Chapter 55

Corliss stood by herself at the gated entrance of the Palrion Archive, having not opened to the public yet. It was early enough that only a few people were walking in, mostly scholars and a few archivists. With the Archive being part of the oldest section of Palrion, the towering building was made of weathered stone with tiled roofs that glistened in the early morning sunlight. From what she knew, the structure was thousands of years old, holding texts from all three lands in their world and was rumored to have a special section for others not many have access to.

The archivists were the ones who interested Corliss the most, both female and male, young and old. She eyed their robes of different colors, from the palest gray to brightest blue, and saw a glint of gold on their fingers, some with colorful stones and others just simple bands, representing their specialties. She spotted only one with his adorned with what looked like a knotted heart with a clear diamond in the center – the Palrion Heart, only worn by those who have mastered all subjects.

The male archivist smiled as he approached the gates, unlocking it with a wave of his hand and a spark of magic. "I'm usually not opening these gates for eager public scholars this early in the morning," he said to her in a quiet, calm voice, his hair gray, and dressed in bright blue robes.

Corliss stepped forward into the outer courtyard. "I was hoping to speak with someone who knew about...the darker subjects of magic...and I knew this would be the place."

"Where do you come from, child?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Dalcaine. Eld, specifically. My name is Corliss Lucerra."

The surname had his eyes widening as he bowed his head slightly. "It is an honor to meet you, Lady Corliss. Even here in Ethran, we still know the histories of the ruling Dalcaine families. My name is Talib and I would be happy to help you in your research."

Corliss took his offered arm as he turned toward the building and walked with her to the front steps. She noticed the Palrion Heart ring on his thumb. What luck she had with meeting him first since she knew he would be one of the most well-versed scholars in the complex.

"We get many travelers, including from your homeland, but I must say I'm surprised that you're here," Talib continued as they began their ascent up the steps. "As I said before, I know of your family and their history. I'm surprised by your interests, though."

She looked around, searching for any listening ears, but there were still so few people inside the entryway that they were basically alone. "Apologies, but do you mind if we talk about this in a private place?"

He nodded his head once. "Of course. Would you like to look around first, or...?"

Talib didn't have time to finish his sentence once they made it through the archway entrance into the massive library. Corliss's mouth dropped open in awe as she stared. Never did she imagine the image before her – dozens upon dozens of floor to ceiling bookcases, multiple levels, beautiful stained glass windows, and a domed glass ceiling that let sunlight filter in from above. Tables for studying were placed throughout with lamps in the center, slowly filling with scholars coming in for studying.

Talib guided her toward a locked door set between the next set of shelves and a floor-to-ceiling window. However, whenever he opened it with a spark of ancient magic, it didn't lead outside but to a set of stone steps that led down into the depths of darkness. Another flicker of magic and lanterns illuminated.

"Come, child," Talib smiled at her. "Very few have the ability to see the texts that are held down here."

She did nothing but nod, trying to swallow down her fear of what might be down there, her bag containing the grimoire weighing her down.

Following Talib down the narrow stairwell that descended into the semidarkness, Corliss's eyes roamed over the walls and the words and images etched into the stone. The etchings had to be thousands of years old, words and entire tales following down the stairs. They started in the common tongue, then another language heard throughout Ethran, and several others that had died out over time. Finally, though, once they reached the bottom...she recognized it as the same language used throughout the grimoire.

Reaching up, she ran her fingers along the carved stone. "Gods above..." she breathed out in the almost silence.

Talib heard her, turning back around to look before finding what she was looking at. "The origin language of the Fae, going back farther than any of our records do. The magic those words hold was created when the world was just light and darkness. No one today speaks or wields it and there are no texts that do either. This is all we have."

Not true, Corliss thought to herself when she met his eyes.

Talib cocked his head to the left, eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at her.

He didn't say a word as he turned toward the stone door the stairs ended at, which blended in seamlessly other than the etching of the Palrion Heart in it. He lifted his hand, the golden ring glowing slightly in the dim light, and pressed it against it. Silver light weaved around his wrist and through his fingers before it circled the stone Heart. The next moment, the doorway opened silently and retreated sideways into the wall.

Talib stepped to the side so Corliss could enter first. If anything, the room it revealed was bare. A singular bookshelf along the opposite wall and a wooden table and chairs in the center of the space. A smaller version of the chandeliers in the main archive hung in the center, illuminating the space. Slowly, she stepped forward toward the shelf, turning her head to read the titles along the leather spines.

A History of Ethran.

