A deep, pained breath left Ash’s lungs as he pushed the blanket aside and struggled to the edge of his bed. He groaned, rubbing his eyes as they swept over Khukri.

Angry light spilled from beneath the door, making Ash cringe into the little alcove his bed offered. “Khukri?” Ash mumbled, pulling the blanket up to cover himself. “What do you want?”

The wolf knelt next to the door, wordlessly watching with hungry eyes.

“Stop.” Ash commanded.

Her stare had a presence, not something painful, but he could tangibly feel it bore into him. She saw him for what he was: nothing. His weakness and inadequacy lay bare, making it clear to both she was better. How had he kept something like that enslaved? Predators were meant to hunt.

Ash cried out, jumping to his feet with grit teeth. That thought, that terrible thought left a shuddering echo as he chased it away. “You aren’t a predator, you’re just a girl!” Ash told her, falling to his knees so he could look her in the eyes.

The angry light swept around him, but he refused to retreat to the safety of his bed. “I want to help you!” Ash insisted, fingers clenched. “I’m trying to...”

“Hey!” An unfamiliar voice called from outside his cabin. “Is everything okay in there?”

The door... there’s someone out there. Ash’s breath caught as he stumbled forward, clutching the handle to hold himself up. It rattled, further shaking his trembling hand before he forced the barrier aside, determined on remembering where he was - angry light be damned.

His eyes constricted on their own, revealing a twisting maelstrom of green strands flowing from the sky and cascading over the other, larger boats in port. They graced his skin as they flowed over the city in a rolling wave, coiling him in their crushing embrace. A deer-girl in black leather armour accented by a white cape turned toward his boat from the dock. “Why’re you yelling?” she asked. “Is everything alright?”

There was another light in that woman, a soothing, pink light that beckoned him. “No,” Ash insisted, looking back through the door at his empty room. “I’m fine, just reading a book. Sorry for being so loud.”

“Okay...” the woman said doubtfully. “Keep it down, then.”

Ash swallowed, transfixed on the deer-girl passing his boat. That light, that wonderful, soothing light is supposed to be mine... She’s just going to waste it... He staggered back into the room, furious eyes falling on Khukri, who knelt in the shadows, watching him from the bed.

“I’m okay.” Ash insisted, breathing heavily as he marched up to the wolf. “You’re not real. I left you back at Isle Point.” A finger pointed accusingly at the wolf-like shadow, wavering in the harsh light of day.

The finger lowered to his side, as he realized words weren’t for her - they were for him. He was alone. He was safe. Whatever this was, this feeling, this need, it was something wrong with him.

Ash removed the half bottle of whiskey from one of the compartments, untouched since his time with Issac. He made a mental note to thank the man someday. With a last pained gasp, he wrenched the top off and put the bottle to his lips.

* * *

Ash barely remembered docking at West Origin, and what little there was came in a jumbled haze. From his spot, hanging over the railing and nursing a sore, pounding head, his gaze shifted from the drydock request form to the incomprehensibly vast capital sprawl.

West Origin consisted of an entire peninsula, constructed into a city that dwarfed even Azure Junction. It was a teeming mass of buildings with sloped roofs covered in white clay shingles, with structures separated by cobblestone roads. The port was roughly the same as Isle Point’s, with wide wooden docks filled with workers and ships. Unlike Isle Point, however, the massive city didn’t have one dock, but dozens, all marked amidst a colourful sea of flags. Despite the similarities, one difference made it impossible to mistake West Origin for any other city: the royal library.

Mellow spring air washed over Ash’s face as he leaned back on the ship’s railing, peering over his new mast to truly appreciate the scope of the ancient wonder. The tower dominated the skyline, making other buildings look like boulders at the base of a mountain. Kilometres of weathered stone rose from the earth in a massive multi-sided monolith, stretching higher than Ash thought possible. Each side was decorated with unfamiliar symbols that shimmered with sunlight reflected from inlaid mirrors.

Ash blinked, tearing his eyes from the ethereal mountain as a wave of vertigo and nausea pulled him back to reality.

It was hard to imagine a city so staggeringly huge its people needed to coordinate everything from food to waste management. The logistics rapidly outstripped Ash’s meagre understanding, leaving him to file ‘city management’ in the growing list of things he didn’t understand and hadn’t the time to learn.

Khukri’s phantom was gone when he’d awakened, banished alongside the terrible thoughts and feelings it brought. He felt... well, not good. Half a bottle of whisky wasn’t about to leave him with sweet dreams. At least he felt like himself. His thoughts were finally clear again, quiet. The worst part was, even if he wanted to figure out what was wrong with him, who could he trust to ask? If it were related to Deianira, a stray word could bring another Via to his doorstep.

