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insomniac-dot-ink · 5 years ago

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The Dark Library

Words: 19k

Genre: high fantasy, wlw romance

Summary: A young woman descends below the earth into an enormous ancient library to learn the secrets of necromancy. There she meets a librarian’s assistant that is bound to the forbidden place and starts to form a tentative bond in the face of the fact the assistant herself cannot leave.

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Tomma’s boots crunched on the rough ground with each step. The sky was grey and faceless above her and there was a whisper of a chill on the breeze. The trees around her had already lost their summer clothes and shed rough piles of orange and red to the ground.

It was a sparse path with vegetation spread far apart and trees lonely by the side of the mountain. The mountain itself was iron gray and stuck straight out of the earth as if to split the sky in two with a jagged vengeance. It was broken in many places and Tomma made sure to keep her eyes focused on a dark patch on its side.

There was no gate or runes or even a door she could make out. There was only a dark smudge on the side of the stone with an inky, etching blackness just beyond. As Tomma grew closer she could feel a warmth oozing out from inside, it wasn’t hot, but it was unsettling- like the breath from a sleeping giant snaking out.

Tomma squinted ahead and started to cast her spell before she went any closer, “Abador, li jada…” she muttered the ancient words in a tongue she barely understood herself. The words seemed to fall on deaf ears as her boots crunched and crunched forward on the stony path.

She frowned slowly and finished the spell, “show yourself…”

For a long terrible moment Tomma thought the words she had fought for, spilled blood for, cried for, had been for naught. That she might just turn around and have to find another way in.

But, as if from a dream, a woman in a cloak stepped out of the darkness. She had a black velvet dress that swept over the ground and a cloak that covered her from head to foot. On her face was enormous bird mask that covered her eyes and hair.

She moved her mouth, and it moved oh so oddly. “A child?” She said in a bitter winter wind voice and frowned with thin lips. Some say she built the library herself. Others say she simply stewarded the place for the thing that did.

Tomma drew herself up, “I wish to travel into the dark library.”

A smile played across the woman’s exposed mouth in an almost cruel way. “I see.” She said simply and straightened up. She was a tall woman with an impressive build.

“Please, I must enter.” Tomma grew a smile to match the woman’s own. “Madame Sonia.” The woman’s smile faltered at the sound of her own name but she swept around in a circle.

“Follow me.”

Tomma had barely a moment to hesitate before she disappeared into the warm mouth of the cave and Tomma was forced to hurry after the heavy cloak into the darkness. The sound of the rustling trees and a nearby river was swallowed whole as she entered. It was warm inside in a tepid sort of way- like a bath left to cool for too long.

Inside was dim and filled with sharp walls where runes were carved into the soft flesh of the mountain. Madam Sonia’s steps were all but silent and she hurried on ahead with her cloak billowing behind her.

Tomma swallowed and reached for her own gloved left hand. She wanted to squeeze it and remind herself why she was here, but there was no time as Madame Sonia dipped lower in the path and she had to jog to not lose her.

“First rule,” Madame Sonia spoke in a hushed and yet clipped manner. “Do not wander. I’m sure you’ve heard rumors about the library and I’ll assure you they’re all true. You won’t live longer than a day if you wander.”

“I won’t.” Tomma confirmed in a low voice, edged herself past a craggy overhang, and followed Madame Sonia down into the earth.

“Second rule,” Madame Sonia gestured outward. “We no longer lend items out. Carry nothing with you on your way back to the surface.”

“I understand.”

“Final rule,” Sonia abruptly stopped in place and Tomma had to squint to even see her outline. She seemed to be standing in front of an enormous archway. “Past this point you must make as little noise as possible. This isn’t a library to be taken lightly. Whisper, or you will find yourself sorely regretting it.”

“Okay.” A cold sweat break down Tomma’s spine. You knew what you were getting into, she chastised herself as a complete hungry darkness lay ahead.

“Do you still wish to proceed into the Library Below the Earth?”

“Yes.” She said quickly without hesitation. “Take me.”

“Very well, put these on,” Madame Sonia held out a pair of soft-bottomed felt shoes from within her cloak. “You will be assigned a guide from here on out. You must follow her at all times or risk the worst. Remember rule one. No wandering.”

The felt shoes were too small and cramped Tomma’s feet but the material was at least soft and the grip more firm than painful. She could not tell the color or make of the shoe, but it didn’t matter.

There was only one thing that mattered past the archway: the Cipher of the Dead. And all the secrets of necromancy therewithin.

“I am ready.” Tomma stood and had to crane her neck up to look at the bird-faced mask of Madame Sonia. It’s a crow, she realized belatedly.

Madame Sonia waved her hand with a flourish and just past the archway was a flickering light in the darkness that traveled quickly toward them on some unseen path.

“You will have Lucia to guide you. She is one of my girls and will take you where you need to go and,” the Madame said in her deep, icy voice. “She will know everywhere you go inside the library. Nothing is off limits, but I’m sure I do not need to encourage prudence in your studies.”

“Thank you.” Tomma managed to grit out because she wasn’t about to be rude to her hosts yet- no matter how much this woman rubbed Tomma the wrong way.

The flickering torch came into view and another mask appeared ahead. The girl before her had an autumn orange dress that hung just above her feet and long sweeping pleated sleeves that covered half her hands.

Her face was mostly covered by a red fox mask. It was stylized and with a small white snout and feathers woven into the red fur. Her hair was covered and only her pale pink mouth and angular cheeks showed. She had a sturdy build and moved very suredly across the uneven blackened ground.

Her skin was weathered and had the look of many farm girls that Tomma had passed along the way to the dark library. Tomma wondered if that’s how the wicked place got its servants: stole them from the countryside right out from under the nose of their mothers and fathers. Or if foolish young things just sometimes wondered into caves and never came out.

It didn’t matter. The young woman silently made her way to the archway and illuminated its huge face. The arch was covered in rough runes and made of an inky black stone that reflected the light. Tomma wrinkled her nose. The rock was too shiny and too smooth in the light of the flame.

Madame Sonia examined Tomma, “Do you agree to our terms?”

Tomma barely turned her chin up. “I do.”

Madame Sonia gestured ahead. “Lucia. This is Tomma Merrimont. You will escort her toward the books of the dead.”

Tomma gritted her teeth as she realized she had never told this woman her name or her purpose. But it didn’t matter.

Lucia barely nodded before turning around again and standing aside. Tomma looked between the tall imposing Sonia and her servant, but Lucia was already walking and there was nothing to do but follow.

Crossing the archway of the damned was said to be an unpleasant experience no matter what. Tomma stared at the structure for a long moment before squaring her shoulders, drawing herself up, and walking. Her whole body shook with a sickening lurch of her stomach and goosebumps shivering up her arms. Her mouth tasted brackish and gritty as she entered and she had to cover her mouth for a moment.

She didn’t have time to revel in the lump in her throat as the light moved on ahead and Tomma looked over her shoulder only once to see Sonia watching them both. She turned around and followed Lucia.

The area beyond the archway was different than the cave behind them. Instead of grey and jagged rock walls the cavity was made of that same shiny, black material that was unnervingly smooth and bright against the light. The ground was less cave-like and almost like a normal hall with corners and flat floors. The only similarity with the cave was the uncomfortable mild warmth that bled through the air.

The halls varied in width as they went, sometimes forcing Tomma to duck down, or expanding to the point where she could extend both arms out. Tomma wasn’t sure how long they traveled, always downward into the earth, but her feet began to ache from the tight shoes and thoughts started to buzz from the silence.

Their footsteps were quiet and eaten by the thick still air and the only noise was something dripping in the distance- water down into a pool. Dripping and breathing and a world of strangeness.

The fox-masked girl ahead never stumbled or even looked back at her. She just walked at a steady, fast pace. It felt like almost an hour before she slowed and the path ahead started to open up.

It was warmer than ever before and sweat trickled down Tomma's spine. The light reflected off the first color she had seen in miles: blue, deep enchanting indigo blue embedded in the walls. The gems caught the light for a moment before Lucia turned and touched the wall.

Tomma raised her eyebrows as she recognized a door there: it was small and compact with a handsome brass handle and a central blue gem. Lucia waved a hand in front of it and the thing seemed to swing open with a gust of wind.

“We’re here,” Lucia whispered and her voice was like rusting hinges and soft wind chimes. “Don’t wander.”

Tomma’s eyes grew huge as the light of the torch danced across an enormous room. “Oh…” She said softly. “Wow.” She had arrived at the library beneath the earth.

She hurriedly took a step inside before it could disappear like a mirage or she would jerk awake from this dream.

Tomma couldn’t see any walls, but there were blue pillars reaching up and up past the height of any grown man and hitting an unseen ceiling. There were splotches of pale light streaming from above: it was stark white and faint, but enough to fill the room in bright patches here and there.

The air smelled slightly dusty, but it was cooler than in the halls and there was something stark about it that seemed to wake her up.

She strained to see across the room, but could only make out rows and rows of books before her. Enormous shelves of sturdy dark wood and towering ladders climbing toward the highest shelves at precarious angles. The shelves themselves held thick tomes with spines of gold that caught the light and black books the color of ink that looked like they wept dark liquid. It was a library of proportions Tomma couldn’t even fathom.

Tomma tipped her chin up toward the glowing powder-white light above and she knew her mouth had fallen open. She glanced back to the fox-masked girl, Lucia. “Where is the Cypher of the Dead?” She whispered shortly. “Books on necromancy?”

The girl stared at her deftly as if she was asking something unreasonable. For a moment Tomma thought she caught the edge of hazel eyes behind the eye holes. Weary hazel eyes.

“This way,” Lucia said faintly and started leading the way.

Shelves of books passed, ones made with solid white that shone like diamonds and books with pressed flowers along their spine and books that seemed to twitch when they passed.

They wove through the rows and dipped in and out of the strips of blanched white light that shone from above like a scrawled bits of sudden color in a grey pool. Something continued to drip in the distance and Tomma tried to remember their steps and how many turns they took, but counting was pointless.

The books looked different, but the enormous space was strange and crooked and hard to follow. The ground itself was made of interconnecting tiles in varying blue designs: swirls and diamonds and peacock feather eyes- different and yet seemingly made to confuse.

“Ahead.” Tomma barely heard the whisper of the girl. She snapped her head up and a humid breath of chilled air licked her cheek.

It was colder here.

Lucia stopped with her torch in front of an black gate made of wrought iron. “We have to go to the lower section.” The girl said impassionately.

Tomma gave a short nod. “Lead the way.” Lucia fiddled with the gate for a long minute and Tomma fidgeted in place and glanced around. After several long moments she tried to break the deadening silence, “Deep dark, holes, huh?” She leaned against the wall and looked over the gate, “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Though I usually prefer a person attached, heh...” She didn’t know why she said that.

If Lucia understood or found the comment amusing at all she didn’t show it. She turned and Tomma was mentally kicking herself, who says that? She tried to blame it on the oddness of the morning and the fact she had worked for months for this and it was somehow stranger than she had imagined.

Lucia opened the gate with a rusty creak and visibly flinched at the pitched noise. “Let’s go.” She stood aside and Tomma passed through the black gate without meeting her eyes. Lucia closed the gate behind them.

Tomma followed her down a set of winding iron steps into an even darker part of the library with dirt walls that seemed to compress around them. They strolled past more book shelves with thicker tomes on them and steeper ladders. This level was lit by red lanterns hanging from the ceiling instead of the chilled white light, bathing the whole room in an orangey glow.

Lucia paused with a sudden jerk and pointed at several shelves with gaps between the books. “There.” She said flatly. “Cyphers of the dead.”

Tomma’s eyes went wide, “That’s it?”