A History of Dalcaine.

A History of Escarral.

Lost Languages of the Lands.

The Concepts of Other Worlds.

The Origin and History of the Seer of Ikreus.

Gods and Goddesses, New and Old.

Magic, Light and Dark.

"Why are these kept down here and not up in the actual archive?" Corliss asked as she slowly turned toward the male.

Talib stepped up beside her, reaching up to run his withered fingers along the texts. "We are historians of our world and these are our most sacred texts. The ones up in the main archive have been finished, but these...these continue on. There are only a handful of us who are allowed down here and that is to continue on with archiving the history of our world, adding to what's already been written. These texts will continue on as long as our world is still cast in light and doesn't fall to darkness."

"And what...what qualifications does a text need to have to be able to be kept in such a secure and sacred place?"

Talib gave her the same look he had as he had a few minutes before. "You have something, don't you, child?"

Swallowing hard, Corliss nodded slowly, moving to place her bag on the table. She felt his eyes on her as she reached inside, pulling out the grimoire before gently setting it on the table.

His sharp intake of breath had Corliss looking over at him, seeing his eyes widen.

"Do you know of this text?" she asked curiously.

Talib nodded as she reached out to touch its leather cover. "This used to reside here, in this restricted area. I believe it was now supposed to be in the safe keeping of the lead librarian at the Ayverian university?"

"You know Madam Dewridge?"

A fond smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "I do. She is a spectacular Fae female, one who trained as a scholar in this very archive. That was hundreds of years ago, though, before she decided to take up the university post. She was entrusted with this text for safe keeping...so what I don't understand is how it came to be in your possession."

Corliss's face flamed as she glanced away. "Well, I might have...taken it without permission at first and replaced it with a decoy."

"I see."

"I've been translating it."

"Something no one has been able to do before, which is quite impressive."

She flushed again. "But what's in these pages...no one should have that easy of access to. I brought it here in hopes that you would be able to keep it away from any prying eyes...including my own."

A gently hand pressed against the center of her back and only then did she realize she was trembling.

"Come, sit," the archivist said gently, steering her toward one of the wooden chairs. "What has you reacting this way?"

Corliss stared at the grimoire resting on the table top. "I...I've been translating it. I found something to help me with it and I've been able to get a good bit of it done, but..."

"I will stop you there, Lady Corliss," Talib said quietly. "That grimoire is said to contain the darkest of magic. It's a great thing that it's in a language that no one has been able to decipher...and yet you said you have?"

She nodded. "Yes. And it does have dark magic in it. The darkest magic I've ever read about. When I find something that I'm interested in...I tend to become a little obsessive of it. That's what happened with this. Everyone in my family's worried about me because it, especially my mate Meron. And a few weeks ago when we were in Asturia visiting my sister...something happened."

He waited in silence, watching her.

"I didn't know what I was doing," Corliss said in a whisper. "I was trying to help a human girl with a cut and...the grimoire...the dark magic..."

She didn't have to elaborate for him to know what happened. "Is the girl still alive?"

"Yes. Gods, yes. But I could feel it. The want, the need to take the life force from her blood. I almost did but then my sister Bridget came. I just...I did things, said things I should never have. That's why we came here to Palrion. Not only to get away for a little while, but for me to figure out a place to secure this," she said, nodding toward the grimoire.

"You didn't think to send it back to Madam Dewridge, let her know what really happened with it?"

Corliss shook her head. "I would have access to it there. But here, in this room...I'd have to have you or another archivist to get to it. This is one of the most secure places in our world. I don't want it falling into the wrong hands or even mine again."

Talib didn't say anything, just waved his hand toward the grimoire. It levitated above the table before turning upright and gliding gracefully into an empty space on the shelf. Another spark of magic put a secure ward around the bookshelf.

"You have made an excellent decision in bringing it here," Talib told her, grabbing both her hands in his. "I will not breathe a word to anyone else and won't notify Madam Dewridge either. I believe it's best kept here, too."

"Thank you," she breathed. "I just..."

"No," he said while shaking his head. "You don't have to worry about it anymore. You know it's secure here and you won't even be able to access it without me. Not many come down here other than myself since I've been tasked with keeping up with the texts down here. I will keep it hidden, keep it safe."

"Thank you," Corliss said again. "Thank you so much."

He smiled at her and squeezed both her hands before standing up. "There's no need. Now, Lady Corliss, let me take you on a tour of the archive itself. You're the kind of person I feel needs to be among the texts to truly find calm and peace. Allow me to give that to you."