Chapter 35 – Reading Rainbow

The first thing Prince James thought as he looked around the inside of the city library was ‘impressive’. There were multiple floors with winding staircases and wall to wall shelves filled with books.

“I have died and gone to Heaven.” Prince James blurted out without thinking.

“Well dearie. You are not in Heaven, but it is rather nice isn’t it.” A soft older feminine voice said to his right.

“EEKK! I mean ahhh, yea ahhh!” Prince James squealed at first before using a much deeper voice.

‘I did not just scream like a little girl, not at all! Wait, how did she sneak up on me? Was I just distracted by the ambiance and majesty of this place?’ Prince James thought.

“Now dearie, control your volume while you are in the library. People are reading and studying. Do not be rude.” The older feminine voice said to his right.

Turning to look at the woman that had startled him, he saw before him a rather diminutive woman. She was barely five feet tall and looked to be in her 80s or 90s. She had grey hair tied in a tight bun that helped to show off her pointy ears. Her face held laugh lines and there was clear Intelligence and mischief in her eyes. She wore a white robe with reds and browns accenting the stitching.

“I am Silvin, but everyone calls me Silvie. I am the head librarian here. What can I do for you, your Majesty?” Silvie said.

“You know who I am?” Prince James inquired.

“Of course, dearie. First it is hard to not recognize Muro and Taka there...” Silvie leaned in close and whispered, “They stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Fair point.” Prince James replied before turning to his Sergeant and the two massive knights.

Callus took that as his cue. “Muro, Taka, go stand guard at the entrance outside. The library is heavily warded, so we should be safe within these walls, but just in case having you stationed outside can give us any warning of approaching danger.”

“As you command sergeant.” Mako saluted.

“Yes Sir.” Taka replied.

“Hopefully that will be less of a distraction for those within these walls.” Callus said to Silvie.

“Yes, thank you dearie.”

After the two knights left, Prince James gave his undivided attention to Silvie.

“Plus, I was at your introductory ball.” Silvie continued.

“I do not recall seeing you.” Prince James stated with some confusion.

“I doubt you would dearie. I pride myself on being rather quiet and stealthy. Such skills come in great use in working in a library.” Silvie explained.

“Hmmm, I guess you’d be right there. I can see the benefits of such skills.” Prince James commented.

“Now dearie, what can I do for you?” Silvie asked.

“I finally have a chance to explore so I wanted to come see this place. Plus, I love to read and who doesn’t like a good story. Is it possible to check out any of these books?” Prince James said.

Silvie cocked her head to the side. “Of course, you can review any book you want, but something tells me that is not what you mean.”

“No, I was asking is it possible to leave with any of these books and return them later?” Prince James asked.

“No, I am afraid that is not something we typically do here. You can request private viewings but those must be scheduled in advance and depending on the books it must be cleared by myself. Usually someone from the library would be present to ensure proper care of the books the whole time. There is also a fee for doing so.” Silvie explained.

“Interesting.” Prince James replied before looking around at all the shelves filled with books. “I am surprised with how many books are here. It is most impressive for a city library.”

“Well, we do have a symbiotic relationship with the Royal Academy.” Silvie answered.

“Symbiotic relationship?” James queried.

“Oh yes! All the students come here to study. We work very closely with the Royal Academy to ensure we provide an environment for studying and learning. In return, the library receives a portion of the tuition and funding from the crown. The Royal Academy staff also share parts of their private collections of books to help their students and in turn, they help others in the city too.” Silvie explained.

Prince James thought. ‘I was surprised to learn that the literacy rate is rather high for the capital. Most children are taught basic letters at a young age. For most it stops there but depending on the trade they take up or their social status, they learn far more.’

“Wow. Most impressive! With that in mind, any recommendations on what to read?” Prince James said.

“Of course. What would you like to learn more about?” Silvie asked.

Prince James knew he needed to understand more of this world’s history. “I am rather fascinated with history. Any good books you recommend I start with?”

Silvie’s eyes sparkled for a moment. “Follow me.”

After her statement she turned on her heels and headed back deeper into the library.

