a chair, Connor took his place at Laila's side. Icarus made his way to the other bed. "Wake me if something happens," he said to Connor.
Connor nodded and Icarus lay down and quickly drifted off to sleep. Deep, regular breathing told Connor that they both were sleeping peacefully, at least for now. He sat his head back against the wall and listened intently to Laila's breathing.
Time passed slowly. Connor found himself drifting in and out of wakefulness, finally standing and pacing quietly to keep himself awake. Eventually, the light of dawn began creeping its way through the window. Icarus stirred and sat himself up from the bed.
"Any change?" he asked.
Connor simply shook his head.
Icarus walked over to Laila's side, checking her wound again. As he did, she stirred to wakefulness also, opening her eyes and looking between the Magus and Connor.
"I'm...all right." Her voice sounded distant, but Connor thought she sounded stronger than she had last night.
"What happened, child?" Icarus asked.
"I..." Laila stopped and thought for a moment. "I was able to read the book, Icarus. I could understand it!"
Icarus's eyes widened.
"It was as if I had spoken that language my whole life..." Her voice trailed off.
"Did you find anything of use?" asked Icarus.
Connor watched Laila's demeanor change slightly. "A little... I... Nothing that we can use now, though," she finished shortly.
She was lying. Connor could see that she was holding something back. That last realization before Connor had pulled her away. She had seen something in the pages that had scared her. But what was it? Icarus must have seen the change in Laila's countenance as well; they had all spent too much time together over the last few weeks to get away with an untruth. But he must have decided to let it go. He simply nodded in response and stood.
"Are you fit to travel?" he asked, stiffly.
Laila sat up slowly, hanging her head down and gathering herself. She reached out and grasped her staff on the floor. Connor had tried to place it against the wall during the night but had found that he could not pick it up off the floor. So he had left it. As her hand picked up the stone staff, Connor could see strength return to Laila's face. Using the staff, she propped herself up from her bed and faced Icarus.
"I am."
"Good," Icarus answered, turning away from her to gather his things. "I was able to book us passage on a ship. We leave just after dawn, so we must hurry if we're going to make it."
Connor glanced at Laila, still concerned about her condition, but he knew not to question either of them at this point. He gathered his own things, and within a few minutes, the three of them were back on the rain-soaked streets. The rain itself had stopped in the night, but the cold, near-winter air kept the streets from drying, leaving a low mist hanging on the ground as the sun began to rise.
They walked through the gradually busying streets of the city until they finally reached the docks on the northwest side. Errant shouts and the sounds of business echoed through the streets. Connor had never spent much time around the large ships that traversed the lake and the rivers that connected the cities of the Confederacy. His own experience with boats was limited to the small craft that his people sometimes used to travel along the small river that flowed near their village from the mountains south of Grimmere to the sea to their south. But those were toys compared to the beasts that sat in Balon's harbor.
Two hulls spanned by a large wooden deck allowed the crafts to traverse the shallower parts of the wide rivers, but it also gave them enough speed and stability to cross the depths of Lake Artus. Two masts rose up at
the fore and aft sections of the ships with large canvases tied up at their peaks. Connor knew that those canvases rolled out to catch the wind, when they could, and that they would propel the ships even faster. But when that was not possible, there were two rows of benches on either side of the ships, each with a large oar that could be manned by members of the crew to move the ships, especially when moving upriver from the lake.
Icarus led them toward one of the smaller ships, which was tied up near the harbors entrance to the river.
"Hail, Argon!" called Icarus.
One of the men pacing the deck of the smaller ship stopped and turned toward the docks and Icarus.
"Hail, Shi Icarus!" returned the man. He walked toward the gangplank and motioned for them to cross over onto the ship. Connor followed behind Icarus and Laila, finding his footing somewhat precarious as he crossed over the brown water of the harbor.
"Captain Drachus. Thank you for taking us on such short notice. My companions, Laila and Connor." Icarus bowed his head slightly as he introduced the two young people.
"Ah, a young couple indeed." Captain Drachus smiled, acknowledging the two.
"Couple?" Laila said, tilting her head to one side.
"No... We... That's..." Connor stammered.
"Just my young companions, friend Captain. Students, actually."
The Captain shrugged. "No matter to me, Shi. You pay well, and I'm on my way to Terus. Should be there by tomorrow morning."
"That will do nicely. My thanks." Icarus bowed again.
"I'll have Cato show you where you can stow your packs. I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of accommodation, but you'll find no faster ship on Lake Artus than the Argon."
Icarus nodded. The Captain called for another man, presumably Cato, who came over and led the three of them to the rear part of the ship, a small cabin that seemed to just barely sit on the span between the two hulls.
Within a half hour, the Argon's crew was throwing off the ropes tying them to the docks and pulling the ship, with practiced ease, out into the smooth current of the river heading toward Lake Artus.
Bones of the Earth (The Equilibrium Cycle Book 1) Page 25
