The Fall of the Readers Page 5
They spent a few hours in a whirlwind of preparation, filling several large baskets with food from the kitchens and adding some bags of apples and carrots from the storeroom. Alice asked everyone to keep the mission a secret from the library creatures until after they were gone, to keep panic to a minimum. Isaac assured her that with Ending, Magda, and Coryptus to help him, he could keep order.
Isaac. Part of Alice wanted to ask him to come along after all. Partly because of the comfort of having his reliable strength at her side, but mostly because of the distant, fragile look she saw in his eyes. I hurt him. He’d covered it well, but she’d seen it in his face.
There’s no way out. Being a leader meant making practical choices in everyone’s best interest. If I took Isaac along to spare his feelings, and people were killed here at the library, then how would I feel? She gritted her teeth. I can sort things out with him when I get back.
If I get back, a tiny voice in the back her mind said. This could be the last thing he ever hears from you.
In that case, Alice thought at herself furiously, then I’ll be dead and not in any position to care about his feelings. She fought hard to put the whole problem out of her mind and concentrate on the task at hand, and almost managed it.
Ending had brought them all to the back of the library, outside a tall cluster of shelves arranged in an octagon. From inside, Alice could hear the rhythmic sound of waves striking the shore, and she could smell the salty tang of the ocean. Now and then, a seagull cawed.
Dex was looking curiously up at the empty bookshelves, while Michael seemed more interested in studying his shoes. Soranna had eyes only for Alice, while Flicker’s hair had faded to its dullest red and he flinched with the sound of each wave.
My team. It didn’t seem like much of a force to assault whatever the Readers had built to safeguard their greatest treasure, but Alice felt a warm swell of pride in her chest. There was no one she’d rather have at her side.
Except, maybe—
“All right,” she said, quieting her own thoughts. “Let’s get started. There’s no percentage in hanging about.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
CYAN
DEX, SORANNA, MICHAEL, FLICKER, and Alice squeezed between the shelves, each carrying a heavy basket of food. As always, there was a peculiar sensation of shrinking, becoming smaller with each step until what had been ordinary bookshelves towered like mountains. Alice pushed out into the space inside the octagon, which now looked like it was several hundred yards across.
Or possibly wider. They’d come out onto a sandy beach, at the base of a tall, rocky cliff. Ahead, a mild surf crawled up and down, and the ocean stretched out to the horizon. Only wispy clouds in the vague shape of a set of bookshelves suggested the opposite end of the enclosure.
The sand underfoot was brilliantly, blindingly white, and pleasantly warm to the touch. A little way off was a boulder, which Alice expected held the book that had created this pocket of space. At its base were gathered a small group of people Alice guessed were water-sprites. They looked much like Flicker—short, thin, androgynous—but their hair varied between deep blue and sea green, and floated around their heads as though they were underwater.
“Pick me up, would you?” said a familiar voice. “This sand is murder on my paws.”
Alice found Ashes curling around her ankle. She reached down and lifted him to her shoulder, where he settled with the ease of long practice, claws digging into her leather overshirt.
“Come to see us off?” Alice said.
“Mother asked me to be here.” Ashes sniffed, and Alice smiled at his haughty tone. The cat cared about people more than he liked anyone to know.
The others had come through behind her by now, and were admiring the view.
“It’s beautiful,” Soranna said.
“It reminds me of home,” Dex said. There was a hitch in her normally cheerful voice. “The Most Favored and I would often visit the sea, to—” She broke off and shook her head.
“Master Einarsson took me and Jen out to sea once,” Michael said. “But it wasn’t like this. Just cold and storms.” He sighed. “And Jen fell overboard trying to catch a fish.”
“Let’s not keep them waiting,” Alice said, pointing to the sprites. As the group set off, she fell back until she was alongside Flicker, who was staring out at the water with wide eyes.
“Are you all right?” she said.
“What?” Flicker blinked and looked back at her. “Fine. I’ll be fine. I told you, the water wouldn’t actually hurt me, even if I fell in . . .” He trailed off, looking like he was going to be sick.
“You don’t have to force yourself to do this,” Alice said. “I’m sure Isaac could use your help.”
“She’s right,” Ashes offered. “Take it from me. Wandering around with Alice is a good way to get soaked.” He licked a forepaw. “You don’t catch me volunteering.”
“No.” Flicker’s face went hard. “If this is our chance to really hurt the old Readers, I’m not going to stay behind just because I might get a little wet.” He looked back to the ocean. “I just need to . . . get used to the idea.”
The leader of the water-sprites, an older man with hair the near-black of the deep ocean, raised a hand as they approached. There was a creature sitting beside him. It resembled a small dog, or perhaps a fox, with pointed ears, a narrow snout, and a long, bushy tail. Its fur was a brilliant blue-green that put Alice in mind of gemstones.
“Welcome,” the water-sprite said, with a sweeping bow. The others behind him followed suit. “We are honored to be of assistance.”
“Thank you for your help,” Alice said. “I understood you were going to be providing some kind of transportation?”
