She didn’t really know what she’d expected to see when she heard “private library.” Maybe it was only really a couple of bookshelves and a few decorations or chairs; just a larger version of Iankas’s office.
But that barely compared to the room he ultimately led her to.
Bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with old tomes and a few old-looking trinkets. The center of the main walkway was studded with little statues kept behind glass, with names and dates on little plaques next to them. There was a second floor, too, which was visible from the entrance thanks to the indoor balcony. It seemed, though, like there were mostly just sofas and more artifacts there—not nearly as many bookshelves.
Iankas started to lead her to the stairs up to that second floor. “Are you impressed yet?” he asked with an amused grin.
“I don’t think I’ve seen so many books in one place in my whole life,” Sera responded honestly. “I didn’t really think there could be this many books together in one spot…”
He laughed. “Well, I was an archivist for quite a while. I suppose I’m always more comfortable surrounded by books.”
“You were an archivist? Is that… like a fancy word for a librarian?”
“You could say that—if you’re being rather general. I didn’t necessarily do the work of a librarian, though. I researched and recorded the important events that make up the nation’s history, from as far back as we can find information for, up to the birth of the late Princess Merrelle. I also managed certain related affairs, like investigating artifacts from old ruins and the like to try to glean new information from them.”
“You must’ve been pretty high up then, huh?”
“That I was. I even worked with King Tibrel—we were quite close, actually, before his passing.”
“If you don’t mind me asking… why’d you leave, then? Sounds like you had a pretty good job…”
Luckily, Iankas didn’t seem to mind. In fact, it almost looked like he embraced the question. Right as she asked it, they’d reached a table. It was littered with books and notes, with four chairs carefully pushed in.
Iankas pulled out two, gesturing for Sera to take one, and then taking the one on the other side of the table. “I left because there are some things I wanted to do that would’ve interfered with my job. See, I became incredibly interested in the Heralds. Have you heard of them?”
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“I’m pretty sure everyone has,” she pointed out. “At least, it seems like everyone does, in one way or another…”
“Yes, but I’m not asking to receive a yes or no question. I’d like to hear what you specifically know about them—what you’ve heard from others, or what you remember.”
“They were the children of the Fallen One, his Angels. They helped the gryphons banish the Fallen One… but, somewhere around there, they ensured the Fallen One would return one day. So Caeso and his siblings banished them, too, to some degree—so that they couldn’t hurt any of the humans, or get too far into reviving the Fallen One.”
Iankas nodded. “It is said that, by killing one of the Heralds, Caeso weakened them. He made it so their influence in the world was minimal, though one day—just like their father—their bonds will break, meaning they can roam the lands once again.”
Sera let out a nervous laugh and remarked, “I hope I’m not around for that. It all sounds terrifying…”
He seemed to know something she didn’t, speaking in a wise voice. “Yes, it could very well be the end of the world as we know it. But I don’t think the outcomes are going to be exactly like you’re imagining.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just the kinds of things I think about while I research. You know, our tribal ancestors lived on the same land as the Fallen One—interacted with him daily, in one way or another. They feared his powers but thought that, if they stayed apart and destroyed the civilization they’d built before, they’d be spared. That the ‘end of days,’ so to speak, had already happened at the end of the Times Before. It was only after the Fallen One was sealed—Aedrisea founded, and allowed to flourish and grow—that people began to fear the end. After all, how angry will the Fallen One be when he returns? Will he see our advances and call them hubris? Will we meet the same fate as the humans who lived in the Times Before, and Aedrisea becoming nothing more than ruins? It isn’t the Heralds we should fear. It’s the Fallen One—he who carries out the order, who pits brother against brother, and humans against demons… until nothing remains but ashes.”
Sera only found herself capable of staring.
Iankas must’ve realized what he did, too, because he gave a sheepish chuckle. “Ah, it seems I got away from myself for a moment there. My apologies. My research leads me deep into such issues and questions. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to share them with others. It seems that, in my joy of companionship, I’d forgotten you might not appreciate such near-philosophical matters.”
“Yeah, I’m, ah… afraid I’m not going to have that kind of experience for a while. If ever.” She took the opportunity to change the subject, albeit slightly. “So, you said that you quit so that you could research the Heralds. Is that what you want my help with? Is there something specific you want to do?”
He nodded. “I’ve got a couple of newly-arrived artifacts and records I could look through, but I want to do something that you’d understand. No one really learns anything, after all, if they’re just thrown into it. So we’ll have to do something else.”
“What do you want to do instead, then?”
He gestured to some of the records spread out across the table. “I’d like to look through all of these again. I’ve made a couple of notes about their contents, but I’d like to add to them—make more connections, take more thorough notes about them. I could use a second opinion, too.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to be any good at it. I don’t have any experience with this historian-archivist stuff…”
“You don’t have to. I just want to hear your thoughts—what you think the sequence of events were, or what certain passages might mean. I have a feeling that, together, we might come across many things I’d never considered before.”