CHAPTER 105

She looked away from him and sighed. "It's supposed to be, but the job isn't meant for one person alone. And since I'm the only one here, I figure nobody is going to check up on me." The carpet took them away from the romance pillar and moved amongst the other pillars, occasionally swaying to avoid floating racks of books that moved around them.

"So I'm curious," Mike said. "Why are you the only one here, then?"

The cyclops turned to look at him with a frown, then looked away. "There were more of us, once upon a time."

"What happened?"

"It was a long time ago." She reached into her robes and pulled out her knife. The blade was only four inches long, but when she gave it a flick, it unfolded into a full length blade. "I don't know that there's time for the full tale, but I guess I can give you the highlights. You see, this place used to be accessible to many magical beings and civilizations. There was a screening process, of course. This place was the first of its kind, created long before humans came along. Your modern libraries are modeled after it. In fact, the Library of Alexandria was a knock-off of this place, the idea being a place where anybody could travel and find knowledge."

"Didn't that place burn down or something?" he asked.

"And that's why there was a screening process. As your kind generated texts, the last thing we wanted was for someone to get in and destroy them. Which, as you know, happens constantly." Sofia held up the blade so that he could see her reflection in it. "When I was young and lived with my clan, my uncle had access to the Library. I came from a family of builders who were isolated on an island, so this was the place to come to see advancements in building. It wasn't just buildings or weapons, my tribe could build almost anything. Their skill was superseded only by the gods in this matter."

"I get the feeling that somebody didn't care for this."

She nodded. "A group of men came to our island and asked our people to stop. We had largely pulled away from the rest of the world, but some of us were manufacturing weapons that were being used in terrible wars. The gods had long ago moved on, and our knowledge was considered forbidden."

"I'm guessing that your people turned them down?"

"Sort of. You see, even we didn't know who was doing this. As a tribe, we agreed that the world of Man was no longer a place for us. But secretly? Weapons were still being built, and we had no idea who the perpetrator was. It wasn't long before the men came back and warned us one final time that they would wipe out the island if it didn't stop. Well, remember what I told you about my people being able to see our own deaths? It was at the hand of men like these, so they were promptly killed for threatening the tribe. Despite their deaths, the visions continued, so we prepared for what we thought would be a bloody war."

Mike shivered. "What happened?"

"A slaughter." She folded the sword back up. "I was still very young, but easily the size of a full grown man. My unique ability saved me from immediate death, and my uncle took me to his Library portal. We were attacked by the man who carried this blade, and I managed to kill him shortly after he killed my uncle. With the portal open, I fled inside and closed it, never to open it again."

"That's terrible. Does that mean you're the last cyclops?"

She shrugged. "Probably not. There were others. I imagine they may be in a place like Zel's people were, a location separate from your world, or maybe hiding in plain sight. Anyway, the others who lived here. You see, as the world changed, so did this place. The Library took me in as a refugee and allowed me to stay and learn at their feet. However, I was one of the last new librarians. Once Atlantis fell, the Library was only connected to a few places, and nobody ever came to join our ranks again."

"So what happened to the others who were here? Old age, or...?"

"You don't age in the Library. I actually had to go on several pilgrimages to reach my current age. A cyclops is essentially immortal, but we do start as children. Over time, accidents occurred, or librarians left. Eternity is a long time to live in one place. Occasionally there would be a violent incursion, but my ability with a blade kept me alive through the worst of them. Others weren't so lucky." She tucked the blade back in her belt. "The good news is that pretty much nobody comes here anymore. However, the bad news is that pretty much nobody comes here anymore. If I were to die, the Library would continue to expand without interference until somebody found it. What happened next would largely be up to them, if they didn't get lost and starve to death first."

"I assume you control the Library with your staff?"

"Yes. The staff of the Head Librarian. It allows me to tap into the Library's magic, which is how I am able to find anything in this place." The carpet was descending now, and they were landing on a platform near the top of a pillar. "So this is one of the restricted sections, so I need you to watch your step."

"Why, is it booby-trapped?"

"No. There just aren't any safety protocols." When they landed, she pointed along the outer edge of the column. "See how there are no guardrails? Since nobody is supposed to be here, there are no safety protocols. Try not to fall, or I'll be scraping you off the floor for days. Don't ask me how I know."

"Oh." He stepped off the carpet and onto the platform. He walked to the edge and looked down.

"Mike, stop!" Sofia grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. "There's a reason people say never look down! You could trigger vertigo or something."

"Heights don't bother me," he said. At least they don't anymore. "Let's get moving, shall we?"

She rolled her eye at him and led him along the narrow walkway, careful to keep one hand on the shelves at all times. Eventually they found an opening to slip through and found themselves moving down a narrow corridor while surrounded by books.