Pathway

"Um … a few questions first, if you don't mind?" 

Chang Chang didn't know how the woman could help her, unless she knew where the Arcane Script Sphere was. But if she did, she would have surely told king Laggarma, wouldn't she? For some reason, the woman's deep, wise gaze and aura of serenity made Chang Chang a bit uneasy. She felt insignificant standing next to her, though the dwarf woman was much shorter.

"Not at all. Ask what you will."

The woman smiled kindly. 

"Is he right? Are you a spirit?" 

Chang Chang asked, nodding at Gallazza. The yaomo seemed not to be paying attention, but Chang Chang knew he heard their conversation. 

"I am the Lochal of the library and the watcher of the scrolls. I have knowledge and control of all the scrolls and tomes you see."

She lifted her hand, and in response, the tome on the floor rose into the air and snapped shut. It floated over to Chang Chang and hovered in front of her face. Hesitantly, Chang Chang reached up and took it. Then, the woman continued. 

"Memories of any life I had before my time as Lochal are gone. I am bound to one of the tomes in this room, but which one, I will not name. My thoughts are full with the knowledge of thousands of profound ancient texts. They are enough."

"It's just … how long have you been here?" 

Chang Chang asked.

The Lochal smiled. 

"Do you mean, how long have I been here in this room, or how long have I been with King Laggarma? In truth, I have lost count of the years. No future exists here, only the past."

She spoke in truth, but a pang struck Chang Chang's heart. No thoughts of the future—Chang Chang knew something of living that way. Her future was extremely complicated. She could tell that much from the prophecies she had received. 

"Since I've been in the library, I've thought I heard voices, whispers. Was that your voice?"

"Not me. You're hearing their voices." 

The woman reached out and ran her fingers gently over the book spines on the nearest shelf.

"The books? You mean they—"

Chang Chang stammered. There was no way books could talk, could they? She had never heard of such. Not even when she was in Lorra, a cultivation world.

"Many of them are no more than what they appear. Others are living entities, sleeping for centuries at a time, stirred awake by the breath of life—the presence of a seeker of knowledge." 

The seneschal removed a tome from the shelf and pressed it to her chest reverently. She spoke a word Icelin didn't understand, and then she returned the book to the shelf before continuing. 

"When they sense such a person, the pages whisper and sing, and the ink may as well be blood in living veins."

Caught by the Lochal's voice, Chang Chang couldn't take her eyes off the woman's face. For the first time, fear of the library and this ancient spirit shivered through her body. She had thought she had seen it all on this planet called Wujin. She had seen the world oracle, valley of summons, all types of weapons, all types of beasts,  and others. But all this she was now seeing was of different level entirely. The fire cast long, ominous shadows on the walls. Whispers that had lingered at the edge of her consciousness grew louder, more insistent. Chang Chang didn't want to listen to those voices, not like this. Whatever secrets she heard, she would never be able to forget.

"You're frightening her, spirit. Cease with your romantic prattle and make yourself useful."

Gallazza said.

Chang Chang tried to stop the yaomo but let him be. Not that she was that scared, she was only afraid of the things they could know. She turned to the woman and knitted her brows together. She didn't know how the woman could help her, unless she knew where the Arcane Script Sphere was. But if she did, she would have surely told king Laggarma for certain. Chang Chang blinked and freed herself from the seneschal's penetrating gaze. She dipped her head, rubbing her temples, which had begun to throb.

"Forgive me. Understand I mean you no harm. It has been a very long time since I spoke to another person like this. I fear I am out of practice."

The Lochal said, bowing. 

"No, it's all right." 

Chang Chang stifled a groan. She'd let herself be trampled on by a ghostly phantom—albeit a very powerful one—and had to be rescued by a Yaomo of all. Ju Feng would be appalled if he heard that about a blood who they said had a bright future. She'd been trying not to think about him too much or worry about where he was at that moment. Most likely, he was with one of the dwarf patrols. He might even be fighting right now. If a yaomo slew him, she might not find out for several days. But she knew not these yaomos could kill Ju Feng. Not them. She had a feeling Ju Feng had been hiding his true power. Stop it, she told herself. You're here to find the sphere.