Prince James looked at Callus. His sergeant just shrugged his shoulders. The two men quickly caught up to the diminutive woman who seems rather spry for someone who looked to be a hundred years old.

Silvie led them to a room with a large desk and a few shelves and locked cases. On the desk were several open books. “This is one of our private study rooms. This room in particular is only used by the faculty and royal scholars. It has some restricted books that are quite old.” Silvie explained.

“Why are they restricted?” Prince James asked as he took one of the seats across from her.

Silvie got up out of the chair as she pulled out a key from a chain around her neck. “Simple answer is knowledge is power. With that said, several of these books are thousands of years old. They must be handled with care and without context of the writing at the time, many of these books would not be understood.”

Silvie opened one of the cases and withdrew a rather large tome and gently placed it on the desk before closing and locking the case back up.

‘How is she able to carry that huge thing? She can’t weigh much of anything.’ Prince James thought as he watched her.

Finally catching back up with what she was saying, Prince James asked a follow up question. “Context?”

“Ah yes dearie, good that you caught that. The events of the time were so well known that many of the books left gaping holes in their subjects as everyone at the time had lived through it. The brain fills in gaps if you do not pay attention.” Silvie responded.

“Makes sense. What does that tome tell us?” Prince James asked.

“After enough cross-referencing it tells of the great war for reality itself.” Silvie answered.

Seeing Prince James’ raised eyebrow, Silvie continued. “What do you know of the origins of the Light and the Dark?”

“Only that the forces of Light and Dark have been battling each other since the beginning of time.”

“That is for the most part true, dearie. What you are leaving out is that long ago there was a great war and ever since the Light won the outcome of that war, every other conflict has been a skirmish in comparison.” Silvie explained.

“Oh, I do recall reading something about that.” Prince James said as he thought, ‘This sounds like what I remember learning in Sunday School. Could there be some correlation? This is a whole other world and reality as far as I understand it. Hmmm, this will require more investigation.’

Seeing the prince in deep thought, Silvie paused before steering him back to the subject at hand. “What do you know of the courts of fae?”

“Only that there are two main courts, Summer and Winter.” Prince James answered, a little confused in the change of subject.

“Yes, that is true, but do you know what distinguishes each court?” Silvie asked.

“Not really.” Prince James answered.

“The fae of the Winter Court are calculating and as cold as their season. Summer fae are full of passion and tend to favor the elements of fire and earth.” Callus commented.

Both Prince James and Silvie looked at the sergeant.

“What? That is how it was always described to me.” Callus stated.

Silvie raised her hand a gave a ‘so so’ gesture. “Not too far off. Winter focuses on the mind, battle, and cold hard facts. Typically, they use water, wind, and, at times, darkness elements. As they use logic primarily, many categorize them as cold and calculating. Summer, however, is about passion and life. Their common elements are fire, earth, and some nature magic thrown in there for good measure. In a nutshell, Winter focuses on the mind, and Summer focuses on the heart or soul, depending on one’s perspective.”

“Those can be diametrically opposed elements and viewpoints.” Prince James commented.

“Right, you are dearie. For thousands of years Summer and Winter have not exactly gotten along, but their rivalry runs deeper than opposing elements.” Silvie stated.

“Runs deeper? How so?” Prince James asked.

“Winter blames Summer for the outcome of the ancient war, and Summer blames Winter for not doing their part.” Silvie stated.

Prince James raised his hand. “Their part? Outcome of the war? I’m confused. Can you back up and start from the beginning?”

“Well, the beginning is too much to cover but I will give you more background. The ancient war between the Light and the Dark first started between angels and demons. Their battles were brutal, and it was only a matter of time before some of the older races chose sides.” Silvie paused as she opened the tome to a page showing angels and demons fighting.

Silvie turned the page, it showed demons approaching what Prince James assumed were Summer and Winter fae along with what looked to be genies. “Winter refused to get involved. The Winter Queen saw little reason in risk her people in the conflict. She was logical, perhaps the Winter Queen calculated the odds and realized the demons would not win. No one knows for sure except the Winter Queen herself, but what we do know is she ordered her court to abstain from the war.”

