White Devil Read online

  They reached a ledge with an unadorned door. Catarina pushed it open unceremoniously and, followed by everyone else, proceeded to enter.

  Lilith’s first impression of the interior was marked by Catarina instantly bursting into motion, grabbing large stacks of papers, carrying them around and depositing them elsewhere, in no pattern clear to Lilith. The dwarf continuously grumbled and appeared to get more annoyed the more she complained.

  “Have you ever seen such a mess…? Oh no, whoever put these here just had no idea at all – What were they thinking! Who’s responsible for this mess? Ugh, I just cannot believe anyone would let it come to this, this is simply a disgrace! What in the world is this doing here…? This is so irresponsible! What if they got damaged or messed up…?”

  She was lost in her own world, and Lilith was certain the dwarf had forgotten about them, as she vanished behind some shelves. Some tables were scattered between the stacked bookcases, packed with numerous volumes and binders of documents. In between the shelves there were tall cabinets, some evidently filled with more documents than they could hold, paper sticking out here and there, and some drawers filled with so many documents, they could not even close. The tables were also used as storage space, every inch taken up by stacks of papers, maps or books.

  As Lilith wandered through the rows of shelves, she realized that some of the shelves further back actually only held maps, all held by large tubes. Selene had found the section as well and busied herself by wandering the rows to collect the maps she wanted to inspect. She was already carrying several tubes under her arm.

  Looking back, Lilith noticed that Zero, now in human shape, was studying some binders as well, Ayalon peeking over his shoulder. The only thing she could hear of Catarina was agitated muttering and the rustle of paper mixed with her small, quick steps as she hurried from shelf to shelf.

  “Do you believe this is alright?” Lilith whispered worriedly.

  Amethyst ruffled his feathers.

  “I don’t see why not. It’s just paper, isn’t it?” he replied unconcerned. “Why are you whispering anyhow?”

  Lilith guiltily looked at the volumes stacked on the shelf next to her. “Magnaconar – Alamba’s penultimate war”; “The Five-Crown Empire and the Coalition that led to it”; “In the Deer Lord’s Hooves”. There were many such names, indicating some form of historical and potentially political writings. Most of the books looked old and dusty, but not very worn. Lilith couldn’t quite determine if that was because they were never picked up, or because they were well cared for.

  “Well,” she whispered, “it is the books I think. They demand silence, so they can speak.”

  Amethyst cast her a sideward glance.

  “Sometimes your human really shines through, you know,” he mumbled.

  Lilith smiled and turned away from the books, to pass by further shelves toward the far wall. More cabinets and tables filled those parts as well. The wall had no windows, but a large map of the continent had been pinned to it. It looked remarkably like the one Colm had shown her, except this one was more detailed and had more markings on it. They were in small, scribbly writing, nothing that Lilith could make out, but she guessed that there was more information entered than just place names.

  She turned back toward the room and realized for the first time that the hall only made up half of the floor. A wall cut the level in half, with the staircase in the center. There were three unassuming doors – two to the right of the staircase, and one to the left. She passed through the room and knocked on the door to the left. No reply. She moved onto the first one on the right side and knocked again. Some groaning came from the other side, following by a crash and a curse. Then shuffling approached the door. A balding, wrinkly man opened the door and grumpily regarded Lilith.

  “Whazzit y’want,” he slurred. A whiff of alcohol made Lilith take a step back.

  “Excuse us, sir, we let ourselves in-”

  “Y’wan’ money? I dun got no money. Yer wastin’ yer time if y’wan money!”

  The man’s small beady eyes glared at her.

  “Maurice!” Catarina called out. Confusion flashed across the man’s face.

  “Lil’ Rina?”

  “That’s me, dear.” The dwarf rushed to Lilith’s side and took the man’s hands, beaming at him. “It’s so nice to see you’re still here. I was just bringing these delightful young folks because they’re looking for some information, and I thought, well, what better place than the archives to find information, and you’re just the man to help them, aren’t you, Maurice, dear!”

  The grim expression was erased, and childish excitements took its place on Maurice’s face.

  “Well if that’s the case, welcome to Nenbalon’s archives,” he proclaimed, all signs of a slur gone from his voice. Even his age wasn’t quite as apparent anymore. “What can I do you for?”

  Catarina remembered the papers she was still holding, and her expression darkened once more.

  “For one thing, you could get these documents in order,” she chided him. “This place is a mess – when was the last time you properly dusted in here? And are you even paying attention to where you’re putting things? Never mind the light pollution from those lamps you use now.”

  The lecture went on for a few minutes, during which Lilith decided to take a seat at one of the nearby tables and wait it out. Maurice accepted it all, occasionally muttering a word of agreement or apology.