Did Sturm have visions like those? With dangerous feelings that weren’t his? Not in any of the issues he’d read... but if he did, then it was exactly the kind of thing a publisher might remove. Your hero losing their mind wasn’t exactly the most profitable end for a centi-series.

The capital was massive, and Ash had a lot to do before he could return to Khukri. She’d protect him if he had another vision. He stepped up to the boat’s edge, sighing in relief as his pants fell to his ankles. A stream of urine mixed with the roaring ocean while he enjoyed one final relaxing moment before returning to his mission.

“Hey! The fuck are you doing?” a woman demanded.

Ash tensed, but now that he’d started, no force on Earth was about to stop the stream. He glanced over his shoulder where a guardswoman in black leather armor and a white cape shouldered a particularly nasty looking hooked halberd. “Um… pissing?”

The woman scowled, obviously displeased with the answer. “We installed toilets on the docks specifically to get you hicks to stop pissing in the ocean!” She turned, indicating a building at the end of the docks.

Well, whatever toilets were, the woman seemed very insistent he should know. Luckily, Ash remembered Khukri’s advice on not making himself a target. “Oh! I’m sorry!” he yelled over his shoulder. “I didn’t know you had toilets! I’ll use them next time!”

The woman let out an irritated grumble, but relented. By the time Ash pulled his pants back up, she’d already moved on to yell something at a cargo ship one pier over. It didn’t take long to find the dockmaster after that, a rather stern gentleman wearing a green robe and an overly feathered hat. Ash paid for the little vehicle to be moved to drydock for storage, along with minor repairs to the hull and sails, then proceeded into the city. As much as he liked the boat, Robyn was probably spreading a description among the coastal guard. It was safer locked away in some warehouse in the capital, where no one even knew who Ruari was. So long as he kept up on storage fees, he could pick it up after the heat died down.

For the next several hours, Ash worked off his hangover by wandering aimlessly through the city. One would think moving towards the shiny mountain of stone would’ve been easy, but every step of the way, rows of multi-storied buildings blocked his path. Occasionally, roads led to plazas where buildings boxed him in on all sides and forced him into retreat. Eventually, Ash abandoned his pride and started asking for directions, only to end up even more lost. To his horror, the city boasted four libraries, and no one assumed that he meant the ‘Royal’ Library.

Sometime in the afternoon, Ash crossed the main road, drawing the eyes of wealthy citizens and gate guards. Between the spiked iron fence and the building, twenty girls stood at attention in Tythic heavy plate. The thick sheets of metal shrouding their figures turned just enough to remind him he was watched.

Thick, oaken doors boomed behind Ash as he entered and breathed a sigh of relief, gazing around the cavernous interior. The smooth stone walls surrounding him were dotted with glass lamps, turned up so high they were difficult to look at directly. Another heavy iron gate bisected the room, broken by a closed portcullis, the kind that would deter even female attackers from storming a castle.

After the crosshatch of metal, a young deer-boy sat behind a long wooden desk. He wore a red robe, cinched shut with a white sash, and watched expectantly as Ash crossed the room. When Ash reached the gate, the man smiled. “Welcome to the Royal Library, sir, what brings you here today?”

Ash slipped the bag from his back and withdrew the golden card, then held it through the bars. “Someone I knew recommended some reading for me. The Wolf Queen, a centi-series by Braith of Sibir.”

The librarian examined his card with a long, purposeful stare, before finally rising to his feet. “Right this way, Your Lordship.” The man pulled a lever beneath his desk, causing the portcullis to inch up with loud, mechanical clacks, only to slam shut with an echoing boom once Ash passed the threshold. The librarian smiled, ushering Ash to follow as he turned down a long hallway. “Is this your first time, Sir?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

That was... shockingly easy. It was about time something went right. “Yeah.”

The librarian smiled, opening a lavishly decorated room with a mural depicting a bushy-maned lion overlooking a half-constructed spire. Ash entered, selecting a plump leather chair to sink into, one with cushions so comfortable it gave Issac’s bed a run for its money. “Not a problem,” the man said. “I’ll walk you through how things work. Feel free to get comfortable; you may read in solitude for as long as you like. No drinks or food while handling the books; you’ll be liable for damages, and some of them are quite rare. Let whoever’s at the front desk know what book you want and they’ll have one of our librarians retrieve it from the tower. Which book you requested will be recorded, and you won’t be allowed to leave until it is returned. I believe you asked about a centi-series?”

Ash set his pack on the ground beside the chair. Now, he had to make a minor decision. He’d read issues 1 to 91 of The Wolf Queen, so should he start with issue 92 and read the story as the author intended… or jump directly to the elusive issue 98? “Is there a limit to how long I can stay? Or how many I can read?”