“I doubt either side was a fan of that.” Prince James commented.

“Indeed. Even though the demons were filled with rage, they were smart. They realized the demons needed to play to their strengths and decided to focus on beings with strong passions and emotions. Rather than approach the Summer Queen, the demons recruited some of the djinn children, those who were young and arrogant who thought they knew better than the older generation. The demons played on their egos and convinced them they deserved better than their lot in life. When the djinn joined the fray, the war started to shift in the demons’ favor. Having such success with the younger djinn, the demons did not approach the Summer Queen, and instead began to appeal to the younger Summer fae and their passions. Soon the court decided to throw their lot in with the Dark.”

“Summer joined the Dark?!” Prince James asked in surprise. He always envisioned Summer as being lighthearted and would’ve expected them to join the Light.

Silvie raised her hand. “Not all of Summer joined but several of us did.”

“Us?!”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Yes dearie, I am half Summer fae, unlike Lady Firebrand who is full fae. What I can tell you is that it was our greatest regret.”

“But how did they win them over?! Which ones abstained?” Prince James asked.

“Please dearie. You must know that it is easy to manipulate emotions and convince someone to abandon what is good for them because you have stirred their heart to such an extent. To answer your other question, the oldest of the Summer fae most attuned to life and nature abstained. They could not go against their court, but they were wise enough to see the folly of what their people were doing.” Silvie answered.

“That is true about using people’s emotions to manipulate them. At least some of Summer did not get involved.” Prince James answered. He felt genuine sadness for some reason hearing that Summer sided with the Dark. ‘Why am I feeling so sad from this story? Maybe because I know it won’t end well?’

“The universe was young, we, like the djinn, were a bit full of ourselves. Our king argued against such actions but as the young think they know better than the old, they could not be swayed from their choices.” Silvie continued.

“Your King?” Prince James perked up. This was the first time he ever heard of a fae king.

“Yes, Oberon. He was king of the Summer and Winter Courts, along with the djinn. He loved to hunt, create new things, and to craft. Oberon was the greatest of us. Many of the other races respected him for his skills and his fairness. He taught the elves to hunt and live within the forests. The dwarves learned much from Oberon when their fledgling race came to be during this dark time. He taught them to work the earth and how to mine and forge. I think the dwarves more than even the elves would spend as much time as they could learning from Oberon.” Silvie explained.

“Is that why the dwarves love to craft so much?” Prince James asked.

“Yes, Oberon helped them find purpose and a love for creation. It was that love that led the dwarves to join the Light in the war. The elves forever split, some joining the Light and others the Dark.” Silvie continued.

“How did Oberon handle that? Dwarves on one side. Summer fae and djinn on the other. Elves split between both.” Prince James asked.

“The Winter Queen implored him to not join the fight, that any side he chose would forever upset the other. Oberon heeded Winter’s advice and abstained. It is rumored that it broke his heart to do so.” Silvie said with what sounded like sadness in her voice.

“I can imagine. It is the worst when families fight.” Prince James commented as he recalled his own children when they would disagree on something.

“Yes dearie. But the war turned to Light’s favor when the dragons joined the angels. They have always been guardians and guides, well at least they used to be. I am getting off track, where was I? Oh yes. Shortly after the dragons threw their full might in with the Light, the Dark fell, and when I say fell, they fell hard.”

“I remember reading something about that in a history book at the cottage.” Prince James commented as he recalled what he read.

“The demons and some of the other members of the Dark were banished but the others that sided with them had to pay a terrible price. The queen of the djinn begged for leniency. Her pleas fell on deaf ears. The angels wanted to strike down the djinn and the fae both.”

“All the fae?” Prince James asked.

“Yes dearie. The angels did not take kindly to Winter and some in the Summer court abstaining. They wanted to remove fae from existence. When the things seemed the bleakest, our king came to our rescue.” Silvie answered.

“How so?” Prince James asked in rapt attention.

