74 – Reading

The first few steps were easy. Alexandra hadn’t climbed many ladders in her life, but this one was stable, and the rungs evenly spaced.

Then she looked down. She was only five steps up, but her head was already spinning.

She breathed, locked her gaze on the shelves before her, and climbed. As she did, the lanterns grew distant behind her, and the light waned.

Thankfully, she could still see. What was only darkness from below turned out to be manageable from above as the lights stopped blinding her.

Ten steps. Twenty.

The shelves slid past her slowly. Worn leather bindings in browns and deep reds, the occasional glint of gilt lettering. Up here the air was cooler, the shelves dustier.

She stopped to shift her grip and looked out.

The library spread below her. From up here the maze resolved into something almost legible. The tops of shelves ran in long, irregular lines, broken by the gaps of passages and punctuated by small pools of lantern light. Tables visible from above, the bent heads of students reduced to crowns of grey, orange, white, and yellow.

Even from up here, she couldn’t see the first floor in its entirety. In the center, a massive pillar went up to the ceiling. The staircase to the Bronze floor.

She moved the last few rungs up and found the section she’d been looking for. The books were packed tight. She worked her finger along the spines, reading titles in the dim light until she found it wedged between two volumes three times its size.

She worked it free.

It was thin. Barely twenty pages, soft-covered and without a spine title. The cover read, Definitive List of Parts Harvestable From Slimes, in small, plain lettering.

She looked down.

The floor was very far away.

She read the book perched on the ladder. It’d take more time to climb down, up, and down again than to finish it. Slime parts, as one might expect, were not many. Each subspecies had a core and the slime itself. The book suggested a few uses for both and the most appropriate way to collect and store them.

Alexandra finished it in five minutes, put the book back in place, and checked that her quest had progressed. It did.

She smiled and went down the ladder. This was the shortest book on this floor. Now, onto the next nine.

By the time she finished the ninth book, she had come to understand the library layout. She still didn’t agree with it, but at least she could navigate the maze that it was without double-checking every turn.

Reading: Read ten books (9/10).

One left. In the theology section.

She’d never been to that section, but she’d passed through it several times while looking for the cooking section. She would have liked a word with the person who thought Recipes for Mouthless Pets deserved a spot in the library, but the book didn’t even list an author.

The theology section was busier than most, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering the Iron Library was in essence a temple to the goddess of knowledge. Robes of all colors were reading heavy treatises. She even spotted a blue whose gaze stopped on her for a moment before turning back to his book.

She winced. It seemed like word of her presence had already spread among the Keepers.

The book she wanted was at eye level. It was as thin as the others, which made it easy to spot among the rest. She reached for it. It was in good condition and looked relatively new.

Account of the Apostles. The cover listed Alfred Dumries as the author.

Alexandra stood in the aisle and opened it to the first page.

The book’s content was succinct, and the author readily admitted as much. Alfred warned against the apostles, leaders of the demonic cults, but lamented the lack of knowledge on their identity. The only confirmed apostle was the Tide-Reaver, who led Valudipan’s legions of fiends against the Vanguard at the abyssal fissure.

She closed the book and tapped its cover with her index finger, her brows furrowed.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author’s work.

Putting it back in place, she summoned her journal.

Reading: Read ten books (10/10).

That was another common skill added to her list. She dispelled the journal without closing it.

Her stomach reminded her of its existence.

She exhaled and started walking toward the exit.

She had barely left the theology section when Qafit found her.

“Miss Alexandra, please come with me. We need to get you signed up for classes so you can start attending tomorrow.”

Alexandra clutched her stomach. “Fine, but spare me a snack first.”

Qafit looked at her. “Outside.”

She ate on the way.

The administration building was close to the library tower, but by the time they arrived, she’d finished two rolls of pastries and gotten started on the third.

The process was short. A form, a brief conversation, another form. Raymond had chosen all of her classes for her, so her input was limited. She walked out with a packed schedule.

She went straight to the refectory. Fucking malediction. It’s so inconvenient.

At least the food was good here.