I tried to see the beginning or the end of the ancient wall, my eyes straining, my steps faltering as I leaned forward to satiate my curiosity. But it was all to no avail. I couldn’t see either the end or the beginning. Was the wall demarcating anything?
"There’s an end to the wall..." Raul started, as if reading my mind. "But no one has found it yet."
I almost hissed out of frustration. If no one has found it, how then did they know there was an end to it?
"It’s just what the legend says..." He continued, answering my unasked question.
Yet my question remained: the person who had written whatever textbook that was—how did he know there was an end? Or did the goddess breathe inspiration upon the author?
Sadly, Raul didn’t provide any further explanation, thereby increasing my thirst for information.
"Does it demarcate anything, maybe one community from another?" Levina asked, her hands folded across her chest.
"Not exactly," Rachel answered, stepping closer to the wall. "It serves as a protective barrier."
"And what is it protecting?" I queried, following after her.
"You will see it soon," Raul mentioned with a teasing flourish, winking at me. I held back a laugh when Sinclair cursed beneath his breath.
The gods keep me from all these boys. I still wasn’t interested in a relationship.
My attention was drawn back to Rachel when she started tapping the wall. My brows furrowed as her motion reminded me of the day I had lost my virginity; the moment when Adam had opened the wall in the garden; the wall that had broken away to reveal the cave behind.
Could it be the same thing at play here? I received my answer when the wall caved open, splitting side to side, creating a pathway for us to walk into a large cave, even larger than the one Adam had introduced me to.
Whereas Adam’s cave was just that—a normal cave—this one was designed with intricate patterns that I knew meant something. I could already see some languages that were familiar to me, yet for the life of me, I couldn’t understand when or where I had learned them.
However, I followed Rachel into the cave with Diana, not waiting for the others.
"You don’t seem afraid... you and your little cousin..." Rachel pointed out, glancing between Diana and me.
I looked at Diana. The little girl was sporting a frown.
"Why should I be afraid? There’s nothing scarier here... so long as it isn’t the habitation for the beast."
I chuckled then, finding the statement both hilarious and reasonable. Almost everyone in the community had seen the beast, so it was understandable if they wouldn’t be scared by foreign languages and arts on the wall, or by a strange cave.
"What do these languages mean? Can any of you read them?" Sinclair asked, interrupting the budding conversation.
Raul shook his head. "This is for high-class mages. And even then, only a few can decipher it. It is said that only those selected by the goddess can read it. The queen can’t..."
"Raul, I think that’s enough information," Rachel interrupted her brother before reverting her focus to the cave walls.
The same coded taps, which had already become imprinted in my brain, caused the walls to slide back. Still... I wasn’t a stranger to why she had interrupted her brother.
The queen couldn’t read the language and art. That says a lot about what she is and where she stands with the goddess, especially since I can read some of the languages, albeit imperfectly.
Was I a high-class mage? I didn’t think so, because high-class mages don’t have a creature living within them.
"So, what’s this place?" Levina asked just before we were plunged into darkness.
A shriek was heard—Levina’s, I was sure—before the light was turned on. It was just like Adam’s cave.
It was too interesting for them to be the same, but what did it mean? Was it a coincidence?
"Well, it’s a hub of information," Raul answered, stepping into the cave proper.
We followed, jaws slackening when we saw the range of books stacked on very tall bookshelves. A ladder was leaning against one of the shelves.
"Wow, this is huge," Sinclair murmured, awe tainting his voice. "But why would you bring us here?"
Rachel laughed. "Even though you lot have been more accepting of us than the others, we sensed that you still have your reservations about us. Hence, we suggested this excursion because we know that like everyone in this community, you are curious about many things, including the beasts. So here you are; the shelves are tagged, so you can easily find what you are looking for..."
"So..." Levina stuttered, her eyes roaming from shelf to shelf, calculating the number of books she would need to scan through, during the allotted time. I believed she already had a topic in mind. "This is the forbidden library." The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the noveⅼfire.net
Rachel and Raul nodded slowly, amusement flickering in their eyes.
And that’s what we did, separating to indulge our cravings.
However, I stood at the crossroads, wondering which topic to pursue first: the beasts, the old queen, the history of magic, or the history of the community.
There were so many topics to cover, with diverse books attached to them, and so little time. I was just about to head to the section where the history of the community and the first queen was located when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.
Turning, I saw it was Raul. What now?
"Hey, can I get a minute of your time?" He asked, peering into my eyes.
I nodded without thinking—there was no harm there. He led me out of the library into another passageway that made me wonder where it led.
"What is the matter, Raul?" I finally asked when he spent more than a few seconds just looking at me. I needed to gather information, and he was wasting my time.
"Yeah..." He paused. "It’s about your parents."