Qing's Quest book 2, Chapter 32: The Grand Library

Ghida knocked on the side door of the library as Qing put down the crates he’d picked up in the city. They had got them through the front gates, and the trip through the city had gone smoothly. Knut and Morgana’s uniforms had people scrambling away, and Ghida’s confidence shone through the fabric wrapped around her, and people rightly assumed her to be nobility.

From a distance, the Grand Library looked like a Mediterranean fortress topped with spires that reached for the heavens and one blue-tiled dome that shimmered under the desert sun. Up close, they’d spotted the main entrance with its massive wooden doors, flanked by two massive stone statues, the guardians of knowledge. They looked like oversized men, with abs rivaling Jesus’, and their faces had been painted white. The one on the left held a book and a quill, and the one on the right a two-handed sword, whose point rested on the ground. A vibrant green garden encircled the entire complex, starkly contrasting with the surrounding desert city. Fountains bubbled throughout, and it felt like a tremendous waste of water. Regular citizens kept a wary distance, not even approaching the walls to sit in its long shadow. But uniforms, carrying crates, and acting like they belonged there, had got them in the gate and through the gardens to a side entrance.

The plan was for Ghida to talk their way in with a delivery of books. Once inside, they’d locate one of her allies, and it should be fine from there.

The door creaked open, and a flat voice spoke before they could be seen. “What do you want?” The door opened to show a tall and strong man, wearing brown and dusty robes, with possibly the worst posture Qing had seen in his life. His eyes went wide in recognition as he looked at Ghida, despite only her eyes being visible. “What are you doing here? Soldiers are looking for you!” he said, stepping out and glancing around. 

“Figures,” Ghida said. “Wazir knows how much I enjoy the library.” She pulled herself up and spoke with command. “I need your help, Randall.”

“Anything for you, Princ—” 

She interrupted him, “Hush! Just call me…Shiha.”

He nodded fervently and smiled. “Like the dragoness, of course.” 

“There is a book we need. And it would be good to have a place to hide, just for a while.”

“But the soldiers…Shiha, they are still in here,” he said, and as he he did, a voice rang out from behind.

“You there! What are you doing?” 

An officer headed straight for them, four soldiers marching behind. 

Randall closed his eyes and ran a hand through his brown hair, while stroking the neatly trimmed full beard that ran from ear to ear. 

“Escorting books,” Randall said. 

The officer stepped up and addressed Knut and Morgana. “Well? Answer me.”

Randall stepped outside. “They are the escort for these books,” he said, resting a hand on the crate Qing had brought. “Valuable and dangerous books found in the homes of despicables.” The librarian waved at the four of them. “You four, get in before anyone else is exposed to its filthy contents.” 

Qing picked up the crate, grateful that a lid covered the grapes contained within.

The officer put a hand on Knut’s shoulder. “Don’t you know there is a manhunt going on?”

“Our orders are to secure the books, sir,” Knut replied. 

“There is a city-wide notice for four outlaws, one of which is the former Princess Ghida. Every able-bodied guard has been called in.”

Knut shrugged. “If you want to countermand the Grand Vizier’s orders, you are more than welcome to do so. But until I hear from him personally, I’m going to do as he commanded. I value my life and that of my family.”

“The Grand Vizier himself told you to get these books?” the officer said, stammering.

“These contain dangerous secrets and spells of bonecallers,” Knut said, managing to convey a shiver through the layers of padding and chain mail armor. “We are to lock them in a deep and dark hole. Hopefully, this librarian will then throw away the key.”

The officer nodded. “Carry on then,” he said. “But hurry. Once you’re done, report to the front gate for your next assignment.”

After entering, Randall slammed the door shut behind them and twisted a key, locking it tight. Then he seemed to shrink, as a sigh of relief ran through him. 

Qing felt a tension leave his shoulders too.

“Follow me,” Randall said. “I know of a room that should be empty now. We can talk there in peace.”

They had entered through a kitchen side door and Qing left the crate behind as they walked up a long stair, through a corridor, before entering the library’s main hall, high on the walls. They had a fantastic view as they crossed a walkway, looking down at the massive entrance. Two wooden doors towered over the people below, intricately carved with what looked to be historical scenes.

The main hall itself was vast, the ceiling supported by rows of thick columns, which doubled as bookshelves brimming with ancient tomes. Each had a ladder, fastened at the top with a thick rope, that could be rolled around. Circular tables made of dark wood stood spread around the hall, inviting scholars and citizens to delve into knowledge. They all stand empty. 

“Where are the visitors?” Qing asked in a whisper. It was a library, after all. 

“Seems none made it in today,” Rendal said. “See the masked librarian sitting on the pedestal?” 

“Inside the oval desk with the three guards?”

“Yes. Any who wishes to visit the library must pass a test of knowledge in order to enter. We change the questions every day. The guards take those who fail outside and whip them in public. We take our duty of keeping knowledge safe very seriously.”

Only the shuffling of four pairs of feet could be heard, until Knut said, “That’s insane.”

“No. It’s genius,” Morgana said. “Gives the people hope. Anyone can come for knowledge. All that stands in your way is a simple question. Then you can learn. They do not keep knowledge from you, only keeping it secure while ensuring that the wisest people get to learn.” She chuckled. “And I’m sure the daily question works like passwords amongst the thieves’ guilds, doled out to those in power.”

