The massive stained glass doors swung open soundlessly as the four of them stepped into the building. The entire ?oor was open. It was a single large room with bookshelves lining every wall. Thousands of books ?lled each and every one of these shelves from ?oor to ceiling. People in out?ts resembling Amy’s moved around the building, looking over different volumes and articles. At the far end of the room stood a sizeable gilded staircase that wound its way up to the second story.

  Without a word, the three of them followed Cylus as he spoke. "This is the Grand Library of The Citadel, the place where all tomes originate.”

  They walked up the stairs at the far end, clearly heading for the second ?oor, which in all actuality, was just a simple horseshoe-shaped walkway that wrapped around the upper half of the building. More bookshelves lined these walls, and at the center of the room, another walkway af?xed to the ceiling via ropes shot out. At the end of this walk was a disk that looked similar to the one they had taken when they left the cavern. It ?oated unassisted in the air, separated ever so slightly from the long catwalk.

  Cylus walked wordlessly around the horseshoe and towardanother door that stood at the opposite end. This door was gilded with the same dragon as all the other ornaments, and Sai began to suspect that it had some meaning that he was missing.

  Stopping in front of the door, Cylus spoke again. “Amelia, I’d like to speak to Sai in private. Take our other guest and show her around the library.”

  Amy seemed surprised, but nevertheless, she complied. Something about Cylus seemed to sti?e any air of rebellion within her. “Of course, sir.” She gave an obedient nod and gestured to Michelle to follow her.

  Michelle quickly glanced at Sai, who nodded as if to say. It’s okay; go ahead. Hesitantly, she turned and followed Amy. They rounded the horseshoe once again and headed back downstairs. “Come, Sai, let us speak in private.” He opened the ornate door and held it.

  Sai entered and noticed hundreds of more books lining these walls as he did. Unlike the bookshelves in the other parts of the library, the ones which lined this room were made of rich, dark mahogany. They lined every wall of the circular room and bathed the space in the thick aroma of ancient pages. A grandiose, round, dark wood table sat at the center with several chairs positioned around it, and in the far corner, a dormant ?re-place sat, no doubt out of use due to the warm weather this time of year. The room was well-lit by a large, circular window at its western end. In front of this window sat a large desk, also made of mahogany and ?lled with loose pages and massive books. It took no time for Sai to realize what this room was.

  “Your of?ce, I assume?” Sai said as he marveled at his surroundings.

  “Yes, it is. Please, have a seat. I want to talk to you about what happened a few weeks ago.” Cylus replied.

  “Right to it then.” Sai pulled out a seat from the round table and sat down.

  Cylus sat across from him and spoke again. “ What exactly were you doing in Dione that night?”

  Sai explained everything. The mountain, the smoke, the ?re, and ?nally, the attack. “That's all I know.”

  “Yes, as to those details, I am well aware. That would be the same story you told Amelia. My question is, do you truly expect me to believe that you were there by sheer coincidence?”

  Sai looked confused. “You think I’m lying? What would I have to gain from that?”

  “Perhaps you were working with the attacker. That was a massive blaze; it would be hard to cause that kind of destruction, especially for an untrained tome wielder. It would also explain how you could have fought off said wielder with nothing but your bare hands. That should’ve been a death sentence, but miraculously, you walked away.”

  Sai looked at him, ?abbergasted. “Walked away? I didn’t walk away! I'd be dead if Amy hadn’t shown up when she did!”

  “Hmmm, perhaps you staged that ?ght as a way to make contact with our organization. After all, here you are in my of?ce at the heart of The Citadel.”

  “Look, I don’t know what you think is going on, but I assure you I had nothing to do with the attack. I barely even remember my name! How could I have orchestrated any of that? The truth is I went in to save Michelle and bit off more than I could chew.”

  “If that's true, you’ll have no problem telling me all you know about your attacker.” Cylus looked at him intensely.

  “Of course not! He was wearing a mask that looked almost like a bird's head. It was made of thickly woven cloth or leather. It was hard to tell, but I think he was using it to help him breathe in the thick smoke. He called himself Roark if I recall correctly.”

  “No doubt a pseudonym.” He replied without a hint of emotion. “He was the only assailant you saw?”