Lucia only nodded and Tomma shook slightly, reaching for her left hand to squeeze it through the thick leather gloves. She had been waiting for months and months to see this. To read it, to see it, to touch it.

“Okay,” she took a shuddering breath and her steps were slow and almost painful as she worked her way over to the enormous books of the dead.

“I will give you four hours here before it will be time to retire to our chambers.”

That made Tomma pause, “Chambers?”

“Arrangements are made in the library for anyone seeking knowledge,” she said simply. “Once you find what you’re looking for you will be escorted out, but until then you may stay as long as it takes. That is the purpose of the library.”

Tomma’s lifted her eyebrows, she had heard that people disappeared for months at a time in the library below- looking for military strategies, keys to eternal life, access to vast amounts of wealth. That sort of thing.

She never imagined that they simply… slept in the library itself in arranged rooms.

“Uh, thanks.” Tomma scratched the back of her neck and Lucia only dipped her head in acknowledgement.

“Find what you seek quickly, patron.” She said softly. “Dallying does not bode well for those accepted here.”

Tomma’s skin crawled at that comment and quickly skipped over to the large faceless bookshelf with no apparent markings on it. She picked the first book off the shelf at random and a giddy electricity swept through her veins.

The book was smooth and its spine fit neatly in her hand. The cover was black with an overdramatic carving of a skull on its face. It smelled thickly of leather and was almost warm and thrumming against her hands.

This is it. She carefully, slowly, opened it all the way up. This is it. She found a page of scrawled dark letters.

“What?” Tomma stopped and stared. She blinked several times at a mass of smeared nonsense words in a language she didn’t recognize: triangles and dashes and empty circles. She quickly shoved it aside and reached for the next book with a certain fever rush.

She flipped through the next book with the pattern of a horn on the front. It opened up to another slew of words in the same strange shapes that didn’t mean anything to her. “No.” She gasped.

She opened five more books after that: a blue one with a smiling cruel face on it. A red one with a dragon design that was made of bones. And then three black ones with nothing at all on their fronts.

“How can this be?” She seethed and barely kept her voice low and below a full-on cry. She whipped around on her heels to face the waiting librarian's assistant. She strode over with hot coals in her center. “What is this?” She shook the book in Lucia’s face.

“Books of the dead are written in the language of the dead.” Lucia said simply. “I think you would know that.”

Tomma’s eyes grew huge and she gnashed her teeth, “No.” She shook slightly. “I didn’t.”

Lucia shrugged. “I can take you to the dictionary section of the library.”

Tomma’s stomach fell into a cold pit, more? She fumed. I have to do more?!

She took deep even breaths to calm herself. No. I’ve waited this long… What’s a bit more waiting and studying? She reasoned with herself and clenched her left hand and nodded.

They went up the set of stairs back into the white light and Tomma didn’t even bother to count the number of turns they took until they were at another enormous section with spines the size of her extended hand.

“Here,” Lucia stepped aside. “You have three more hours here before we retire.”

Tomma stood and blankly looked on ahead, “where is this dictionary?”

Lucia shrugged. “I can show you sections of the library, but all knowledge here must be begot by your own hands.”

“Ugh,” Tomma groaned as she realized it was one of those silly “you have to earn it” tests that wizards and fools liked to give out.

She scanned the shelves and realized that they would have languages upon languages housed in this ancient place. Dead languages, languages of the stars, languages that other scholars would kill to learn. But Tomma wasn’t interested in that, all she just needed the secrets to necromancy.

First, of course, she needed a proper translating device.

She opened the first book and got to work. -------------- Words started to blur together in sticky clumps and Tomma had a slight headache by the time the library assistant cleared her throat. None of the lights had changed in the chamber and Tomma’s ass hurt from sitting for so long.

“It’s time.” Tomma jumped as Lucia whispered next to her shoulder and she jerked her head up.

“Already?” Tomma returned quietly, though she wasn’t unhappy with the interruption. Her muscles were sore and she had to rub her eyes several times to get the real world to focus. “I don’t suppose there’s a map to these sections?” Tomma asked slowly, “or some sort of system I can use to find this book?”

Lucia simply straightened up and gestured, “it’s time to retire to the chambers.”

“Fine, fine.” Tomma put away the half-dozen books spread out around her and itched her foot for a moment- still stuffed in the too-tight shoes.

The walk to the chambers was just as winding as any of the other ones, past massive bookshelves, splashes of light, and across decorative blue and white tiles. Tomma rubbed her eyes again and reminded herself it would all be over after this.

I can go home after this.

She barely noticed as they approached an enormous dirt wall with a red door embedded in it. “Will there,” Tomma’s voice felt rough and odd in the large place. “Will there be food? Water?”

The fox-masked girl shot her an annoyed glare, probably for talking at all. “You will be provided for in your room.”

They exited out of the library into the hall with the inky black stones and Tomma shivered in the dull warmth. Lucia walked clippedly ahead without pausing. For a moment Tomma wanted to smack the seriousness off her tight lips and stern brow. She wanted her to start laughing or tap dancing or doing anything else.

Regardless, Lucia led her down, down, into a dimly lit second hall with the blue tiles on the walls and a long, dreary corridor. Lucia seemed to select a door at random and got out an enormous set of keys from her sleeve and clanged it into the lock.

The door heaved open with a creaking sigh and a small chamber lay within that was about half the size of Tomma’s room back home. And she didn’t grow up in a big house. The walls were covered in those same blue tiles and there was an eerie pale light from above.

“Here,” Lucia stood aside. “Bedding and a chamber pot are in the corner.” She said in that same flat tone. “Food will arrive through the slot in the door.”

Tomma made a face, “you’re not like, locking me in, are you? I’m not some sort of prisoner?”

Lucia looked at her carefully and a long pause followed that would be classified somewhere between an awkward dinner party at your estranged relatives and accidently farting in a confined space. “No.” She finally said tightly, “you are not a prisoner, but.” She seemed to study Tomma mutely, “do not leave your room.”

Tomma swallowed dryly at the way the girl spoke, but simply nodded. “I’ll uh, retire then.”

“I will retrieve you in nine hours for further studying.”

“Of course.” Tomma said and suddenly felt the energy drain from her like a straw attached to the soles of her feet and sucked. “Great.”

Lucia simply dipped her head again and Tomma slipped into her room and listened to the loud clank of the door as it shut tightly. Tomma closed her eyes, exhaled, and for a moment she saw a flash of the red-fox mask in her mind’s eye.

Red and indifferent and staring at her with the exhaustion of ages.

She shivered and kicked her shoes off before spreading out on the bed padding and staring at the ceiling. She tried not to get lost in the dizzying patterns of the tiles there. “Soon…” She reassured herself with a whisper, “we’ll go home soon.”

The night passed slowly after that. She was given a thick stew with chunks of rabbit meat, brown bread, and a single sugar cube for a pot of hot tea. She sniffed and poked and shook the food to test it, but it seemed to be a regular meal.

She was hungry enough to scarf down the stew and bread while staring at the wall and having the silence gnaw at her from all sides. The dripping of the water was distant now and there was a certain nothingness about the place, a gaping lack.

A lack of proper lighting and proper sound and proper words to speak out loud. Tomma ducked her head down in her small room and curled up in bed as quickly as possible.

Only a little longer, she promised herself and tried to force herself asleep.

But sleep didn’t come. The ground was hard under the bedding and dug into her hips and shoulder blades in a way where she couldn’t get comfortable. She missed the sound of rustling leaves overhead, thumping feet, and chattering voices in cities or encampments. Tomma tossed and turned and waited.

It must have been hours later when a sound came from outside.

Clank, clank, clank.

Tomma’s eyes flew open as a clunky metallic noise erupted from the hallway.

Clank, clank.

Her skin crawled with a cool whisper of unease and she listened to the metal jangling as it passed. After a few moments Tomma rolled out of bed and crept toward the door despite the voice in her head that told her to stay inside and not investigate.

Had she not been warned? But Tomma listened to the metallic ringing and she couldn’t just ignore it. I’ll only take a peak, she told herself and gently, slowly, eased the door open. She stuck her nose out an inch and her eyes darted to a warm light at the end of the hall.

There was a familiar figure there holding a brilliant torch in the darkness. “Oh…” Tomma said softly and openly stared.

The figure wore a long white nightdress that went down to her ankles and was pale and flimsy in the light. She had long reddish-brown hair that fell to the middle of her back in big fluffy bushels and the same sturdy build and weathered skin.

Lucia.

Lucia stood with her back to her with impeccably straight posture that seemed off somehow- too upright and too taut. Lucia took a few grinding steps down the hall and the noise came again: clank, clank.

Tomma glanced down and realized that Lucia was barefoot and mask-less, but there were heavy metal chains clamped around both of her ankles. She was the one clunking down the hall with her metal confines in tow.

There was a lonely aspect to her in that white nightgown, holding a light high, back straight, and feet rattling as she moved. A dream-like sorrow about it.

Tomma’s entire body tensed as she watched Lucia for another transfixed moment before shutting the door quickly and scurrying back to bed.

It’s none of your business, she told herself and grit her teeth. This place is none of your business.

She tried to ignore the girl in chains and go to sleep after that. --------------- Tomma didn’t mention what she saw the next morning. Someone delivered a bland breakfast to her through the slot in the door of soup, bread, and tea and she dressed and washed. She made sure her knife was tied neatly to her hip and then simply waited.

Lucia arrived promptly with her pink lips pressed together and hands folded in front of her, “good morning.” She said with a curt nod and then gestured, “let's get started for the day.”

Tomma simply sighed, “yeah, yeah. Good morning.”

They exited the room and Tomma tried to read Lucia as they walked. She tried to see past her red mask and controlled movements and back to the lonely looking specter of a girl from the night before. She came up empty.

Lucia brought her to the library, and Tomma tore herself away from the enigma of it all and back to the task at hand. She approached the dictionary section and took a deep breath. “Alright,” She pushed her lank dark hair back, “alright.”

She pulled one book out. And then another. Lucia stood off to the side and simply watched as she checked the first pages of each. Tomma put them back and then pulled out a third.

It was many books later when Tomma realized that the day was probably going to much like the previous one. Books and dust and darkness.

She was right. And the next day was much like the one before. They all passed with a type of monotonous singularity: dark halls, rough books, words upon words, climb ladder, check text, check text, check text, eat soup, follow Lucia, dark halls, words, words, words.

Tomma found a massive table in the center of the dictionary section and stacked piles high around her and flipped through them. She would take one glance at the text, and then slide the book away to check the next one.

Tomma still hadn’t found the right dictionary, but she eventually found a dictionary for fish languages and elvish in a dialect she didn’t know existed and two types of draconic. Most of the languages she didn’t recognize, and worse, none of them even hinted to the language of the dead. There were no indications of its existence in the five “universal translation” books she found or “The Big Book of Curse Words in Every Language” text.

“Ugh.” She groaned and stretched high above her back until her spine cracked one vertebra at a time. She had spent the last few months running and jumping and riding horses and it was almost some sort of punishment to have to keep sitting day after day.

Of course, the days dragged on and the worst part of it all was the watching. As far as Tomma could tell she was the only one occupying that section of the library right then. It was just her and the fox-masked girl and the silence and the books and the distant dripping sound. And the fox-masked girl was always watching.

Tired, hazel eyes, quick and hostile behind her mask. Brisk steps and incredibly steady and tense poise as she stood to the side. Always watching.

It started to grate against Tomma’s nerves- an ever present presence that haunted her every sneeze and page flip and paper cut. It felt like a giant eye to witness her failure and it started to deeply bother Tomma like some scab she couldn’t pick at.

