Novel & Cerita Medieval Library

The lighting was dim and the stacks of books were above their heads making the library feel mysterious and sacred. Kade took the lead through the library taking them to a far corner that was out of the way. All the books and manuscripts here were covered in layers of dust and many looked like they haven't moved in ages. "Here we are," Kade said with reverence in his voice. "This area has the older records and texts dealing with relics and ancient lore."

But that changed the next morning again as soon as I found out that he received a letter from Laelia. We stopped at another city center for lunch and I found a wooden building that was the town's library. It was filled with wax tablets, papyrus scrolls, and parchments with ancient knowledge. I found several scrolls that I could read, so I started looking for stuff on gemstones and their magical properties; mythical beasts, and how to tackle them; curses and remedies; how to make sorceress answer questions without posing riddles; and so on. Oh, how I miss Wikipedia! "These must be returned within a fortnight." The librarian told me, eyeing my huge pile of collection suspiciously.

I looked away, my face feeling hot. Demetrius held the metal up to the torchlight. He turned it over and over. "The engravings... they aren't just patterns. They look like teeth. Or gears." He walked toward the far wall of the library, where a massive stone archway stood. It was filled with solid rock, a door that had been sealed centuries ago. "This library was built on the bones of the Old World," Demetrius said. "They say the archives are buried behind these walls. But no one has found the way in for three hundred years."

Marta nodded eagerly, and together they walked through the labyrinthine corridors of the castle, heading deeper into the eastern wing until they reached a set of massive, towering double doors of dark oak, reinforced with iron. When Marta pushed the doors open, Rosalie’s breath caught in her throat. The library was absolutely breathtaking. Tall, vaulted ceilings stretched high overhead, and towering wooden shelves packed with thousands of leather-bound books lined the stone walls. The scent of old paper, vanilla, and ink filled the air.

Her breathing quickened and I encouraged her again to keep going, keeping her steady as we entered the ambiance she was creating. The castle was ordinary, nothing nearly as extravagant as ones I'd seen at Moroi courts, but I could tell not all the details were there. She was leaving things out, whether on purpose I wasn't sure. Ahead, a heaving door swung open and Breda gestured for me to continue on. I looked into the room to find a library, much larger than I would have assumed given the rest of our surroundings. Moroi mounted collections of books over the centuries and made it a priority to keep our histories intact, but this collection stretched far beyond that. In the middle of the room

Mmmm… delicious. Afterwards I wandered into the vast library. There must have been tens of thousands of books in there. I stood in the middle of the room and marveled at all the books lined up on the walls all the way up to the lofty ceiling. I guessed the contents of the library must have come with the house too, because I couldn’t for the life of me imagine Jordan choosing these books. It must have taken years to make this collection. They were all old books and as I walked along I noted the categories. Ancient European architecture, philosophy, anthropology, medicine, alchemy, and a whole section on esoteric and occult knowledge.

Dressed and revived, I pass the corridors of the dormitory. Bare walls, a clean place, with a red Capet. As it has been even before I was in this world. I climb the stairs that lead to the great tower in the middle of this magnificent fortress. My arrival is already expected by many who greet me along the way. At the top of the stairs, I am welcome with the view of Camelot's treasure room. They were not large amounts of gold or jewelry, but armors of good kings and generals, swords forged by master craftsmen. Most importantly, the first version of the codebook of the knights of Castela. The true core and ruler of our nation. Next to it is the large door of the royal library, decorated with s

The wall shuddered—and then split inward, folding open as if inhaling for the first time in centuries. Air rushed out. Cold. Dust-heavy. Scented with old parchment and sealed. Before them opened a vast chamber. Shelves stretched wall to wall, carved from blackened oak and bone. Rows upon rows of books stood untouched, bindings of wolf hide and scaled leather catching the torchlight like distant stars. Casius stepped forward slowly. “Gods,” he murmured. “It’s a library.” Amalia’s breath hitched. “No. The library.” Her voice trembled. “Shadowmere’s.”

The seed they'd planted took root immediately, growing with the fierce intensity that characterized everything I did. By the time I dismissed them with a curt nod and made my way back to the castle, my mind was already racing with possibilities I'd never before considered. The royal library of Valdris was a contained a centuries of accumulated knowledge. Scrolls and bound volumes lined the walls from floor to ceiling, containing everything from military treatises to poetry, from histories of distant lands to detailed accounts of supernatural bloodlines. I'd spent countless hours here as a child, but never before had I approached these shelves with such singular purpose.

As I take a seat across from him, he looks up at me with a smile, his eyes creasing kindly. I smile back, glad to have this opportunity to aid him in caring for this place of knowledge and contemplation, this library that houses so much history between its shelves. For now, that will be mystery enough for me. I take a seat across from the physician and begin to help organize the material on the table in front of us. As we work, he tells me more about the library's history. It originated as part of a royal monastery built hundreds of years ago. Many of the oldest volumes originated from the monks' collection. However, the library went through many shifts of fortune over time.