Page 93 of Darkness Defined

The sensation of darkness pulling at me got stronger, yet the librarian remained completely unfazed. Eight feet.

I did this to myself. I let all of my issues and hang-ups ruin the only friendship I’ll ever have.

Five feet.

Slipping into the night might not be so bad.

The pull got stronger. Three feet. I was close enough now that I could see what the librarian was pointing to.

Two.

It won’t matter what I find out about this mysterious knight whose family had decimated my kind. I’ll never get to tell Alex.

One.

My hand shook as I reached up to grab a tome easily the size of my head. Like all the others, it looked like it hadn’t been disturbed in decades. The gray leather binding felt like it might flake away in my hands. I carefully opened the book. Right at the beginning was a list of crests and sigils, and there among them, my knight’s. The Latin beside it I knew said the name of his order, but past that, I had nothing. Everything was in Latin. Not a single word was in anything I could read or even pretend to understand.

I glanced at the librarian, who gave me a knowing smile. She walked past me towards the exit and I followed quickly, eager to leave this ominous place of darkness behind. She hadn’t mentioned anything about replacing the book, so I took it with me.

As we left the confined space, the feeling of despair lifted. Maybe this book would have the answers we needed. Maybe Alex could forgive me long enough for me to share. Knowing more about his favorite story would mean the world to him.

I continued to follow my strangely silent guide to an old table with a lamp attached to it. She gestured for me to sit. I did so, placing the fragile book before me. When the binding touched the table, the lamp blossomed to life, creating a perfect pool of yellow light in which to read.

“This is great,” I said, “but I already have a table.”

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the book. I mimicked her and watched in amazement as the scrolling Latin transformed into a language I could actually read.

“Holy shit! It’s a magic lamp.”

She frowned at me.

“Oh, language, sorry.”

Unfortunately, the cover was far too faded and abused to make out the title. I could only hope the inside was in better shape. I carefully turned the page. Slowly, the letters shifted and moved until I could understand them. Demon Wars: Volume Six 1100-1350. This was a history spanning two hundred and fifty years, and my knight’s story fell right smack in the middle. This was everything we’d been searching for and then some. I glanced at the librarian and fought back the sudden stinging in my eyes. Even if Alex couldn’t forgive me, I could still give him this.

“Thank you.”

She shrugged, offering a small smile.

“Can I…?” I wasn’t really sure she’d let me leave the library or even this section with the book, but I doubted I’d make it back down that aisle.

She gave the barest nod and turned to leave.

“Wait.” I didn’t know what possessed me, but I had to know. “Are you a ghost?”

She smiled again and gave me a wink before gliding silently away.

I shook my head and returned to the ancient volume, handling each page like it might actually crumble at the touch. The material was surprisingly thick, though, and resilient. Perhaps, like the light, the book had also been spelled. I’d read of spells that could make items resistant to time. At last, I found a page that looked like the start.

The war on Darkness was led by the Wardes, Guardians of Light. They alone held the power to harness light itself and burn the Shadow Horde.

In two sentences, I’d learned more than I could have hoped. I’d never heard of a war against darkness or even demon wars like the title suggested. I knew from Demonic History there had been plenty of “demonic wars”, but nothing like this suggested. This seemed to imply that this war had been going on for ages. I couldn’t help but wonder if it still was.

I gently touched the elegant letters that proudly proclaimed the Wardes as the destroyers of night. This was the first time I’d ever seen the name mentioned. The crest I’d found a few times, but never any names. Most of the time, the sigil wasn’t even labeled. And here, on one page, I had an entire list of names and coats of arms, listing the families responsible for culling the demon race.

I closed the book, and the light went out. It was a shame there wasn’t a way to take that with me. We’d have to come back. Assuming, of course, Alex was willing. I clutched my prize tightly to my chest and made my way back to my original table. Fortunately, no one had bothered my things, and I could add the book to my pack. I still couldn’t believe the librarian was going to let me leave with it. Maybe she also didn’t want to venture down that awful aisle.

I shuddered, then swung my noticeably heavier bag onto my shoulder. With exaggerated care, I made my way across campus, very aware that the last time I’d made a similar journey, I’d gotten grabbed. Luck was with me, though, and I didn’t run into any unwanted faces.