Somewhere into the fifth day a restlessness took hold of Tomma. Lucia’s gaze seemed to burn a hole into the back of her neck. She glanced over her shoulder relentlessly in turn. Just do something, Tomma thought to herself venomously, blink, cough, burp, stop looking at me!

It was hard to concentrate by that point. The words were heavy against her eyes and despair heavier behind her movements. She glanced back to Lucia again and she was standing impassively between two bookcases with her mouth a straight line and entire demeanor almost lifeless and empty. Tomma scowled. Do something!

Lucia did nothing.

Something snapped within Tomma. She sat up straight, twitched once, and then moved. She pretended to yawn first and then turned around rapidly and stared at Lucia with all the intensity she could muster.

How do you like it? She thought. To have all eyes on you.

Lucia just stood there, motionless.

Tomma made a face at her. She scrunched her nose up and stuck her tongue out and blew her cheeks up with air and wrinkled her forehead up. Do something! Lucia did not do anything or give any reaction at all to her strange behavior.

Tomma turned back to her pages for just an instant before twisting in place and making a spectacular monster face. She bore her teeth and made her eyes wide and awful, she growled and hoped to scare Lucia into laughing or screaming or moving at all. Tomma’s chair squeaked as she did and she started flailing in midair as it unbalanced and her arms went pinwheeling around.

“Ah!” She gave a sharp squeak and then the chair squidded backward and she fell in a heap. Her back bumped against the floor and then she rolled into an embarrassing pile on the smooth floor.

Tomma wanted to cover her face and die at that point, but a sound erupted next to her. It was soft and barely audible, but there nonetheless. It was a careful and fractured laugh.

Lucia was laughing into her hands and looking down at the floor.

“Ha!” Tomma said triumphantly. “You are human!”

Lucia covered her mouth to smother the laughter, but abruptly stopped mid-laugh and her head jerked around like a dog cocking its ears up.

“Fuck,” she whispered and drew backward with visible anxiety written across her body. Her mouth twisted into a snarl and her shoulders tensed. She faced Tomma, “You idiot,” She said scathingly and hurried over to her.

“What?” Tomma blinked a couple times, “I just made you laugh. It’s not a criminal offense or-”

“Too much noise.” Lucia yanked her up. “Too much damn noise.” She tugged again and then Tomma heard it too: a scraping sound across the tiles on the other side of the library. Shit.

“What is that?” She whispered and Lucia’s eyes blazed.

She pulled Tomma fully to her feet, “You don’t want to find out.”

It was a scraping sound like knives against dinner plates and nails dragging across metal.

Lucia pushed her once and then started hurrying them forward. “Come on…” She barked, “Run!” They dipped and wove through the shelves, winding around enormous puddles of light and thumping in some unknown direction. They passed large chairs with dusty cushions, more ladders, and pillars, and Tomma started to get dizzy.

They were fast, but the scraping sound was persistent. A long grating noise that filled the space with an echoing heavy grind to it.

They seemed to be making good time, but Lucia took a hard right turn and Tomma stumbled behind her. Her foot collided with something with a jarring thunk and she yelped from the impact. “Ow!”

“No.” Lucia looked back at her in horror as the smacking sound echoed across the still air and then the scraping picked up speed and a loud audible sniff followed.

“Fool.” She whispered before grabbing Tomma and hauling her over to a shelf and ducking them behind it.

“What do we-” Tomma whispered but Lucia threw her hand out and slapped it across Tomma’s mouth. They both sat there with their chests heaving and harsh steps lumbering in their direction.

The sound of sniffing was unmistakable at that point: something scenting the air with a huge nose and persistent huffing breath. Tomma cursed in her head and her whole body seized up and she felt like she might be sick. Her heart beat in her ears and her chest was tight to the point it was almost hard to breath.

Lucia sat perfectly still beside her and made no indication she was freaking out right then. Her hand was firm across Tomma’s mouth and fingers calloused and slender.

The scraping went around and around, and Tomma got one clear glance of the creature and her heart practically stopped in her chest. The thing was the size of a large horse with thick reedy muscles and brown fur lined with black streaks. It had a snout the size of both of her forearms pressed together and a wet black nose that scrunched and swung through the air.

Its lips were parted by enormous white teeth that curled down its chin and two ears that sat erect and stiff on the top of its head. The ears were perked up and flicking in every direction to sense them. Its eyes were completely round and milky white. They didn’t move or seem to look at anything, but were large and almost iridescent.

Its body was lithe and long and had short fur that looked painted on and showed off each of its hungry ribs. The creature’s body ended in a long sweeping tail that with a deadly looking point.

Tomma would identify it as some sort of demon dog with its snout and ears and fangs, but it had six legs sticking off its lean body with strange claws that dragged across the ground as it moved. Almost insectoid and clacking with each step.

Her chest heaved as the creature passed by their hiding place and it slowly rounded the area. Tomma’s heartbeat violently thumped in her wrists and she tried not to swallow or sneeze or start hysterically breaking down.

Tomma wasn’t sure how long they sat there with their muscles screaming and breathes soft and controlled in a contest for their lives. They waited and strained and heard the creature sniff the air and round the area.

Tomma saw it twice more before it swung its massive head around and started scraping in the opposite direction. They stayed there for several minutes longer before they dared to even look at each other and exhale.

Lucia glared at her fiercely and then for a brief instant made something that might have been a choking motion with her hands. Tomma glared right back and opened her mouth to demand some answers when Lucia shook her head and pointed.

They retreated to the back of the library and Lucia tucked them away behind a large armchair the color of pea soup and a shelf of thick books all glowing pastel colors. After settling down to the ground in what she must have chosen as a “safe spot” she rounded on Tomma.

“What the hell do you think you were doing?” Lucia snapped at her and leaned in close to growl at her. She had a milky sweet smell to her.

“Nothing,” Tomma looked away. “What the hell was that? You really live with monsters here?”

“What did you think this place would be?” She hissed, “you think we are just whispering for fun?”

“It is a library.” Tomma said back, though her cheeks were burning. She was the one who started the series of events.

“For fuck’s sake,” Lucia said with more emotion than Tomma had seen from her in all the days they had been together. “Were you having some sort of kanipshin before? Because if you are unwell I am allowed to escort you out.”

“I’m well, I’m well,” She said without looking Lucia in the eye. “You were the one that laughed!”

“Yes! That was a mistake,” she shook her head. “But you were having some sort of episode.”

“It wasn’t an episode,” She looked down at her knees pressed to the cool ground. “I was just… sick of it all.”

“Sick of what?” Lucia snapped a little above a whisper.

Tomma struggled for a moment, shifting back and forth and deciding on her next words carefully. “Can’t you watch me from somewhere else?” She said slowly, “or not watch me all the time? It’s… annoying.”

Lucia visibly rolled her eyes behind her mask, “I watch you because of beasts like the Night Prowler there. Me and the other assistants are here for you, little fool. This isn’t a safe place.”

Tomma snorted, “I guess my school masters were right… Knowledge is a dangerous thing.” She said wryly and Lucia shot her a writhing look.

“Are some sort of jokester? Ugh.” She turned away. “I think we should retire early.”

Tomma exhaled, “I guess.”

Lucia took her by the scruff of her shirt and dragged her up, “come on.” She escorted her back toward her room, which seemed to take longer than usual.

They didn’t say anything more to each other before departing, but when Tomma lay down in her bed she stared at the ceiling she remembered the heart-thumping afternoon. The beast with its huge teeth and empty eyes.

And then she remembered Lucia’s rough hand pressed across her mouth and her strange milky scent that clung to her. Tomma shook her head and faced the wall, “stupid library assistant…” She pushed it out of her mind. ------------------ Things were tense after that between her and Lucia. They didn’t greet each other in the mornings nor did they speak when they went to lunch or retreated to their rooms for the night.

Some days after dinner Tomma still heard the chains rattling down the hall and she wondered where the girl was going and what she was looking for in the strange, dark library. How had she been bound to it like this?

Then Tomma stopped herself: it’s none of my business.

She had her own problems to focus on. Tomma would look at her left hand and decide to try harder in the morning. Though, she was starting to think that the language of the dead didn’t really exist, not really.

The days passed so slowly with one blurry text after the next passed before her and her head thumping with headache and teeth clenching with each fresh failure. Lucia was silent and watchful as the hours passed.

Where is it? Tomma dug her fingernails into the meat of her palm after it had been more than a fortnight. I can’t just leave. Where is it?!

Leaving without knowing was not an option.

It was a drooping, hazy afternoon after her descent into the darkness when she heard the voice. Tomma was sitting at her table in the dictionary section and stooping over a text of gnomish.

“They’re lying to you.” A soft silky voice crooned just loud enough to be heard. It was velvety and textured in a way that gently stroked her skin and weaved into her. “They’re lying to you.”

Tomma looked left and right to try and see the speaker, but there was only Lucia standing stiffly off to the side and the unchanging rows of bookshelves.

“...Lying.” The voice slithered from behind her.

“They are?” She whispered toward her lap, “who?”

“The library.” The voice said with a certain firmness that made Tomma nod along to that.

Her gut churned and she turned to make sure that Lucia hadn’t heard the voice yet either, but Lucia hadn’t so much as twitched.

Tomma ducked down and whispered to the ground, “What’s the truth?”

“This way…” The voice softly called to her, “this way.”

Tomma sat there for a long moment and held her head in her hands. Don’t follow strange voices into the darkness… She reasoned with herself, but something tugged at her.

But we haven’t made any progress, another voice in her head said, why would this place be truthful anyway? They are lying no doubt. This might be our only lead.

Tomma’s skin crawled and she looked over to Lucia and then back to her stacks of books on the table that were not in the language of the dead.

“Alright,” she said and nodded. “Alright.”

Guilt settled in as she was about to break one of their key rules, but there was no turning back. She had already done enough things to get to the library in the first place and she had promised herself she would do whatever it took to get home. She plucked a peach pit from her pocket that she kept for such purposes and tossed it to the side.

It clattered across the floor noisily and Lucia immediately turned around to look for the source of the sound. The second that Lucia tore her eyes away Tomma ducked down underneath the large table and started crawling.

“Where are you?” She hissed to the voice.

“Here, here.” She followed the crooning words that beckoned her to crawl through the dust and grime of the floors. She eventually hunched over and quietly made her way toward the wall.

“This way, this way.” The voice dragged her to the dark walls and another gate lay with its twisting spikes and jagged teeth that were made out of blown glass this time. Tomma hesitated for a long moment, but after a minute she pushed and the gate scraped open with a wrenching squeak and she darted inside. Past the gate was a hole in the ground.

A set of circular black stairs led downward into the earth, just like the path that led to the books of the dead section. Tomma frowned at it for a hard second before pushing herself onward and descending.

She noticed that the dripping noise was becoming louder and louder as she went down, a steady drip, drip, drip as her footsteps clanked against the metal stairs and the air steadily became thicker and warmer.

Steam started to waft up and Tomma had to squint through the frothing white clouds as she entered a large underground cave. The cave was lit by large ornate golden lanterns trailing across the ceiling one by one, piercing through the steam with warm yellow light and hanging off glittering gold chains. Shelves were nailed into the uneven rocky wall with several strange books sitting on each.

The books seemed to be made of glass: sea glass and pure transparent glass with words edged into the surface and books made of dark glossy volcanic glass. Tomma momentarily wondered if you could read those books or if they were meant to be read at all.

“Ah.” The voice said in a sweet way, “there you are.”

Tomma blinked through the steam and approached the edge of what appeared to be a pool of black water that gave off puffs of steady warmth. Sweat trailed down her spine and she wiped her palms down on her pants. The water was strange like everything else in the library, it was thick and dark like tar that no light penetrated and she could see nothing within.

