The Lost Treasure of Annwn (13 page)

The arch was made from blocks of red and white stone. Jack went and stood in the centre and looked straight ahead. Directly in front of him, a little way off was another arched entrance leading into the rock. This must be the final part of the rhyme his Book had given him. He'd climbed the gorge and crossed the bridge; all he had to do now was to enter the tunnels under the ridge.

‘This is it,' he told Camelin, ‘I'll see you on the other side.'

Camelin nodded before taking off and flying over the top of the cliff. Jack crossed to the entrance and peered into the darkness. If he'd had his wand, he could have made the tip glow and seen where he was going. Instead, he had to put his hand on the side of the rock and feel his way along the tunnel. Once his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness he was able to see the way ahead. A faint light was coming from somewhere and as he rounded a corner he entered a circular chamber with three round windows. Each had a design outlined in heavy black lead. The middle window was clear but the two on either side were filled with coloured glass. Jack went closer and stood in a pool of coloured light. He stood on tiptoe so he could look through the middle window. He could see for miles. In the distance was Glasruhen Hill. A muffled sound to his right made him spin around.

‘Is anyone there?'

Jack waited and peered into the shadows but nothing moved. The sound came again and Jack realised it was coming from somewhere behind the wall. He walked over and felt the rock with his hands. It didn't feel rough or cold; instead it was smooth and warm. He traced the outline of a wooden door by touch. It wasn't visible but he knew it was there. He took his silver chain off and held the key. He pointed it towards the door in the hope it would grow to the size of the keyhole. The key vibrated between his fingers and not only began to change shape but began to pull his hand towards an invisible keyhole. As soon as the bottom of the key disappeared a large door began to materialise. Jack didn't know whether to knock or just turn the key. Since there seemed to be someone in the room he decided that it would be more polite to knock. He tapped the door three times and waited. A muffled voice, from inside, eventually called to him.

‘If you can open the door you can come in.'

Jack turned the key with ease and since there was no doorknob, he withdrew his key and pushed. It creaked noisily as it swung inwards. A figure in a long hooded robe came shuffling towards him.

‘I'd heard we had visitors, and what might you be?'

‘Jack Brenin, Raven Boy, friend of Eleanor Ewell, Druid of Glasruhen Hill.'

‘Are you now?'

As the figure brushed the hood back, Jack could see the librarian was a small woman. She peered over the top of a pair of glasses that were perched on the end of a hooked nose and leant towards Jack. Her piercing eyes held his gaze for a few seconds then flicked from side to side as she examined him. Her lips were pursed and very tightly closed and she didn't look at all friendly. Jack didn't know what to say.

‘No noise in here, this is a library and I'll need to see your pass before you can enter.'

Jack fished in his pocket and pulled out the token Grannus had given him.

‘No, that's for when you leave, I need to see your identification.'

Jack realised she must mean his golden acorn. He pulled his chain out and let the archivist examine it.

‘Forged in Annwn, work of Lloyd the Goldsmith. You're mighty young to be wearing such a valuable object.'

‘It was a gift from Coragwenelan.'

The old woman half closed her eyes. She tilted her head sideways and looked at Jack.

‘One last question, just to verify that you are who you say you are. What would my name be?'

Jack mentally rehearsed the name Elan had given him before speaking.

‘Cloda, Sylph, Archivist, Guardian of Ancient Knowledge and Keeper of Secrets.'

‘You missed Shape-shifter.'

‘Elan didn't tell me about that.'

‘No matter, you got most of it right, you may enter.'

Jack followed Cloda into a vast chamber. One of the walls had circular windows; sunlight streamed in and gave the room a warm glow. The rest of the walls were covered in bookshelves that reached from floor to ceiling. The books were all different shapes and sizes, and handmade, just like the ones in Ewell House. Both the shelves and books looked very dusty. There was a lectern by one of the windows, similar to the one in Nora's library, and next to that was a desk. It was piled high with yellowing papers. An inkpot with a quill was the only other object Jack could see. The quill looked very old and bedraggled. Cloda walked around the back of the desk to the only chair and sat down. She picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink, shook it a few times, and then began to write. Jack could see the yellowing papers were parchment. The nib made a scraping sound as Cloda wrote. She didn't look up and Jack wondered what he was supposed to do. He'd no idea where to start looking or even if he was allowed to get books off the shelves. His throat felt dry and when he spoke his voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

‘Excuse me, but could you tell me where I need to look to find out about crystal magic?'

‘That's a big subject for such a small boy but if that's what you've come all this way for you'd better follow me.'

Cloda returned the quill to the pot and beckoned Jack to follow. The books were in alphabetical order according to their subject. Solid blocks of stone with letters carved on them separated the different categories. Cloda came to a stop in front of the letter M.