Rendal sputtered and missed a step. “That’s preposterous!” He grimaced at his own exclamation. “The knowledge contained here fuels the world. It is not for the everyday man, nor for political manoeuvring. Tell them, Ghida.”

The princess winced before scowling at Morgana. “Leave him alone.”

“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

“You mentioned books, your…Shiha,” Randal said as they walked.

“Yes. We need…a few books, and a place to stay while we figure out what to do next. 

“Tell me of the books first.”

“The book of the Ashen Witch,” Qing said.

“By whom?” 

“No idea.”

“What is it about?”

“Don’t know.”

“Age?”

“Old?”

“All our books are old.”

“Rendal,” Ghida said, voice going soft. “Are you saying you can’t find it?”

“Of course I’ll find it. But it’ll take time. With the soldiers bumbling about…there is so much change, pri—Shiha.” He stopped and looked at her imploringly. “You know I don’t like change. Can’t you stop it?”

“I know. And I am trying to. Kind of. But, I’d also like you to bring me…let’s see. What was the book about elemental imbalance? The earth and wind and fire one.”

“You mean ‘Earth, wind, and fire: Water as the equilibrium for elemental imbalances’?”

“Yes. And the one for bonecallers by that Drexler writer. The dry one.”

“Ah. Drexler Hawthorn’s ‘The Thinning Veil: Bonecallers and the Thaumaturgic Threat’?”

Ghida gave him a beaming smile, and Rendal’s cheeks reddened. “Yes!” She put a hand on Qing’s arm and leaned over. “Is he not amazing? He remembers everything. Literally.”

Qing gently removed her hand, and Rendal’s scowl disappeared. “Impressive indeed. We are fortunate you have such capable allies.”

That made the librarian’s chest puff up, and he stood a little less crooked. “Oh, that’s nothing. You remember the time you wanted ‘The Rise and Fall of the Ember Throne’ by Elara and Cassian Marrowhart? All you gave me was the line ‘The silent resolve of two hearts standing against the tempest of change’ from ‘The Whisperwind Covenant’. Best week of the whole year, that was,” he said with a wide smile, but it swiftly faded. “These days, the ones in charge seem more intent on destroying knowledge than finding and maintaining.” 

“Do not trouble yourself, Rendal. I will fix it. You just take care of things in here and leave the outside to me.”

“Of course, Shiha.”

“Where will you take us?” Ghida asked.

“I’ve got a room set aside for research in the restricted section, far in the back. The soldiers shouldn’t come there, nor any other librarians.”

“Restricted section?” Morgana asked. 

“It is where the majority of the library’s books are kept,” Ghida said. “The shelves are all metal, to which the individual books are locked. It protects them from both fire and theft. Though, the golems do protect against both.”

“Golems?” Qing asked.

“Yes. The guardian golems which protect our library. There’s two over there,” Rendal said, smiling and pointing. Along the balcony of the main hall were several doorways. Most with shut doors, some with open doors, but one simply featured an archway. Two stone statues flanked the opening, standing head and shoulders taller than Qing, they were chiseled as heavily muscled men. 

Are they wearing short skirts or is that kilts?

Qing looked at their lion-shaped heads, mane standing proud. It didn’t look as if they had moved in millennia, if ever. 

“Have you ever seen one move?” Qing asked. “Maybe they are just statues?”

Rendal shivered. “Believe me. They move. And they are as strong as they are fast.”

“Have you seen it with your own eyes?”

“Never seen them move, no. But…” The man’s voice lowered, and he sunk together even more. “One time the head librarian made me clean the remains of a colleague off them. Everyone has to, at least once.”

“That’s horrible,” Ghida said. “How come you never told me?”

“Wouldn’t want you to get in trouble, would I?” He shrugged. 

“If everyone has to do it once, how regularly do the golems kill?” Morgana asked as they walked past the doors, leaving the golems behind. “If they are so strong, you’d think people had grown wise to them and stop trying to…well, stop doing whatever makes the golems kill.”

“A single book sold on the black market could feed a family for a decade,” Rendal said. “Desperation breeds stupidity.”

“Many desperate souls make it past your test each day?” Knut asked. 

Rendal stopped for a moment, tilting his head. “I guess not.”

“So who are they killing then?”

“The ones I know of were librarians and researchers heading to the archives with forbidden books, and they’d forgotten to get the right authorisation. Never thought of that before.”

Morgana and Ghida both looked back at the golems in dread.

“And just how are you planning to get us into the restricted section? Can we pass the golems?” Qing asked.

“Oh no. Princ—Shiha could. But you would…stopped. But don’t worry. I know a way we can slip past the golems,” he said.

“How?” Ghida asked. 

“I’d rather not say.”

“My life is on the line, Rendal. I have to insist you tell me.”

He squirmed for a moment, face scrunched up, until the princess reached out and touched two fingers to his shoulder and said, “please.” 

With a sigh, he melted. “Of course. The book burning. They don’t care what they are destroying. So I’ve taken some books and…misplaced them. But I had to get them out and in without triggering the golems. I looked at some old maps of the library and found a hidden path that circumvents them.”

“Excellent,” Morgana said, hand on whip. “We’ve got such an excellent track record with secret passages.”