The ceiling was low and the area quiet except for a loud dripping into the pool of tar-water.

Tomma looked left and right before her gaze settled on a head that just barely stuck out of the pool of tar itself.

Its short silver hair was slicked back and only its eyes peeked out of the water with dark slits. Its skin was pale and tinged green and a pair of large webbed ears stuck up from the side of its head.

“Heh,” Tomma snorted. “A tar mermaid. Okay.”

A tail flicked behind the creature and Tomma caught a glimpse of shiny bone and tattered end of a white fish tail. Her face slowly emerged from the water and she had a squashed nose and a mouth filled with needle-point deadly looking teeth.

Her neck had a series of slim slits that Tomma assumed were her gills and a small wicked looking bony frame.

“Hello, little knowledge-seeker.” She said in her soft, lovely voice.

“Hello,” Tomma nodded her head. “I snuck away from the librarians for this. What is it they are lying about?”

The mermaids smile spread wider and crueler as she glided closer to the edge of the water. “So hasty.” She said mildly. “What is it that you seek if you are in such a hurry?” Her eyes narrowed further. “Ways to win that mortal war above ground? Love potions? Great wealth?”

The mermaid examined Tomma’s frayed dark cloak and short brown hair clipped to her ears and sharp, almost elvish features. “I seek the books of the dead.” Tomma said as she had for months now, “And keys to necromancy.” Tomma narrowed her eyes, “but you already knew that.”

“I do.” She confirmed, “But you are but a child.” She said slowly. “What do the young know of death? So far away from it.”

“Closer than you think.” Tomma said bitterly. “And I’m here for answers, not your slick, easy words.”

“Ha,” the mermaid laughed something sharp and unpleasant. “My words mean nothing here. It is a place of secrets and knowledge held captive.”

“So I’ve heard.”

She shook her head, “Many died building this place. Bones in the walls. Bones in the floors. And the bone-layers are not telling you the truth. I have been listening.” Her webbed ears perked up on the sides of her head.

“Yes?” Tomma drew closer.

“The dead do not keep their words in the way of mortals.”

“You don’t say.” Tomma snapped back. “I didn’t notice that no dictionary seems to exist for their nonsense books.”

She swam in a lazy circle, “you must look at it with eyes of the reaper.” She said mysteriously, “it is not of this plane.”

Tomma’s eyes went large and she took another step forward, “go on.”

The mermaid looked furtively over her shoulder, “They are having you look for something that doesn’t exist.”

“So what does exist?” Tomma was by the very edge of the tar at this point.

“Why,” the mermaid said sweetly. “It’s something like this.” She held up a shiny stone with ivory bone embedded in it and an empty hole in the very center. “A reaper’s eye.”

Electricity spiked through Tomma’s system and her mouth went dry, “What do you want for it?” She asked softly and the mermaid splashed some of the hot tar against the wall with her tail and twisted toward her.

“Nothing,” she said quickly with a growl under her voice. “Just… come get it.” She held out the Reaper’s Eye and Tomma glanced between the mermaid’s slick face and the stone itself.

Be fast, Tomma told herself, but faster than this damned creature.

Tomma reached with her left hand toward the enticing charm and the mermaid’s smile grew even pointier.

“Don’t!” A voice called from behind her in the expanse of one tight moment. The mermaid flashed her bone-white dirty tail and grabbed Tomma’s arm with both hands.

“HA!” She laughed loudly and dug her teeth into the soft flesh of Tomma’s left arm. But it wasn’t soft. A snapping sound echoed through the air and the mermaid wailed as her teeth hit bone.

“Give me that.” Tomma reached for the stone but the mermaid started pulling her toward the hot tar. Tomma slipped off her feet.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had flesh!” The mermaid cackled, but someone grabbed Tomma around the waist and the two of them pulled back in forth in a tug of war for Tomma’s life as her feet dangled off the ground.

“I will tell Madame Sonia,” Lucia growled as she tried to pull Tomma to safety, “I will have your cave walled off.”

The mermaid hissed, splashed the tar violently, and let go. Tomma flew backward with waving arms and legs as she was released and crashed backward into Lucia. They sprawled for a moment, before Lucia cursed and crawled away from the side of the tar.

They both lumbered to their feet at the back of the cave.

“Ugh,” Lucia clutched her hand to her chest as she stood and Tomma tried to hide the sleeve of her outfit where it had been torn by the mermaid.

“Are you hurt?” Tomma said with bewilderment as she watched Lucia rock back and forth on her heels.

“Just some of that damn tar.” She said loudly while holding her right hand. “Let’s get out of here, Tomma Merrimont, Lord of the Idiots.”

Tomma glanced over her shoulder where the mermaid was sitting low with only her eyes exposed.

“But-”

“She’s not going to give you the damn eye!” Lucia almost frothed and Tomma followed her up the stairs. The metal creaked under them and Lucia’s breathing was labored above her.

“You’re hurt.” Tomma stated as she saw Lucia holding her hand tightly to her side.

“No shit.” Lucia glared over her shoulder and Tomma realized belatedly that her mask was off and her face exposed. She had hard eyes, a handsome nose, and auburn hair tied back at her neck in a bun. “You should be hurt too.”

Tomma hid her left hand where the mermaid had tried to bite her. “I was being careful.” She grumbled. “I knew she might try something like that…”

“And you still did it?!” Lucia burst out and Tomma shrugged. “Lord, no, not lord, Queen of the idiots!” They emerged back into the library and Tomma reached into her pack.

“Here,” she said. “Let me bind that.”

Lucia didn’t look at her, “It’s fine.”

“Come on.” Tomma said slowly. “I owe you.”

Lucia just frowned over her shoulder and a tightness was still there. “I have to go put my mask back on.”

“How…” Tomma frowned. “Why did you take it off?” Lucia didn’t answer and walked away. Tomma followed after a little reluctantly. “Why were you lying to me?”

“Being straightforward isn’t the practice of this place.” Lucia grumbled and was back to whispering.

“Is there really no dictionary?” She practically growled and Lucia just kept walking.

“Ugh,” she flinched and held her hand. “This stings too much for this damn conversation. Come on.” She led them back to their regular hallway.

Tomma assumed Lucia was going to force her back into her room and lock the door to go back to Madame Sonia and tell on her for “wandering.” But she didn’t.

They fast-walked all the way to the end of the hall where another identical door lay. “Here.” She got her keys out and to Tomma’s surprise and held open the door with her one good hand.

The room inside looked almost identical to Tomma’s with the same worn brown bedding and tiny table stuffed in the corner. Lucia busily went inside and reached for a wooden box under the table.

“Close the door behind you.” Lucia grumbled.

Tomma crept inside and shut the door as she openly stared at this strange girl with her sharp tongue and empty stares.

Tomma folded her arms over her chest. “I want answers.”

“You and everyone else who comes here.” Lucia murmured. She flipped open the box on the floor and fumbled through a few ointments and potions and strips of bandages. She seemed to choose a white lotion and take it out.

Tomma’s eyebrow twitched. “Here.” She knelt down next to Lucia. “Let me help.”

“No.” Lucia waved her off. “You’ve done enough.” Lucia’s hand slipped into view and a nasty dark burn was splashed across the top of her hand and wrist.

Tomma flinched. “I’m sorry.” She gritted out. “I can’t imagine living in this place.”

“Then don’t.” Lucia shook her head and dipped her finger into the white ointment before smearing it thickly on the burn. “Trust me when I say it only gets worse.”

Tomma was silent for a moment as she watched Lucia slather on the paste and hold herself perfectly still. “Can I ask how you ended up here?”

“Sure. You can ask,” Lucia said tersely. “And I’ll tell you as soon as you tell me what is going on with that arm of yours. She bit you, didn’t she?”

Tomma didn’t respond and instead watched as Lucia tore a bandage away and put it over her hand. “You’re never going to be able to secure that with just one hand.” Tomma said firmly and reached over. “Let me.”

She expected Lucia to kick away from her and say something dismissive, but she slumped down onto the floor bonelessly and offered up her burned hand. “Make it tight.” She said flatly.

Tomma just nodded and started carefully wrapping her wrist around and around with the white bandage. “So… Your arm.” Lucia prompted after a moment.

Tomma sighed without meeting her eyes. “Have you heard of the Carcass War?” Tomma muttered with few syllables.

“The current war between those beastly kings up above?”

“That one.” Tomma said weakly. “Well sometimes people get caught in the crosshairs of it. You know?”

“I know.” Lucia said darkly.

Tomma shook her head. “It was a gift. From the war.” Lucia frowned and kept frowning as Tomma gently wrapped and tucked and quietly bound her wound for her. “Where is your mask?”

“Back in the dictionary section.” Lucia said with her flat tone returned. “I threw it off when I realized where you probably went.”

“Okay.” Tomma dusted herself off and stood. “I’ll go get it for you. Stay here and drink some water or something.”

“Wait.” Lucia reached out and grabbed Tomma’s sleeve. “Show me.”

“What?” Tomma made a face at her demanding tone.

“Show me what they did.”

Tomma took a step back. “What? Why?”

Lucia met her eyes, “That mermaids teeth should have ripped through your hand. You should be bleeding out right now. Dead from the poison in her fangs.”

Tomma chuckled at that. “Trust me.” She started rolling up her sleeve. “I should have been dead a long time ago.” She held out her left arm and tried not to look at it as the arm stood stark white against the light and was nothing but moving bones and empty air. A skeleton frame attached to her warm flesh.

Lucia, for the first time, appeared surprised. Her eyes went large and pink mouth slightly parted. “Is that it?” Lucia’s brow folded in. “No. You can’t be undead. Or else you’d be able to read the books.”

Tomma snorted and met Lucia’s eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m only partially undead. I wasn’t completely gone before that bastard resurrected me.”

Lucia hummed deeply to herself. “Huh.” She said and then her brow folded in. “Huh. Peculiar.” She said as if thinking, “Very strange.”

“I know.” Tomma said with exasperation. “Satisfied now? Won’t kick me out?”

“I could have had you kicked out a long time ago.” Lucia said with a pale smirk.

Tomma cocked her head to the side. “Why haven’t you?”

Lucia shrugged and dusted herself off as she stood. “I don’t know.” She said while looking down at the floor. “You kind of reminded me of me when I came here.”

“Oh…” Tomma didn’t know what to make of that and she stood there and was suddenly very aware of how close they stood and how tight the space was.

She turned to the door, “I’ll go get your mask!”

Lucia chuckled. “Do you even know the way?”

Tomma froze in place and frowned, “Uuuh.”

“Come on,” Lucia gestured. “It’s a nice thought. But I’ll go get it and deal with Sonia’s punishment later.”

“Why did you take it off?” Tomma whispered as they closed in around the door.

“So she wouldn’t see.” Lucia whispered softly, “So the witch couldn’t peer through the eyes.” She finished before opening the door of her room and running off into the dark without looking back over her shoulder.

Tomma followed after. ----------------------- Something changed after that.

It was hard to talk about being part skeleton or being held captive by a magic evil library, but they started flashing each other knowing grins and walking a little closer together. Of course, Tomma’s approach had to change.

“So a dictionary doesn’t exist?” She asked the next day after a much-needed good night’s sleep.

“No.” Lucia whispered to her the next day after breakfast as they walked. “She was right about that. The language of the dead was never meant for the living- that’s why there’s so few necromancers.”

“There’s enough of them.” Tomma said bitterly. “So what then? Where do I get a reaper’s eye?”

“You don’t get one,” Lucia said sharply. “If you’re thinking of going back to the mermaid that is.”

