The Library - The Complete Series (27 page)

Shielding my eyes, I turn away, but something up among the clouds seems to be screaming.

"They are ready," Gum says. "The Forbidders seek an audience with those who have delivered their greatest prize."

V
anguard

It takes many hours, but Fig is able to slowly lead me out from the collapsed catacombs. She has the advantage of being able to see in the dark, which means she can pick out a path that leads between and beneath the cracked stones and ruined corridors, and I have merely to follow the noise of her body as it slithers ahead through the darkness. We make our way in silence, which is just as well, since I do not believe that we have anything more to say to one another. Our time is past, and this reunion is to be brief. Once she has shown me the way back up to the surface of the Library, I will have no hesitation in leaving her behind; if she persists in trying to follow me, I shall have no hesitation in cutting her throat.

"There are rumors of a new darkness," she says eventually. "A darkness that spreads out from another world. Have you heard of such a thing?"

"I do not pay attention to fairy-tales," I reply, hoping to kill the conversation before it can really get started.

"But you must have heard stories of the dark world," she continues. "They say it is starting to leak out into other worlds. Some even believe that it is alive, and that it laughs as it devours everything in its path. Can you imagine that, Vanguard? A laughing, howling nothingness. They say it has already -"

"How long did you spend alone in the Citadel?" I ask, interrupting her. "How long did you spend locked in that little room, with your already over-active imagination being allowed to run rampant?"

"Centuries," she replies.

"Then it is no surprise that your mind has grown weak. Those of us who have been out here, in the full expanse of the world, have not dwelt upon such foolish ideas. There is no darkness, not here. Now that you are back out in the real world, Fig, you must set aside foolish, childish notions."

"But I've heard that this darkness has destroyed other worlds," she says. "I've heard from good, reliable men that there is some kind of darkness spreading throughout all the lands in existence. Whole civilizations have already been destroyed. Perhaps even the Forbidders themselves have no way of escaping such a terrible thing."

"Ignore such stories," I tell her. "Such things are not happening. The only darkness in this place is the shadow cast by the Forbidders, but they are soon to be cast out."

"You believe so?"

"I know so," I say firmly. "The Forbidders are interlopers. At first, I did not even believe that they existed. I thought they were a creation of those who wish to rule others through fear. Later, I realized that the Forbidders are real, though they are undoubtedly less powerful than they might seem. I am quite certain that they can be driven back to their own world, and the link can be sealed. They have caused enough damage in the Library already."

"I have not seen these Forbidders myself," she replies, "but I have heard a great deal about them. It is said that they can destroy anything in their path, and that they rule through fear. You are the first person who has ever claimed they can be defeated. I want to believe you, Vanguard. If anyone can find a way to stop them, it is you, but I fear that this time the odds are too heavily stacked against your bravery."

"There are many ways to defeat an enemy," I point out.

"So you'll give them the book?" Fig asks.

"Of course not. After everything they have done here, why would I appease them?"

"But I thought that was your plan?" she continues. "I understood that you aimed to find the first book and give it to them, so that they would leave?" She pauses for a moment. "Or did your plan change when you realized that giving them the book would mean giving them Claire? Can you no longer bear the thought of sending that girl to her death?"

I do not reply. The truth is, when I first met Claire, I planned to serve her up at a feast for the Elders. It was only later that I realized it would be foolish to kill her, and that she might be useful in some other way. Perhaps I sensed that she was no mere human; certainly, that would account for the fact that I was unusually patient when I was dealing with her. I would usually kill a creature that caused me so much difficulty, yet I fought to get Claire safely to the Citadel. I worried that perhaps I was becoming weak and sympathetic, but now I see that I was merely being wiser than I had anticipated. Still, turning Claire over to the Forbidders is not the answer. There is no reason to think they would leave this land once they had what they wanted. Brute force can only be met by brute force; the Forbidders will be driven out by the sword, not by giving them everything they demand. I was wrong to think that simply handing over the book would be enough.

"You are very quiet," Fig says, as we continue to make our way through the darkness. "Did the mention of her name cause you to doubt your plan?"

"Why would you even ask such a thing?"

"Because I know you," she continues. "When you are lost in thought, it means something has affected you deeply. Do you feel protective of Claire?"

"I feel protective of this land," I reply.

