The Forbidden Library (39 page)

“I don’t know everything for a reason. The Shogakami didn’t want people passing between Okoro and the realms. But just as the Winter Child was a key, there are bound to be others. The Ancient Cold and Deep once had a key on this side that corresponded to the Winter Child, the Winter Crone, but the Shogakami removed her when they imprisoned the yomon here.”

He began to piece all the information together. His heart stopped. His hopes crashed. “The Shogakami used the Nexus as a prison for the Blood King. I can’t go there. I can’t risk waking him and giving him a way to escape.”

“You must go there to have a chance at returning home,” she said.

Lu Bei scratched his chin. “If he’s asleep, perhaps we can pass through without waking him. And his power was absorbed by the Shogakami, right? So maybe he’s a pushover now.”

“That assumes the scraps of information we have are correct,” Turesobei said. “And that might be relative. He might still be too powerful for us to deal with. Even weakened he would probably be amazingly powerful.”

“I think that even if you entered and left the Nexus,” Ooloolarra said, “the Blood King would be unable to follow.”

“But the risk,” Turesobei said, shaking his head. “What if I unleashed the Blood King on the world again? The Shogakami disappeared centuries ago and we have only one known Kaiaru in Okoro now. There would be no one who could stop him.”

“We can’t stay here, master,” Lu Bei said. “You
have
to go back. And poor Lady Shoma.”

“Worry about the risks later,” Ooloolarra said. “Now that you are here, you must continue moving forward or the Keepers will execute you. Don’t even pretend you can escape them. Win their approval and get the sword you need to enter the Nexus. You can decide if it’s worth the risk after you leave the library.”

She frowned as if she pitied him, and perhaps she did. “I don’t want to get your hopes up. Just acquiring the sword will be next to impossible. First, I must convince the Gathering of Keepers to accept your bid. Then you must persuade them your cause is worthy. The Keepers are peculiar and difficult to reason with and you must understand that they don’t like dealing with situations not foretold by the Keeper of Destiny.”

“The Keeper of Destiny knows what will happen in the future?”

“Not exactly. It’s not simply that Keepers prevent powerful objects from falling into the wrong hands. Their mission is also to put those objects into the right hands, hands that will lead the world to the destiny they wish to bring about.”

“So it’s like the k’chasan Sacred Codex.”

She nodded. “Well, there’s a lot more power involved with further-reaching consequences, but yes, it is like Jujuriki Notasami’s childish book.”

Lu Bei giggled and Turesobei filed that comment away in
things he should never mention to Iniru
. “So this sword I need to open the Nexus Gate …”

“It is an ancient sword buried halfway up to the hilt in a stone block lying at the heart of the library. Its name is Fangthorn. When the sun faded, all the Keepers who yet remained, across the world, converged here at my Grand Library of Okoro, which was built on top of the shrine that housed the sword in its stone. You see, this place is more than a library. It is a treasure vault and a museum. Every item stored here has already played its part and awaits the end of the world. The Keepers must allow you to have the sword, but your having it was not foretold. So they must wake their lord and get his permission.”

“But if they are guided by destiny, wouldn’t they already know if I’m to have it or not?”

“No Keeper was ever appointed to guard this sword, and yet here it is. When the Keeper of Destiny took over the library and allowed me to stay on, I asked him what he wanted to do with the sword, and he told me to leave it be. If the Keepers decided someone deserved the item, he should be awakened and presented with that person. He would then make the final decision.”

“So I have to convince you, all the Keepers, and then their lord?”

Ooloolarra nodded. “And it gets worse. The Keepers have no control over Fangthorn, and unfortunately, the dragon bound into the sword hates you.”

“Dragon …” Turesobei winced. “The terrible shadow I saw in my nightmares!
That’s
why it knew I’d come to her. Because I’d want to get out of the Ancient Cold and Deep. She thinks I’m Naruwakiru.”

Ooloolarra gestured toward the storm sigil. “I cannot imagine why.”

“My life stinks.”

“So a sword with a dragon bound inside is the key to the Nexus?” Lu Bei asked. “That’s a really weird key.”

“It is not a key exactly,” she said. “The Shogakami didn’t create a key to open the Nexus. They didn’t intend for it to ever be opened again. Perhaps you’ve noticed that the Shogakami prefer imprisonment to killing? Though it’s possible the Blood King couldn’t be killed.”

“Then how can the sword get me in?” Turesobei asked.

“There’s always a loophole in an imprisonment spell, yes?”

Turesobei didn’t have much experience with imprisonment spells, especially any that would be cast by a Kaiaru, but he had studied the theory behind the common variety. “An imprisonment spell can be interrupted or broken by the one who casts it.”

Ooloolarra nodded. “The dragon within the sword helped the Shogakami cast the spell that locked the Blood King within the Nexus. That’s why you need her cooperation. It is not enough to merely wield the sword. The dragon
must
be willing to help you. She can open the gate to the Nexus.”

“But the dragon hates me.”

“Because she thinks you’re Naruwakiru, master. It shouldn’t be hard to convince her otherwise. Once she sees you in person, all will be fine.”

“You
are
infused with the power of the Storm Dragon, though,” said Ooloolarra, “and this dragon … she has gone mad from millennia of captivity and isolation. I’m not sure she will understand the difference. She may not even care.”

Turesobei slumped. “Great, more good news.”

Eyes narrowing, Lu Bei asked, “So who is this shadow dragon?”

“Not a shadow dragon,” Ooloolarra replied with a pitying sigh. “The Earth Dragon.”

Turesobei gulped. “
The
Earth Dragon?!”

“Lady Hannya of the Caverns, powered by the depths of the earth, rivaled only by Mekazi Keshuno the Shadow Dragon and Naruwakiru the Storm Dragon.”