“This is Cyan,” the water-sprite said. He snapped his fingers. The fox-like animal stood up, looking alert. “He will take you and your companions wherever you need to go.”
“He will?” Alice said, a bit doubtfully. Cyan stepped closer and yipped cheerfully.
“He seems a little small.” Ashes jumped from Alice’s shoulder to the sand, sniffing in Cyan’s direction. “And not very bright.”
“Ashes!” Alice said. “Be nice.”
Cyan turned in the cat’s direction, sniffed hesitantly, then yipped. He opened his mouth and a small stream of pure water gushed out, as if he were a water fountain. It splashed all over Ashes, who jumped sideways and hissed, every bit of fur standing on end.
“That means he likes you,” said the water-sprite, unperturbed. “He wants to play.”
“Play? Play?! I’ll show you play!” sputtered Ashes, raising a paw. Cyan yipped joyously and spat another stream of water, which the cat hurriedly dodged. He circled around to take cover behind Alice’s leg, tail bristling.
“Down, Cyan,” the water-sprite said. Cyan sat, and the sprite went on. “I assure you, in the ocean, he’ll be more than large enough for your needs.”
“If you say so,” Alice said. On her last journey, Erdrodr had made a boat out of a ball of ice, so why not a fox? I wonder if anything can surprise me anymore. “We’ll take good care of him.”
“Thank you,” the water-sprite said. “It grieves me that we are unable to do more.”
He bowed again, and the small group of sprites walked away, back into the ocean.
“Alice.” Ending’s voice came from the shadow of the boulder. Her eyes glowed from within it, huge as yellow moons. “You are prepared?”
“I think so,” Alice said, looking over her shoulder at the other apprentices and Flicker. “As much as we can be, anyway.” She looked down. “Ashes! Stop stalking the boat!”
“Look at his tail twitching!” Ashes said. “Smug, I call it. Can you blame me?”
Ending rumbled. “Ashes.”
“All right, all right,” Ashes muttered. “I’ll leave the stupid boat alone.”
“You will go with Alice,” Ending said. “She may need your help.”
“I will—what?” Ashes’ tail went bushy again. “I—what—why?”
“I don’t think—” Alice began, but Ending cut her off.
“You are Ashes-Drifting-Through-the-Dead-Cities-of-the-World,” she said, “and you are, as you are so fond of reminding us, only half cat. The other half is my blood, labyrinthine. In the Grand Labyrinth, you may be useful.”
“But they’re getting there by boat,” Ashes said.
“Nevertheless.”
“Boats go on the ocean,” he pleaded. “There are waves. Storms.”
“Ashes.” Ending’s voice sank to a growl, and the cat flattened himself to the beach in abject terror. He looked so miserable that Alice reached down to pick him up, and he huddled into a tight ball in her arms.
“We brought a tarpaulin,” she told him. “For Flicker. You can share it with him. Right?” She looked up at Flicker, who sputtered.
“Of course,” he said. “I’m happy to share with . . . whatever sort of animal you are.”
“A cat,” Alice said.
“A half-cat,” Ashes said, voice muffled because he was speaking into Alice’s armpit. “More’s the pity.”
“The Grand Labyrinth,” Ending said, calm, as though the whole exchange had gone smoothly, “is broken up by barriers called Veils, places where the maze narrows to a single gateway. The Readers who created them set tests and guardians at each one, and you will need to find a way through.” She shook her huge head. “I regret I cannot be more informative than that. They kept any knowledge they could of the defenses from the labyrinthine.”
“We’ll get through them,” Alice said, with more confidence than she felt. She looked over her shoulder again, and Dex gave her an encouraging nod.
“And you remember what you must do, when you reach the Great Binding?”
Alice nodded. She only had to make a small change to the spell, changing the source of its energy to herself, a tiny bit of Writing.
“Then go,” Ending said. “And I hope my faith in you has not been misplaced.”
“Thank you for your help,” Alice said. “Take care of everyone here, if you can.” Isaac.
Ending nodded. There was a flash of ivory fangs, and then she vanished. The apprentices were alone on the beach, with Flicker, the miserable Ashes, and Cyan, who was excitedly chasing his own tail.
Alice put Ashes and her basket down, then scrambled up to the top of the boulder. There was a book there, a heavy tome with a bronze cover and curling script titling it The Azure Sea. The others handed the baskets up to Alice, one by one. Ashes jumped up on his own, but Dex had to lift Cyan into Alice’s arms. The cat sneered at the fox-thing, who looked back at him with wide-eyed glee.
The other apprentices climbed up beside Alice. Michael, second to last and shorter than most of the others, got a hand up from Dex. Soranna was shortest of all, but before Dex could bend over again she swarmed athletically up the rock, as easily as though it were a knotted rope. Michael adjusted his glasses, looking a bit flustered.
“Let’s go through together,” Alice said. They each took a basket, and Ashes resumed his place on Alice’s shoulder while Dex put a hand on Cyan. Alice reached out, flipped open the cover of the book, and read:
“Another beach spread before them, just as blindingly white as the one they’d left . . .”
