The Library - The Complete Series (23 page)

V
anguard

Far beneath the Citadel, the catacombs spread out their root-like corridors in patch darkness. The legends state that these catacombs were left behind by those who inhabited the land of the Library long before the shelves were built, although little other information has ever been unearthed. The idea of a civilization having lived here, in this land,
before
the Library is somewhat contrary to received thinking, since it is generally assumed that the world was inhospitable before the first Librarian established the core of the Library. Whatever the truth, a mixture of superstition and outright fear has left the catacombs uninhabited and abandoned for many thousands of years, and those who venture down here are never seen again.

"I'm not saying I know the route," Weary says, holding a torch to light our path. "
No-one
knows the route. The only way to know the route is to come down here and explore, and that's a fool's game, as you can see." He holds the torch closer to the wall, illuminating the bones and skulls that have been compacted together within the walls.

"Is this supposed to scare me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't see how a reasonable man could fail to be scared," he continues. "Look at the sheer number of skulls. How many people died down here, their bodies left scattered where they fell?"

"They have not been left scattered where they fell," I point out. "They have been carefully arranged and used as part of the walls. That is an important difference. It means someone made a conscious decision to build these walls in a certain way, probably in an attempt to create an atmosphere of fear. I strongly suspect that whoever created these walls did so in an attempt to scare intruders, which sounds like the work of someone who fears direct confrontation. After all, if the creatures down here are so fearsome, why would they try to scare others away?"

"You're a hard man to impress," Weary replies.

"I have been to places far worse than these catacombs," I tell him.

"And the unknown doesn't scare you?"

"The unknown intrigues me," I say, as we reach an intersection. "Besides, you know more about these catacombs than anyone. Do you really believe that I need be scared? I am Vanguard. I am a Lord of the House of Lacanth. I have slain ten thousand men. I have led armies around the entire circumference of the Library, and I have fought among the Soldiers of Tea. Why should I be scared of a few dark corridors?"

"This way," he says, leading me to the right. "The catacombs have their own energy, Vanguard. Can't you feel it in the air already? There's a sense of some kind of presence down here, as if there's an echo hanging in the air. I know you're a brave man, but surely you have to admit that the catacombs are like nowhere else in the Library. You only have to -"

"Is this all there is?" I ask, interrupting him. "I've long heard legends and stories about this place, but is there nothing of substance? Show me a creature that calls this place home, and maybe I will be fearful. Show me a pile of ten thousand bodies, of brave and strong men, and I might reconsider my confidence. All you have shown me so far are shadows and empty corridors. Perhaps those who died down here, died because they were ashamed of themselves for having believed such outlandish tales. It is certainly possible for a man to die of fear alone."

"Can outlandish tales crush a man's skull?" Weary asks, stopping and pointing down at a pile of broken bones on the ground. "Can a man's head crumple inwards, merely because he is ashamed? Does this look like the work of fear and fear alone?"

"This looks like the work of Anh Snakes," I reply. "They have the strength to drive their heads into their victim's bodies, even through their bones; they then drag their full length through the hole and out the other side, with the barbs on the sides of their bodies extended for maximum damage. The barbs have small hooks, which grab hold of the victim's intestines and drag them out. While they are deeply unpleasant creatures, I would hesitate to suggest that they are particularly unusual. They can be found in parts of the Library itself. If you persist in claiming that the catacombs are home to unexplained creatures, Weary, you will have to come up with something a little more chilling that the corpse of a man who was felled by an Anh Snake." Leaning down, I pick up the skull and hold it up to show both the entry and exit holes. "Clearly an Anh Snake," I say, before dropping the skull and letting it smash as it hits the ground.

"You've got an answer for everything, huh?" Weary says as we start moving again. "Aren't you scared, Vanguard? Don't you worry about what might be waiting for us up ahead, in the shadows?"