  “Yes, I found him in the building, reading from that blood-red book and attacking Michelle.”

  “Can you remember any of the lines he read? If so, I may be able to isolate the tome.” Cylus probed.

  “Yeah, he said something about the middle of his life's journey and the straight way being lost? Then the line ‘awaken inferno.” A shiver coursed through Sai’s body as he recalled it.

  He thought he saw Cylus’ eyes almost ?ash before fading back to their previous dull, piercing state. “Hmmm, and you're sure it was those words?”

  “Yes, I’m sure of it.”

  Cylus leaned back in his chair once again. “Fascinating. While I can not de?nitively prove, you speak the truth based on your testimony alone. You do seem strong in your convictions.” He added. “However, strong convictions do not prove innocence.”

  Sai didn’t like where this was going. A knot formed in his stomach as he asked, “What’s it gonna take to prove I’m innocent?”

  “Don’t worry, Sai, we have ways of weeding out dishonesties.”

  Sai looked at him hesitantly.

  “You will take the trial of the tome. It will decide if you are whom you say you are. If you’re telling the truth, and there’s no darkness in your heart, your name will be cleared. If this is the case, I may even ?nd use for you here. However, If even the slightest darkness persists within you, the tome will react to it and consume you. One more shadow will have been expunged from this world.”

  The ?oor seemed to fall away as Sai looked at him, horri?ed. “Consume me? Do you mean it will kill me?”

  Cylus looked at him callously. “If you are being sincere, you have nothing to fear. Your trial will commence at sun up tomor-row. For now, that is all. If you’ll please.” He held out a scroll and handed it to Sai. “Give this to Amelia. She will show you where you'll be staying for the night.” He stood and directed Sai toward the door.

  Sai stammered in vain as he was escorted out of the room by Cylus. “But I” The door closed behind him, cutting him off. His stomach dropped as the door clicked shut. This could be it; by this time tomorrow, he could very well be dead.

  Like a zombie, he rounded the long horseshoe walkway and headed down the stairs, where he saw Michelle and Amy waiting.

  Amy looked at him, concerned. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Sai held out the scroll without a word.

  Taking the scroll, Amy unrolled it and read the ?rst line aloud. “Trial of the Tome to commence at sunup tomorrow….” She stopped dead. The look on her face was one of sheer fury and morti?cation. Without a word, she stormed past Sai and up the stairs.

  “Amy, wait!” Sai tried to shout, but she was already rounding the corner and heading for Cylus’s of?ce.

  She burst through the door, this time not holding her tongue. “What the hell are you thinking!?”

  Cylus sat a down book that he had been examining. “You would be wise to hold your tongue.” He said calmly. She went to speak again, but Cylus’s deafening glare shut her down without a word.

  “We need to verify if that boy was, in fact, part of the attack or not, or would you prefer I let him go free so he can reduce this place, your home, to ashes as well?”

  “Cylus, he was on death's door when I found him! The Trial of the Tome isn’t some litmus test; it’s an execution!” Her voice shook with anger.

  “Amelia, do not forget to whom you speak! I am responsible for the oversight, distribution, and use of all tomes on this continent. We know for a fact that Dione was eviscerated by one of those very tomes, if not more. What would you have me do, wait until these dark users kill every man, woman, and child across Galaxias Kykolos? No, I will not take such a risk. Sai will take the test, and you will remember your place.”

  “But, Cylus, he doesn’t even remember his past! How can we know what will happen?” Amy pleaded with him.

  “Enough! I do not know what your obsession with this boy is, but your ?rst duty is to The Citadel. If need be, I will remove you from the equation.” He shouted sharply as he drew out a pitch-black book from the sleeve of his dark robe. “Have I made myself clear?”

  Amy recoiled and bit her tongue. “Of course, sir, I-I’m sorry.”

  “Now, go and show our guest where they’ll be staying for the night as instructed, and after the trial tomorrow, you are to return the girl to Iapetus.” He said sternly.

  “Yes, sir.” Amy opened the door and trudged defeatedly back to Sai and Michelle.

  As he saw her remerge, Sai spoke. “Amy…” He tried to console her as she walked past them.

