Page 70 of The Freedom You Seek

With just one hard stare, Dion clarified that he didn’t want to discuss this with me and that his mind was made up. Instead, he stayed close to me, providing more support than required, and for that, I was more grateful than I would ever admit.

I was relieved when we’d made it past all the traps in the secret passage and stepped into the restricted section of the Royal Library of Kalcas. It was a miracle we’d arrived unnoticed, especially considering how much I’d been screaming. Although my shoulder was still throbbing, the pain was manageable and dull—honestly, it felt more funny than anything else—and Ireas assured me that after a few hours, I wouldn’t notice anything anymore except for some slight muscle soreness like the one you got when you’d exercised too much. What was actually the worst was that the moment when the trap had been triggered and the ground had vanished beneath my feet—not for the first time in the last weeks—played out in an endless loop infront of my mind’s eye, surely adding to my nightmares for many nights to come.

I had my doubts about whether our plan was worth the risk, especially since there was no guarantee that we’d find the clues we needed, but I kept my mouth shut.

My doubts didn’t matter anyway. We made it in, and the time to dive into a plethora of books had come.

The library of Credenta was small, pitiful, and shamefully unmaintained, and I’d read every book in there—twice—before I’d even turned twenty winters. And this place? It was like comparing Jelric to Dion—both were men and yet a single look was enough to see that one of them would let you down and leave you wanting. So yes, the restricted section of the Royal Library to Kalcas was the Dion of libraries. The smell of old books hung in the air, and I inhaled it deeply. Aged parchment was one of my favorite scents, and I allowed myself a moment to just enjoy it.

This part of the library wasn’t overly huge, but the plush armchairs and heavy wooden shelves screamed luxury. One could easily imagine Marsia’s nobles sitting by the fireplace, reading through one of the texts. I was so absorbed in my observation that I almost missed Fig’s announcements.

Quietly, he assigned each of us a few shelves to cover. “Any clue about a seer in the Savatos Mountains or just somewhere in Marsia could be the one we need. Dismiss nothing just because it seems small.”

“After all, if you dismissed every small thing right away, no one would ever fuck Thain anymore.”

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at Ireas. He’d never mocked or taunted the others before, especially not in such a dirty way. Ireas radiated shyness, but apparently, still water ran deep. I giggled softly and felt Dion’s eyes on me. Instead of acknowledging him, I watched Thain’s reaction with curiosity and pretended I didn’t hear Dion softly—nobody could have guessed it—growling.Territorial jerk.

“Dear Ireas, I’m so sorry you lack the experience to know the difference between big and small, but if you’re free tonight, I can—fill you in.” Thain roared with laughter when Ireas narrowed his eyes.

“No, thank you. Been there, done that.” Ireas disappeared between the shelves faster than I could perceive it, and it took me more than just a few moments to pick up my jaw from the floor again. Who would have thought—Thain and Ireas? For real?

“I just wish to see the day when all of you are focused and serious when doing something important.” Fig sounded annoyed, but the twinkle in his eye indicated that he was trying to bite back a chuckle as well. I suspected his serious behavior was partly an act he put on as a leader. Oh, how much did I hope to witness the day when he finally let loose for once.

“So, if you are done with in-fighting, find your shelves and browse through the books. Have a look at every single tome, even if it’s just children’s tales. Everything in here is restricted for a reason.”

Once again, I stared in awe at the rows and rows of books holding all kinds of forbidden knowledge. I didn’t knowhow to find the very specific piece of information we were searching for in the short time we had, and that worried me.

Yesterday, during a break in training, Antas had informed Thain and me that the ruling family of Marsia consisted primarily of scholars and the act of destroying knowledge was considered heresy. Because of that, all those books containing lost or forbidden knowledge were preserved. No other country in Ivreia maintained such an extensive library, except maybe the Hidden Archives of Ivreiana, but they were…well, hidden.

I browsed through my assigned section, allowing my fingers to run lightly over the spines of the old tomes, taking each of them in. The layer of dust on the shelves was thick, and it was impossible to remove a book without disturbing the fine powder.

