84- Amongst the Books

Having changed into the simple, lint-free, white robe and pants provided to her by the MET, Quayleigh tied back her hair and put on the bonnet before sitting down and changing out her socks. The room she had been given was small and windowless, but had a single bed, with a pillow and blankets if she found herself wanting a nap, a locker for her clothing and personal items, and a desk where she was allowed to keep her notes for review. The only thing she wasn't permitted to do was take the notes out of the MET without having them reviewed by Phaedra first. This seemed reasonable enough to her given the particular field of study.

Putting her shoes back on, she stepped out into the hallway where Riannoske was waiting for her.

"How does it fit?" he asked as he looked her over.

"The pants are a bit long but otherwise it is very comfortable."

"I will have a smaller size waiting for you in your room tomorrow. You may keep those for personal use," he said as he led her back down the hall. "You can find your liaison there in the waiting area and she has been instructed on what to do if there is an emergency. However, under no circumstances will she be able to enter into the archival room."

"Understood," she replied as she looked into the waiting area to see Folsten looking through her phone, an expression of utter boredom languishing on her face.

"Phaedra is waiting for you inside," Riannoske said as he motioned towards the large sliding glass door just behind her.

Turning around, Riannoske walked her through the entry procedure, from using her keycard, exchanging her shoes for slippers and where to store everything, to the proper way to equip the masks and gloves before going through the next set of glass doors and entering into the climate-controlled chamber of the archives.

"Welcome to the archives, Quayleigh," Phaedra remarked as he looked her over. He was dressed in an identical fashion to her with the exception of his clothing being a deep purple color, and once he was done examining her, he gave a nod to Riannoske, presumably confirming that he had done a good job with his instructions. "As tedious as these measures are, we cannot be cautious enough when it comes to taking care of the books, scrolls, vellums, and artifacts contained within our collection. There can be no half measures for their safety, as well as our own."

"It's completely understandable," she replied as she looked up and down the shelves as they walked by.

"I'm glad you understand, because here, we don't just store these things, we also catalogue, research, restore, repair, or in some cases, fight to stabilize, that which is brought to us. You may not be aware, but we are the largest archival branch of the Tribunal in the country, and second in the world behind Javötpur. However, our restoration department is second to none. What you see on these shelves may be found nowhere else in the world, and we host the largest collection of first edition books of known works outside of any private collections, but we narrow that gap every month."

"This is incredible, Phaedra. And you're in charge of all of this?" she asked as he led her into the central chamber.

"I am," he replied as they stopped for a moment, so she could benefit from a chance to turn and look around.

Even though the archives lacked the feeling of grandeur one might have hoped for, due to the ten-foot ceilings and specialized lighting, there was a vastness to the maze-like, cubical style layout, that spanned nearly the entire level.

The central chamber hosted a manned desk where trollies of books were brought to be inspected and returned to their shelves, along with four workstations, two of which were occupied; their passing, acknowledged by bows to Phaedra alone.

Turning down the main aisle, left of the central chamber, Phaedra walked her to the very end, to an area separated by solid back shelves that was more isolated and private.

"This will be your work area. The books and tomes surrounding you, you are free to examine at your leisure. Please place them on the cart when you are finished and Riannoske will return them to the shelves at the end of each workday. The scrolls and vellums may be viewed only with Riannoske or myself present as they are far too fragile for us to allow anyone who is untrained to handle," Phaedra explained as he made his way around to the front of the angled desk formation.

To his right was a table with a tray of tools for examining the texts, and a specialized book support already upon it with alternative ones below on the open shelves, along with cushions and a bin of bookmarkers, and to his left was a desk with an adjustable angle top. Appropriate writing implements and paper already prepared, and a garbage bin to the side, and between the two desks, a swivel stool with a short back.

"In the lower drawer you will find additional paper, in the top you will find the provided book of known damages, along with a list of books that you are permitted to examine that are located outside of this area. However, we ask that do not wonder into any of the other areas without Riannoske present as we do like to know where everyone is to ensure no more than two people are present in a confined space at any given time. There is also the issue of what you are and are not permitted to study while here.

