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“Ahh, so it’s true.” The Moon Goddess laughs. “I assumed that she was fibbing.”
Great. Thanks Athena.
Smiling Artemis waves at me before exiting the room.
“See you later!” Continuing to flip through our notes, I pause to wave to her as she leaves my suite.
Maybe it’s time for an adventure. To find the portrait in the library.
Moments after Artemis left, I locked the door behind her. Determined to find the portraits.
Pulling on the floral sconce, I hear a click before I push the hidden door in. Opening the passageway, I shut the wall behind me.
Trotting down the stairs, I take the stairs two at a time. Excitement threatens to consume me. A room full of books.
I’m going to need to be focused. There’s probably loads of books that I’m going to want to read but won’t be able to now.
Today, I need to be in and out. Find the portrait, look for any faces like the god who took dad and then leave unspotted.
How hard could it be? I doubt that the room will be big or full of people. It should be a quick excursion.
As I move through the corridors, I start wandering in the sections that I haven’t ventured through yet. Peeking through cracks in the walls and keyholes, I peer into rooms in the palace.
Checking for anything that could be a library.
Guest rooms, offices, studies, servant areas, meeting rooms and more.
Damn it.
Think positive thoughts, I tell myself. Maybe I can manifest books and the library would appear.
Gods, that would be nice.
Frustrated, I lean over and check yet another door.
The door releases to a small room. Filled with excess items. Chairs, shelves, and tables are stacked haphazardly around me. Drop cloths are draped over the furniture to catch dust. Torched casting dark shadows around the room. The large stacks of worn books give me hope that I'm near the library. Leaving the door cracked, I move along through the room, spying another hall.
Tall arched doorways line the room, leading off down hallways filled with more books. The room consists of several levels. Like a large cylinder. Each with a level that overlooks the floors below. Natural light flows from the high ceiling. Looking down onto an atrium. Filled to the brim with books, tomes, scrolls and other artifacts.
“This is going to take a while,” I mutter to myself. “So much for in and out of this library. I could be here for years and still never find the portrait.”
Tapestries and statues line the center of the room between the rows of books. Above is a domed and vaulted ceiling that’s fully made of glass. The evening sun shines through the windows. Though the light outside is actively dying out for the night, this hall is the brightest that I have seen so far in the palace. Every few feet there’s a source of light. Sometimes a fireplace with plush chairs, torches tucked in the staircases, a sconce hanging above the shelves, and even chandeliers hang in the passageways.
I have never seen such a well-lit library. In Agatha’s shoppe, she kept her books and scrolls locked away in a dark stone room. I was permitted to take out a single book at a time to read during the day. If I took one out at any other time and read by candlelight, I was lectured on how flammable they are. She didn’t even let me read near the fireplace.
There must be magic at play to protect all these books from the open flames. Why else would they be so bold with their use of fire?
This structure is huge. Several floors high with passageways that shoot off to the sides. Whichever god who looks over the library must love their knowledge.
Owls dance through the open spaces. Mostly resting on the largest chandeliers, I have ever seen. One on each floor level. Though I'm incredibly curious, I stay far back from the railing to preserve my illicit adventure and remain unseen. The marble balcony railing is calling my name, but better judgment warns me against it. Not wanting some to see me by accident.
Wandering once more, I walk between bookcases. Looking for the family portraits that Artemis was describing. Once I make a full circle, I go to the next level down. Believing that likely the three floors and up are the most frequently used based on the volume of noise coming from them. As I climb down a set of stairs, I freeze as I watch two golden eyes glaring at me.
An owl rears her head toward me. Her feathers are tawny in color with flecks of silver.
Raising my hands, I grin sheepishly. “Nice owl, I'm going to sneak past you.”
The creature’s blood curdling screech sends sprinting. From not too far away, I hear shuffling and someone rushing to get to the owl.