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE AZURE SEA
ANOTHER BEACH SPREAD BEFORE them, just as blindingly white as the one they’d left. They were on an island so small, Alice could have run across it in a few minutes. A clutch of scraggly palm trees grew in the center, their trunks ringed by bushels of dead brown leaves like beards. Beyond them was glassy smooth ocean, stretching unbroken to the horizon. The sun was high overhead, and she was already growing warm.
Ashes looked around at the palm trees, the perfect ocean, and the immaculate beach.
“Ugh,” he said. “I’m in hell.”
At Alice’s gentle prod, he jumped down and gingerly walked across the sands. The others set down their baskets and looked around.
“I admit,” Dex said, “that my studies have not included extensive training with a map and compass. No doubt yours have prepared you more thoroughly, Sister Alice?”
“Not really,” Alice admitted. “But Ending said that the boat would know the way.” She looked down at Cyan. “Go on. Do something.”
Cyan yipped and sat back expectantly.
“Don’t just sit there,” Soranna said, glaring at Cyan. “Make yourself useful.”
With another yip, Cyan chased his tail in a quick circle, then sat down again.
“Must be broken,” Ashes said. “So sad, we’ll have to go home, no other option.”
“Perhaps it’s waiting for something?” Dex said.
Michael cleared his throat. “You’ve never had a dog, Alice?”
Alice shook her head. “My father didn’t like them.”
“They’re not like cats,” the boy said. “You give them commands.”
“Because they lack all dignity,” said Ashes, under his breath.
“May I try?” Michael said.
Alice stepped aside. “Feel free.”
Michael looked down at Cyan and adjusted his glasses.
“Cyan,” he said in a firm voice. “Boat!”
Cyan yipped, spun rapidly in a circle, and ran to the water in a spray of sand. He hurled himself into the modest surf, turned around several more times, then faced them all and yipped again.
“Is this supposed to be accomplishing something—” Ashes began.
There was a noise like foomp. Cyan’s fur puffed outward in all directions, sending a spray of salt water over the apprentices and eliciting a shriek from an outraged Ashes. The air was full of fine blue hairs, settling over everything like snow. As they cleared, Alice could see the little fox-thing had indeed been replaced by a boat, the same blue color as his fur.
She’d been expecting a rowboat, something like they’d ridden on the way to the Palace of Glass. Cyan was much larger and differently shaped, more along the lines of the yachts her father’s friends had kept at the marina. He was roughly triangular, with a pointed bow curving back to a squared-off stern, though there was no sign of masts or sails. Cyan’s tail, still long and fluffy, whipped excitedly back and forth. From somewhere underwater came a bubbling yip.
Dex walked up to Cyan and touched him. Her finger sank in slightly, as though the surface were a firm sponge.
“It’s made of . . . hair?” she said, poking it again, then laughed delightedly. “A fur boat!”
“There is no way that can be seaworthy,” Ashes said.
“Some breeds of dogs have oily hair that’s nearly waterproof,” Michael said. “Like a duck’s feathers.”
“Unless you can turn into a boat,” Alice said to Ashes, “we haven’t got much alternative. Come on.”
They loaded the baskets of supplies and then climbed aboard, Flicker taking a running jump to avoid having to get his feet wet. Alice had to admit it was a little strange climbing around on Cyan—on his back, would it be?—with the “deck” under her feet slightly soft and spongy. But there was plenty of room, at least, even with their things piled in the center.
She went to the bow and looked down. A pair of eyes, one on either side of the prow, looked up at her, and Cyan gave another water-muffled yip. Alice patted his rail, affectionately. What was it you were supposed to say to dogs?
“Good boat,” she said. “Good boat. Now, sail!”
Nothing happened. Cyan’s eyes looked up at her expectantly.
“Um,” Alice said. “Forward! Giddyap! Mush!”
When nothing continued to happen, she sighed and turned around.
“Michael,” she said. “A little help?”
The Azure Sea was a deep, pure blue, and so flat, it felt more like an enormous pond than the ocean.
As they moved away from the beach, Flicker huddled at the rear, his obsidian spear across his knees, trying not to look at the water all around them. Ashes was curled about beside him. The cat had declared the fire-sprite “the only sensible person here,” and once he’d discovered that Flicker’s skin was warm to the touch, Ashes had stuck to him like glue. Dex sat nearby, head tipped back, staring into the endless arch of the sky. Michael leaned over the bow, holding on to his glasses with one hand, muttering to Cyan and getting the occasional yip in return. Alice watched him for a moment, then smiled and went to lean against the rail beside Soranna.
Now that Soranna had cleaned up, she looked much as she had when Alice had first seen her, pale and thin as a rake, dressed in rough leather. Her light brown hair was pinned up on the right, but loose on the left, like a curtain hiding part of her face.
She wasn’t exactly the same, though. The Soranna Alice had first met had cowered at the sight of the other apprentices. She was still quiet, but there was something different in her bearing.
“I never got the chance to thank you,” Alice said. “Properly, I mean. If you hadn’t come to warn us, the house might have burned down with everyone still inside.”