"Lastly, in the smaller slid out tray you can find replacement tips for the pen, and other writing tools, ruler, compass, protractor, that sort of thing. Riannoske can aid you with anything you may have need of otherwise.

"My office can be found at the end of the main aisle, and I can be found there most of the time. I believe that covers everything. Do you have any questions?"

"No. I'm good. Thank you for all of this. I know how much of a risk you're taking by letting me in here without years of training, but I swear, I will be respectful and cautious in everything I do," she stated, hand on heart.

"I appreciate that but stick to the protocols and procedures in place and you needn't worry," Phaedra replied. "In no time, they will become second nature to you. Riannoske, lunch will be served in one hour. Please bring Quayleigh to my office at that time."

"As you request," Riannoske replied with a bow before looking up at the clock on the wall.

"If you need anything else or if any questions arise, Riannoske will be here to assist you."

"Thanks, Phaedra. See you in an hour," she said as Phaedra made his way back around the desks towards her.

"I will see you then." Phaedra gave her a nod before turning and walking away.

"Well, I suppose the only question I have is where do I even begin?" Quayleigh sighed as she looked around her, the task she had been given, suddenly feeling daunting.

"I've been informed as to the nature and reason for your study. Might I suggest starting with Se Admek by Pirotus Valitnor?"

"And suddenly, I feel woefully under qualified to be here," she replied as Riannoske moved to the shelf before the desk.

Reaching up, he removed a large, leather back tome, and then carefully placed it onto the book support for her.

"I realize that you have been put in the middle of a delicate situation. Being asked to find an answer to a question that the supposed experts can't or won't give up, all because the two sides refused to find a way to work together. If the police would trust us, you being here wouldn't be necessary. My only advice to you is to not let yourself be intimidated by any of it. You are here for answers, nothing more, and if the answer turns out to be that there was nothing to find, then that will have to suffice. Focus on what you wish to know, and let the books do the rest."

"That's the thing, I'm not entirely certain what it is that I'm supposed to be looking for. The police want to know what's being used to murder people, and in a way, they already have an answer, but it wasn't good enough, apparently. Now they want to know what it was that they saw, and they've left it up to me, because this was already in motion. I'm just… I guess I'm worried that no matter what answer I find, if it isn't what they want to hear, they won't accept it. Even if I can find proof in one of these books as to what I think is doing this, I know they aren't going to be happy about it."

"And what is it that you believe is responsible?"

"Something that was summoned here from somewhere else."

Riannoske set his hand on his chin for a moment before saying, "The report we received stated that the police believed this was a practitioner preforming death magic, and that was why this request was made. But you don't believe that this is a mage at all?"

"No. From my understanding, as limited as it is, magic of any nature requires two things, components and a ritual setup, no exceptions, but neither of these have been found at any of the crime scenes. Components in quantity would be needed for this many deaths, and there would have to be suppliers, money trails, something to follow, but there's nothing. What they do have is a video I haven't seen of a being that I have been told is sentient, and they are calling it a Karakaram."

"A Tuhané legend, perhaps with some merit. Fascinating theory," Riannoske stated as he turned around and scanned one of the lower shelves. Pulling a green book of a smaller size, he placed it onto the table for her. "This is a book of Tuhané summoning magic. We have three more in the collection, but this one revolves mainly with the use of summoning for the purpose of war. Much of this section has similar implications, given that the true nature of death practices is not considered to be a form of real magic. Hence the limited selection before you."

"Can I ask, why you thought I should start with the Se Admek?"

"It was based mainly on the information I was given. This is one of the oldest manuscripts written on the nature of death and how magic can be used to induce it upon others. In his lifetime, Valitnor, was considered to be the leader of a cult that worshiped Anbihet, his people's version of the god of death. This is the only text, that we know of, that was reproduced in his time. Only four known copies remain, three within the Tribunal's ownership with the fourth remaining in a private collection. This is the most complete of the three we have, requiring only minor restorations to its pages when it arrived. The cover is original, but this is still just a copy. The original manuscript has never been found. It was most likely destroyed when Valitnor's people were conquered in the late seventh era."