“I am getting to that dearie. Oberon offered his life in place of his people.” Silvie said as she started to get choked up. “Can you imagine it? Loving your people so much that you would pay their price. This time the plea was heard, and Oberon was struck down.” Silvie said as a tear fell from her cheek.

Prince James pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Silvie took it and dabbed her tears. “T-thank you dearie. I still have a hard time with this. So much changed for so many with that one act. Those djinns were bound in service, their power to never be used for selfish purposes again. Their queen shackled and forever bound. Summer was cast out of Avalon, to live among the races we had betrayed.”

“What about Winter?” James asked.

“For their lack of action, their penance has been to fight and hold the line against the Dark and those who seek to invade our reality. The Light can be poetic at times. The Winter Queen buried her grief in war, and to this day she has never forgiven Summer for the loss of her love. What the Winter Queen does not know is that Queen Tatiana has never forgiven herself either.” Silvie explained, clear sorrow in her voice.

“How sad. So much suffering from the wrong choices, but that is the way of life.” Prince James commented.

“Yes, but even in tragedy something good can come of it. An angel came to the Summer Court to deliver a message. God was impressed by Oberon’s sacrifice. Such a selfless act was to be rewarded. Oberon was to be reborn.” Silvie said with renewed hope in her voice.

“Reborn? Did it happen?” Prince James asked with clear anticipation in his voice.

“We were told it would happen but not when. The angel said that if it was too soon then the sacrifice would have little meaning.” Silvie explained.

“But has it not been thousands of years? If it was to happen, you would think it would’ve happened already.” Prince James inquired.

Silvie chuckled a bit. “I think that is the point.”

“Huh?” Callus asked in confusion.

“If you knew exactly when something would happen, do you really learn what it means to have faith? The Light will always give you a path to redemption even when the Dark lies to you that such a thing is impossible. There have been a few potential hopefuls over the past several thousands of years.” Silvie explained.

“Really? What happened to them?” Callus asked the question before Prince James could.

“They have either been brought before one of the queens. The outcome has always been the same. Summer in her fury kills the candidate for daring to get her hope up. Winter is far crueler; she sends them to the front line of the fight with little to no support to be torn apart by things that dwell outside our reality. Neither are a fate I would wish on anyone.” Silvie solemnly stated.

“You have given me much to think about. Thank you for sharing such an important story. If you will excuse me Silvie but I have other matters, I must attend to. Hopefully I can return at another time, and you can tell me more about this world’s history.” Prince James said as he stood and bowed before leaving.

“Sire, why did you want to leave so abruptly?” Callus asked once they exited the private viewing room.

“I don’t exactly know. I just felt like someone had walked over my grave. Not sure you noticed how intensely Silvie was staring at me. It felt like she was looking for something. Either way, felt it was time to leave.” Prince James said as he walked quickly towards the library exit.

Godfrey and Tina both reached out to Prince James via Party Link.

“Master are you alright?” Godfrey asked.

“We both sensed your unease, Supreme One.” Tina explained.

“I am fine, do not concern yourself. It was nothing. Let me speak with Sloane. I have questions for him.” James answered.

“Understood Master, we will not dare to bother you further.” Godfrey replied.

Prince James shook his head as he reached out via Party Link. “Sloane.”

“Yes, your Majesty?” Sloane replied telepathically.

Prince James got right to what he wanted Sloane to work on. “Find out what you can about the head librarian.”

“Silvie?” Sloane replied in confusion.

“Yes, you know her?” Prince James asked.

“Let me tell you of the story of when I arrived in the capital...” Sloane began before Prince James interrupted as he exited the library.

“Hold that thought.” Prince James interrupted.

Prince James’ brain finally caught up to what seemed off. “Callus, where is Taka and Maruko?”

“I do not know Sire. They should be here guarding the doors. It is not like them to abandon their post.” Callus replied as he looked around for some signs of the two knights.

SWISH!

Prince James immediately dodged back, barely avoiding an arrow to the face.

“We want him alive you fool.” A cloaked figure said to another cloaked figure wielding a long bow.

“Eh, I should still get points if he dies.” The cloaked figure with the long bow replied.

