Chapter 56

There they lay, Zale and Shai, squeezed shoulder to shoulder on the cold stone while waiting. Akil stood amongst the observers, his arms crossed, head high, and jaw tight. Shai flashed him one last smile before Rahja spoke up over the roaring silence. "All is ready. Once we begin, I will not be stopping," he said matter of factly.

Kahmil stepped forward briefly. "Are you su-"

"I'm certain."

"Me too. If possible, I'd like to get starting before I chicken out," Zale cut it, eliciting nervous laughter from around the room.

When Kahmil was out of the way, Rahja started up the device. His call-outs were the same as ever, but each time Zale heard his voice, his heart quickened. His blood coursed, and every muscle in his body seized when the orbs of mana drifted over their bodies.

Zale didn't dare to move, but the anticipation made him sore and sick to the stomach. For a moment, all fell quiet again, then Zale's world exploded with agony.

He lost all sense of time as the mind focused only on the pain. It moved in waves like trillions of murder hornets stinging every millimeter of his body. Every pour felt like it was lanced by the venom. His veins streaked with was he could only imagine as the searing heat of molten lead that felt like both ice and fire. At some point, he became aware that his throat was shredding with the constant screams that escaped him.

'Is that my voice? Have I been screaming?" he thought, feeling his mind and body as separate.

'Death is one thing. This is another. I just want it to end,' he thought, and he could hear his voice screaming for it to stop.

At some point during the process, Zale became aware of something gripping his wrist. He assumed it was Shai, but any sensation save for pain was lost on him. His vision filled with black and white spots. He was sure the forge made noise, but it was almost silent in his head. 'Or maybe I just can't hear it over the screams."

His feet went cold. Zale was sure his heart stopped, but he was still only dying. A bone-deep chill ran through him, mixing with the liquid fire in his veins. It was hell. For reasons he didn't have the capacity to think about, the presence had returned. It gently caressed Zale's heart, whispering the promise of his demise.

This lasted only a moment before all his senses began to dull. Like being dragged by the ankles down a dark tunnel, Zale's consciousness faded. Then he passed.

The next thing he was aware of was the smell of books. Zale's eyes snapped open, and he sprang to his feet. He was surrounded by bookshelves that towered so high he couldn't see the top. The height was dizzying.

He looked down before losing himself in their pull and saw a man lying next to him. He was a slender, dashing young man. Dark hair and swarthy skin gave him a suave appeal. A thought tickled at the back of his mind for a moment, but he pushed it aside.

Zale took a stroll around, walking to the intersection of the shelves and peering into the distance. It was a maze, impossible for him to navigate alone. He walked back and decided to approach the books instead. The instant his fingertips brushed the spin of the first book, his vision was filled with inexplicable magic. Each book had a small orb inside it and a thin line that seemed to connect it to the shelf. He looked up and saw every book was the same, and wisps of magic of different colors and origins drifted, coated, and acted in the library.

He felt unsteady on his feet and dropped to one knee beside the other man. He looked at the man and saw the same thing. Where his heart would be was a small glowing sphere that pumped energy through the body.

Zale looked down and saw the same thing in himself. He was also the same as before his trip to the Coma Library. He took in a sharp breath as all the memories came rushing back. Fear, elation, and pain racked his body, and he wheezed suddenly. "Ah, I see you've recalled everything."

The voice echoed from nothing, and Zale looked at the other man. Nothing. He looked up and, though he didn't see a person, he saw the shape of a cat drifting on a book, both of which coursed with a flow of magic. "Hmm? Can you see me?" the voice asked.

The book floated closer, bringing the cat a foot from Zale, who reeled back and landed hard on his ass. "Fascinating. This is truly a wonder!"

"What's going on?"

The cat withdrew, at the same time becoming corporeal. Her voice, haughty like a university professor, declared, "Zale Sotanaht, I officially welcome you to the library of the Exceeds."