  “This way, please. I need to show you where you’ll be staying.” The frustrated, melancholy tone in her voice was crystal clear.

  Michelle and Sai looked at one another with concern before quickly following Amy as she led them from the building.

  “He doesn’t want to see me?” Michelle questioned. “No,” Amy replied ?atly as she walked on.

  The group trailed down the steps of the Grand Library and through the smoothly paved streets of the small town surrounding it. Wordlessly, they walked across the platform they had taken earlier in the day and headed down another pristine road that cut through a row of tall, black brick buildings. By this point, the sun was beginning to get low in the west, no doubt spilling sunlight over many volumes which lined Cylus’ of?ce. They approached a building nestled within the row, and Amy came to a stop.

  “This is where you’ll be staying.” She pointed to a sign that hung above her head, which read “Barnaby’s.” Amy stepped up and opened the door to let Sai and Michelle pass.

  “Welcome!” A voice echoed out from behind a bar in front of them. A large man with a ?ery red beard stood behind the counter, polishing a ?ne glass ?agon. As she approached the counter, Amy gave him a quick, wordless wave, and he handed her a key. “Room four,” he said as he dropped the key into her hand.

  “Thanks, Barnaby.” And with that, Amy escorted both Sai and Michelle up the stairs. They came to a door which Amy quickly unlocked. The room was warm and lit by the glow of candlelight. It was decorated neatly with a table, a few chairs, and a single, full-size bed at the center of the room. A stack of blankets sat neatly folded at its foot.

  “Here you are. This is where you'll be staying for the night. I’ll be back ?rst thing in the morning to take you to the trial location.” Amy explained. Her tone was disheartened and hopeless.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Thank you, Amy. Is there any way we can talk about what’s going on?” Sai asked concernedly.

  She sighed. “I suppose I can’t deny you that small comfort. Let’s sit.” She walked into the room and pulled out one of the chairs from the table. Michelle nodded and took a seat along with Sai.

  “I guess the real question is, is there any way out of this?” Sai asked.

  Amy shook her head. “No, I’m afraid there’s not.”

  Michelle spoke up, “Why not just run away? You have nothing to prove to him. I know you had nothing to do with it. I’d even go with you if you wanted me to….” She blushed slightly. She hadn’t meant for it to come out like that, but Sai had saved her life, and she knew she’d do anything to ensure he didn’t suffer for it.

  Amy looked down and shook her head again. “Unfortunately, that's not an option either.”

  Michelle looked at her, and with a twinge of anger in her voice, she spoke again, “Why? Would you try and stop us?”

  Amy took obvious offense to the line of questioning. ”No,

  Honestly, if there was a chance he could run from this, I’d be one of the ?rst to help him. After all, it’s my fault he’s here.”

  “Then why not help? You said it yourself, a few hops through those underground warp gates, and we could be on the other side of the continent.”

  “You could, yes. However, if Sai runs now, Cylus would take that as an admission of guilt and send someone to hunt him down. Then it really would be an execution. At least this way, he stands a chance.”

  “We could hide. You know, go so far he couldn’t ?nd us and….”

  Amy cut across her, “No.” She leaned in close and lowered her voice. She looked around with a paranoid kind of glance. “You can’t hide from Cylus. Using his tome, he can locate and surveil anyone he wishes.”

  Sai looked shocked. “Excuse me? You mean he could be watching us right now, and we would have no idea?”

  “Keep your voice down!” Amy commanded. “Using his tome, 84, he can view any person he desires at any time. It’s how he monitors tome users and keeps control over the vast assortment of us spread out across the continent of Galaxias Kyklos. As for watching us now, I'd doubt it, but you’d never know. The use of that aspect of 84 takes a toll on him; he suffers massive, sometimes blinding migraines if he uses it too frequently. He only uses it when emergency reports come in that call for it. The last time I saw him use it was the night of the attack. It’s how he dispatched us to Dione so quickly.”

  “If he can use that, why doesn’t he just use it to ?nd the person who attacked the city?” Michelle asked, perplexed.

  “Aside from the side effects, it can only be used if he knows whom he’s looking for. He knew a man from Dione, Kacelius, and he used it on him that night in order to gather the information to verify the attack. He dispatched us when he saw nothing but ?ames, smoke, and bodies burning in the streets.” Amy explained. “He simply can’t afford to use it on something as trivial as this, even though it is possible.” She sat back in her seat again.

