by L. Itram and Ben Yackley Main * Story * Setting * Cast * Illustrations * About * Comment

Chapter 2: Almanaque - The Golden City (Posted on 8/11/02 )

Viola paced the deck, her black cloak swirling as she reached the end of her path and spun sharply around. Bored, bored, bored. Being cooped up in a ship for a week with nothing to do was not her idea of adventure. She had hoped for company -- educated and well-spoken mages like herself with whom she could share news and stories -- but it appeared that no other mages were going to Almanaque this time of year and the only other passengers were a few crates of salted fish and several boxes of preserved fruit. She clasped two hands behind her and folded the other two arms across her chest. Pace, pace, pace. No matter how bored, she would not read the books the Librarian had provided. The crew was no doubt used to student passengers, but she was no longer a student and would not act like one. But the alternative! She could feel her mind atrophy minute by minute. She spun around once again and went down to the cabin in search of Kinto. He was a boor, but at least he was a familiar boor and didn't give her the feeling that he was laughing at her the way Luen did.

She found Kinto huddled on his bunk, clutching a book as though it would save his life. "'The most important thing 'bout opal-tinted spells,'" he read slowly, "'is that they work on th'mind, not on th'eyes. It is therefore vital ta focus on th'emotional im -- impressions you wish the subject t'experience as well as the technical details of the image you are attempting to project.' Mind, not eyes. Emotional 'mpression. Mind not eyes -- oh. Viola."

"Kinto, what are ye blabbing about?"

"'M studying, whassit look like?"

Viola perched on the other end of the bunk and lifted his book with a finger so she could read the title. "The Art o' Illusion? I wouldna ha guessed that an interest o' yers."

Kinto mumbled something.

"What?"

"'M broadening my mind, okay? Go 'way."

"Yer up to somethin', aren't ye? What is that smell?"

"Luen."

"Kinto!"

"'M serious. He was smokin' somethin' 'til I kicked him out of th'cabin. Now go'way an' lemme read."

"Is 't for a trick on Luen? I'll aid ye, Kinto. 'Tis so dull here an' we've four more days o' boredom!"

Kinto groaned and collapsed against the back wall. "Four days! Don' remind me...I don't like boats" he mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't like boats! They go up an' down an' they're full of water."

"They're not full o' water, Kinto. That's the point."

"Whatever. I don't like 'em. Now go'way, I'm tryin' t'study." He opened the book to a random page and ignored her. "'Auditory illusions are classed into two categories: sounds and noises. Noises consist of auditory input, which is recognized hol...ho-li-stically but not interpreted, such as a door slamming or a shout. Sounds consist of auditory input which is interpreted to obtain meaning, such as language. As we saw in Chapter 12...'"

Viola stood up. "Fine, then. I'm off to find Luen." She slammed the door as she left; Kinto ignored the auditory input thus created and groaned again. Four more days!

* * *

Luen was on the quarterdeck, coiled up like a snake and surrounded by crates he'd dragged up from the hold. Viola just had to follow the smell.

"What are ye doin'?"

"Enjoying the view, of course."

Viola looked around. "All I see are crates, Luen."

"You're looking in the wrong direction." He gestured upwards with his pipe. Viola looked. "Now all I see is sky."

"Yeah, beautiful, ain't it?"

"I expected t'find ye overboard by now." She looked around again at the little fortress of crates surrounding Luen. Realization dawned. "Don't tell me ye can't swim?"

"'Course I can swim! I was born swimming. Heck, I was swimming before I was born." He puffed on his pipe testily.

"Then why are ye hidin' from the water?"

"Because ... it's salt water. I'm not swimming in that." he said, as though it were obvious.

"Ah." She hadn't thought of that. Vadhans were lake-dwellers, weren't they? "Ye ever try?"

"Basic anatomy, you wouldn't understand. Salt water dries me out and tears my gills apart. It's like swallowing seawater, only worse."

Viola sniffed. "I understand that. An' I still think yer as loony as Kinto. I'm trapped on a ship o' loonies. An' do I even want t'know what yer smokin'?"

Luen mumbled something.

"What?"

"Fish. I bought a package of dried fish off one of the crew. Burns quite nicely; would you like some?" he offered her the pipe.