  The door she had knocked on was still open and Lilith caught a brief impression of the inside. What she could see were flowing curtains framing an open window and a couch which potentially also served as a bed, judging by the patchwork blanket that had fallen to the floor. A short cylindrical glass with a crystal pattern etched into it, sat on a small side table with a lamp and a leather-bound book. A third of the glass was filled with a golden, transparent liquid. The matching bottle stood underneath the table – half of it had been emptied.

  She reverted her gaze to Maurice, contemplating his bloodshot eyes and red nose. Just a moment later Catarina paused in her lecture, inspecting his face closely as well. She framed it with both her hands and pulled him down, so she could check it from all sides.

  “What happened?” she frowned. “It’s not Her again, is it?”

  Maurice looked away and stepped around her. He clasped his hands and rubbed them together.

  “So, how can I help you folks then?” he asked Selene cheerfully. She raised an eyebrow and glanced toward Lilith, who shrugged.

  “We’re looking for some stories, or historical mentions of an artifact,” Selene explained and, pointing to Lilith, added, “Best ask her about the particulars.”

  Fully aware of Catarina observing them with a frown still on her face, Lilith stood up and led Maurice over to the historical section of volumes she had come across earlier. In the meantime, Selene involved Catarina in a conversation. Considering their position, it was probably best if as few people as possible were aware of what they were looking for.

  “You see, we were sent to find an item. We believe it exists, however it appears to be somewhat elusive and fantastical. As a result, we do not have any leads on where to begin our search.”

  Maurice pulled up his sleeves, an excited sparkle entering his eyes as his lips began to tremble.

  “I live for fantastical objects. As a matter of fact, I’ve helped people write theses and theories on several – perhaps I‘ve come across the one you’re looking for. These records may not seem like much,” he gestured to the room as a whole, “but they do contain a wealth of information. And you haven’t seen the records room yet, oh, and the archives in Fintel, so much information at your fingertips… But I’m off track. Let’s hear about your artifact then!”

  Hesitantly, Lilith glance back at Selene who was still engaging the dwarf. She thought briefly of Colm and her home in the Highlands.

  “It’s called the Hellfire Naginata.”

  “H
ellfire…” Maurice let the word melt on his tongue. “Is this relating to the Nevergate?”

  “Nevergate?” Lilith echoed confused.

  “Yes, the entrance to the Nether, or Hell, the worst place your soul might belong once it’s taken by the Enforcer. They say the gates are engulfed in fire, so that none might accidentally stumble in. It’s an old story, not often told anymore.”

  “Perhaps,” Lilith admitted. “I do remember Colm mentioning something of the sort. However, I believe what we are seeking is a weapon of tremendous and mysterious power.”

  “Naginata, was it? Yes. Naginata…” Maurice mumbled. “Now that’s a word I haven’t heard in a long time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Maurice pushed past her, and moved into the next aisle, his fingers trailing along volumes as he moved across and stopped suddenly, standing on his toes. He waved Lilith over and pointed.

  “Here, get that book out, would you? I can’t reach – no idea where those bloody ladders have gone off to. It’s the one bound in green.”

  Lilith ignored Amethysts familiar grumbling about humans and handed the book to the archivist.

  Maurice opened the index, and then opened the pages he was looking for. Peeking in as well, Lilith saw pictures of weapons of all sorts, with descriptions and cultural references marked beside them. Some weapons she recognized from Xelma’s castle, others were unfamiliar and strange to her.

  Maurice tapped one particular picture smugly and grinned.

  “I knew it,” he said. “This is an old one, real old. It’s from a language and a culture that doesn’t exist anymore, although there are traces left of it in Velsalia…”

  His voice trailed off as he stared into nothingness. Then it seemed as if he was struck by lightning, and he rushed off again toward the stairs. Lilith had trouble following him without losing sight of him. Amethyst decided he had enough of this and joined Ayalon instead.

  Lilith ran after the archivist, up the stairs and through a door onto the next floor – a room packed with even more shelves, cabinets, and boxes filled to the brim with documents and books. All the shelves were set closer together and there were no tables or chairs to break up the space. She slowed her pace and walked past several rows of shelves, trying to find Maurice. However, she soon realized that, unlike the lower floor, this was one single room, so instead of searching aimlessly, she followed the sounds of excited muttering and rustling of paper. She found Maurice rifling through a box of books that would likely need to be rebound soon. The rough pages had yellowed with age and the writing had bleached. None of them seemed to have been printed, the letters being handwritten in symbols that looked unlike anything Lilith had ever seen.