Both men, along with a third cloaked figure walked out of the alley between two buildings across the street from the library.

“This is not some game you fool, quit your weird speech. Why I got paired with you I do not know.” The first cloaked figure said as he threw a few vials.

“Stand back your highness!” Callus said as he stepped in front of the prince and slashed at the vials with his drawn sword.

The vials shattered when his blade connected. Instantly the contents of the shattered vials spread like a fog that surrounded Sergeant Callus and Prince James.

Callus started to cough. “Cough, it is dousing powder! Cough, it closes off your energy pathways and... and can, cause... you... to... pass... out.” Callus barely said the last part before collapsing into unconsciousness.

THUD

TING, TING

Sergeant Thorn’s body collapsed to the street and his sword skidded across part of the street.

Prince James took a deep breath just before the powdery mist hit him. ‘Great, no magic, they must’ve done their homework. Luckily, I have Enhanced Breath Control. That should give me a few minutes of oxygen to deal with these jerks.’

Enhanced Breath Control

Description: Increases length user can hold their breath. Allows user to supplement Stamina for oxygen to keep the body going until Stamina runs out. Stamina consumption increases over time.

Prince James unsheathed his sword and charged the two cloaked figures.

“He’s got guts, I’ll give him that.” The first cloaked figure said.

The other cloaked figure not carrying a bow drew a short sword and charged the prince.

“Yea but not that smart.” The cloaked archer said as they began to rapidly fire arrows at the prince.

James dodged each arrow with a quick bend of his body or twist of his blade causing an arrow to veer off.

The cloaked figure with a short sword met the prince with a quick slash to his face.

Prince James quickly parried the blow while bending his body to dodge another arrow directed at his heart.

James did not wait for another arrow and backhanded the cloaked figure he was fighting causing the person to stagger. Moving with lightning speed Prince James buried his backup dagger in the cloaked figure’s chest, killing them instantly.

Sensing more arrows on their way, James let go of the dagger and adjusted his position, so the now dead cloaked figure took the arrows instead. Unfortunately, this caused the prince to lose his dagger as the body dropped to the floor.

“Why is this fool not going down?!” The cloaked archer exclaimed as he picked up his pace and began to back up.

The second cloaked figure withdrew two blades, one a shortsword, the other a long dagger. “It matters not, he cannot use his magic! Keep up the pressure and I will take him down!”

The cloaked figure’s blades began to glow a sickly green that gave James a feeling of wrongness.

‘That can’t be good.’ James thought as the swordsman darted to the side and then slashed at James.

On instinct James cast a wind spell called Repulse. The wind smacked the cloaked swordsman completely off guard and right in the face. The figure flew back in the air, flipping end over end until they slammed into a nearby building wall.

Repulse

Description: Wind magic attack, blunted with a focus on quick intense burst of air to push back the target. Minimal to no bludgeoning damage. Spell can be channeled for sustained effect.

‘Maybe the magic dampening effect hasn’t started yet?’ Prince James thought as he realized his magic should not be working.

“I thought you said he wouldn’t be able to use his magic?!” The cloaked archer called out as they continued to back up as James ran at them.

The cloaked swordsman shook their head, trying to remove the dazed effect they felt. As they stood, they replied, “He should not be able to! Once dousing powder touches the skin it is unavoidable. If one breathes it in, they knock out rather quickly.” The cloaked swordsman pointed to the unconscious sergeant.

“Well, I don’t really care about your fancy powder! Get over here and help me with this psycho!” The cloaked archer said right before they had to quickly dodge a slash from Prince James.

“You want to see psycho?! I can show you psycho!” James roared as he slashed again, this time kicking the archer right after the cloaked figure dodged.

The cloaked swordsman arrived just in time to parry a follow-up blow from Prince James, saving the archer’s life.

“Get up you fool!” The cloaked swordsman called out to his companion as he performed a follow up slash causing Prince James to quickly dodge and back up.

The swordsman was fast and strong, easily keeping up with James’ attacks.

The cloaked archer slowly got to his feet. “The kid hits like a Mac truck! Give me a minute.”