“Tell me how to get one and I won’t.” Tomma shot back.

Lucia gave her a dark look, but there was something almost piqued about it. Interested. “Make one.” Lucia said slowly. “It will possibly be easier for you than others.”

Tomma’s eyebrows raised. “How so?” She felt her heartbeat pick up as she got excited. “So there is a way?”

“Yes. Another book.” Lucia pointed as they entered the library. “I can show you the way.”

“Go ahead.” She started to bounce on her heels. Another lead! I may finally go home and not live with the curse of that evil man.

Lucia seemed to be almost smiling behind her mask as they walked in a new direction. Bookshelves passed and Lucia stopped abruptly and pointed, “this is the section of magical item creation.” She stood aside. “Seek away.”

Tomma stood up tall. “Alright! Let’s do it. This one will only take me a day, just you watch.”

Lucia smiled. “Is that so?” She shook her head.

“You’ll see.” She winked. “I’m faster than I look.”

“You look like you’re twelve.”

Tomma rolled her eyes, “I’m nineteen.” Her teeth flashed, “And don’t underestimate me. I am very capable of finding things when they actually exist.” With that she ran up to the first bookshelf and scanned her eyes across the spines of the books.

She was going to get this done. She didn’t even mind Lucia watching her this time.

She was going to make a reaper’s eye and become her own necromancer. --------------------- Tomma didn’t end up finding the right book within the first day. Or the second. She found books on making amulets and lucky charms, witch’s wands and enchanted whips that would entangle anyone. She went over magical items that made you grow or shrink and flipped through entire books on how to make an endless wine goblet. It was the third day when she started to get ancy. “Today’s the day!” She sung to Lucia who just shot her a bemused look and folded her hands together in front of her. “Good luck,” she said and flashed her a sly smile. “Little skeleton girl.” “Of course,” she winked because she could. “Little fox girl.” They exchanged a very strange look and Tomma descended into the depths of the shelves with her heart doing a funny thing in her chest. She tried to push the feeling aside. She passed big brass metal books and books made out of forest leaves and tightly bound brown books that seemed to have fingers sticking out the top. And then there was a blue book. It was perfectly square and squat and it seemed to have a human spine design across the edge of it. Tomma stood in place and stared at each vertebrate for a long moment as if transfixed. She reached and took it off the shelf. The front of the cover had golden letters across a blue face that read: How to Make Rare and Wicked Items, a Guide by Harriet Georgian. “Harriet Georgian…” She said slowly and the name rang a bell, but she wasn’t sure which one. Tomma flipped open the front cover and practically tossed the book down in victory and did a little dance at the first words. There was a contents page for once and it read: How to make a Unicorn’s Horn, How to Make Fairy Dust, How to Make a Reaper’s Eye. Tomma had to remind herself not to shout. “Yes.” She shook with her nerves tingling, “Yes!” She ran back to where Lucia was standing. “Third day’s the charm,” she crowed happily. “I told you I would find it!” Lucia had an unreadable look on her face, but she did lift her chin up. “Congratulations.” Tomma sat down on the floor to get to work. She had an eye to make. ------------ The instructions were surprisingly straightforward: drill a hole in a stone that’s been bathed in the blood of a seer, merged with the bone from the hand of the maker, and soaked in light bleached off the sun.

The blood was probably going to be the hardest part since Tomma was no seer and she didn’t know any of them either.

“Perhaps if you pretended to be one…” Lucia suggested as they sat around a table. They had taken to sitting together. “Sometimes spells can be tricked. If you believe something so will they.”

Tomma made a face at her, “that can’t be true.”

Lucia raised her eyebrows, “how much do you actually know about magic?”

Tomma rolled her eyes and turned away from her on the bench they were sitting on. “Enough.” She shot her a look, “self-taught.”

“Ah,” Lucia said as if that explained something, “and what were you before this?”

Tomma frowned slightly and was silent for a long moment. She eyed Lucia for a moment, “you first.”

Lucia leaned back and looked up toward the ceiling with her fox-snout tipping upward. “I was a scholar.” She said simply. “Raised by monks in a big dingy monastery. All that nonsense.”

“Huh,” Tomma blinked several times.

“What?” Lucia prompted and itched her chin.

Tomma hummed deeply, “That’s not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?” She gave a sharp grin, “I was born in a cave from a pair of mated books and crawled out into the library fully grown?”

Tomma rolled her eyes, “No.” She sniffed loudly. “I dunno. I didn’t expect… any of this.”

“It’s not the sort of thing that normal people deal with.” Lucia looked away. “Most people aren’t allowed in.”

“I know.” Tomma said and glanced down at her left hand. “You have to want it. More than anything.”

Lucia’s eyes burned into Tomma’s flesh as she spoke. “Yeah.” Lucia sighed. “And only fools and madmen can want like that.”

“Which were you?” Tomma asked curiously and pried a little deeper into her companion.

“A beautiful tragic genius, of course.” She sniffed, “victim of circumstance and her own wiles.”

To her own surprise, Tomma laughed and her voice was rough and merry in the empty air. It felt unnatural in the dark atmosphere, but she couldn’t remember giggling like that for a long time.

Lucia hunched her shoulders and looked down, “Now, come on. We might need to synthesize blood, get to work little worker bee.”

Tomma gave a crooked grin. “And what about you pretending to be a psychic?”

“Sure, I could be psychic.” She nodded and there was some sort of a glow between them, a friendliness that Tomma didn’t expect. Nor should she want. “I see you falling in your future. Falling. Stubbing your toe. Oh! You tripped over your own feet, Queen of the Idiots.”

“Haha.” Tomma reached for another book. “Very insightful, Lady of the Nerds.”

She laughed and clicked her tongue, “I shouldn’t have told you my past.”

They grinned at each other and it was almost too much with a strange pressure in her chest and the fact that Lucia was chained to the walls at night. She turned back to the book in front of her and tried to read about synthesizing blood from water. ----------------- The days passed much more quickly after that, almost too quickly for Tomma’s tastes. Instead of lonely meals and endless books there was chatting and teasing and reading long texts together.

And Tomma almost thought she was dreaming. She had been alone for a long time before this.

“Okay,” Tomma looked over the ingredients on their table: a circular stone and some red liquid in a cup. “This will be easy. I’ll just break off a pinky bone, do a transmutation spell to bind them together, and then stew this sucker for a few minutes in light. Easy as pie.”

“Easy?” Lucia snorted. “The blood might be synthesized.” She said slowly, “but light bleached off the sun isn’t going to be a walk in the park either.”

“Why not?” Tomma wrinkled her brow, “weren’t you the one that told me all that meant was the light of the full moon? That’s soon according to the calendar. “

Lucia glanced at her, “and how do you suppose we’ll get moonlight down here?”

“Oh.” Tomma said softly and looked around her at the glowing gems above their heads embedded the ceiling and thick walls in all directions. “Oh.”

“Oh is right,” Lucia continued. “I mean, you could leave the library, but there is no guarantee that you could get back in to actually read the books later.”

Tomma frowned deeply, “Is it common to find your way back into the library a second time?” She thought she already knew the answer to that question.

Lucia looked at the floor and didn’t say anything and Tomma took that as her answer.

“Dammit,” She hissed and stood to pace around in tight circles behind the table. “This can’t be the hardest part of the task!” She gently kicked the nearest chair in frustration, “It’s just moonlight.” She sagged downward, “I’m so close.”

Lucia was quiet for another long minute before she cleared her throat. “There is a way,” she hesitated, opening and closing her mouth uncertainty. “Another one.”

“What is it?” Tomma saddled up next to her and leaned in close. She still smelled milky and like some sort of plant. Heather maybe. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Lucia’s mouth scrunched into a tiny pursed dot on her face and her eyes darted around behind her mask. “Nothing.” She said softly but then Tomma watched as her hand started to write on a spare piece of paper on the table. She faced away as her hand scribbled fastidiously beside her. “We’ll just have to think of another way.”

Tomma hardened her expression so it didn’t give anything away. “I understand.”

She carefully read the words on the paper: It would be a climb. Lucia wrote in thick letters, and you would have to do me a favor.

Tomma hummed deeply and repeated: “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Lucia nodded. “If we put our heads together something might come of that,” she smiled thinly, “if there is anything in your head at all.”

Tomma gave a forced laugh and hoped that didn’t give anything away. “You’d be surprised…”

Lucia scribbled one last sentence on the piece of paper before tossing it to the floor: meet me tomorrow night after dinner.

Tomma nodded and they both sat down and pretended to go over possible strategies and saying nothing at all. ------------------- Waiting for the next night was excruciating. Tomma had thought joining the night guild had been a waiting game that was hard: listening to hushed conversations in the dark and picking up the pieces of spells. Stealing for them. Killing for them.

She had thought that would be the hardest part of her journey, but those hours spent tapping her foot on the floor and wondering what secret Lucia had in mind felt like the worst.

What is it? Tomma tried to pry the secrets from her by just staring at Lucia but Lucia didn’t even bat an eye the entire next day. What is Madame Sonia not meant to see through your fox eyes?

Tomma’s head spun and her world became a dot of waiting and waiting for whatever it was Lucia was planning. The clock ticked by and Tomma was fully dressed with her thick leather gloves on and shoes stuffed on when dinner time finally ended.

“Okay,” she took a deep breath in through her nose. “Alright.”

She inched her way toward the door and then cracked it open to find the light of a flame dancing in the hall. Lucia was standing outside holding a lantern and wearing her sheer white nightgown turned pale red in the light. Her auburn hair fell down past her shoulders and her face was maskless and set in a stern expression.

“We have to hurry,” she said in a hasty whisper. “I can fool the mask into thinking I’m sleeping for at least a night, but there’s no telling if that will be enough time.” Tomma stared blankly back at Lucia for another minute before she spoke again, “Also... I wouldn’t mind some pants if you have an extra pair before we head out.”

Tomma shook her head to ground herself, “Sure. No problem.” She turned around to go for her traveling pack to retrieve a pair of extra trousers. “Wait, where are we going exactly?”

“To the moonlight.” Lucia said, “it won’t hit the crack for very long and it will be a lengthy walk to get there to begin with.”

“So uh, now?” Tomma yanked a pair of riding pants out. “For the moonlight?”

“Yes now, to bathe your Reaper’s eye in it.” She said as if it was obvious, “Madame Sonia would never let us enter the Silent Garden if I suggested it. So I had to suggest it without her knowing.”

“Huh.” Tomma nodded, “Okay, so a walk to the moonlight? Sounds easy enough.”

Lucia hunched over and didn’t meet her eye, “there’s just one thing.”

“What is it?” Tomma was grinning now, she thought she liked this new bashful side of Lucia as she tucked her chin down.

Lucia held out one thin ankle, “The um,” she frowned again, “you’ll have to help me out of these chains for the night so I can show you the way.”

Tomma straightened up and looked Lucia up and down, “is that allowed?”

“Of course not.” Lucia grumbled, “but it’s the only way to reach the garden.”

“Okay…” Tomma said slowly. “Yeah. I can help you escape. I understand this place is dreadful and-”

“Escape?” Lucia snorted. “It’s only for the night.” She shook her head, “There is no escaping this place.” She murmured the last part seemingly to herself. “Now come on, help me leverage these things open.”

Tomma nodded and got out her knife.

It took several long moments of prying and jerking and hissing at each other to try a different angle and put a little more muscle behind it. Tomma actually thought it would be harder than that, especially since she was distracted by Lucia’s exposed face and twisting expressions.

The other girl had a habit of wearing her feelings on her face that Tomma hadn’t noticed before. It was almost hypnotic to watch her wrinkle her nose in distaste or shyly brush her hair aside.