Viola bit back an unladylike response and stalked off. She spent the next four days out on deck, studying basic air elemental spells. Art of Illusion would have been more interesting but she couldn't pry it out of Kinto's grasp.

Almanaque, the golden city!

Mention the continent of Tximist and the word conjures up images of vast stretches of dry savanna, deserted save for mysterious and exotic nomadic tribes.

This is not Almanaque. Almanaque dangles off the southern peninsula of Tximist, a multicolored opal earring in a slightly corroded copper setting. It is a city of sandstone walls and brightly tiled dome roofs, sitting in the midst of grassy hills -- but grass tinted golden from the magical aftereffects of the Great War. The people are golden as well -- slight, amber-furred Levendish with brown stripes and tufted tails.

Almanaque, city of wonders!

And the less time they spent in it the better, as far as Kinto was concerned. The three of them were huddled on the dock, their luggage around them, Viola and Luen arguing over a half-folded map while Kinto paced in impatient circles.

"I tell ye, 'tis the most direct path. Look, an inn on the Avenue o' the Arches, right there. Then we simply follow it to the center o' town."

"And I tell you that name just screams crowds. They put the market on the biggest street in town, gotta be that one."

Fifteen seconds later, the map was torn from their hands. "Gimme that. I don't wanna stand here all day listening t'you act like idiots. Follow me. I know a place." Kinto grabbed his bags and stalked off, leaving the others to catch up.

"Kinto, I didna know ye were from here."

"I'm not. Spent some time here, though. C'mon."

"So I take it you know the language?" Luen joked.

Kinto didn't turn around. "Yeah. Levendish, same as Featherglass."

Luen stared at Kinto's back. "What's gotten into him?" he asked Viola under his voice.

Four suitcases prevented her from managing more than a faint shrug. "Don' look at me, I hardly know him."

"Granted ye may 'ave been right about the traffic, Luen, but this route i'n't on the map at all."

"He knows where he's going, I guess. I just wish we'd get there soon, my back is killing me!"

"Yer back? What about me arms?"

"You shouldn't have packed so many bags, then."

"May I remind ye who's carrying the books?"

Kinto ignored the bickering as he racked his brains for memories he thought he'd never need again. The last thing he wanted was to meet someone who remembered the scrawny little Tximisti dock worker who couldn't read or write or even put two words of Manaqi together. The fact that he was now nearly a mage and could certainly toast anyone who gave him trouble didn't cross his mind. Old habits die hard and Kinto had several associated with this place. Most of them involved running.

"Are we there yet, Kinto?"

"What, y'want me t'go faster?"

Two hours later, the trio stood on the steps of the library, their baggage safely stowed at a shabby inn on the other side of town.

The Great Library of Almanaque towered above all the other buildings in the center of town. It was fully seven stories tall, its stone walls inlaid with expensive imported marble and carved into bas-reliefs depicting various branches of knowledge. Its windows and arched entryway were the characteristic squat pentagonal shape common to Manaqi architecture, trimmed in blue and orange tile and glazed in tinted glass that offered a degree of shade to both the library's patrons and its vast collection.

"That's a ... large library," Luen tried not to look impressed.

"Aye. What now?"

They both turned to Kinto.

"Don' ask me, I've never been in there! It's your turn t'figure things out."

"May I, uh, help you?"

The three mages stopped gawking at the ornately decorated lobby in favor of gawking at the speaker. He wasn't really worth the trouble: a short, skinny, Levendish with the striped brown-on-amber pelt of a native Manaqi, peering at them over his glasses as though trying to figure out if they were worth the trouble of interrupting his reading and whether he couldn't foist them off onto someone else. He was dressed in some sort of elaborate page's uniform that completely failed to make him impressive but certainly indicated that he wasn't here to check out books.

"Ah, yes, if ye'd be so kind." Viola stepped forward. "We have only just arrived from Featherglass and were hoping t'do some research at yer famous library."

The librarian's frown deepened at the mention of Featherglass. "That's what libraries are for. I'll, uh, get you checked in." He led them down a hall and up a spiral staircase. Before them loomed an enormous pair of double doors, presided over by two burly Ertseti who didn't look as if they did much reading themselves. To the left was a large desk, manned by more librarians -- all native Levendish of various shades of brown and yellow, and all in the same uniform as their guide.