‘You'll find it here,' she said as she pointed to the bottom shelf.

Jack looked at the books. They all had titles except for a wide book that had been bound in green leather. Cloda pointed to it.

‘Touch the spine and if the title appears you'll be allowed to remove it. That's the rule in here. A book won't come out if you're not allowed to read it.'

The book sat between two other books, one about Magic Carpets ~ their origin and use and the other Magic Wands. Jack watched Cloda return to her desk, he was obviously not going to get any more help. If the title appeared he'd no idea how he'd ever remember everything inside, the book was so thick it would take him a week to read it all. He extended his hand but before it reached the book he felt a tingling sensation travel though his fingertips; it made his whole body shiver. As he touched the book's spine, gold letters appeared… Magic Crystals ~ and everything you need to know about Crystal Magic. This was what he'd come for. He pulled the book from the shelf with some difficulty and went over to the lectern. It was a struggle to lift the heavy book onto the stand. He tried to open the cover but it remained firmly shut. Should he go and ask Cloda for help? If he did she'd probably tell him the book didn't want to reveal its secrets. He put his hands on the front, like he did with his Book of Shadows; if he asked the right question it might open. He thought very carefully.

‘What do I need to know about crystal magic?'

Nothing happened. Jack tried to lift his hands from the cover, he pulled with all his might but they were stuck fast, he felt cold then hot as he began to panic.

‘I'm stuck!' he cried. ‘Can you help me?'

 

 

THE LABYRINTH

Jack tried to open his eyes. He wasn't sure where he was until he realised he was on a floor, an earthen floor. Everything came rushing back to him; the last thing he remembered was being unable to remove his hands from the heavy book he'd put on the lectern. Jack's head hurt as he tried to look around.

‘Up you get,' said Cloda as she put her hand under Jack's arm. ‘Nothing to worry about, seen grown men do the same. I should have warned you.'

‘About what?' replied Jack as he swayed unsteadily.

‘Book rush, too much information in too short a time.'

Jack didn't understand; he hadn't even opened the book. He felt dizzy, and when he tried to think his head began to hurt again. Cloda steered Jack towards her chair. He watched as she went over to the lectern and easily lifted the book down from the stand.

‘Sit yourself down. I'll put this away, then we'll see how you feel.'

He wanted to tell her to stop; he'd come all this way to find some answers. All he needed to know was how to open the book, but his voice failed him. He watched as Cloda made her way to the far end of the library. Jack began to feel warm as sunlight streamed onto his back from one of the round windows. He opened his eyes wide so he wouldn't fall asleep and concentrated on Cloda as she made her way back to the desk.

‘Now, let's have a look at you,' she said, as she put her hand under Jack's chin.

He felt a bit sick as Cloda turned his head sharply to the left, then the right, as she inspected him. The tip of her hooked nose was almost touching Jack's face.

‘You'll be fine,' she told him as she let go of his chin.

‘What's book rush?'

‘It can be a bit disconcerting the first time it happens, in fact, there's many a Druid from the old days who never experienced a book rush. You must be very special to have emptied a whole book.'

‘But I wasn't able to open it. I never got to look inside.'

Cloda laughed and tapped the top of Jack's aching head.

‘That book was as light as a feather, the only place all that information could have gone is inside your head.'

‘Do I have to put the information back?'

‘Goodness no, that's yours to keep. The book will refill itself; it'll be ready for the next visitor in no time.'

What Cloda was telling him was difficult to understand but it would explain why she'd been able to carry the large book without any effort.

‘I don't feel like I've got a whole book inside my head.'

Cloda peered into Jack's eyes.

‘I'd say you've got a headache; it's a side effect of book rush. It'll wear off soon.'

‘That's incredible,' said Jack as he looked around. ‘Is it possible for just one person to hold all the information inside this room in their head?'

‘Of course it is. I absorb every book before it's catalogued. How else would I know which shelf to put it on? A good archivist knows what's inside every book in their charge.'

Jack was impressed. Her knowledge must be vast, and encompass all kinds of different subjects too. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have all that information inside your head. He'd only got the contents of one book inside his.

‘How do I access the information?'

‘Ah! When you need to know, you'll just know. It would take years to read and remember everything inside a book that size. This way, you get all the information in a few seconds and it'll stay there forever, providing you can get through the labyrinth. That's the biggest test. Do you want the information badly enough to overcome what lies behind that door?'

Jack swallowed hard. This was the moment he'd not been looking forward to.

‘Sign in here before you go,' said Cloda as she looked down at the pile of parchment on her desk. She lifted the quill out of the inkpot and gave it to Jack before placing a small book on the table.