Finally, together, they tore at the bracelets until they both metal clamps heaved a sigh of release and Lucia wiggled her free ankles in midair. She was smiling at that point, really smiling. “God I hate those things.” She said in a pleased way and rubbed at the puckered skin. “I’ve tried to get them off before, but I guess it takes four hands.”

“Well,” Tomma leered at her, “three hands at least.” She shook her left arm in midair and grinned.

Lucia rolled her eyes, “let’s just get your evil moonlight enchantment done.” Tomma chuckled and nodded at that. “I mean. After I, uh, get these on.” Lucia raised Tomma’s pants in the air.

“Oh. Um, yeah.” Tomma turned to face the wall as Lucia shimmied them on and Tomma repeated the periodic table of magic to herself as she studied the floor tiles.

“Tomma,” Lucia said and prompted Tomma to turn back around. Her hands were animated kind of things resting on the doorknob, like two white doves poised for flight. Her face bent downward and almost cheerful, “thank you for helping me out of those chains. Really.”

Tomma swallowed thickly at her soft words and hurried over. “No trouble.” She said quickly, probably too quickly. “I don’t mind. You are helping me afterall.”

“Yeah,” Lucia gave her a guarded kind of look. “I guess I am.”

They exited the room after that and Tomma couldn’t find any words left in her as she watched Lucia’s long hair sway in the candlelight and her bare feet pad quietly along. Her wrists and ankles were thin and Tomma had to chastize herself as her thoughts wandered and considered the places those limbs led to.

Don’t be daft, she told herself as her cheeks burned. You’ll be out of this place in a fortnight or less. She told herself and watched Lucia find her way to the library door. And she’ll still be here…

Tomma forced herself to think about anything else as they entered the library again and made their way quietly to another wall.

“Can I ask where we’re going?” Tomma whispered but Lucia just hushed her and gestured for her to follow.

“Up.” She said simply.

They found another gate that was brown with rust and had intricate designs along the metal that almost seemed to shift and move when she wasn’t looking. The whole thing disturbed some practical part of her that thought that metal shouldn’t move and library’s shouldn’t have monsters in them. But parts of her like that had been silenced a long time ago anyway.

They made their way toward a set of spiral stairs that led upward and into the warm earth above. The steps were bulky and dark, but luckily didn’t creak as they started to climb. Tomma entered a sort of daze as she walked and walked in total silence with nothing but the lengthening stairs ahead. Lucia didn’t check to make sure if she was following and their footsteps were powder soft and the air as still as a cat before the pounce.

The trip was muted and reserved until Lucia stopped seemingly in the middle of the spiral stairs. “Here,” she muttered. “And we must be quick.”

Tomma didn’t have much time to question it before Lucia seemed to disappear into the wall itself with one fluid step. Tomma stared at it for a moment before her eyes made out a hole in the jagged wall and she took a deep breath in its wake.

Finally, Tomma put one arm into the opening and watched as it was eaten by the darkness there. She placed a leg in next and then she was forcing her way through the crack in the wall. Her cheek scraped against the walls and her knees knocked together.

It was a tight fit and it took a bit of wiggling before she saw the other side and Lucia’s lantern with it. Lucia was smiling and looking clean and fresh, “you’re lucky you’re so little.” She said with a smirk and speaking at full volume.

Tomma sniffed loudly, “yeah, yeah. I can fit into tight holes. Nothing new.”

Lucia gave a brisk laugh, “I thought you said you liked them.” She winked, “but with a person attached, was it?” Tomma almost swallowed her tongue at the reference to their first day.

Oh no, she thought as her heart sped up and Lucia joked with her. This isn’t good.

Lucia looked around the area with a faint smile on her face. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here.”

“How do you know about this place?” Tomma asked quickly as they stood in a wide cavern with featureless walls and a dipping, cramped path ahead leading upward.

“Not here to be precise,” Lucia corrected. “The place we’re going. It was walled off by Madame Sonia a little after I arrived.”

Tomma hummed deep from within her chest, “why?”

Lucia shrugged and started walking, “I was restless. Still trying to get out. Didn’t know how to be a proper servant yet.” Her expression hardened, “I tried to sneak away to this place and she walled it off. It took months to find another way in.”

Tomma didn’t know what to say to that and they traveled for a short distance in silence.

This journey was much faster than the first one and before Tomma could ponder on Lucia and her fate she was pointing ahead. “There,” she said softly with a childlike excitement in her tone. “There!”

And then she leaned forward and blew out the lantern she was holding. “What are you doing?!” Tomma gasped as the darkness burst in all directions and made her heart squeeze in her chest.

“Don’t worry,” she felt someone take her hand. It was rough and firm. “This way.”

Tomma swallowed thickly as they walked into a new wider space and cool air licked across her cheek as the first inklings of light began to glow around them. It was dull and barely there at first but little by little sharp objects started to enter her vision.

They were softly rounded or else jagged and upright and all were glowing cool colors such as baby blue and ocean green. It took a moment for Tomma to fully process it as the gems seemed to be glowing from the inside out.

“Ah,” Tomma turned her head left and right. “They’re flame gems. I’ve only ever heard about them before in stories.”

“Tomma Merrimont,” Lucia said her name fondly and squeezed her hand, “welcome to the Silent Garden.” She looked around as the walls and ground were covered in glowing gems in soft pastel colors and bathing their skin in luminescent sprays of rainbow. They covered the walls and corners of the long space with a wide swath of brightness and twisting shapes.

“It’s beautiful…” Tomma said softly as the stones spread out in all directions.

“This way.” Lucia didn’t let go of her hand as they climbed and climbed and Tomma practically fell over herself as a silvery light shone ahead on top of a giant glowing topaz.

“There it is.” Tomma whispered excitedly and stumbled toward the light. “It’s been so long.”

“Yeah…” Lucia’s voice sounded wet and thick and Tomma leaned over to see Lucia’s cheeks glimmering with tears. Wet trails that trickled down her lovely face and dripped down her chin.

“Sorry,” Lucia wiped at her face. “It’s just been a long time.”

“It’s okay,” Tomma reached out and wiped at her cheek delicately. “It’s alright.”

They stood there for a long moment with Tomma’s right hand hovering over her face and thumb rubbing away the tears there and their bodies breathing in time with each other. She just stood there with the moonlight behind them and their eyes meeting.

Tomma gulped, “Thank you.” She said, “Thank you for taking me here.”

Lucia shook her head and finally faced away, going toward the moonlight and letting go of her hand. “It’s nothing.” She said quickly, “I’ll admit I wanted to come for selfish reasons.”

“Still…” Tomma reached into her pocket for the circular stone- already bathed in blood and embedded with the tip of her pinky from her skeleton hand.

Lucia took a seat just outside the moonlight where an enormous deep crack in the ceiling let the light in. Tomma skipped over and plopped the eye of the reaper into the moonlight. It sat silent and small in the silvery glow, “Is that all?” She said and glanced over to Lucia, “just put it there?”

“I think so.” Lucia mumbled, “we’ll just have to wait a little.”

Tomma took a seat beside her and studied her face. “What were you looking for?” She said quietly and leaned toward her. “When you first came here?”

Lucia turned her face away. “I had good intentions.” She said and bit her bottom lip, “Too good perhaps.”

“Huh,” Tomma nodded along and then looked down at her left hand. “I only came down here for myself.”

“But it’s not your fault.” Lucia said made a face. “You’re just trying to regain control of your arm.”

“Oh… No. I have control of it now. I think my necromancer's dead.” Tomma admitted and picked a piece of dirt off the end of her cloak. “I only saw him that first day. When he resurrected me.” She said with a sigh.

“And then what?”

She lowered her head and shrugged, “And then I marched into battle with my left hand swinging a sword among the rest of the undead. I don’t know, I don’t remember those days very well but. But they ended.”

“Yeah.” Lucia said with a huff. “It’s lucky when those things do.”

“I can control it myself now.” Tomma reached up her gloved hand as if to demonstrate. “But I can’t go home.”

“Huh?” Lucia stared at her. “Do you have a home to go to?” She asked deceptively quickly, “I thought… Well I hope your home is nice.”

“Dunno if it is.” Tomma admitted, “my family lived in this small village until we got caught in this big battle of Westerly’s where a bunch of armies ran through the town for supplies.”

“I see.” Lucia said lowly. “And where you almost died?”

“Almost,” she tried to smile. “Almost is the important part. And… And my aunt and younger brother escaped. They headed to the island of Jermanda as far as I know. That’s what I heard at least.”

“Oh!” Lucia grinned. “So you can go join them.”

Tomma nodded slowly. “Yeah… once I’m magic free again.” She said softly. “Once I figure out how to free myself from this necromancy spell.”

Lucia folded her brow in, “How do you know, um,” she fumbled for a moment before her, “how do you know the spell’s not the thing keeping you alive?”

“I don’t.” Tomma said lightly. “All I know is that the island of Jermanda is a magic-free zone and I can’t return home to my family unless I’m free of it as well.”

“Oh…” Lucia shot her a worried look. “You must really want that.”

She nodded slowly, “with all my heart.” They stared at each other in the darkness as the rock stewed in the moonlight and the gems glowed around them. “What did you want when you came here?” Tomma sucked in a deep breath, “with all your heart?”

Lucia curled into herself and tipped her head down. “It doesn’t matter now.” She said and pushed her hair back, “I’m trapped here for good.”

“For good?”

“Until I pay off my debt.” She made a sour face. “I tried to take some of the books out.” She explained without inflection. “And now I’m indebted to the damn place.”

Tomma chuckled because she didn’t know what else to do, “That is awful.” She stated with a frown, “though I must say I would have never gotten this far without you.”

Lucia giggled, “so you’re happy that I’m prisoner here?”

“No!” She said with her body jerking upright and Lucia laughed more.

“I’m teasing,” she shook her head. “I’m glad to have met you too. You’re a better sort than the rest.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Tomma struggled for a moment, “I had to kill a man to get this spell… He wouldn’t. He wasn’t…” She sighed, “I’ve done a lot of things now.”

Lucia shrugged, “So have I.” She leaned in closer, “but you know what?” She wore a wicked grin and leaned in close to where her breath tickled Tomma’s ear and made her shiver. “I think we’re still alright. Good enough.”

“Good enough,” Tomma chuckled, “that’s what I like to hear.”

Lucia was still lingering above her, “Maybe sometimes a little more than good enough. For you at least.” Her face fell, “I’m glad to know you Tomma.”

“I thought…” Tomma swallowed and her head was spinning with the sight of Lucia and only Lucia in front of her. Her ruddy cheeks and soft lips and tired eyes, “Don’t you think I’m Queen of the Idiots?”

“Oh yes,” Lucia nodded, “But I’ll tell you a secret.” She gave a bitter smile, tinged with sadness and face bathed in topaz light from below and moonlight from above. “I like idiots.”

Tomma’s hand shot out and cupped Lucia’s cheek, cradling it gently in her grip as their faces hovered before each other like an ocean before a cliff face. “Stop me.” She said suddenly. “Stop me because I think I’m starting to feel things I shouldn’t.”

Lucia’s hazel eyes were huge and almost glowing in the moonlight. “You’re right,” she said and put a tentative hand over Tomma’s to keep it here, “You shouldn’t. I’m trapped here… I’m cursed.”

“You’re beautiful.” Tomma said before anything else. “And you make me feel stupid in the head.”

“That a good thing?”

Tomma grinned, “I always feel stupid in the head. You just make it worse.”

Lucia let out a hearty laugh. “Then don’t like me.” Lucia tapped their foreheads together and her warm breath splashed across her cheek, “you don’t even know me.”