The man blinked. “This is a library, Sir. We didn’t make the rooms so comfortable because we want you to leave.”

“I’ll take The Wolf Queen, by Braith of Sibir, issue 92, please.” Ash held his breath, but the man only bowed. “Please wait here, Sir. It may take a moment to find your book. We have them organized, but the library is vast, and we only have so many on staff.”

“Okay…” Suddenly, Ash’s eyes widened. “Wait! What if I need to pee?”

The man paused at the door. “Ah, should you need to relieve yourself, come get me. I’ll hold the book and show you to the toilet.”

Well god damn! A wild grin flooded Ash’s face. “You guys have toilets here too?”

This time Ash only received a blank stare. “The library serves as West Origin’s water tower, Sir. All the toilets in the city only flush because of us. If there was one place in the city that had toilets, we’d be it.”

Ash’s jaw dropped. “They’re connected?”

“Sir,” the man said, his speech becoming clipped, “this is a library. If you wish to learn the intricacies of Othelan plumbing I’m certain I can find you a book. You did come to read, yes?”

“Er… yes, thank you,” Ash mumbled.

After his host left, Ash adjusted the lighting and leaned back into the chair with a satisfied grunt. The walk through the city had been overwhelming, with a new experience he wished to share with Khukri around every corner. Both because he missed her, and because he’d forgotten how utterly draining it was to walk all day without a wolf’s endurance.

The door opened once more, but instead of the man from earlier, a far older one appeared. His skin sagged slightly, and his fur greyed with age, but his dress was one of pure white silk, accented by a golden sash cinched around his waist. He smiled politely as he dragged an old wooden chair across the room and set it opposite Ash’s, before sitting with a pained grunt.

“Hi,” Ash said.

“Yes, hello. It seems your little plan has worked,” the man said with a chuckle. “You’ve got my attention.”

Ash looked around, trying to work out how he might pretend he knew what was going on. “Yes… And I’m happy to meet you. Err… so, are you here to read too?”

The older man raised an eyebrow. “Son, I’m too damn old to play games. We both know full well the book you’ve requested has been moved to the restricted section, along with every other book on the banned list.”

Restricted section? Damn it, the stupid book ban even applies to the Royal Library? Still, he said ‘restricted,’ so someone had to have access, and if it was this man, Ash needed to play along. “You’re right, sorry. Let me introduce myself…”

“I know who you are, Governor… or Ex-governor, I should say.” The man gave a knowing smile. “We met once. I led the ceremony to present you with your library card. You’ve grown quite a bit since then. It would’ve been nice if it didn’t take a coup to get you down here… I’m High-Librarian Levi.”

Ash, caught completely off guard, decided the capital wasn’t the best place to be mistaken for a threat to the crown. “Uh, I’m not Governor Ruari.”

“Must we…” Levi said with a weary sigh. “In case you’ve forgotten, the symbols on your card are letters in the Tsu alphabet. It literally has your name on it.”

Ash hesitated, wondering if this was a bluff. “Why would a library in Tythic use the Tsu alphabet?”

“Because Tsu, for all his faults, issued the Four Corners of Knowledge Edict.” Levi bowed his head respectfully. “We may have separated from the empire, but we honour his commitment to heal the wounds inflicted by The Schism… also, changing the entire filing system to a new alphabet would cost a lot of money, and your family decided our monthly stipend.”

Not bluffing then. “Oh. Yeah… My bad.” Ash scratched his head nervously. “I had no idea what was on that card. An acquaintance of mine lent me that so I could read here.”

Levi narrowed his eyes. “Really, so you’re an acquaintance of the ex-governor?”

Before the coup, Ash knew the names of a few people who might have cards, but they were all dead now. Luckily, the one person whom he knew had one was far too distant to call his bluff. “Governess Robyn gave me this actually. Maybe she found Ruari’s card—”

“Governess Robyn!” The old man barked out a long harsh laugh. “Governess Robyn of Clan Inisraighe, a royal caribou, gave a man a library card, so he can read a book banned specifically because it gives men the wrong idea about their place?”

Really? Ash assumed the book was banned because someone in a position of power realized it was holy. Apparently they just didn’t like Sturm’s dick.

The smile slowly faded from the old man’s face. “Boy, I have no interest in telling those southerners you’re here. Now, if you want access to the restricted section, I suggest you stop the games and start negotiating.”

Negotiating? Even if he actually was the ex-governor, what could the librarian expect from him? Ruari lost all power and influence during the coup. After a moment of contemplative silence, Ash shifted forward in his chair. “Okay, how much do you want?”

Another derisive snort. “I’m ninety-two, Lad. I hardly have the time or energy to flee the country weighed down by dirty coin.”

“What do you want then?” Ash pressed.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Levi raised an eyebrow. “The books, Boy, I want the books.”

