Chapter
12 (Books don’t help)
Kkaj climbed out of the carriage and
stared up at the massive building in front of him. Are there really so many books to warrant a building of this size?
He squeezed the bridge of his nose before climbing the stairs.
Roffor and Saffer followed. Both
wore a sweet, fruity perfume that eased the sickness in his stomach. Then, the
early morning light reflected off colored glass and drilled into his headache,
distilling it into pure agony.
A fire burned in his chest, and the
world lurched. Wind pulled through his hair, and his body felt weightless. Was
he flying? No. Falling! He crashed into something soft.
A pair of feminine grunts preceded
his body jerking to a halt. The fuzzy, spinning building solidified.
Bile caressed his tongue, and he
gagged. He clenched his jaw.
Roffer patted his back. “Are you
alright?”
“He shouldn’t even be out of bed.”
Saffer wrapped her arms around his waist and helped him to the top of the
stairs.
Kkaj took a deep breath and freed
himself. “We don’t have time to waste. Knowing the king, there will be another
meeting of the Empty Bottle Club to replace what we lost in the desolation.” He
opened the door and stumbled into the library.
A large desk sat a few steps away
from the entrance with two doors beside it. Both doors were cracked with the
shadows of a stairwell visible. One up. The other down. Was this just a
reception room? Click. The door behind
him closed.
His hands reached out, and he braced
on the reception desk to steady his legs. “Anyone here?”
Thud! From behind a curtain he just
noticed, a long-haired woman scrambled up to the desk. Her loose scribe’s robe
swished across the floor while a line of blood rolled from her forehead, down
her masculine face. She scooped up the papers that covered the desk and turned
them upside down as if she didn’t want Kkaj reading them. A glower drew her
lips apart and made her pink eyes sparkle. “What do you want?” Her monotone
voice sounded like a stirring vat. Not deep. Not high-pitched. Just flat.
Kkaj blinked. “I was under the
impression this public library was
open from sun up to the night bell.”
“It is, but no one comes in here
until morning bell.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s too damn early!” Her
ringing voice pierced his thoughts.
The headache crippled his thought,
and he swooned.
“What’s wrong with him?” the
librarian’s voice asked.
Where was he?
“He had a rough day yesterday,”
Roffor’s voice said.
“And you think I haven’t? Last
night, a little girl stayed well past the night bell. Then this morning, she
showed up again. Before sunrise mind you. And she had so many stupid questions.
Like, how did she not know about the Empty Bottle Cult? And —”
“Club.” Kkaj pushed himself up. He
had been lying atop the desk. “It’s not a cult. It’s a royal-sanctioned
association known as a club.”
The librarian scoffed. “Says the
hungover fool.”
“Just tell us where the books about
the wastes are.”
“Also hunting for the Lucidity
distilleries, huh? You won’t find anything.”
Also?
“Miss, if I wanted your opinion, I’d slap myself in the face with a stirring
mallet.”
“Miss?” A snarl tugged on her lips,
and a growl rumbled up from her throat. “My name is Jekor Ferinkk!”
“Okay?” He shrugged. “Which floor
will we find books about the wastes, Jekor?”
“Seventh floor!” She spun on her
heels and stormed into the back room.
Kkaj waved for Roffor and Saffer to
follow him then moved up the stairs.
On the seventh floor, five long
tables created a pentagon with gaps between them and ten chairs around each. A
slender girl with short hair flipped through a book then set it atop a pile on
her left while grabbing a book from the tower of books on her right.
She’s
cute. Kkaj edged into the room and bumped into one of the countless
bookshelves.
Thud. Several books hit the floor
and the girl — No, young woman looked up and met his eyes with the onyx
gemstones she called eyes. So beautiful. Scrapes and bruises marred her supple cheeks.
Suit covered her neck and the upper part of her chest revealed by her singed
clothing. Had she been caught in a fire?
After picking up the books, Kkaj sat
down at the table closest to the door and rested his face in his hands. “Give
me a minute.”
“We’ll start looking,” Roffor
and Saffer said before their footsteps
clicked off in different directions.
A groan climbed from his mouth.
Hiccups rippled through his body, and the table rattled back and forth.
Something small and hard pressed
into his back. The hiccups vanished.
Kkaj sat up.
The young woman shied back, her
little fist jerking to her side. “Sorry. That was something my grandma taught
me when I was younger.”
“Thank you.”
She grinned then stared at her feet.
“What are you doing in here this early if you’re not feeling well?”
“I’m short on time, and I must learn
how to navigate the wastes before it’s too late.”
“What will happen?”
“Terrible things.” Kkaj pulled his
eyes away from hers.
Despite her slender body, her
breasts were almost as large as Saffer’s. The young woman’s round hips swayed
as she fidgeted from one foot to the other. “Like —” She swallowed.
“I heard you were looking up
information on the Empty Bottle Club.”
She froze in place. Her lips
quivered. “Club?”
“They’re not as bad as you’ve heard.”
“That’s true. They’re worse.”
“What?” He raised a finger. “They —”
Stomping sounds announced Saffer’s
return to the center of the room. Thwap! She dropped a stack of books on the
table beside him. A scowl contorted her beautiful lips, and she crossed her
arms. “If you feel well enough to flirt, then you’re well enough to read.”
Kkaj sighed. “Fine.”
The slender woman shuffled back to
her table.
Despite the throbbing hangover, he
pulled a book in front of him and began flipping through the pages.
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