Tomma hummed and leaned a little closer. “I’d like to get to know you.”

Lucia’s breath hiccuped and shifted in place, “Okay.” She whispered and glanced at Tomma’s mouth and as slow as daylight through windows and snowfall on quiet mornings moved toward her. “Show me. Get to know me.”

Tomma tipped Lucia’s chin up like moving the stars across the sky and brought Lucia’s face to hers.

Their lips met. It was sudden and inevitable and crushed her heart like daisy petals in a toddler’s grasp. Something inside her felt suckerpunched, brought low, destroyed into a fine powder without a sword or arrow.

Lucia’s mouth was soft and tingling against hers. It swept her out to sea and swallowed her whole with her bright movements and gentle lines. She kissed her gently at first with a firm grip around her neck and a slight shaking limbs.

And then Tomma opened her mouth delicately and they were embraced on the stone there, bathed in light and feeling her stomach swoop and heart seize. Her lips moved against hers and they came together again and again. They kissed until her lips were chapped and puffy and there was nothing but them in the universe.

Only them and their mouths and a world drained of words and thoughts and leaving nothing left.

It was only when the moonlight passed and the sky started to shift slightly in color that they remembered themselves.

Lucia’s held onto her so tightly it felt like she was digging in claws that would tear her apart and she wouldn’t resist a thing. “I have to go back,” Lucia said dryly with chapped lips and unshed tears in her eyes. “Madame Sonia still… still,” she hiccuped and her eyes spilled over in a thin stream of water, “I still belong to the library.”

Tomma took her hand and wiped her tears away again, “I know, I know.” She kissed each cheek delicately and Lucia just nodded and stood up, still crying softly.

They walked out of the garden, down the steps, and back into the library, hand in hand. ----------------- Tomma’s head was reeling after that night. This wasn’t what she planned.

She planned to get in, get out, and get rid of the magic on her for good. And be done with it. She could be a normal girl after this- no more sneaking around and ancient spells and daggers in the night. She assumed she could be normal again.

But she remembered the feel of Lucia’s lips on hers and the whole thing fell apart. Who would want to be anything after that? Who would want exist outside that moment? It felt like finding a soft landing after being trapped in a violent storm. Did everyone feel like this after a kiss? Surely not or else they would stop having jobs or going to church or waging wars.

They would just sit in the moonlight and kiss.

Tomma thought ridiculous thoughts like that for hours as she stared up at her ceiling and sleep refused to come even an inch closer. She was trapped in that singular moment with her cheeks flushed and heart fluttering in her chest.

Those hazel eyes and soft pink mouth and the way her gaze lingered as she left that night. It was all too much.

Tomma sat up in bed, tugged on her hair, and rolled over back and forth. Her stomach felt like it bottomed out, she covered her face with both hands, and groaned.

What am I going to do?

A new idea was forming in the back of her head but it wasn’t one she liked. But there it was: escape with Lucia or lose her forever. Learn a few new tricks or else leave someone to their fate of chains and dark libraries forever.

Tomma remembered the way she wept at the sight of moonlight hours earlier and Tomma made up her mind. She touched her mouth as she did it and stared at nothing.

Someone has to do it, she figured, someone has to help. ----------------- Tomma woke up the next morning without realizing she had fallen asleep after all and absently touched her mouth again as it pulsed with heat. That had been real, it had all been real. She reflected in a hushed daze.

“Oh God,” She covered her fever-hot face. “Oh no.” She murmured and rolled over. This morning is going to be so awkward, she thought to herself and squirmed. It was a full minute before she managed to push herself to her feet to scrub her face with water and get dressed. She ended up putting her shirt on backward as she did and barely registered her breakfast of bread and thin pea soup.

When she finally stood by the door she barely fit her shoes on or put her thoughts in order. We did that, she relived the last nights events over and over, that happened. Before she could hide in a corner or change into a more confident version of herself Tomma heard a knock on the door and jumped. “C-come in.” She hated how her voice shook as she addressed the other girl and Tomma’s face flushed two shades darker.

To her surprise, Lucia’s mask was tied tightly on when she rounded the door and nodded at her, “Good morning.” She said steadily and her mannerism was somehow not changed. Perhaps, Lucia was a bit pinker in the face and smile wider, but the tone was the same. “Did you wish to visit the books of the dead today?”

Tomma was momentarily confused, but nodded. “Yeah.” Though that’s not the secrets I need anymore. She thought to herself, but followed the trail of Lucia’s orange dress out as she turned around quickly and started gesturing for her.

Tomma tried to read Lucia’s thoughts through the back of her head as they walked, but she was just as straight-backed and quiet as usual. Tomma wanted to grab her shoulder and dip her. She wanted to yell “what is going on in your head?” She wanted to kiss her again.

She resigned herself to following after and wondering what she needed to do next.

They found their way back through the shelves of books and toward the gate at the edge of the room that they had visited on the first day. No spark of excitement went through Tomma this time and she was dragging her feet by the time the books of the dead came into view.

“Um,” Tomma finally spoke up and Lucia glanced over her shoulder at her. “What if… what if they’re other books I want to visit as well?”

Lucia’s eyes seemed to get a little larger behind her mask. “Is it something you want with your entire heart?” She asked softly, “because that is the purpose of the library. It won’t accept anything else.”

“It is.” Tomma said softly. “I want this.”

Lucia gave a shallow smile. “One thing at a time.” She said slowly. “Get in and get out of here, patron.”

Tomma’s heart dropped. Do you not want to see me anymore? She didn’t know how to discreetly ask what was going on between them. She didn’t know how to discreetly ask her if she thought last night was a mistake or if they were thinking the same thing.

She didn’t know how to ask if she actually liked her.

Tomma stared at her for another long moment before going over to the book shelves for something to do. She reluctantly picked up one book at random and sat down on the floor with it as the red lanterns cast long shadows around her.

She took out the Reaper’s Eye from her pocket and took a deep breath. She glanced over at Lucia, “here goes nothing.” She said lightly and brought the Eye up to her own eye. “Time to see if it worked.”

She flipped the first page open and squinted at the page. For a moment the letters were the same jagged triangles and random lines. And then the letters started to shift through the lens of one of her eyes. The words started ordering themselves and swam into focus.

They formed common words that she knew.

“Oh.” She said all at once, “Oh!”

‘The dead do not speak. But they do have something to say.’

“Is it working?” Lucia asked softly from behind her.

Tomma only grinned and gave a thumbs up, “You were right!” She cried just above a whisper. “All it took was some fake blood, my bones, and… other stuff.”

Lucia smiled fondly back at her but there was also something limp and sad about the way she stood there. As if the life was draining out of her, “Good. You’ll be able to depart soon.”

Tomma blinked several times. “Sure…” She wanted to shout that she wasn’t leaving just like that, she wanted to drag Lucia over and show her how the eye worked. She wanted.

She started to read. -------------- Despite everything Tomma was a planner. She used to plan her family’s weekly dinners and plan their shoe space and planned their family outings and then planned for months and months on how to return to her aunt and brother.

And she was starting to have a plan.

It formed as she flipped through book after book outlining the basic principles of necromancy. It was a loose and almost fantastical ideal that bordered on ridiculous. But it was there.

First, she decided, I must learn this...

Tomma blinked and tried to take in the words of the book: ‘It takes a vast amount of power to raise the dead. More than power, it takes a vast amount of intention to drag them back from the beyond to do your bidding. Lifting the veil tears a piece of your own soul each time and forms a type of magnetism between the shredding of your spirit calling to theirs. Like attracts like.’

Or at least, that was what Tomma had gathered so far from the dense texts that were part philosophy, part poetry, and only a little bit of practical instruction.

She couldn’t explain it but Tomma got the sense she needed to act fast. She needed to get this done or lose everything. I have to, she promised herself. We’re all getting out of here and out of this nest of devils that is magic.

She ran over options again and again to the point she almost forgot about eating or taking breaks. Her thoughts came in bubbling rivers: how could she escape? How could she free Lucia? Nothing readily came to her and Tomma practically jumped out of her skin when a hand tapped her on her shoulder.

“It’s time to retire,” Lucia said in her usual flat tone.

Tomma turned slowly and wished she could convey with her eyes what she was planning. What was possible.

“I’m almost there.” Tomma announced airily and pointed at the text. “I think it’ll only be a week or so to parse through it all.”

“Of course.” Lucia said without emotion. “Whatever is needed.”

Tomma impulsively reached out and grabbed her wrist, “I’ll stay as long as it takes.” She said with a fierceness she didn’t know she had. I won’t leave without you, she tried to convey it with her grip alone.

Lucia’s face seemed emptier than usual. When she spoke next it was slow and deliberate. “I wanted to change.”

“What?”

Lucia took a deep breath and the first shivers of emotion seemed to spread across her expression. It was a mixture of dread and a deadened worry written there. “I entered the library to change my body.” She announced loudly. “I had tried witches and potions before but many of them were temporary or tricks and some simply made me sick… I was raised by monks, you know. As a monk. But this is who I am.”

“Hmm?” Tomma blinked several times as she tried to make sense of that. “What?”

“I wasn’t always called Lucia,” Lucia explained slowly. “I got what I wanted here. And it was wonderful. I was who I was meant to be and when I returned to the surface and I got to be Lucia. But… Someone asked me to help them too. And I realize that the knowledge couldn’t just be locked away here.”

“Captive knowledge,” Tomma parroted the mermaid’s words from before.

“Something like that,” Lucia kept talking like the words had been building up and were just now spilling out. “So I came back a second time. It was… hard. The doorway didn’t appear as readily and it took complex spellwork to break in. I made it back though. And stole some of their books.”

Tomma’s eyes were huge, “You had good intentions.” She remembered Lucia’s words before.

“I did.” Lucia winced, “and I’ve been paying for them since.”

A red hot anger burned in Tomma’s center. “That’s fucked up.” She fumed, “This place…” She shook slightly, “that’s not right.”

“It wasn’t all selfless.” Lucia said softly. “I wanted someone to like me. I thought I could be a great magic wielder if I simply had the right books and then they would be impressed.”

“But you wanted to help people!”

“I did,” Lucia repeated, “but that was years ago. And I’m not the same person anymore. It’s too late.”

“Bullshit!” Tomma shouted impulsively as she processed what Lucia was trying to say. “It’s never too late.”

“Tomma...” Lucia seemed to wilt. “We should… retire…” She said faintly. “You have more studying to do tomorrow. So you can return to your family.”

Tomma gnashed her teeth. She held Lucia’s pale hand tightly, “This isn’t over.”

Lucia visibly flinched and started retreating backward, “you’re too reckless. You’re lucky the Night Prowler or mermaid didn’t eat you.”

Tomma followed her up to her feet. “Just you wait.” She frowned, “I’ll be a necromancer yet. More powerful than anyone. More powerful than Madam-”

Lucia slapped a hand down over her mouth. “Come to bed now.”

Tomma wanted to protest and raise her fists in the air and curse the gods of that world that made the rules and arbitrary punishments and rewards. Didn’t people like Lucia deserve to be rewarded?

She stood up nonetheless and followed her out of the library as she tried to formulate the right words in order to convince Lucia to come with her. To fight.

But Lucia had always seemed like a fighter, something else was stopping her.

“Lucia…” Tomma whispered at her back as they reached her door.

“Please,” Lucia whispered and there was something fragile and fall-apart about it. “Go to bed, Tomma. Let go of whatever it is on your mind.”

Tomma shook her head over and over again, “is that really what you want?” Lucia shook her off and walked in the opposite direction as Tomma’s door hung open. “I won’t let this be it.” Tomma promised the empty air. “I’ll change it.” ----------------- Tomma lay in bed and traced the lines of her ceiling with her eyes. Her mind wouldn’t quiet, but she couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not.