"Three visitors from, uh, Featherglass."

"Are they, now?" asked the woman behind the desk. If their guide looked the part of the stereotypical bookworm, this would be the motherly school librarian who is constantly asking the children not to shout while others are reading. "Let's get you checked in, then. You giving 'em a tour, Pico?"

The man glanced at them as though a tour was the last thing he wanted to be giving, especially on such a day and to such people. They grinned back and attempted to look friendly and harmless. "I suppose so," he sighed.

"And on your, uh, left is the entrance to our history wing. The Library is known for being the most complete collection of, uh, written wisdom in the civilized world and other kingdoms and countries send us copies of their historical records to be preserved for posterity." The guide droned on as though he'd given this speech many times before and didn't really have to think about it. Luen wondered if visitors were expected to shout "This is my stop!" when they passed a relevant room or if they would be let loose afterwards. "We don't really need to take a tour if you have other business to attend," he offered, "Just point us to your geology section."

"But if you don't, uh, want a tour, what are you looking for?"

"We're interested in the Shards of Heaven."

"Oh. You want to see the Shard. Of course, this way." He turned around and led them back in the direction they'd come.

"See the shard?" asked Viola to Kinto. He shrugged in response.

"Yes, it's, uh, very tightly guarded. I can't promise you'll, uh, get to see it up close, of course. And to actually handle it requires permission from the, uh, Head Librarian --"

Being in the lead, Pico didn't notice the collective shudder that went through his audience.

"--herself. You really should have mentioned this sooner."

"One moment, eh, Pico? Are ye tellin' us that yer Library owns a Shard?"

"What, you didn't even know that?" Pico blurted out in surprise. He shrugged, regaining his composure. "You're only mages, though," he added, as though that explained all degrees of ignorance and crudity.

"Only --" exclaimed Viola but stopped as Luen grabbed the nearest arm. "Afterwards," he whispered, "Otherwise he won't help us at all."

"Right, right," she responded in an equally low voice, tugging her arm away and glaring at him.

Pico hadn't noticed the exchange, or had chosen to ignore it. He led them back to the entrance with the desks, then turned to go down another large hall.

Kinto glanced back at the guards and noticed a young Manaqi woman in a white blouse and flowing blue dress talking to the motherly librarian. The librarian pointed at them and the woman turned, then waved at Kinto to wait up as she hurried toward the tour.

"Hold up, looks like y'got another visitor," he commented.

Pico peered over his glasses at the new arrival. "A-a-auli?"

"Miss Torqani said you were giving a tour," explained the newcomer, once she was within comfortable speaking distance.

"I, uh, didn't, er know you were coming today."

"Me neither until this morning. Is it okay if I tag along? I know you're busy."

"Sh-sure. I was, uh, just taking them to the, er, viewing room." He straightened his tabard nervously and continued down the hall, the four visitors trailing after.

"Did you travel far?" Auli asked politely after a couple minutes of walking.

"We're, eh, from Featherglass," Viola explained, slightly hesitant after the last reaction that name had produced. "We've come to gather information on the Shards. This bein' the largest library in the world, o' course." But the other woman just nodded and commented that it was a long way to travel.

"Here we are," said Pico at another guarded entrance. This door was of a more normal size and it led, once unlocked, into a small glassed-in balcony.

Pico continued his tour-guide monologue as they stepped up to the railing and looked into the room below. "Shards of Heaven are, of course, pieces of the sky that have fallen to the, uh, ground. Occasionally you can see one falling on a dark night -- a, uh, phenomenon known as a 'shooting star'. They are extremely rare and, uh, valuable, and are made of a material that defies any kind of analysis..." The main room was dimly lit, but they could still make out the runes and wards of protection inscribed all along the walls. The only piece of furniture stood in the exact center of a protective circle: it was a marble podium covered by a glass case. Within the case was the Shard. It was smaller than any of the mages had expected -- a broken-looking translucent stone the size of a fist. One surface was perfectly flat, but the rest of the Shard was craggy and worn. In color, it was very light blue, and nearly transparent. It was mounted on a glass platform, seated on a wire-thin column, underscoring the Shard's incredible lightness.

"Awfully dinky lookin' thing," commented Kinto.