"Shadows do not scare me," I reply. "A creature hiding in the shadows is not confident. It hides. It believes it cannot be seen, and it hopes to surprise me, because it knows that it cannot defeat me in a straight battle. If surprise is the creature's greatest hope, I am quite certain I will be able to fend it off with little trouble. The only type of creature that worries me is one that comes screaming at me, for such a creature is either foolish or strong. A fool I can deal with, but I am not so vain that I refuse to acknowledge there can be creatures with greater strength than I could ever hope to possess."

"Then you've got it all figured out," Weary says.

"One day I shall die," I say, "but it will be at the hands of something that is stronger and smarter than anything that could fit into these narrow corridors. It will be at the hands of something that stands and faces me across the battlefield, not something that skulks around in the shadows." I glance over at him. "You, on the other hand, look as if you could be felled by a strong breeze. If we were to get separated down here, Weary, do you honestly believe you would survive for more than a couple of minutes? Or would you run from corridor to corridor, you fear building by the second until finally you could be easily picked off by the first ambitious worm that crossed your path?"

"Thank you," he replies. "That's not quite the kind of confidence-booster I needed, but it's -"

"Stop!" I say, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. I have suddenly become aware of something up ahead, moving in the darkness. "Stay behind me," I continue, moving in front of him as I peer into the gloom. Once again, I hear a vague shuffling sound, and it's absolutely clear that we are not alone down here. In the narrow confines of the tight corridor, some kind of creature is moving slowly, almost cautiously, in our direction. After a moment, I realize I can just about make out the shape of a man, standing about twenty meters further along the corridor as if he is staring at us.

"My friends?" the man calls out, his voice sounding old and frail. "Is that you?"

"Who is it?" Weary asks.

"I'm not sure," I reply.

"I don't like this," Weary says, clearly moving up to a whole new level of abject panic. "Vanguard, I don't like this at all!"

"My friends," the man continues, "you must turn back. This path leads only to death, for yourself and for your friend. If you come any closer, they will kill me first, and then they will kill you. Please, show some sense and turn back before it's too late. I'm doomed, but it's not too late for you to escape."

"Identify yourself," I say, removing my broadsword from its sheath. "I will not talk to a man who refuses to give me his name."

"It's me," he continues, stepping a little closer. Finally, I can see his face, and I realize that we have come face to face with the Librarian. However, there is something dark around his waist, as if he is being held in place by some creature that hides further back; the dark shape flexes a little, as if tightening its grip.

"We came here to -" I start to say.

"It doesn't matter why you came here," he replies, his voice filled with fear. "It only matters that you turn back, my friends. There is a Forbidder here. He has me in his grip, and if you come any closer, he will tear me apart and then come for you. Don't try to save me. Just run for your lives."

Reaching back, I grab Weary's arm just as he turns and tries to bolt back the way we came.

"We should do what he says!" Weary hisses, trying to get free from my grip.

"I will not leave you here," I say firmly, staring at the Librarian. With the fate of the entire Library at stake, I can't possibly just walk away. "I need your help."

"There is nothing to be gained from this battle," he replies. "Death will not solve anything."

"We need the book," I tell him. "The first book, the one you took with you when you fled like a coward from the Citadel. Give us the book, and we will happily leave you alone down here."

"It's too late for that," the Librarian replies. Behind him, there's a faint hissing, rattling sound, and two dark red eyes shine briefly in the darkness. "You can't take on a Forbidder, my friends," he continues, as the dark shape seems to squeeze him a little tighter. "You must run for your life, or he will rip out your bones before you even have time to scream."

"If I turn and run," I reply, "I will only be delaying the inevitable. Without your help, and without that book, the Library itself is doomed."

The rattling sound behind the Librarian becomes louder.

"You're angering him!" the Librarian says, as the dark shape seems to grow around his waist. "Please, my friends. You must have faith in me. I am only asking you to leave because I know it is the best way to deal with this problem. If you persist in forcing your way through, you will only cause death and misery for everyone down here. You have to trust me. Would I betray the Library?"