  “We could…” Michelle sat hunched in her seat.

  “No.” Sai cut in. “ I won’t have anyone risking their lives for me, and anyhow, you said you thought someone you were looking for could be here. I can’t ask you to leave with me and leave that person behind. Looks like I’ll be taking that test no matter what. Is there anything you can tell me about it?” Sai asked, looking over to Amy. “I mean, you have a tome. So, clearly, you went through it and came out the other side.”

  Amy looked down again. “I can't, I'm sorry. I’m expressly forbidden from speaking of how the trial works. The only thing I can tell you is, and this is common knowledge, you want the tome to emit light. If it does, you’re worthy of the actual trial. If it doesn’t and emits darkness instead, you’ll be swallowed up by it.”

  “Hmmm.” Sai rubbed his chin for a moment. “Okay, well, that's that then!” He stood up and grabbed his crutch. “There's no sense in moping around here.”

  Amy and Michelle looked up at him, surprised. “You’re surprisingly chipper about this?” Amy said.

  Sai scoffed. “Well, I ?gure I’m innocent, so not really much to worry about, is there? And anyway, if it’s my last night alive, I’m not about to spend it moping around here.” He said with bravado. “I’m starving. Do they have food here?”

  Amy nodded.

  “Anything but fruit sounds amazing,” Michelle said with a false little laugh as her stomach grumbled. With all the excitement of the day, the group hadn’t eaten anything since the hospital that morning, and Amy had eaten most of that.

  Amy stood up. “Sure! It’s my treat; It’s the least I can do, really.”

  Sai looked over to Michelle, and they both shrugged and threw a quick smile back to Amy. “Not like we had any money, to begin with.” Sai joked.

  Together, the three walked downstairs and back into the main room, where Bartleby greeted them once again. That night, they ate like royalty. They had bowls of thick meat stew, succulent pan-fried chicken breast, and some of the largest, gooiest sweet rolls Michelle said she could ever recall. They did this all while vastly expanding Amy’s tab in the process.

  * * *

  Sai jolted awake. He was lying on a thin pallet that he himself had placed on the ?oor of his room. His back ached from sleeping against the stiff wooden ?oorboards with nothing but a single blanket as a cushion. He had forfeited the bed to Michelle last night when Amy conveniently dropped the little nugget of information that the two of them would have to be staying in the same room for the night.

  “After all,” She reminded him, “Cylus had me reserve this room for you, Sai. She’s not even supposed to be here, remember?” As she opened the door to head out, Sai raised his hand in protest. She turned, cutting him off. “Oh, and Sai, she's been through a lot lately. So, don't try anything weird, K?” With a wink and a smile, she shut the door, leaving the two of them alone.

  The annoyance was painted across Sai’s face in the least abstract way. He turned to Michelle, who was already sitting on the bed, staring at him.

  “Sorry if I’ve been a bother. My coming here seems to be causing quite the burden on you and Amy. I’ll make a pallet on the ?oor, and you can take the bed.” She insisted.

  Sai waved the comment away. “No, no, I wanted you to come along. It’s no trouble at all. I'll take the ?oor; you take the bed for the night.” With that, he grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and a single pillow and sprawled them out on the ?oor.

  With a thank you, Michelle laid down and fell asleep within minutes.

  Sai lay staring at the ceiling, deep in thought about what tomorrow would bring. At some point, he had shut his eyes, and now here he was, being woken up. But by what, he didn’t know. He didn’t need to consider this long as a blood-curdling scream ?lled the entire room.

  Sai bolted upright with a start; scanning the room, he could see Michelle thrashing violently in her sleep. Making his way over to the bed, he placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her. “Michelle, hey. Wake up!”

  Her entire body was convulsing under his hands before her eyes popped open. Suddenly, she sat up in cold sweat and looked at Sai with tears in her eyes.

  “Are you okay?” Sai asked, his voice shaking.

  She shook her head and threw her arms around him. “No.” She admitted through sobs. “Ever since the attack, I haven't been able to sleep. I keep being dragged back into that night over and over. Again and again, that man attacks, and instead of you diving in to save me, I’m… incinerated. I feel myself die each and every night.”