"Very good. You have strong mental discipline for one so young and afflicted."

The Lochal uttered.

"You can read my mind? You might have mentioned that earlier!"

Chang Chang's head snapped up. A mindscryer! 

"Again, forgive me." 

The spirit smiled wider. 

"Please don't be uneasy. I doubt any thought you entertain would surprise me."

"What about the other books—spirits of books—in the library? Can they read thoughts too?"

"No, they've not gained much awareness. They're not sentience. They are objects of power, presence, and memory, but only in the most primal sense. I was surprised you heard their voices so soon. However, you are not without power yourself, and as I said, they are drawn to the true seeker."

"Is that why they remain silent to me, spirit? Because I am not a 'true seeker'?"

Gallazza said, smirking. He looked at the Lochal who replied coldly.

"Lost soul, what you seek cannot be found within this room."

Gallazza met her stare with a look that made Icelin shiver. 

"Pitiful wraith, you have no idea what I'm looking for."

"I see the emptiness in your soul. Memories gone … pieces of yourself you long to reclaim."

A strange thing happened then. Gallazza's cold mask cracked at the edges, and through the broken bits, Chang Chang glimpsed pain—pain and anger so intense she stifled a gasp. He tore his gaze away from the woman's face, as if he'd also been caught by her power. Meeting Chang Chang's eyes, the yaomo pulled the mask back into place over his features.

Oh! I saw something I wasn't supposed to see, Chang Chang thought. A weakness or a desire—what was it the yaomo sought? Was it immortality? Was it somehow tied to the power that cloaked him, or his mystical aura? Judging by the mask Gallazza had adopted, he would not speak of those desires, especially not to her. Not that it mattered. She had her own desires and her own task to complete. She turned to the spirit and addressed her.

"I'm ready now." 

"Very well. Know before you begin that great power surrounds you. There are dangers here, as well as treasures."

The spirit put a hand out, though she did not touch Icelin. 

"What sort of dangers?" 

Chang Chang asked. Heavens tears, what now?

"I told you some of the tomes already gained sentience. They possess souls. Like any living thing, they are capable of compassion and deceit, of manipulation and regret. Some will give up all their knowledge and secrets for a kind word, while others will use any means to deny and destroy you."

"Can't you tell me which one is which?" 

Chang Chang said, feeling helpless. She doubted she was strong enough to face a sentient scroll. She was just starting on the road of blood cultivation.

The Lochal smiled sadly. 

"Can you tell that of any living being? Like the depths of any soul, they are changeable, mysterious, and sometimes frightening. Never forget to use your judgment, and you won't go astray. When you are ready, tell me what knowledge you seek."

The knowledge she sought—Chang Chang didn't have to consider the question long. 

"The Arcane Script Sphere. said. "If I'm going to find it, I need to know more about it. Are there any written accounts of it in the library?"

She expected a long delay while the Lochal explored her memory. Efficient as Chang Chang's young mind was, the older the memory, the longer it took her to recall all the details. She started in surprise when the Lochal answered her question almost immediately like a divine oracle.

"There are four such texts in the library." 

The woman said and continued. 

"One of these I am forbidden to share."

"Why?" 

Gallazza interjected, surprising Chang Chang again. She hadn't expected him to show interest in what she asked the Lochal. Then again, that confirmed her suspicion. The yaomo was seeking the sphere as well. Chang Chang had to be careful of him.

The spirit's lips compressed in a line. She repeated, stiffly. 

"It is forbidden."

Or perhaps they contained knowledge the yaomo could use against Myria if they obtained the sphere, Chang Chang thought. But if it contained such information, why did the king allowed the yaomo to come here and search for the sphere? So strange. She turned her attention back to the Lochal and asked.

"Can I examine the other tomes?"