"But perhaps you are not thinking straight," she says. "If you can end all of this pain, simply by handing over the girl to the Forbidders, should you not at least consider such a thing?"

"Handing over a book is one thing," I tell her. "I would have done that, with no second thoughts. But handing over a person is another thing entirely. I would rather fight the Forbidders until the last drop of blood spills from my body, than stoop to offer them the life of that girl."

"An unusual sentiment, coming from you. I can't help but wonder whether you have other motives for wanting to keep the girl safe. Could it be, Vanguard, that you wish to correct a mistake you made many years ago? After all, if you allowed Claire to die, it wouldn't be the first time an innocent has suffered such a fate under your care."

"If you truly believe that such a thing is possible," I reply, "then you clearly do not know me very well."

"Then I shall retract the suggestion," she says, although I can tell from the tone of her voice that she does not truly believe that she was wrong. "We have arrived," she says suddenly, stopping ahead of me. "Vanguard, of the two of us, you are by far the stronger. The stone in our path can be moved aside to reveal an opening that leads back out into the Library. As promised, I have brought you out of the catacombs."

"We must keep going," I say, stepping forward.

"Wait!" she says. "Before you move the stone and let the light of day into this place, I must say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" I pause for a moment, surprised that Fig would not prefer to stay with me. "There is no reason for you to leave," I continue. "You must come with me, and together we will find Claire and force the Forbidders from this land."
"Do you remember what I looked like?" she asks. "All those years ago. Do you remember my face?"

"Of course," I reply.

"Was I beautiful?"

I sigh. "This is irrelevant to the -"

"I was, wasn't I?" she continues. "I was beautiful. I know it's true. But I am ugly now. I have changed, and I do not wish to let you see my new form. Vanguard, I must go back into the darkness before you move the stone. It would break my heart to see the look of horror in your eyes if you were to look upon my current form."

"I do not care what you -"

"
I
care." She pauses for a moment. "I would rather you remember me as I once was, than see me as I am today. I told you I would help you find a way out of here, and that is what I have done. Anything more would be impossible, given my current state. It is better for me to remain down here, where I can live in darkness."

"And you will spend the rest of your existence in such a miserable state?" I reply, shocked to realize how far Fig has fallen. "Are you sure you would not prefer it if I simply executed you? If you cannot stand to be in the light, it might be better for you to end your life. I can kill you quickly and with very little pain. At least you would no longer have to endure such miserable circumstances."

"Thank you for the kind offer, Vanguard," she says, with a hint of a laugh in her voice, "but I shall simply carve out a new existence in the dark ruins of the Citadel. If I came out into the light, I would be a weak, ugly, despised creature, whereas down here I can perhaps be regarded a little better. You might not understand why I would choose such a life, Vanguard, but I can assure you, it will be enough to keep me happy. Besides, I believe there are various creatures still trapped in the rubble, and I would dearly love to strip their bones of flesh while they are still alive. Over the years, my teeth have become rather sharp. The fastest I have ever stripped a full living man to the bone is two minutes, and I think I shall spend some time working on that record."

"Then you must move back," I tell her. "I cannot waste any more time down here."

"Goodbye," she replies, as she makes her way back the way we came. "And good luck, Vanguard. If you're going to take on the Forbidders and save
this
girl, you'll need all the luck you can get."

"Luck is for fools," I call back to her. "I have no need to rely on something as capricious as mere luck."

"Perhaps," she replies. "Just know one thing, Vanguard. I don't blame you for what happened to me. I did, once. But not now. It wasn't your job to rescue me all those years ago. I should have rescued myself."

I pause for a moment, until I am certain she has left, and finally I start to push the rock aside. It takes some time, but finally a chink of light starts to show, and eventually the rock falls down a small incline and I am force to shield my eyes against the bright light that shines down upon me from the heavens. At first, I assume that my aversion to this light is due to the fact that I have spent so much time underground, but finally I realize that something else is happening: in the distance, a huge sphere of energy is crackling and swirling in the sky, and this can only mean one thing. The Forbidders have clearly begun to open a link to another world.

Hurrying across the rubble from the ruined Citadel, I have no time to look back, and no time to even think about Fig. She was once a proud and beautiful woman, but clearly she has become something else entirely. Although I have the greatest sympathy for her plight, it is not my place to coax her out into the light, or to persuade her to choose another path in life. I must focus on the task at hand, even if the blinding light in the sky suggests that I might already be too late.

