As We Go Along, Ch. 17

 There was a sign on the door to the library: Not Open to the Public. Scholars Only. Kevayss had forgotten to mention that. Well, that just meant I couldn't use the front door. There was a long row of windows around the second story of the library--of course, they were in plain sight of the street. This called for some invisible flying.

Can I even do that? I wondered. Can I use two different kinds of magic at once? It was worth a shot. I wandered 'round the library to an alley and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I was pretty sure I was invisible, but there was only one way to find out. I reemerged into the sunlight. The once-bustling streets of Karazmuth appeared empty--though they were noisy as ever. I smiled and climbed the library steps. Now that I was invisible, why couldn't I just use the door? Well, I didn't know who was inside. They might see the door move. I sighed. Flying it was.

"Up," I whispered. My feet started to hover off the ground. I slowly raised myself to the level of the windows. Then I looked down. Whoa. My stomach dropped, and my altitude dropped with it. I caught myself about two feet off the ground. Note to self: don't look down.

I flew around the windows, peering into each and trying to discern if anyone was inside. Sometimes a book would disappear from a shelf, and I know a scholar has taken it. When I came upon a room that was fairly still, I kicked the window. Boom. It vibrated but didn't break. My foot ached. Dang it! I needed more momentum. I backed up and tried something new: levitating feet-first. I slowly leaned back until I was horizontal. It felt like floating in a pool. I hovered about fifty feet from the window. Faster, I thought. I gained speed, my feet shooting towards the window and dragging the rest of me with them. 

CRASH! The window shattered, and I landed on my butt on the floor. Broken glass dugs into my back, and my arms and legs stung with cuts. I stood up and brushed the glass off my clothes, plucking shards from exposed skin. I was bleeding all over the place. Will my blood stay invisible as long as I do? I thought as droplets stained the low, blue carpet of the library. I doubted it. Hopefully no one had heard when I'd broken the window...

I scanned the shelves nearest me, searching for a book as thick as my finger, covered in purple cloth. Didn't see one. I realized Kevayss hadn't told me what section the book was in... I guess she'd assumed I could figure it out? I looked around for labels on the shelves. They probably didn't have the Dewey Decimal System in Chaeselor. What category would a spell book fall under, anyway? Cookbooks? Science textbooks? DIY? 

It didn't matter. The shelves were labeled, but in terminology I didn't understand. Currently I was in the "Artifice" section. I wandered around the room, then into another room. "Homunculus & Golem." Interesting, but not helpful. Next room: "Chiromancy." How would I ever find the book if I couldn't understand what the categories were? No wonder only scholars used this place. Is there a dictionary section?

I passed through about fifteen more rooms and became thoroughly lost before I found the "Chaeselorian Lore" room. Lore was like history--maybe there would books about the Fading here. I glanced around. One gargantuan shelf was clearly labeled, "The Fading." There were over a thousand books on that shelf. I glanced around for the color purple and spotted a few volumes, but they were all too thick, and they didn't look like spell books--more like history books.

The next room was more promising: "FORBIDDEN. STAY OUT OR ELSE." This library has too many rules. I walked into the room.

Immediately, someone started screaming.