Options ran round and round in her head. Is this it? She thought to herself, is this all I can do? Wait and think and plan and have nothing to show for it?

Her stomach sank and she shifted in bed, feeling guilty she was lying down at all instead of up and trying to solve the ‘what next’ part of her plan. She barely knew that much about the library to begin with.

Tomma crawled to her knees and lit a candle in order to create a to-do list. She printed the words as neatly as she could: Ask the mermaid about the library Learn necromancy Summon the dead to help us escape

She stared at the words for a long painful second as she decided whether or not they were enough. If they were doable at all or simply foolish.

She was adding points to her plan when she heard the familiar sound of metallic jingling outside the door: clank, clank, clank.

Lucia was in the hall.

Clank, clank.

Tomma smiled thinking about her, but her smile froze when she heard a second voice this time.

“What do you think you’ve been doing?” Tomma’s blood froze at the sound of a harsh commanding tone. She rolled to her feet and reached for her knife. She couldn’t hear Lucia’s response. “You really think you could try this nonsense?” A cruel laugh followed.

Tomma was at the door and rushing outside before she could think.

She barely remembered to put her shoes on before she was standing outside at a scene she couldn’t have dreamt. An enormous woman in a bird mask was holding Lucia’s cheeks between her clawed fingers and snarling at her.

“Aw,” Madame Sonia twitched. “Your lover. Good timing.”

“No!” Lucia said breathlessly. “We weren’t actually doing anything. It was only a night.”

Madame Sonia snorted loudly. “Perhaps you weren’t going to do anything.” Her sharp eyes darted toward Tomma, “but she was.”

Tomma held the knife flimsily in the air, “put her down, witch!”

Madame Sonia laughed cruelly. “Moxie! Of course.”

“I’m serious.” All her big plans were empty now as Madame Sonia rounded on her with a cool frankness to her.

“She’s not what she says.” Madame Sonia said tartly.

“She is everything she says and more!” Tomma announced daringly and puffed her chest out.

“No.” Madame Sonia curled her thin lips back. “What I mean is that she is mine. She belongs to this place.”

“People can’t belong to places,” Tomma tried to reason. “People belong to themselves.”

Madame Sonia’s rolled her dark eyes behind her mask. “Little fool,” she said without hesitating, “perhaps it’s time to show you how patrons who break the rules are treated.”

“No!” Lucia gasped out softly with her cheeks dribbling blood and face screwed up. Madame Sonia turned to her and boxed her fiercely across the face with one hand before tossing her to the ground. She turned to Tomma.

“Making noise,” Madame Sonia took a menacing toward Tomma and she seemed even bigger and stranger than ever. “Wandering,” she took another step with a long twisted shadow cast behind her, “and trying to take something out!”

Tomma widened her stance and declared icily, “I’m not scared of you.”

“You should be.” Madame Sonia wet her lips before putting two fingers to her teeth and giving an enormous whistle.

Lucia started to claw her way toward Tomma, “Run,” she wheezed, “Run now.”

“Not without you,” Tomma dove toward her and Madame Sonia laughed- loud and boisterous.

“Just try to take her out like she is now.”

Tomma growled, but looked down to see that Lucia’s ankles were still in chains. “Come on.” She tried to pick her up. “We’re getting out of here. Together.”

Lucia pushed her face away, “I said get out of here, Tomma!” She said desperately, “I can’t run. Not like this.”

“Bullshit,” Tomma whispered and then pulled her to her feet. “Fight Lucia! Come on,” she wet her lips, “Don’t you want to see the moon again?!”

Lucia looked her up and down with a question in her eyes and Tomma nodded at her. Lucia bit her lip and then dove for her hand. “We have to run.”

She said it just as a huge beast rounded the corner and Madame Sonia gave a chilled cackle, “Oh Lucia, I will consider your debts paid once you feed the Night Prowler.”

“Oh, go stuff yourself!” Lucia said fiercely and reached behind her and whipped off her mask with a flourish. She flung it to the ground. “And find yourself a new assistant.”

Madame Sonia opened her mouth to reply but Tomma’s eyes were glued on the huge black beast lumbering at them. “Yell later,” Tomma instructured, “go now.” She started dragging Lucia forward just as the chains rattled.

“We’ll go as far as we can!” Lucia screeched and they began to run.

Lucia was slow. Her chains were too bulky and gait too awkward, but Tomma hurried them nonetheless to the end of the hall as Madame Sonia just impassively watched.

“Right, right!” Lucia spouted as they reached the end of the hall and turned. They started running up the hill toward what could only be the archway of the damned. And escape. Scratching footsteps came from behind them, ugly and always gaining and gaining.

Tomma sometimes glanced over her shoulder as they moved and saw the thing’s milky white eyes glowing and ears pricked toward them. They followed Lucia’s lamp through the caves in seemingly random directions and Tomma practically picked her up and threw her forward at points.

“No.” She started to repeat, “No. We’re reaching the end of my chains.”

“It’s not over.” Tomma said back and collapsed to the ground to take out her knife and start prying off the shackles.

A cold laugh followed them like a specter. “It’s too late.” Madame Sonia’s disembodied voice sang from above, “it’s here.”

She heard the sound of scraping before she turned to see the Night Prowler almost right at their backs. Tomma screeched a battle cry and contorted around to face it. “Come at us, you ugly pustule!”

“Tomma,” Lucia tried to drag her back, but Tomma shook her off and took a step toward the Night Prowler.

“Come at me!” She said again as she lifted up her knife with her right hand. The beast bent its ears back for just an instant before lowering its haunches and hissing at them like a cockroach. Tomma just grinned and barked a final, “hit me!” It launched itself through the air at them.

“There!” Tomma howled and switched her raised hand. She lifted up Lucia’s chains along with her left arm.

The creature’s enormous jaws closed around them both. A cracking sound erupted like a forest fire snapping wood and Tomma tried not to call out as her skeleton arm was wrenched off.

“Tomma!” Lucia called but the chains fell away as the creature chomped down on them.

“Throw the lantern!” Tomma yelled with her last breath as she fell backward.

The beast chewed on the bones of her arm and the chains between it’s shining deadly teeth before bearing down on them again. “Fuck off!” Lucia threw the flame of the lantern onto the creature and it let out a dreadful wail as its body was engulfed in fire. It lit up as if the creature itself was made of dry parchment.

Tomma gaped for a moment as it burst into licking red flames and Lucia put her hands under her armpits and started dragging her back and back. She had to tear her eyes away and they moved in the dark with the sounds of the creature howling behind them and Madame Sonia’s all-seeing eyes somewhere.

Lucia knew the path well enough to drag them up and up and up and away.

“We’re close,” Lucia kept saying and sweat dripped down their backs, “we’re close.”

The appearance of the figure in the archway was almost predestined as Madame Sonia stood in the threshold of the archway holding up a torch. “So.” She tutted as Lucia and Tomma panted and struggled for breath as they arrived, “that’s it? You burn my dog and run away?”

“You can’t,” Tomma wheezed, “you can’t keep people.”

She shrugged, “I think I can.” She snapped her fingers and a new mask rose in the air as if suspended from string. This one was an owl with brown feathers and huge eyeholes and covering the entire face- including the mouth.

“No.” Lucia backed up against the wall. “D-don’t!”

“I won’t be trifled with.” Madame Sonia warned and the new mask hovered closer and closer in midair.

Tomma put herself between the mask and Lucia and felt Lucia shivering against her back. “Go.” Lucia whispered beside her ear, “you’re not bound here. Go while you can.”

Tomma shook her head. “It’s my turn to do something a little selfless.” She whispered and hoped she sounded more sure of herself than she felt.

She raised her only hand in the air and started to chant, “domas, domina, domas, domina, illuminae…” She repeated over and over again and reached deep down into herself. Bones in the floors. Bones in the walls.

A library built on the bones of those who made it.

Madame Sonia shook her head. “You really think you can summon the dead after just one day of study? You really are a fool.”

Tomma closed her eyes to concentrate and folded her brow inard. “Domas, domina,” she shook with the effort and imagined ripping her own soul in two, she imagined cleaving it and tearing it like wet paper. She imagined their decayed bodies heaving through the tough earth and coming to her call- feeling drawn to her spirit.

She gnashed her teeth and dug deep into herself with the ancient words and her soul slightly, ever so slowly, shook within her. She raised her hand and yanked with all her might on the reanimated bodies of the dead.

“Come to me!”

She jerked upright when a scream came from behind her, “No!” Tomma cried out as the owl mask had darted over her shoulder and attached itself to Lucia’s face.

“Ah!” Lucia gave a muffled scream from behind the face and as it attached to her flesh. She ripped at it with her fingernails, but the thing held firm.

Tomma gnashed her teeth, “domas, domina!” She raised her voice, “come to me!” She yelled with the last of her waning strength, “get your revenge on this woman of the deep. Come and take her blood for yourself.”

Madame Sonia tossed her head back and barked a laugh as she put her hands on her hips. “Revenge?” She snickered, “I don’t think so. Justice is for fools and madmen.”

Tomma’s eyes went wide, “good thing I’m both.”

A bony hand jutted its way out of the depths of the dirt covered in a tattered shirt sleeve and rotting flesh.

Tomma gave a brittle smile and whispered dully, “and I don’t think they like you down here.”

A second skeletal arm shot out of the earth and grabbed Madame Sonia’s wrist, “What?!” She burst out as another skeleton hand drag itself from within the mountain and reached for her. “Don’t touch me!” Madame Sonia twisted around to start firing spells and Tomma turned to Lucia.

“What’s going on?!” Lucia wailed behind the material.

“Let me help.” Tomma grabbed the edge of the mask and started to pull.

Lucia drew a deep breath and reached for her hand, “you’re really with me?” She murmured with a delicate voice through the thick fabric.

“Yes,” she leaned forward and kissed the cheek of the mask. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

The mask seemed to fall away in their hands and Lucia was beaming as she was freed from the inside. “Okay.” She took Tomma’s hand and they both turned to where the undead were clawing their way out of the earth.

Tomma started to edge around a half-buried Burkan soldier, “alright,” she said slowly. “So I got to the summoning parts of the books… but not the binding part.”

“They aren’t bound to you?” Lucia said sharply and Tomma shook her head.

“They just really don’t like Madame Sonia,” she said as the witch beat off more bony hands that came for her.

“Come on,” Lucia pulled her, “we better get out here then.” She leaned in and kissed her cheek as they ran.

They jumped through the archway and crossing it was just as sickening as the first time: goosebumps ran up her arm and her ears popped and stomach twisted as they crossed it. And then they were out and into the cave.

They crashed forward and laughed and circled each other like puppies on their first outing as they fumbled their way out of the darkness and into the light. Lucia fell on top of her as the sun beat across their faces and the forest spread in all directions around them. Sounds of birds called in the treetops and a river babbled nearby and it was bursting with warmth and life.

Tomma’s eyes were shiny with fresh tears and they were on the ground and laughing. Lucia wrapped her arms around Tomma’s neck. “Thank you,” she whispered and peppered her face in small kisses, “thank you for saving me.”

Tomma ran her good hand through Lucia’s thick hair. “Thank you for saving me.” She kissed her firmly on the lips and whispered into her skin, “I was alone for a long time before this.”

And they wrapped around and around each other and the bright daylight bore down on them from all sides and the breeze licked their skin. They were out.

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A huge thank you to my beta readers for this story! I am so grateful for the comments and encouragements for this piece 😊

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#fantasy #writing #wlw #girls love #femslash #my work #f/f #high fantasy #the dark library #original story #sapphic

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