"It would appear that you are willing to sacrifice everything around you," I say, "purely so you can protect your own miserable life."

"But if you take even one step closer," he continues, his voice filled with panic, "the Forbidder will kill me and come for you! And if I die, you'll never learn where I hid the book. Vanguard, I know it's in your nature to come charging into a situation and use violence to resolve things, but this is one of those occasions where you must trust that others know better."

"He's right," Weary hisses. "The Librarian is a wise man, Vanguard. He's as wise as you are strong, and we must trust him."

Again, the Forbidder hisses in the darkness.

"Something about this situation feels wrong," I say quietly. It's true; I can tell that there is something that does not quite feel right.

"Go back up into the Citadel," the Librarian says, "and wait for me there. No matter how bad things seem, do not come back down here. I will save the Library, but you must -"

"Or what?" I ask, stepping forward. "Or the Forbidder will destroy you?"

Screaming, the Librarian struggles to get free of the Forbidder's grasp. Within seconds, however, the dark shape has wrapped itself around the Librarian's entire body, and soon blood begins to flow from the Librarian's mouth. After a moment, there's a deep ripping sound and I see that his head is being torn from his shoulders.

"Keep back!" the Librarian gasps, with blood pouring down his body.

I take another step forward.

"If he dies -" Weary whispers, trying to pull me back.

"It is too late," I reply, watching as the Librarian's body is ripped apart and thrown to the ground. Finally, all that is left in the corridor ahead of us is the dark shape of a Forbidder, its dark red eyes staring straight at us.

Claire

Opening my eyes, I immediately spot some kind of silver metal glinting just a few feet away. I blink a couple of times, trying to clear my head, and finally I realize that I'm facing a sword.

"Don't do anything stupid," says a male voice. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you leave me no choice..."

I stare at the blade.

"My head hurts," I say. "Can I sit up, at least?"

"You can," he replies, "but don't take my words lightly."

Sitting up, I find that I'm the straw-covered floor of the room where I found Natalia. My head is throbbing and the right side of my neck and shoulder is agony, but otherwise I seem to be unharmed. Still, I feel as if I've been unconscious for a while.

"Just so you know," the male voice continues, "I voted to kill you. Fortunately for you, Natalia was able to persuade most of the others to keep you alive. It's hard to believe, but apparently you're more important than you appear."

"That's how I've always seen things," I mutter, looking up and peering into the gloom. Eventually I realize that the man standing over me is a Grandapam, while the others - including Natalia - are nowhere to be seen.

"I'm going to clarify the situation," the Grandapam says. "If you call for help, I'll kill you. If you try to run, I'll kill you. If you attempt to communicate with anyone in any way, I'll kill you. If you even give me the slightest grounds for suspicion, I'll kill you. If you ask stupid questions or annoy me in any way, I'll kill you. If you sit obediently and wait for me to tell you what to do next, I'll probably let you live. It all comes down to the question of what would cause me more trouble: keeping you alive, or explaining to Natalia and the others why I cut your throat. I don't want you to be under any illusions, though. I detest humans, and I would dearly love to have your blood on my sword."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I reply groggily.

"You can take it any way you like," he says, "just so long as you understand that I'm deadly serious."

"So Natalia's not the last of her species, I guess," I say quietly.

"Did you not hear what I said about stupid questions?" the Grandapam replies. "I am Argod, one of the final nine Grandapams in the seven worlds. If you have been led to believe that Natalia was the last, then I must say you've been rather credulous and perhaps even a little naive." As he speaks, there's a noise from nearby, and Natalia enters the room. She looks nervous, and there's something new about her eyes; whereas before she always seemed submissive, as if she was reluctant to make eye-contact with me, now she has a kind of steely determination that suggests the situation is serious.

"The human -" Argod starts to say.

"Let me be with her," Natalia replies, interrupting him. "We have much to discuss, and very little time."

"She's not safe," Argod says. "I will not leave you alone with her."