  Sai was caught off guard by the embrace, but he held her steadily. “Sounds like you're having bad dr___ms.” The ?nal word was incoherent, almost as if it were blurred as it met Michelle’s ears. He held her for a few more minutes as she tried to slow her breathing.

  She looked down, trembling, “It’s kind of embarrassing, but would you sit on the bed and hold my hand until I fall back asleep? I just need to know I’m not alone.” She said meekly.

  “Of course.” Sai took a seat on the bed and grasped her hand. “I’m here as long as you need me.”

  Michelle smiled faintly as she laid back down and closed her eyes. She squeezed his hand tightly, and before long, she slipped off to sleep once again.

  Sai sat for a while, watching her breath rise and fall. Slowly, her grip slackened, and Sai released her hand. Gently, he stood and found his way back to his pile on the ?oor. Lying back down, he went back to staring at the ceiling. He lay there for a long while contemplating everything. Here he was, a boy dead to rights, and he was concerned about this girl’s bad dreams. What am I doing here? What have I gotten myself into? What have I gotten Michelle into? How am I ever going to survive this? These thoughts kept him up half the night at some point, though he had drifted off and slept soundly until sunrise.

  Thin strips of light were dancing across the bedroom ?oor as the curtain covering the window shifted in the light breeze of morning. He awoke with a start as someone pounded on the door to the room.

  “Hey, come on, get up. You're going to be late!” It was Amy, and just as Cylus had said, she was there ?rst thing to retrieve him for the trial.

  Sai stood up and looked back toward Michelle, who was still

  fast asleep, sprawled across the bed. Even with all the pounding on the door, she hadn’t budged. She seems to be sleeping better now. He thought as he turned back toward the loud banging.

  Sai cracked the door and popped his head out. “Amelia…” He drawled in his best Alister impression.

  Somehow, she didn’t seem amused by this. “Sai, come on, you're going to be late.” She pushed the door open and entered the room. “Oh, I see you figured out your sleeping situation.” She said, noting the pile of blankets. “How chivalrous of you.” The playfully mocking tone in her voice was as grating as ever.

  Michelle stirred in bed and sat up. Rubbing her eyes, she spoke. “Is it time to go already?”

  “Umm, yeah, about twenty minutes ago,” Amy responded. “We have to get going. We need to be there in less than an hour.

  Silently, the two of them packed up what little they had brought with them and headed down to the ?rst ?oor to get some food. The three of them talked as they scarfed down a quick breakfast of fresh bacon and fried eggs.

  “Are you ready for today?” Amy questioned.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.” He replied with a small laugh, his nerves threatening to betray him.

  “Well, at least you’re in good spirits about it,” Michelle said with a small half-smile. She turned back to Amy. “Oh, Amy, is there any way I can come to watch the trial?”

  For what seemed like the ?rst time ever, Amy responded with a yes. “You’re welcome to come and watch. Trials are always open to the public for the sake of transparency. Not that this one will see much turnout since Sai doesn’t have any connections that we are aware of. You’ll be able to see at least the initial test. If he passes that part, we won’t see what goes on during the second half.”

  Michelle smiled and nodded, thankful to be included.

  “After the trial is over, though. I’ve been ordered to return you to Iapetus.” Amy added.

  Not wanting to ruin her chances of attending the trial, Michelle simply nodded. She would willingly go back. After all, Sai wouldn’t fail; they would return together, and maybe ?nally, she could put this all behind her.

  The three ?nished their food and decided to head out. It was still dark when they left the inn, but the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. It cast thin steaks of light over the horizon, painting it a beautifully dull blue. The morning air was cool and damp as they walked.

  It can’t be more than 5:30 or 6 in the morning, Sai thought to himself as he followed behind Amy, his crutch clicking against the hard stone street.

  “The trial will take place in a special room at the top of the Grand Library,” Amy said.

  Again, they approached the huge ornate building at the center of town. They entered back through the large front doors, headed up the stairs, and around the upper horseshoe walkway toward Cylus’s study.

  Cylus met them outside his door. “Welcome back,” He said as they approached. “Are you prepared?”

