Ch. 43, The Old Woman

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The Room of the Parted Sea and the Circled Forest, all spectacularly mimicked the lost world of Old Earth. Level M's library mimicked nothing. It didn't have too—it was beautiful all on it's own.

I'd spent most of my life trading and scavenging for books, digging through the Chute to save abandoned and forgotten pages, desperate for even a small glimpse into life on Old Earth. I'd thought it was impressive, our small library in the Belly.

But standing here in the library of the Jackals... I would have traded my other flesh arm to stay here forever.

Book shelves lined walls so high there was a thin walkway halfway up and sliding ladders to reach the highest books. Massive chandeliers hung from a domed ceiling and bathed the room in a warm glow. Beneath it all were shelves so tightly packed it created a maze that I doubted even Dagger could maneuver.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Dagger said, as if we were looking at a collection of old pipes and not the culmination of thousands of years of human history. With the scents of paper and leather rising around me, for a moment I wondered if I should show him the necklace and the riddle tucked inside. I dismissed the thought just as quickly. Dagger might be my partner, and he might have saved my life, but I knew almost nothing else about him. The necklace held secrets Aliyah had died to protect. I had made her a promise, and that promise was my only hope of finding Xyla.

"The oldest books in the library," I said. "Or Bibles. Or old Bibles." Smooth, Z. Not suspicious at all.

"Need to say some prayers?"

"Only for you."

He started off through the shelves, surprising me with his unwavering confidence, turn after turn. He had clearly been here before. Again, I was forced to reconsider who I had partnered up with. Maybe he really was a Jackal? And this was all some sort of elaborate ruse to kill me? But then why not let Shadow finish the job? I tried to compile everything I knew about Dagger. He had weapons training, calloused hands and strength that pointed to discipline. A poor sense of humor, fear of small spaces, knowledge of other levels, an ease, but not thirst, for killing—so what did that all add up to? A disgraced K-guard was the only thing that made sense. It would explain why he knew so much about this level, and why he knew how to fight. So what exactly had he done that was bad enough to get thrown into the lowest Letter Trial? What sort of crime was horrible enough to be unlisted? The question felt like an itch on my metal arm; no matter how I scratched it, the phantom flesh was never satisfied.

The library was even bigger than I'd originally thought, elegant and imposing at the same time, reminding me of a story about a beast that held a beautiful woman captive in his castle. There had been a flower in that story too, and I almost wanted to ask Dagger if we could return to the corridor and pick one for Xyla, but resisted, sure he'd think I'd gone crazy for sure.

Dagger led us to a hallway that branched off the huge room. An iron gate stood at the entrance, and before it sat an old, shriveled woman. I'd seen pictures of people with wrinkled skin and hunched bodies, but until now I hadn't realized humans could actually survive to such an age. Even fifty was ancient in the Belly.

"We request permission to enter the Library of the Lost," Dagger said.

The old woman glared at the two of us. She had the same patchwork green dress as the others, but hers was lined with what looked like thorns—an impressive, if questionable, fashion choice. I resisted the burning urge to ask if her hair was always that shade of grey, or if it was just one of the wonders of age. Just when I was sure she wouldn't let us in, she pulled a key from her robe-like clothes, moving with a slowness that was either from age or an excellent sense of drama. She fitted the key into the lock and the gate opened without a creak.

There wasn't time to ask where we were going. Dagger inclined his head respectfully to the woman and then paced down the hallway. The woman's eyes narrowed as I nodded to her and then hurried to follow Dagger. 


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