"Size can be misleading," said Luen. "Besides, he never said it had to be a big one."

"How are we t' find one o' those?" asked Viola. "This one is neatly labeled, but others won't be."

"We kinda have to, don't we?" respond Kinto, "Y'know what'll happen if we don't."

None of them noticed their guide and his friend slip out of the viewing room.

"I, uh, think you should go now," said Pico, once they were safely in the corridor and out of earshot of the guards. "These, uh, these people are mages."

"I know, Pico, but they seem like perfectly decent people."

"We don't know that. I don't -- uh, don't want you getting hurt, okay?"

"That's so sweet of you. But I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"They're mages, Auli. People who spend their lives honing magic powers. People with magic are dangerous, you know that."

"Pico, my sister has magic, remember?" she responded coldly.

"Yes, uh, well, yes." It was obvious that he'd forgotten. "But she's properly brought up. She - she wouldn't, uh, do anything dangerous, of course. These people, they, uh, train in magic. And that woman is Instilled," His tone suggested that Instilling was as bad as leprosy and only slightly less contagious.

"Pico, I really think you're overreacting."

"I'm not --" Pico's protest was interrupted as the mages in question stepped out of the viewing room, carrying on their own conversation.

"Yeah, yeah, so failure is not an option. How do we find one, then?"

"We ask the librarian," said Viola. "Pardon, but do ye have any, eh, books about these artifacts?"

Pico sighed as though he'd hoped to be done with these foreigners so he could get back to his reading. "Yes, this way."

The astronomy chamber was not as large as the collection hall, but it had been carefully arranged by someone with a keen love of the subject. A complete map of the stars had been dyed into cloth and hung on the far wall, each of the three hundred and fourty three stars labeled with its name and brightness. A brass orrery sat on one of the tables, with the sphere that was Delyria set in the center, its sun and moon revolving around it in circular orbits. The remaining walls held shelves of books and scrolls penned by the sages of Aezo, known for their remarkable accuracy and ability to predict astronomical events to a certainty.

"Here we have the, uh, astronomy wing," Pico droned, having reverted to tour-guide mode several rooms back, "wherein is contained the, uh, lore and research regarding the heavenly bodies. Zenar should be able to aid you." He handed them over to another man who could've been his older brother: same uniform, though his was tailored in shades of blue and grey, same amber coloring and same look of distracted annoyance which vanished momentarily as he beamed rather vaguely in Auli's direction. "Oh, hello Miss Alcandor. Keeping up with your studies?"

"Uh, yessir," responded Auli, shy at having the senior librarian's attention directed at her.

"We'll make you a librarian yet, my dear. You should ask Pico to train you."

"Uh, I'd, uh, be glad to, er, if you ever, uh, want me to, Auli." Then, remembering the purpose of his visit, "These visitors, uh, wish to know about Shards. I've already taken them to the, uh, viewing room."

Zenar adjusted his glasses, which were much plainer than Pico's and actually appeared necessary rather than ornamental. "Really? Well, now. What would you like to know? I do recall a text on the various properties of the material of the firmament, it should be around here somewhere..."

"Actually," said Luen before the astronomy librarian could lead them on another goose hunt, "we're interested in how one goes about finding such an object."

"Ah, a very practical-minded...uh... man you are. I think treasure-hunting guides are in the self-help section. Pico should be able to show you the way, right?"

Pico, who looked as though he'd much rather sneak off and let someone else take care of the tourists, nodded. "Uh, yes."

"Y'don't have anythin' about Shards in particular?" asked Kinto, who was less than thrilled at the prospect of spending a week in Almanaque doing library research.

"Well, we have a map, but I'm afraid it's a few years old."

"A map?" asked Viola.

"How old?" asked Luen.

"Yes, a map of known impact sites. And it's only fifty or so years old, I'm sure some of them must still be there."

"Great! Can we borrow it?" asked Kinto.

"No, but you may certainly see it. This way. Let's see...I know it was here somewhere. Ah." Out of a large and dusty shelf he pulled an equally large and dusty scroll case within which was a very old map. "Now as you can see," he said, spreading it out on one of the reading tables, "there have been quite a few of these celestial phenomena. We're right here --"

"So th'nearest one is over there," Luen put a finger on the map.