“No, I want the books,” Ash countered. “That’s why we’re negotiating.”

“Not just your books, all the banned books,” Levi said derisively. “Every library in the country is shipping books on the banned list here hoping we can save them. The new queen called for my retirement at the end of spring, with honours, the bitch. I’m sure whoever replaces me will be less adverse to book burning. As stingy as your family was, they respected the library. Hopefully, you do too.”

The end of spring? Between the business with Miyoko and all the traveling, it was already well into the season. That didn’t leave much time before issue 98 was reduced to ashes. “What do you expect me to do?” Ash demanded. “Tell the Crown to reverse their policy?”

Levi shrugged. “I haven’t the foggiest what your capabilities, or those of any benefactors protecting you might be, and I hardly care. There’s thousands of librarians staring down warbows to keep cultural treasures from becoming historical footnotes. I’m not about to put them at risk by letting you pick and choose which ones deserve to survive.”

Despite his age, a passion burned in Levi’s eyes, and Ash could tell this conversation wasn’t going his way. He needed to change tack. Perhaps gathering information would show him some third option. “Why do you care so much?”

The high-librarian didn’t move, save for the single raised eyebrow. “Not a fan of history, are you, boy?”

Ash’s father had plenty of books in his trunk. Each cost a considerable sum, and a history book wouldn’t do much to increase a farm’s profits. “It was never my strongest subject.”

“The cardinal libraries were founded as religious institutions for the Path of Tsu. It was the librarians’ sacred duty to drag us from the shadow cast by The Schism… and they did.” A flicker of pride ran across his face. “When the Tsu Empire decreed that the job was important enough that cats should run the libraries, the West Origin Royal Library’s tithe was spent raising a military to liberate the peninsula from the empire. This building…” Levi leaned forward as his words turned to a hiss, and he tapped the ground with his foot. “This country was founded as a holy sanctum of our world’s knowledge, and has been for centuries. Not one word altered. Not one line removed. The only reason the past is not simply whatever a king, cardinal, or captain claims, is because - we - remember.” Levi’s eyes fluttered as he leaned forward, clutching his chest.

“Hey, you okay?” Ash half-stood, holding a hand out to steady the old man before having it gently slapped away.

“Get! I’m fine… just old.” Levi hung his head for a moment, then straightened. “You know… it’s hardly fair. Gavin, the previous High-Librarian, he got old too. But his legs gave out when he was sixty. My first job here was actually rolling the old bastard around everywhere in a wheelchair.”

Ash had a creeping suspicion that ‘High-Librarian’ might be a more important position than he’d suspected, and that he shouldn’t engage more than necessary. Unfortunately, he was curious. “How isn’t that fair?”

“I’m ninety two!” Levi snapped. “Where’s my wheelchair boy! There’s seventy floors in this blasted building and I have to use my legs for an extra 30 years because I’m too healthy? Does that sound fair to you?”

“I… guess not?” Ash sat back down. Whatever problem the man might’ve had, passed. “How’d you go from wheelchair boy to High-Librarian?”

“I was thirty-five, with eight degrees in information management when I became wheelchair boy.”

Eight degrees in anything was impressive. On Eriskay, Ash’s father was considered well-educated with one degree each in agriculture, animal husbandry, carpentry, and blacksmithing. The way Ash’s father explained it, you paid to become an apprentice for a year, then were tested by some sort of official at the end. The test’s standards rose with each degree, ending at the tenth when you were considered a master in your field.

“You know what? Add that to my list of demands," Levi said dryly. “All the books, and if your family ever returns to power, add a stipend specifically for a wheelchair boy.”

At this point, it was clear the cost of issue 98 would be more than the 800 florins Ash was used to. “Even if I was Ruari, which I’m not, you can’t expect me to solve something like that in one day.”

“No,” Levi agreed, rising to his feet. “Officially, I’ve informed you that, while we wish to honour your request, the Queen does not. Now, does the young lord need to dash away and inform his benefactors? Or can I interest you in something else?”

That’s right! Just because the books he needed were off limits, that didn’t mean the trip was a waste. He was in a repository of knowledge reserved for only the upper echelons of society, with a ticket to read anything! “Are toilets banned?”

Levi glared at him.

“Books about toilets,” Ash quickly corrected. “Othelan plumbing, I guess. Are those banned?”

After Ash didn’t back down from the irritated glare, Levi grunted. “Why in Deianira’s name would books about toilets, of all things, be banned?”

Ash shrugged. “I don’t understand why anything would be banned, yet here we are...”

Levi hesitated. After a moment of silence, his shoulders sunk slightly. “Very well, I’ll inform the librarians you wish for a book on plumbing. When you’re ready to discuss our arrangement, you have my card.”