Chapter II – The Great Library August 14, 2009
Posted by L. Solange in Exa's Saga.Tags: fantasy, fiction, librarian, racism
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“Learning is the salt of life. Lest we forget this, we must build temples for knowledge, not for worship, but to keep the flames of wisdom ablaze.”
-Quote attributed to Maidoch Lesin, a Gefeni scholar active in the second century (years 141-166, to be exact) after the founding of the Zeran Empire.
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The two held their breaths as the door rose to reveal first a grey and white mottled marble floor, followed by a much darker table that was as wide as the room they were in. Behind it and to the sides stretched tall shelves stacked tight with what appeared to be books. Where they could see, they were long enough to vanish into the horizon. Above, they carried on as far as Exa could see.
Takhris let out the air in his lungs in a sigh of relief and moved past Exa towards the broad counter in front of them. “Come on, now.” He said, gesturing her to follow. “Amazingly, I’ve been here before and can vouch for the safety of this place. This trial isn’t a challenge, but a puzzle.”
Exa was still inspecting the colossal bookcases that seemed to defy the laws of physics – how could they stay up like that? – and had to take quick steps to catch up with her guide. With half a mind still staring in amazement, she asked him, “What kind of puzzle?”
“The kind where you have to figure out what it is and what the solution is. In other words, you have to understand what the fundamental nature of this place is and what it can teach you.”
“I’m not sure I follow,” Exa replied, now more focused on the conversation, the awe of the sheer volume of books fading from her mind.