"Please," Natalia says with a smile, "what do you think she could possibly do to me? You over-estimate the strength of the human creature, Argod. Compared to us, she's weak."

Sighing, Argod walks out of the room, leaving Natalia to stand over me in silence.

"Stand up, Claire," she says after a moment, stepping back to give me some space. "Come on, we don't have all day. Get up."

As I get to my feet, I feel an intense pain running down from the side of my head, through my neck and across my right shoulder.

"How do you feel?" she asks. "Any broken bones?"

"I don't think so," I reply cautiously.

"I'm sorry I had to hurt you," Natalia continues, "but it was a matter of necessity. You weren't supposed to come down here. I wish all species were as obedient and incurious as mine, but perhaps it's my fault for under-estimating the ways of humans. What is it with your people? Why do you have to go sticking your noses in everyone else's business? I should have known that you'd eventually come wandering into the depths of the Citadel. After all, you seem to have spent quite some time exploring the higher levels."

"I was looking for you," I say, glancing over at the door. I want to make a break for it, but I have no idea if Argod is loitering outside.

"Don't think about running," Natalia says. "We made a mistake by letting you find us, but I can assure you that we won't be making any more mistakes." She pauses. "Despite the fact that you act like a human, we both know that you have certain other qualities."

"You lied to me," I reply. "You said there were no more of your kind."

"Yes," she says. "I
did
lie. That's the thing about lies, Claire. They're a kind of tool. It's best not to use them too much in everyday life, but one must always reserve a lie for the time when it's needed the most. I don't feel bad about the things I said to you. I needed you to believe something that wasn't true, and the cause is too great to allow the truth to cause problems. By the time this is over, a few small lies will seem insignificant." She pauses for a moment. "However, I regret hurting you when I knocked you out. Please note, though, that while I am expressing regret, I am not apologizing."

"I take it you're not going to be serving yourself up at a feast for your maser," I say, rubbing my neck in an attempt to relieve a little of the pain.

"I will do what my master asks of me," she says. "However, I do not think you know the true nature of my master. He is not as he might seem, and I hardly think a mere human is qualified to pass judgment."

"You seem a little pissed off," I point out.

"My people have lived in the shadows for too long," she replies. "Everything you said earlier was true, Claire. When you told me that I should not be satisfied with my lot in life, you were right. I could not admit my true feelings to you back then, but now I can be honest. It is an utter disgrace that the Grandapam species has for so long allowed itself to cower in servitude. We were once a warrior race, but when we came to this world we were seduced by the trappings of a different way of living. We sought to put aside our violence and become peaceful creatures. The sentiment was noble, but we went too far. We bowed our heads in the presence of fools. Finally, though, our old ways have returned. Our nobility has stirred. And, just when all seemed lost, we have found a way to regain our former status."

"You're going to take control of the Citadel?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "The Citadel will be destroyed. We don't care for anything that exists in this world. All we seek is passage back to the land of our birthright. The route is closed, but there is one way to open another. We shall give the Forbidders something they want, and in return they will grant us access to their world, so that we might pass through on the way to our own." She pauses. "It's a very unfortunate situation, Claire, but we have no choice other than to turn you over to the Forbidders, in order to appease them."

"Me?"

"It's you they want. They came to this world in order to obtain the first book. To them, such an item holds enormous value, and they're willing to raze the Library as they continue their search. But if we hand you over, they will be honor-bound to grant us something in return. Safe passage through their world is a small price to pay."

"Why do you need to go through their world?" I ask, hoping to play for time until I can think of some way out of here. I still feel as if I might be able to somehow get to Vanguard and make him help me.

"The seven worlds are not evenly distributed," Natalia explains. "There was once a link between the Library and the world of my people, but that link has been destroyed. The only route is now to journey through the world of the Forbidders, so that is what we shall do. Once we have left this place, we shall never return. We shall stay in our own world."

"So these worlds," I say, starting to wonder whether I could grab the dagger from Natalia's belt. "They're all very different, are they?"

