Song of the Day | The Girl of My Dreams is Giving Me Nightmares| Spotify | YouTube
The Mustang bumped and trundled along a long dirt road towards some low, scrubby mountains in the distance. They were in Spain, apparently, a little west of the Mediterranean. Dry brown fields stretched off around them, with the occasional cluster of sheep the only sign of civilisation at all. Soda lamented visiting another exciting travel destination and seeing nothing fun. Well, maybe seeing a kraken could be considered fun. If the existential terror ever wore off.
Lune had been very irritated. The chaos that had ensued after their exit took hours to calm down. Esther Pereira, Evangeline’s captain, had vanished with her team once it was clear Soda had gone. The Enclave had hung around to make threats about Lune’s freedom, promised dire consequences for their non-compliance, and then also left. And then there was the ruined lawn. Asking for further favours had been a tense experience. Surprisingly, Lune agreed to talk to the twins. I just want this to be over, they’d said impatiently, and hung up.
Off they'd gone through the Gate outside Swingin’ Dick’s. Out the other side was a different sky, a different timezone. It was a long drive from the Valencia Gate, so Soda slept in the back seat for a few hours. She had troubled dreams, but didn’t remember them later. She woke up once and fancied Big Red and Rowan were talking in low voices, but that seemed unlikely. She woke up properly, feeling groggy and grumpy and jetlagged, to discover they were only an hour away. She asked Rowan to pull over and had the most scenic wee of her life, gazing out at the rugged, expansive landscape.
Once they were off again Rowan tossed a sad-looking sandwich and a can of cola over to the back seat. Soda ate it like it was her last meal. Which, she reflected as she worked her jaw around the chewy bread roll, it very well could be. Maybe it was just delusion setting in, but having her life threatened was starting to feel passé.
“So what’s the go with Lune and their family anyway? How many are there? What are they actually?”
“They’re quite mysterious,” said Rowan thoughtfully.
Soda was beginning to notice that she peacocked a lot less when she was genuinely worried. It made Soda more worried. But the Stone hummed, reminding her of its warm presence. It reassured her this was the right choice. She resolved to ask if there was some way she could learn to use it without blowing her head off. Plus, she had the Ambrosia seed, though she wasn’t sure if that warded against being eaten.
“There are seven siblings total, and all are perfect copies. Sextuplets? I think that’s right. Often referred to as the Sevenkin. If you’re wondering why these ones are referred to as 'the twins' I’ve no idea. They’re very ancient and have walked the earth for a thousand years, or more.”
"Lune mentioned there’s a clause about them specifically in the Covenant?"
“Yes, more mysteries. All we know is that they’re bound to the Earth as punishment in this form.”
“So they're prisoners? And you guys don’t even know what their real form is?”
“Perhaps exiles might be more accurate, though the Enclave seem to have some power over them,” said Red. “As for their true form… I just assume, based on their magic, that it’s horrifying and unimaginable.”
“Jeez. Any idea what they did to get cast out?”
“It was a very long time ago. Nobody seems to know any more.”
“But some of them have mellowed out a lot, like Lune and Dawn. Being in a different body for a long time changes you. Having your magic contained, having your world view physically changed…”
“Try being in prison for forty years,” retorted Rowan.
"Christ, here we go again…"
“I didn’t testify did I! It’s not my fault you still went to prison!”
“You could’ve helped me!”
“How exactly?! You turned me into a fucking cat! I couldn’t even speak for years!” He took a deep, steadying breath and lowered his voice. “Rowan, how could I have possibly helped you?” He sounded weary and defeated.
Rowan’s hands gripped the wheel, white knuckled. But she didn’t say anything else. Soda snuck a glance and saw a stubborn frown fixed on her face, but something else too. Uncertainty? Everybody fell silent. Soda pulled out her phone, hoping that whatever Penny did to protect it actually worked. Rowan seemed pretty confident, but Rowan also had never even heard of a smartphone until twenty-four hours ago.
She had a barrage of messages from Mick.
Soda started watching the queue with the subtitles on, trying to pay attention and not imagine Trufax's annoying voice. They were such a strange format too, full of smash-cuts and pieced-together snippets from TV shows and movies. He obviously spent a lot of time on them.
The episode about Evangeline and Rowan's court case seemed to be made of old crime show scenes, with Trufax doing voices over the top. It seemed very silly. Soda scanned through it to establish the facts: Evangeline testified against Rowan, saying she'd gone mad. Rowan wasn't defending herself, opting for silence, until Red sensationally showed up to back up Evangeline.