C
laire

"You have provided a great service to the Forbidders," Gum says, as Natalia and the other Grandapams approach the center of the clearing. "By bringing Claire here, you have enabled the Forbidders to gain the prize they have sought for so many centuries. The gratitude of my masters is of enormous magnitude, and they ask what they can do for you in return. As I'm sure you know, they have the capacity to grant almost anything you might desire. Tell me what you want, and I will ensure that it is delivered."

Above, the sky is churning with patches of intense, blinding light, shining through from behind black clouds. It's as if two entirely different worlds are converging, slowly forming what appears to be a huge sphere of energy. An ice-cold wind is swirling around the clearing, and occasional cracks of thunder boom so loud that the ground shakes beneath our feet.

"Am I to address the Forbidders in person?" Natalia asks.

"You will speak to them through me," Gum replies, "but rest assured that they can hear your every word, and they will communicate their decisions directly to me so that I can convey them to you. I'm afraid the Forbidders prefer to avoid direct communication wherever possible."

"We seek only one thing," Natalia says, stopping when she reaches the center of the clearing. There's fear in her eyes, but she clearly won't back down, not now that she's come so far. "We seek passage home to our world. We seek a safe link that will take us from this place and back to the land where we belong. We do not seek help once we get there. The journey itself will be more than enough." She looks up at the storm. "We have given you what you want. We ask you to show us mercy in return."

"Is that right?" Gum replies, as if he's amused by the idea. "Am I to take it that the Grandapams have tired of being perpetual slaves?"

"We wish to return to our homeland," Natalia says firmly. "We seek to rebuild our world. Our forefathers made a mistake when they came here. This servitude is not how we should exist. We need to regain our former status, and for that we must return to the world in which we were created."

"This is within the Forbidders' power to offer," Gum replies. "For them, it will be the work of a moment to establish the link you seek. However, I must first ask if you are certain that this is what you want. Once your decision has been confirmed, there can be no reversals, no backing out. You will be granted access to a link that bridges this world and your own, and you will have no choice but to traverse that link and return to the land from which you once came. There will be no way back for you, not ever. If your people choose to return to their world, it will be for the rest of time. The Forbidders will seek to seal the link and prevent it being reopened."

"This is all we want," Natalia says, glancing over at me with a look of happy anticipation in her eyes. "We wish only to go home, to start our civilization again. We must correct the mistake our forefathers made when they left so many years ago."

"And this decision is shared by all of you?" Gum asks, turning to the other Grandapams, who bow their heads to signal their consent. "Then I see no reason to delay," Gum continues after a moment. "As we speak, the Forbidders are establishing the link you seek. Look up, and you will see it being formed. In just a few minutes, you will get your dearest wish and your people will be able to return to the land from which they came."
"We thank the Forbidders for their generosity," Natalia tells him.

"There is one complication," Gum replies. "It is a little delicate, but I am sure you will understand. Natalia, while working in the Citadel, you once came to me and offered your services. You were much younger back then, and more fearful, but there was a sense of determination in your eyes, something I found rather appealing. You told me you would give your life to me, if I could help you find a way to restore the Grandapams to their world. In turn, I told you that this could be done, but that the price would be your undying loyalty. You still recall that day, do you not?"

She nods.

"And it was at that moment that I became your master. Is this not also correct?"

"The matter is not in dispute," she replies. There's a look of concern in her eyes, as if she knows what's coming.

"Then, as your master," Gum says, "I am afraid that I must compel you to stay behind in the Library and continue your duties with me. The terms of our original arrangement were very clear, and I see no reason to alter the nature of your commitment. The other Grandapams will be allowed to return to their world, just as you have requested, but you will remain and fulfill the promise you made to me all those years ago. Is that understood?"

Opening her mouth to reply, Natalia seems for a moment as if she might try to argue with him. She had clearly expected to go with her people back to their world, but her composure seems to settle fairly quickly. I swear, I can see in her eyes the moment when she realizes her fate is sealed. "I understand completely," she says eventually. "If it is your will that I must remain behind while my people return to our world, and if this is the only way in which our transaction must be completed, I shall graciously accept my fate."

"Then we have an understanding," Gum says.

"You don't have to make her stay!" I say, raising my voice so I can be heard over the roar of the fracturing sky. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to use
her
to make a point to
me
about sacrifice, to show me that I should put the needs of others before my own desires. But you don't have to keep her here, just to prove some stupid point. Let her go back to her own world. It's all she wants."