Those words caught James off guard, allowing the swordsman to get in a good slash to James’ right arm. Worse, James felt like something was attacking him from within.

“It matters not. That poison will cripple him soon enough!” The swordsman said with vicious glee as they increased their attacks.

The archer pulled a dagger of their own and charged into the fight.

‘Well, I don’t know what is going on, but I better apply as much strength and speed as I can before whatever they cut me with takes effect.’ Prince James thought in a panic.

Prince James began to apply more of his power to his swings, moving faster and faster, hitting harder and harder, allowing him to keep up with both attackers.

“I thought you said you poisoned him!” The once cloaked archer said in exasperation.

“I did!” The cloaked swordsman said a bit out of breath as they were struggling more and more trying to time keeping up with the prince’s attacks.

James moved in with a feint and caught the out of breath swordsman with a sharp knee kick knocking him back.

CRACK!

“AHHH! The bastard cracked my ribs!” The cloaked swordsman exclaimed in pain.

“Told you he hits like a Mac Truck!” The second cloaked figure said.

“I do not know what you say half the time you fool. I have no idea what a ‘Mac truck’ is.” The swordsman wheezed out.

The swordsman being slower prevented them from interceding when James punched the cloaked archer lifting him in the air before James turned to slash hard at the follow up attack from the swordsman.

Using the momentum from the blow to roll back to where the downed archer was, the cloaked swordsman winced as he came back to his feet. “AH! It is time we left... Now!”

The cloaked swordsman dropped another vial and smoke filled the alley they were fighting in.

With a quick use of Repulse, the wind cleared the smoke in the alley. The two cloaked figures were gone along with the body of the third. As Prince James scanned the area just in case, he saw Muro and Taka sleeping in a heap in the corner further into the alley.

“My liege, are you alright? You went quiet.” Sloane said telepathically.

“Master! I sensed your unease increase, what has happened?!” Tina asked.

“I am fine. Though my guards may need some medical attention. I am healing my wounds now.”

“Wounds?!” Godfrey and Tina both exclaimed before the two of them and Sloane appeared right next to Prince James.

Apparently, Godfrey was with Sloane and Tina discussing plans for Sanctuary when Prince James contacted Sloane. At first, they thought nothing of Prince James’ abrupt cut off the conversation as he had just been talking about a librarian and he said not to worry. Figuring James was just frazzled about the conversation, so they dismissed the uneasy feelings they were receiving from their master.

Rather than explaining what happened, Prince James decided to try something different and sent the last few moments of the fight through Party Link.

“That is most convenient way of sharing information Supreme One.” Tina said.

“Pick up my guards and make sure they are ok. They were hit with something they called dousing powder.” Prince James ordered.

“Dousing powder!” Sloane exclaimed.

“Yes, that is what they said.” James answered.

“Then how were you able to still use magic?!” Sloane asked.

“Guess it didn’t hit me.”

“The images you shared; it looked like you were hit. Dousing powder is one of the most dangerous compounds to anyone who uses magic. The only beings I know who are immune are beings with fully developed magical cores like dragons, elder fae, or archimages at the pinnacle of their power.”

‘Well, I am a dragon. I might have to tell Sloane that at some point but let’s hold off on that now.’ James thought as he realized why the powder had no effect on him. Then another realization hit. “You mean I could’ve used more magic?! I would’ve wiped the floor with them. Good to know next time. Luckily both Godfrey and Tina have magical cores.’

Prince James changed subjects. “Let’s sort that out later. Sloane go with Godfrey in taking my knights back to the palace.”

“But my liege, you should not remain here. Especially after you were just attacked!” Sloane protested.

“Fine. You investigate the area, and I will go back with Godfrey and Tina.” James answered.

That seemed to placate Sloane as he bowed. “Thank you, my liege.”

Poof!

James, Godfrey, and Tina teleported back to Prince James’s wing in the palace.

“Why did you acquiesce so easily Master?” Tina asked.

Telepathically he said, “I wanted the three of us to talk. I believe one of my attackers was from my world!”