According to Trufax he was going to say Rowan had become shifty and untrustworthy, lying all the time, then she'd disappeared from all her friends and family for ten years. But Rowan lost it in the courtroom and turned him into a cat then and there! Unsurprisingly, the jury found her guilty pretty quickly after that. Sounded like people were split on whether Red did the right thing. There was some talk of him being up on his own corruption charges, which is why he agreed to dob on his mate. Well, wild if true. She wondered how much Trufax got right.
“We’re here." Rowan cut through Soda's brainrotting.
They were pulling down a long-disused and very bumpy track that appeared to lead to a small building in the distance, nestled between two foothills. As they got closer, Soda saw it was a little mosque, its whitewash faded and peeling, with just one minaret and a small dome. It certainly didn’t look like it housed a great magical library. It looked long-abandoned.
They pulled up with a crunch of gravel and got out. Soda stretched and yawned, but both Rowan and Big Red looked around guardedly. Red’s hackles were all raised.
“Keep your wits about you lass. This is a very dangerous place.”
“Lune put in a good word for us right?”
“They did, but the twins might still change their minds."
Rowan straightened her shoulders and marched briskly to the front door. The heavy hardwood groaned and sighed and rained dust down on them. It was a small prayer hall, just one large room.There was nothing left except dirt and weeds and evidence of small creatures making nests in dark corners.
Rowan kept the lead, and Soda, filled with the hush of this old sacred place, wordlessly made a cradle for Red to jump up into her arms. He then hopped up onto her backpack. His bulk and warmth were reassuring. She touched the Stone through her clothes and it also spread warmth through her. She felt a bit less afraid, and scuttled along behind Rowan.
They walked down to the far end of the hall. Curiously, Rowan was looking determinedly down. Soda also looked down and saw under the dust and dirt that the floor was tiled with a beautiful, intricate mosaic. Rowan found what she was looking for: a part of the mosaic depicting a locked door with strange creatures surrounding it. The more Soda tried to look at what the creatures were, the more sinister they became, until she felt like clawing at her eyes. She squeezed them shut and rubbed them vigorously instead. The Dark Forest flashed before her, its creeping nightmare Things lunging forward–
She blinked and shook her head. Rowan crouched down, reached out her finger, hesitated, then touched the lock. There was a sound like an old-fashioned apartment buzzer, echoing from somewhere deep under their feet. Soda was expecting some sort of groaning, ancient magical trap door to swing open, but without any preamble, a set of stairs leading downward had appeared. One moment tiles, next moment, a narrow but modern-looking tunnel lined with concrete.
"Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"..."
"Soda?"
"Ready."
They crept down a few dozen stairs and then encountered a landing with a very heavy steel-barred door. It had an intercom to the right with another doorbell. Rowan pressed it. Again came the nasal buzz deep inside, before the gate gave a decisive click and swung open. Soda gulped. They continued.
The stairs felt like they might wind on forever into the gloom. There was some kind of faint, pale light in addition to a few very mildewy old fluorescent lamps every few hundred steps. They were enclosed on all sides by heavy steel mesh, so it took a while for Soda to notice they were in a large cavern. She shivered all over with horror at the thought of what might be in the dark beyond the lamps. Red, riding on her backpack, noticed her squirm. He gave her a little reassuring pat.
“I can see in the dark,” he said quietly. “It’s just an old mineshaft, no creepy crawlies. Well, except for the normal kind.”
“Red are you supposed to be helping? What’s the normal kind?”
“Oh just, you know, spiders, weird slugs, things with a thousand legs, eyeless little beasts who live beyond the reach of the sun…”
Soda stuck her tongue out in an exaggerated gag, but she did feel better.
They spiralled tightly down with regular landings but no other doors or exits. Soda’s knees were in danger of seizing by the time they reached a linoleum hallway with the staticky flicker of more fluorescent lights. From the other end of the hall came the distant sound of music. Jazz?
“Alright.”
Rowan turned to face them, her expression serious. Anxiety rushed in a wave of nausea and Soda stuffed her fist against her mouth. Rowan’s eyes narrowed.
“Are… are you going to be sick right now?”
Soda shook her head in a little waggle. She swallowed, removed her hand, and attempted to make a serious face. Rowan looked faintly exasperated, but continued.
“These are the only Sevenkin I've never met before. From what I’ve heard, they’re not much like their siblings. They’ve just been down here in this cave for the last five hundred years, running this library. So be prepared for them to not be very human, is all I’m saying. They’re extremely dangerous, easily the most powerful of the seven, and known for eating people who displease them.”
“So what should I do? What even is this place anyway?”
“The Lost and Forgotten Library. Dramatic name, but it’s basically a repository for rare books. Being polite is usually a safe course of action.”
“Okay, I think I can manage that.”