As I contemplated the dust problem—or maybe it could be called overthinking—I chewed on my lower lip. Whoever came to the library next would know someone had broken in. Although considering the blueprints Antas had stolen, long-time stealth wasn’t something the men were exceptionally bothered with.

I admired all the books of different sizes, and they were old, without exception. Some of the colorful spines intrigued me, and many of the titles were unreadable, at least for me, because they were inscribed in weird flowing twirls and strokes that didn’t resemble any written script I’d ever encountered. The material of these tomes was a lot better preserved than the ones I could decipher, and their colors were more vibrant. I briefly wondered if thesebooks originated from that parallel world Dion had once mentioned. My eyes widened as it occurred to me that I’d never questioned him further about all he’d told me that day, and I knew I needed to rectify my oversightvery, very soon. More than the library, he was my chance to learn more than I’d ever dreamed of. So, in a way, comparing him to this place was more true than I’d initially realized.

For a moment, a thought crossed my mind. How would it be possible to find a reference to the seer in obviously old books? My heart sank, and I wondered why the others hadn’t considered this either. I wanted to ask Fig, but for now, my curiosity and desire for knowledge won out.

My finger came to a halt on one of the spines, and using only the tips, I traced the intricate black patterns on the velvety, deep-green leather, which was so soft it brought a smile to my face. Curiosity won over the desire not to disturb the dust layer, and I took a deep breath as my fingers curled around the spine of the green object of my desire. The emerald tome was almost in my possession when my movement stopped in midair—its neighbor had caught my attention.

The well-worn book,Collected Facts about Magic, showcased its name in barely visible handwriting on its cracked spine. The emerald tome was forgotten as I took the small book from the shelf. It was thin, more a pamphlet than a proper book, and I opened it cautiously. The paper felt brittle and delicate, and it was obvious to me that without gentleness, it would crumble under my touch.

The first page was completely empty, and the second only contained a short author’s note. Luckily, even thoughthe writing inside had faded with time, it was still readable enough.

“Not much is known of the magic that runs in the veins of a few. Accurate knowledge is carefully and fiercely guarded, rumors and lies are spread to keep the ignorant blind. This author has devoted his studies to uncovering the truths and facts about magic and its so-called Wielder. Everything in here is what I know to be true.”

Little pinpricks on my skin made themselves known when an unwelcome question lodged itself in my thoughts and stayed there like a very unwanted parasite. What if the others had lied to me or bent the truth about anything related to magic? If the author was correct, and it was so typical for Wielder to spread rumors and false information, it was a real possibility. Paranoia crept up my spine, and although I wanted to trust the men, I wasn’t blind. They kept so many secrets they didn’t share with me. But…lying?

Despite knowing I should focus on finding clues about the seer, an unsettling sensation churned in my stomach. I found myself irresistibly drawn to the small book in my hand, which contained about forty pages. And so I read on.

The following few pages were fairly superficial and only held knowledge I’d learned in the first few hours of being aware of the existence of magic, such as the different elements Wielder could possess. I only skimmed through thecontent but was relieved to find out that at least none of the basics I’d been taught had been a lie.

Next was a chapter on Wielder. It explained the term and where the author had encountered this terminology. Again, I speed-read the text, and when nothing in particular caught my interest, I wondered if there would be anything interesting in the remaining pages at all.

I flipped through the next sections until almost the end when some words caught my attention, and I immersed myself back into the text.

“Sometimes Wielder are accompanied by a second person. Despite never being seen to use magic themselves, they’re always fiercely guarded. The mystery surrounding this was finally solved by a scholar from Marsia, who revealed that this second type of magically gifted individual acts as a support for their Wielder. If Wielder are secretive about their own gifts, they are even more discreet about their support. As of yet, we don’t even know if there is a specific terminology for said support.”

Pausing my read, I pondered about the vague paragraph. The author didn’t know many facts about Amplifier, and disappointment coiled in my belly. Of course, it was just my luck that I didn’t find any useful and unbiased information. I flipped the page again so I could have a glance at the last few entries since I'd already read this far.