"The decision is already made," Natalia says, turning to me. "In fact, it was made a long time ago, when I first swore my allegiance to the Emissary. I should have realized that I would have to remain behind and fulfill my role. It was wrong of me to assume that I would be able to leave. At least the others can go, though. I will remain here, but my heart will be filled with joy at the knowledge that our world will live again." She smiles, but it's a sad smile, and I can see from the look on her face that she's devastated.

"But it's all you want!" I shout. "Natalia, you have to go with them!"

She shakes her head, and it's clear that she's not prepared to put up a fight.

Above us, one of the spheres grows to become a burning red ball of energy, reaching out long, streaming tentacles of pure light that reach down toward the Grandapams. Shielding my eyes, I can barely even look at the scene in front of me. It's as if the sky itself has cracked open, and a pure, brilliant white force has begun to break through into the Library. A roaring sound fills the clearing, and the ground shakes with such violence that I can barely even stay on my feet.

"Is this our world?" Natalia asks, staring up at the sphere with a look of pure wonder in her eyes.

"Has it been so long?" Gum replies. "Have you forgotten its appearance?"

"None of us were born when our species first crossed to the Library," she replies. "We have heard stories, but we have never seen it with our own eyes. The descriptions hardly do it justice. I have never seen anything so beautiful."

"Then feast upon its full magnificence," Gum says, smiling as the red sphere bursts open to reveal a heart of pure darkness. "View your world for the first time. Not as it was told to you by your forefathers, but as it exists today."

The sphere expands, its center filled with a dark void.

"That is not our world," Natalia says, a look of panic filling her eyes. "The stories told of great mountains rising from vast oceans. Fields of grass, teeming with life. Blue skies. This..." She stares up at the dark sphere. "This is nothing. This is just darkness."

"This is your world," Gum says calmly. "As it is now."

"No," Natalia replies. "This is not possible. You've made a mistake!"

"Your world was long ago swallowed up by the darkness," Gum says. "Did you never ask
why
your people fled to the Library? They fled because their world was being eaten from the inside by an unstoppable power that destroys everything in its path. The dark world has expanded and consumed the world of the Grandapams, rendering it a barren gap in space and time where nothing can exist."

"No," Natalia says, shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't believe you. This is some kind of trick!"

"I'm afraid there's no doubt about the matter," Gum continues. "The world of the Grandapams was the first to be completely absorbed by the darkness, though others have since begun to follow. It's a terrible shame, really, but I'm reliably informed that there's absolutely nothing to be done about it."

"This can't be true!" Natalia shouts. "You're trying to fool us! That is not our world!" She hurries over to Gum. "That is not our world," she continues, with tears in her eyes. "Please, stop this charade and let us see our true homeland. We have waited so very long."

"You know in your heart that I'm telling the truth," Gum continues. "The darkness is growing from its own world, spreading like a plague and threatening all the others. It has consumed your home, Natalia, and it has left nothing behind. The stories you were told, of mountains and oceans, were all true, but the darkness consumed everything."

"But my people -" Natalia says, turning just in time to see the other Grandapams disappearing into the void. "Where did they go?" she asks, running over to where they stood just a moment ago. "Where are they?" she screams.

"They returned to your world," Gum says, "as you requested."

"But if my world is no more..."

"They have already crossed the link."

"Bring them back!"

"Impossible. They have already gone, and the link is closing."

"And what will happen to them?" Natalia asks. "When they reach our world, what will become of them if our world itself has been destroyed?"

"They will die," Gum says calmly. "It's too late to save them. They have already reached their destination."

"There must be another way," Natalia says, refusing to accept what has happened. "The Forbidders must be able to bring them back!"

"You asked for your people to be returned to the world of the Grandapams," Gum says coldly, "but you made no effort to determine the state of that world. The Forbidders have upheld their side of the bargain, and the transaction is now closed. I warned you that no-one would be able to return once they had passed across the link. I have kept my word."
"You tricked us," Natalia says, tears streaming down her face. "Those were the last of my kind, and you sent them to oblivion. You allowed them to return to a world that would kill them."

"You wanted your people to go home," Gum replies. "That is what happened to them. The fact that they died instantly is, in all honesty, not my concern."