The sound of jazz washed over them as they stepped through two swinging doors into a large, warmly lit municipal library. At the front was a sitting area with worn armchairs dotted about, hemmed in by some half-height bookcases to make it feel cosy. Children’s picture books were on display at the right height for little hands. Then there was a bank of about a dozen computers. After that, the stacks stretched off into the distance, with neat signs hanging above the isles.
And there were people here! There were a few young men and women slouched at the computer terminals, surrounded by notes and water bottles, headphones in. There was a man browsing in the romance stacks. As they approached, a little girl ran past with a big heavy book clutched in her arms. She beat them to the lending desk. Soda was so distracted by the unlikely scene before her she totally failed to notice the two people standing behind the desk.
While they were all ostensibly identical, Soda thought they were pretty distinct actually. These two seemed to be really into the twin theme though. They both had short-cropped curls that were steel grey, and they were both wearing faded old-fashioned jeans and pastel polo shirts. One was wearing a pastel block-shaded parachute windcheater that belonged in 1985, the other a jean jacket in a different shade of denim to their pants. One turned golden eyes to the group in silent warning, while the other warmly addressed the little girl. They waited.
“Did you get what you were looking for, young lady?”
“Yes, thanks Miss Nocturne, and Miss Umbra! I’m going to show that fool Danny just how real faeries are!”
She had a look of dark glee on her face. She ran off through a different set of swinging doors. Man, little girls are so bloodthirsty.
“You may approach,” Nocturne said after an extended, uncomfortable pause. All of her previous warmth was gone. Her stare was calculating.
“Rowan Ash, and my companions Soda Jones and William Bosby.”
Rowan gave a formal bow with practised ease. Soda didn't feel confident to do the same without looking like a total twat, so she refrained. Umbra fixed her with a look that pinned her to the spot.
“I see."
“This place is a lot more… utilised than I expected!" Rowan was a little too hearty, betraying her nerves.
The twins spoke interchangeably, as smoothly as though they were one person. It was disconcerting.
“Yes, well, it was an accident at first–"
"–there was an old enchanted entrance in Boston we forgot about–"
"–and they rebuilt the local library, so it must’ve been reactivated–"
"–soon children were wandering in here, asking for reference books–"
"–and frankly it gets a bit lonely so we thought why not modernise?”
“Jeez, why couldn’t we use that entrance?” Soda blurted, thinking of her burning legs.
Rowan gave her a blistering look.
“Because they’re welcome and we don’t know you. What do you want? You’ve brought something terrible here. I can see the curse despite your cheap ruses.”
Soda gulped.
Rowan sighed. “We’re trying to save the world."
“Oh?” Umbra looked unimpressed. “And what does it need saving from?”
All three companions paused, and looked at each other.
“You… you do know about the Covenant, right? What’s going on outside?”
“The mess your wife made, you mean? Yes, we know about it.”
Rowan looked chastened, and unsure of what to say next. Soda had a thought.
“We’re here to locate a book.” She stuck her chin out stubbornly. “About the First Sorceress. Can you please point me to the catalogue? Then we’ll get out of your way. Please. Thank you.”
She added some extra manners just to be safe. The Stone gave her a little encouraging hum.
The twins both snapped their heads and stared at her, unblinking. She tried to move and felt rooted to the spot. The ambrosia seed seemed to have no effect whatsoever. She was being assessed, pinned down and rolled out like an insect to dissect. She wanted to scream but couldn’t, as memories flashed past against her will, little tingles running through her body. She gritted her teeth, straining away from this disrespectful intrusion to no avail–
But then something unexpected happened. A single, pure musical note that rang out across the library, setting the shelves and books rattling and causing all the computers to briefly flicker with images of plants and flowers then power down. The jazz music cut out. And for a few moments, Soda saw an alien landscape of thoughts: a room deep underground with a tomb laid out, a body with the siblings’ golden face, eyes closed, dressed like a king. An endless night sky full of stars stretching out over a desert of blues and purples, and a terrible, mourning grief. I’ve lost it, it’s lost, I’m lost…
Then she was free. Soda looked down, realising her hand was tightly gripped around the Stone, and it was glowing green through her fingers. She looked up. Everybody was staring at her. The students and children in confusion, Rowan and Red with alarm, and Nocturne with fury. Umbra was looking decidedly calculating.
“Sorry everyone, just reboot your computers."
Everyone else returned to what they were doing. Nocturne looked ready to argue, but they shared a loaded glance. She examined Soda through a narrow squint.
“The book you’re looking for is checked out."
“How do you know which one we want?”
“Because every single book on the First Sorceress has been checked out.”
“What! Why?” Rowan slumped with dismay. “Who has them, please?”
“That would be a breach of library policy to share." Umbra's tone that suggested bloody murder might be more acceptable.