"Please, be careful! This is a work of art; they don't make maps like this nowadays. Don't get your fingerprints all over it."

Kinto squeezed around Luen as the latter stepped back in embarrassment. "That's th' savanna, but that ain't Manaqi writing."

"Yes, it's the scholars' script of the Aezite syllabary," commented Pico, adjusting his glasses and looking through them for once, "Not a, uh, very common tongue, but as Zenar said, the original is too, uh, valuable to tamper with."

"You specialize in rare languages, then?" asked Luen.

"Uh, no. I uh, use these," Pico tapped his glasses. "A very useful and, uh, practical magical device," he added, as if to suggest in his quiet fashion that there were many unpractical uses of magic and he was looking at three of them.

"Aye, so it is," said Viola testily, realizing that the comment was mainly directed at herself. "Have ye any copies o' this map?"

"We could certainly, uh, make one for you, if you like." Pico seemed to cheer up slightly at the thought that his visitors might have found what they came for and would therefore leave him in peace.

"It would take several hours, however," his companion added. "And a translated one wouldn't be ready until tomorrow afternoon."

"We have lodgings at a nearby inn," said Luen, "we can certainly wait a day."

* * *

"That was surprisingly easy," exclaimed Viola. She and Luen had spent the remainder of the afternoon touring the city, or at least the touristy parts. Kinto had vehemently refused to join them, not wanting to make himself too conspicuous.

"Took him long enough t'get to th'map, though," he responded. The three had just finished dinner and were lounging outside the inn.

Luen puffed on his pipe; he'd found some normal tobacco at last. "But imagine how much simpler it'll make things down the line. We go straight to the nearest one and if it's not there anymore, we check the next."

"Exactly," agreed Viola. "We'll be done an' have our magehoods within the month."

"An' tonight we sleep in beds that don't wobble up and down," added Kinto, catching the general cheery mood.

And so they did.

The next morning was a different matter.

* * *

"I don't remember orderin' breakfast," grumbled Viola as she staggered out of bed, woken by the thumping at her door.

"Miss Longdawning?" The Manaqi in the hall wore a uniform but it wasn't that of an innkeeper. Innkeepers generally didn't wear armor or carry swords. "City guard. We'd like you to come with us, please."

"May I get dressed first?" asked Viola, too sleepy to think of a good argument. It was all a mistake, no doubt.

* * *

"Under arrest?" exclaimed Kinto. "Fer what?"

"On suspicion of the theft of a Shard of Heaven from the Almanaque Royal Library.

"But we didnae even go near it," protested Viola. "'Twas locked up tight."

"And heavily guarded," added Luen.

The officer in charge unrolled a sheet of parchment and squinted at it in the early morning light. "According to the testimony of one Pico Telmirkin, General Assistant Librarian, the three of you showed unusual interest in the subject of Shards in general and the one belonging to the library in particular. Do you deny this?"

The three did not. "We did go to the library to research them," confirmed Viola.

"Furthermore, Librarian Telmirkin heard you comment that you were looking for a Shard. Rather desperately, he was led to believe. Did you indeed come to Almanaque with the intention of taking such an artifact for your own?"

Viola held up a hand to silence the others. "We came seeking information from the library so as to find an unclaimed Shard. We certainly werenae gonna steal theirs!"

One of the other guards had taken out pen and parchment and was writing as they spoke. "Your comments are duly noted," said the captain. "However, you have admitted that you were interested in the artifact in question, and you are mages. This makes you the prime suspects; I'm afraid you'll have to come with us."

"An' you said it was going to be easy!" griped Kinto from his corner of the cell.

Luen tugged at the metal collar around his neck. Not only did it prevent him from casting any spells or using magic in any form, it was decidedly uncomfortable. "It would've been if some other joker hadn't messed things up. Viola, will you please stop pacing?"

"I don't plan ta take this sittin' down, Luen!"

"Then go stand over there. This place is cramped enough already what with Kinto's tail."

"Hey, what about yours, huh?"

"Will ye calm down an' start thinkin' about how ta get out o' here?!?" Viola hollered.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," said Luen. "But what can we do?"

And somewhere, on the other side of town, the Shard's new owner cracked a slow grin. At last... it's mine.