“No, no, no.” Lu Bei fluttered his wings nervously. “It can’t be Hannya. The Earth Dragon vanished ages … Oh. Wait a second, lady, who could possibly bind the Earth Dragon into a sword? And what kind of sword could hold her?”

“Hannya was bound into the sword by Tepebono.”

“The hero who killed the Storm Dragon centuries ago?” Turesobei asked. “But he was just a zaboko man. How could he bind something as powerful as the Earth Dragon?”

Ooloolarra chuckled. “He may have
looked
zaboko, just as you look baojendari, but he was Kaiaru. Did you think a normal human could slay the Storm Dragon on his own?”

“Well, no, I guess not. But none of the tales mentioned it.”

“I didn’t know either,” Lu Bei added.

“Perhaps the tales are wrong because the people of Okoro forgot about the Kaiaru until the baojendari invaded. The Shogakami were more than Kaiaru by that point, just as the dragons were.”

“So he bound Hannya after he killed Naruwakiru?” Turesobei asked.

“Before. He bound Hannya into the sword and used it to kill Naruwakiru. That’s the only way he could rescue his lover, Lady Amasan, whom Naruwakiru had kidnapped. Remember, by that point Naruwakiru had more than a dragon’s kavaru heart. She had merged her kavaru with the jade heart made by her priests with blood magic. Her power had tripled and was growing steadily.”

“How could he bind her into a sword?”

“It wasn’t just any sword. This blade was forged of dark steel.”

“Dark steel? That’s impossible … right?” Dark iron was temperamental, and it supposedly couldn’t be forged into steel like with the equally rare white iron.

“Fangthorn is a unique sword. Only its forger ever knew how it was made.”

“Even still, I don’t get how he could bind the Earth Dragon so easily.”

“Tepebono was a master of binding spells, and in this case he prepared them in advance using blood magic that centuries later killed him so thoroughly he couldn’t be resurrected.”

“Why not use the sword directly against Naruwakiru?”

“She was too powerful for him to bind by that point.” 

“Okay, I understand why Hannya would hate me if she thought I were Tepebono, but she thinks I’m Naruwakiru. As a sword she was used to defeat Naruwakiru. Why would she hate the Storm Dragon so much?”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either,” Lu Bei said.

Ooloolarra shrugged. “
That
is the great mystery. I know they were rivals long, long ago, before Hannya and Naruwakiru became dragons. Obviously something happened between them. What, I couldn’t even guess. But Hannya has had millennia to nurse this grudge.”

Turesobei started to speak, but she put a finger to her lips and shook her head. Then, smiling sympathetically, she leaned forward and touched his arm. “I know you have dozens more questions in you still, but let us not delve into more mysteries. I’ve told you everything you must know to move forward.”

“I’m never going to get home.”

“No,” she replied, “I don’t think you will. But nevertheless, I will aid you as I can and wish you the best. Tomorrow morning, I will formally present you to the Keepers and speak well of you.”

“Thank you, Ooloolarra. I’m indebted to you.”

“Of that, I am certain.” Her lips peeled back into a broad smile, revealing razor-sharp teeth. “My services have a price, though.”

Turesobei sighed. Of course. None of this could be easy. “What’s your price?”

“Here it comes,” Lu Bei muttered dejectedly.

“You have something I want.” Her eyes fell upon Lu Bei. “You must leave the fetch with me.”

Chapter 48

“Yep, just as I expected,” Lu Bei said. “There’s a good reason Master kept my book form secret from you.”

“
No
!” Turesobei clenched his fists. “I can’t leave him behind! I need Lu Bei. He’s bound to me, and he’s my friend.”

“I am, above all, a collector of books and information,” Ooloolarra said. “And he is the most unique book I have ever seen. You know, you might be better off without him. If you understood your destiny well enough, I think you would agree.”

“I don’t
care
about my destiny,” Turesobei replied. “I love Lu Bei and he’s mine. I
won’t
leave him here.”

“I’m sorry, but that is my price.” She twirled her hair through her fingers.

“Once he’s more than two hundred paces away from me, he won’t even be a fetch anymore!”

“I’ll find a way to work around that,” she replied. “And if not, so be it.”

“I can’t agree to this deal.”

“Without me to plead your case to the Keepers, you have no hope of returning home,” Ooloolarra said. “And you will die here.”

“Do as she says, master. If my staying here is the price, then so be it. You
must
return home with the others.”

As he glared at Ooloolarra, the storm mark on Turesobei’s cheek started to burn. But he reigned it in. Freeing Lu Bei from this deal would just be one more problem to solve, one there was no point in worrying over yet since he might not even live that long. 

Turesobei gritted his teeth. “Fine. I agree.” He stood to leave. “If you speak on my behalf, you may keep Lu Bei.” 

“Go now and rest. The Keepers will gather at dawn.”

*****

The Keeper of Scrolls met him on the staircase.

“She will represent me tomorrow,” Turesobei told him.

“So be it,” the Keeper replied.

“I can find my own way back.”

The Keeper stepped to the edge of the gallery, jumped off, flew several levels down, and disappeared. To where, Turesobei didn’t care.

Stoically he walked down the staircase, crossed the library, pausing for a moment to look at the door that led to the Lower Stacks, and returned to the building that housed the guest rooms. Lu Bei fluttered along silently behind him. 

Motekeru bowed and opened the door to his room for him. He didn’t ask anything.

“Lu Bei, stay out here with Motekeru. Do not record anything that happens inside. When they ask, tell the others what they should know.”

Lu Bei bit his lip and frowned, then he sighed and bowed. “Yes, master. I will do so.”

Turesobei entered his room and locked the door behind him. He sat on the bedroll and stared at the wall absentmindedly. His brain was numb. His heart overwhelmed.