“Well, shit. Dead end. Back to the car I guess."
The twins were silent, inscrutable. Then, as the group filed out dejectedly, Umbra called out.
“Are you looking for a book? Or are you looking for an answer to a question?”
“Lady, all I have is questions!”
Why could she never keep her mouth shut? Their strange hosts watched them leave without saying anything further. They slogged back up the stairs in silence, too out of breath for conversation. Soda also suspected that Rowan wanted to be well away from the twins before she mentioned the Stone, and she was right. They got in the car. Rowan’s face was cold and blank.
“Did you do that on purpose?”
“Obviously not! Or else maybe I would’ve used it when you tried to kill us yesterday!”
“I’ve been with Soda every moment since she picked the Stone up,” added Red stoutly.
Rowan's hair rose a little, her eyes sparking with lilac light. “You must believe me when I tell you the gifts of the First are dangerous. There is no other magic like this. You’re closer to madness and danger than you have ever been.”
“What are you talking about?” Demanded Red. “What else do you know about the Stone?”
“I know that the First sealed it up and never meant for anyone to use it ever again. It’s a folly, this thing. She knew it in the end. Sealing it up was the last thing she ever did. I found it, in the monastery, along with the warning about the curse.”
Soda blinked. So Rowan had been at the monastery with Evangeline that day? The Stone still felt very warm against her chest, and was glowing faintly through her shirt. Is this true? She queried it silently. A little affirmative buzz. But I should still trust her? Buzz. Yes.
“So you made it to the monastery, found the Stone, and Evangeline met you there?”
“…yes. Please don’t ask me to talk any more about that day.” She closed her eyes for a moment, and the static died down.
Soda felt like she could breathe again.
“The Stone works by tapping directly into the rawest, wildest magic from the heart of reality. If you use it, you draw yourself closer. Maybe next time, you’ll go right through. And you won’t like what’s waiting for you there.”
“The Dark Forest!” It just blurted out.
Rowan looked surprised. Red looked dismayed.
“Yes,” agreed Rowan heavily. “Which means it’s already started. Don’t use the Stone again, Soda. For your own safety. That’s a fate much worse than death.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” she squeaked.
“Stop scaring the bejeezus out of the girl! She didn’t ask for this!"
"I need to scare her! She should be scared!”
“Nobody’s useful scared, isn’t that what you used to say in the Brigade?”
Rowan let out a huff, and narrowed her eyes. “Yes, I suppose I did. What do you think we should do?”
“Teach her a bit of regular stuff so she doesn’t go nuclear next time she gets spooked.”
“What if that makes it worse? Easier to use on purpose?”
“Listen,” interjected Soda, “I don’t want to use it on purpose. I am not enjoying being chosen by an ancient cursed magical object. If I could hand it over to you right now, I would, I promise.”
She pulled it off her neck, holding it up so it glinted and swayed, golden green like a sunlit glade deep in the woods. She held it closer.
Rowan hesitated at first, then reached out very slowly with a single index finger. White lightning arced between them, zapping her with a little sizzle.
“Ow! Fuck!” She winced, withdrawing her finger and shaking her hand off.
Soda withdrew the Stone and put it back around her neck.
“Good, glad we got that sorted. Now we’ve established I’m still just some unlucky dickhead and actually not the enemy here can we please focus on how fucked we are and how the others have probably got the Artefacts by now?”
Rowan frowned, but did seem to relax a little.
“I think it’s safe to say they don’t,” mused Red. “Or else they’d be trying harder to kill us. We haven’t had an attempt on our lives in about five hours, so I assume they’re still using most of their resources in locating the missing Artefact.”
“Evangeline’s power and resources are vast, and now she's joined forces with the Fed. I expect we’re being allowed to search for it too.” Rowan was staring out the windshield into the distance. “She’s playing with us. She’s already covered all our likely contacts. We need to get in front of her. But how!”
On the last word, she smashed one balled fist into the other palm and caused a small explosion of earth a few hundred metres in front of the car, like a landmine going off. A tree spontaneously burst out of the ruptured ground and unfurled rapidly, spilling grasses and wildflowers out around itself like a skirt.
Soda and Red flinched violently. A large loudspeaker box appeared in a puff of black glitter on the minaret of the mosque.
“STOP DEFACING LIBRARY PROPERTY AND LEAVE BEFORE WE MAKE YOU LEAVE."
Nobody needed a second warning. Rowan slammed her foot down, the Mustang’s rumbling turbo roar echoing off the low hills. A gust of magic briefly formed into a huge multi-storey lion made of black and gold, its ghostly jaws snapping at them as they sped off.
Chapter Ten: The Lost and Forgotten Library
Spanish roadtrip, coming down the back entrance, respecting library policy