"And now I feel sick just thinking about touching it. The fact that this even still exists is astounding," she remarked as he opened the cover for her.

"The idea of the implements is so you don't need to touch it with your hands. Use the cushions for your elbows on the table, and the magnifying glass to put distance between you and the book. Most importantly, do not rush the turning of the pages. Slow is the preferred method."

"Thanks. I suppose I should get started then," she replied, as a great sense of dread rose up from within her, a fear that she would accidently do something to damage the priceless works.

People like Riannoske had had years to practice and training on how to handle these works as to do them no harm, but she had been given a brief verbal explanation and read the riot act, and now was being given access to what could be the end of her life if she made the wrong decision, moved the wrong way, or suffered from a momentary lapse in judgement.

She felt like she was going to pass out when Riannoske set his hand on her shoulder.

"It's just a book, Quayleigh. Don't be afraid of it," he said as he set his gloved hand against its pages. "Be gentle, and don't rush. If you have questions, ask. If you're confused about the procedures, set everything down, and come and get me. Never forget that I am here to work with you."

"Thanks. I needed to hear that more than you know," she replied as she reached up and patted the top of his hand.

"I hope it helps. I'll leave you to your work. When you have need of me, I will be at the workstation behind you. I've been permitted to aid you in gathering information on this subject, and will be starting with the Oeugon Horth'sur, an eighth era series of scrolls found in a Brelalian temple. Is there anything you would like me to take specific notes on?"

"Ah, mostly any mentions you can find on summons of a sentient nature or magic techniques that don't require the use of components or rituals?" Her statement sounding more like a question giving her hesitation to vocalize any of it as a possibility.

She had expected Riannoske to scoff or snicker or even twitch at such an outlandish concept as a complete waste of time, but he simply gave a nod of understanding and retrieved a scroll from the shelf without question, making her feel even more at ease.

Taking a moment to familiarize herself with the unusual nature of the provided writing implement, which in appearance was a metal, pen-like instrument housing a white nib, she pressed it to the paper, marking it as page 1, the fibers of the paper beneath turning blue, despite the pen being inkless. It was an interesting device and testing it against the back of her glove did nothing. Placing down the pen, she turned to the book, took a deep breath, and began to read.

The process was slow and frustrating, given her lack of study with that particular dialect of the mage language known as Adeeava, having to ask Riannoske for a dictionary she could use to help her with some of the translations, something he readily provided her with. But after an hour, and what seemed like little progress, she was relieved when he interrupted her and informed her that it was time for lunch.

"You can leave your station as it is, as no one else is currently permitted in this section," he informed her as she stood and stretched.

Following him to Phaedra's officer, he showed Quayleigh inside, and showed her where she was to place her used mask and gloves before taking his leave, closing the door as he went.

"How has it been going?" Phaedra questioned as she stepped into his office and began to look around.

"Slowly. Woefully underqualified, as I told Riannoske. He is a remarkable assistant, by the way," she relayed with a smile.

"I will be certain to note that in his upcoming review," he replied as she began to scan the room.

It was beautifully decorated with busts, heraldry, and display cases of priceless artifacts, but as she turned and looked towards Phaedra, she felt her heart pound against her chest, for hung upon the wall, in a frame of gold and white, was the same painting she remembered from her father's office; a churning sea of deep, rich blues, and a black, serpentine dragon illuminated by the lightning in the sky.

"Phaedra, where did you get that painting?"

He lowered his eyes as he stood from his desk and made his way towards her. "I'm surprised you recognize it."

"My father, he had the same one hanging above his desk in our home. My mother got rid of it at some point, I think. I don't actually know whatever happened to it, but I have always wondered who the artist was and hoped that it ended up with someone who admired it as much as my father did."

"Then wonder no more. Your mother sent it back to me, because I was the one who gifted it to your father in the first place."