"You don't know, do you?" She smiles. "Humans are notoriously ignorant. There are seven worlds in all of creation. The human world, with your planet and your stars... That is one of the worlds. Another is the world of the Grandapams, where we rule over all the lands. The Forbidders have their own world, although the term Forbidder is not one they recognize. The Library is another of the worlds. Then there is the world of the Drazi, which is said to be peaceful. The sixth world is the Underworld, the birthplace of creatures so vile and powerful, many of them have spilled over into the rest of creation. Finally, there is a seventh world full of darkness. Some even say that the seventh world is expanding, growing so that it can consume the others. Some say that this is why my people left their own world in the first place, but I do not believe that." She pauses for a moment. "Let me assure you, Claire, that if you were to reach for my dagger, you would not succeed. I would cut off your hand, just to teach you a lesson."

I force myself to smile. "I wasn't going to -"

"You're a good liar," Natalia replies. "I shall note that, and I shall be more cautious around you."

"What's going to happen to me if you hand me over to the Forbidders?" I ask. "What are they going to do to me?"

"I imagine they'll take you back to their world," she says. "Really, that's none of my business. I will, of course, feel a little concern for you, Claire, but at the same time I shall envy your journey. The Forbidders will worship you. They will hold you on high and revere you as a god. While this might not be the fate you would have chosen for yourself, it is not death."

"Forgive me if I don't jump for joy," I say.

"Dear Claire," she replies, "you must understand that you have no choice. If you remain in the Library, this whole place will be destroyed. If by some chance you manage to get back to your own world, the Forbidders will eventually follow you there and destroy everything you love. Think of your fate as a sacrifice. You will journey to the world of the Forbidders, and by doing so you will not only be restoring the Grandapams to their rightful place, you will also be saving the rest of creation from the wrath of those creatures."

"And this was your plan from the beginning?" I ask. "From the first moment I came to the Citadel and met you, you were planning to do this to me?"

"Once again, let me say that I regret the way this situation has developed. If there were some other way, Claire, I would have chosen a different path. Sadly, there is nothing else that can be done. The Citadel will fall today, and you will be handed over to the Emissary of the Forbidders. He will take you to them." She smiles. "Don't be afraid, Claire. You are going to see the most wonderful things. So few creatures have the opportunity to travel between worlds. Certainly, very few humans have ever had the opportunity. There was a man named Sir Edward Moss, founder of the Watchers, who I believe traveled to the Underworld and explored the lands around Gothos, the old home of the vampires. It is said that another human traveled to meet the Drazi, but he never returned. Try to look at the positives, Claire. You are to be the first human who will ever travel to the land of the Forbidders. It is a great honor, even if your human form is only the second of your bodies. You were, after all, once a book."

"And if I refuse?" I say, taking a deep breath. "What if I refuse to go?"

"Then they will drag you screaming in the void," she replies, "and they will ignore your tears, and they will take you to their land and finally they will place you up high and they will admire you. To them, you are the most wondrous thing in the whole of creation. Finally, you will return to your old form. You will become a book again, and your screams will no longer be heard."

"I don't want to be a book," I say, finding it hard to believe that I'm even saying such things.

"You were a book before," Natalia says. "Did you complain back then?"

"I don't remember any of that," I tell her.

"Exactly," she replies. "You don't remember your past, and you won't remember your future." She pauses for a moment, as Argod appears once again in the doorway. "It's time to go, Claire," Natalia says. "We must meet the Emissary and turn you over to him."

"Thanks, but no thanks," I say.

"You have no choice," she says stepping toward me and grabbing my arm with a grip so firm, I know there's no way to pull free. "Earlier today, Claire, you told me that I should fight my destiny, and you were right. We must all accept who and what we are, and you... You are to be a possession of the Forbidders."

"They're already on their way," Argod says.

"Come, Claire," Natalia says, dragging me over to the doorway. "There's no point delaying the inevitable."