  Sai didn’t speak but instead gave a quick nod.

  “Then please follow me.” He said as he strode past them and out onto the catwalk that led to the disk suspended over the center of the lower room. He stepped onto the disk, and the other three followed suit. As soon as they stepped on, it began to rise into a dark opening in the ceiling. The room above was clearly the dome visible from the outside of the building. He had seen it on top of the library when they ?rst arrived. Then it seemed to be made of solid gold, but now, standing inside of it, they could clearly see out in all directions. The sun coming up over the horizon made the room glow with the faint vermilion light of dawn. The platform stopped, and the group stepped off onto the polished ebony ?oor.

  Cylus spoke again, “Now, Sai, before we begin, I’d like to ensure you are given a fair chance.” From the sleeve of his long robe, he pulled out a green vial of liquid. “I cannot in good conscience expect you to take on the trial with your foot in that condition.” He pointed to Sai’s injured foot. “Drink this, and it should repair the remaining damage that was done.”

  Surprised by this seeming act of kindness, Sai grabbed the vial and looked at Amy for reassurance. She gave a quick nod, prompting him to pop the cork and drink down the vial’s contents in one gulp.

  It was different than he expected. The almost watermelon ?avor of it caught him off guard. In an instant, the ankle that had ached every day since the incident stopped hurting. It almost felt better than it did when he had ?rst woken up. In fact, his whole body felt stronger. Whatever was in that vial had cured any ailments he had accumulated since his awakening. He put his full weight on his foot, and for the ?rst time in what seemed like an eternity, and much to his surprise, it felt normal. Opening his inventory, he stashed his now-useless crutch and waited for Cylus’s instructions.

  “It’s time.” From his sleeve, Cylus drew out what looked like a book. It was wrapped in a white cloth, no doubt to keep the trial from being initiated by accident. He held it out in front of him. “Take this tome and step to the center of the room. When you are ready, unwrap the sleeve and place your hand on the book itself.”

  Sai grasped the book in his hand and did as he was told. Nothing about this book seemed special. Its white cover was blank, and Sai somehow knew the pages were empty as well. For the ?rst time since arriving, Sai experienced something that felt like a memory. The trigger was the smell. It was such a familiar thing; the smell of those bound pages. As quickly as the feeling had come, it faded from him.

  Cylus cleared his throat. “When you are ready. Lay your hand on the tome, and repeat these words. ‘Now Awaken!’

  Amy’s advice from the previous night rang through Sai’s mind. You want the tome to emit light. If it does, you’re worthy of the actual trial. If it doesn’t and emits darkness, you’ll be swallowed up by it.

  Staring down at the blank white cover, Sai raised his hand, and without another thought, he slammed it down on the cover as he shouted in the bravest voice he could muster.“Now, Awaken!”

  The book ?ew open, and Amy’s face turned a ghostly white as the unthinkable unfolded. Dark black bubbles of what seemed like pitch began to rise from the pages and drip to the ?oor. Within moments, a deluge of foul-smelling viscous goo poured from the pages and began to crawl up Sai’s legs. He had been found unworthy and was being consumed by the tome. He hadn’t lied to Cylus earlier, but something unknown had clearly caused this violent reaction of negative energy to pour from the pages.

  Amy could only turn away, afraid to see the end of the trial she felt responsible for causing.

  Just as Sai had come to grips with what was happening and how his fate had been decided, something caught his attention; a blurred image had burst forth from the group of onlookers.

  “This time, I’ll protect you!” It was Michelle. She had broken past Amy and Cylus and was rushing toward Sai.

  The tar-like substance was climbing past Sai’s waist and up his chest by the time she had reached him. Without a thought, she grabbed the book in his hands and tried to pry it free. It was no use. It didn’t budge as if the cover had fused to Sai’s hands. With no other options in sight, she raised one hand and shouted with every ?ber of her being. “Now, Awaken!”

  A blinding white light exploded from the pages as her hand made contact with the cover, and the darkness seemed to retreat away from it. The shocked faces of both Cylus and Amy were drowned out by the intensity of this miraculous light. Sai was forced to close his eyes as it engulfed and overwhelmed his every sense.