  “Here it is,” Maurice exclaimed, and waved some pages bound together by a deteriorating piece of string. He lowered them to hand them over to Lilith but let the pages hover above her fingers for a moment.

  “Now you make sure you don’t damage these,” he demanded sternly. “Do not let them be touched by light, get moist, and under no circumstances may you take them outside the archives. Make sure you do not rip any of the pages, and don’t let the bird or the dragon near it. Here are some gloves. You may bring it downstairs and study it at one of the tables.”

  “What is it?” Lilith asked curiously, trying to take the pages from him, but he pulled them out of her reach.

  “Gloves!”

  Hastily, Lilith put on the thin cotton gloves he had been waving at her. Finally, Maurice reluctantly let go of the documents, letting her weigh the pages in her hands.

  “This is an account from an eyewitness many, many years ago. They witnessed an event that took place in what we now know as Velsalia which changed the landscape forever. It’s truly fascinating, you see, because nowadays, Velsalia is mostly desert, with a few oases here and there, but really, it’s mostly barren and dead, with its people traveling from place to place as nomadic tribes, but there are accounts of a people before the nomads, a kingdom that was very advanced in technology and knowledge; a whole different race, even. They were incredibly wise and remnants of their technology have influenced a lot of our cultures today, except back when they were living in Velsalia, it wasn’t a desert at all – it was green and prosperous land, with farms, and rivers and such things, but then, this big thingy, this event happened, which historians have debated over for centuries, except that none of them could ever prove their theories, but then this account was found in this mansion when this really influential family in Zentopia was killed, and no one paid it much heed, but it ended up here, and no one really made the connection, because it’s still really vague and because it’s in a really old language people found it difficult to read, but I studied many dead languages in my day, so after studying the text for a long time I was finally able to read it and so I can tell you that it might be helpful to take a look!”

  Finally, Maurice took a breath. Lilith wasn’t sure for how long the man had spoken without pause, but she had begun to worry he was going to suffocate. Even now, his face gleamed with excitement, making it difficult not to feel just a little excited as well.

  “Thank you so much, Maurice,” Lilith said, and pressed the pages against her chest.

  “Oh, you may need help reading it – It’s written in Kô, a language that hasn’t been used in several centuries.”

  Lilith glanced at the words and smiled.

  “I think I will be fine, thank you so much.”

  Maurice grinned.

  “You’re a scholar yourself then? Studied some dead languages?”

  “Not quite.”

  “Alright then,” Maurice shrugged. “Just let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be around.”

  They returned downstairs where Amethyst had joined the discussion Catarina and Selene were having. Or he may have led it, Lilith really couldn’t tell.

  Maurice steered toward Zero and Amethyst with unperturbed confidence, which left Lilith in peace to find a chair that wasn’t covered with books or paper to sit down and take a closer look at the bound file Maurice had given her.

  Until now, she hadn’t really thought about the written word very much, because she was so used to being able to understand everything people around her were saying. However, she noticed now that there was a distinct difference when a language was written. Similar to how different languages only registered to her as something like different accents, the shape of the letters was clearly distinguishable from the type she was used to reading. Most of the current languages she had come across used a similar alphabet, but this was different. The strokes of the paintbrush that had immortalized the words on paper formed round shapes, with occasional lines disturbing the patterns. Grasping the meaning behind the words also proved more challenging. The more she thought about it, the less sense the symbols made. However, after staring at the same line for a few minutes, focusing hard on the letters, Lilith’s mind started to empty. The thoughts drifted away, out of her consciousness, until there was nothing left, except the image of the letters. It was only then that the darkness in her mind cleared and like a lonely boat on a misty lake, the meaning of the words floated gently into her consciousness.

  Images and shapes formed in her mind, showing her snippets of what the account told of – a large, prosperous kingdom, green and bountiful, orchards gifted with many fruits, servants built from stone and metal that aided in the amelioration of people’s lives. They were a people who loved their country and trusted in their ruler.

  Then, later, an attack by barbarians, a siege, a country in flames. The writer fled when the outskirts of the capital city began to fall, and then, days later, a bright, unnatural light covered the sky and the horizon and a silence like no one had ever experienced, fell across the lands – no birds, dragons, mayandalus, harpies, manticores, gryphons or wyverns populated the sky; no animals could be heard, even people could not make audible sounds for several days. Instead, they all felt a vibration – a tremor t
hat affected ground, trees, even people. When sounds returned, scouts went toward the kingdom’s last city – Arceolus.

  “It seems like you may have found what you were looking for, dearie.”

  Catarina’s voice pulled Lilith back into reality. She blinked a few times and remembered where she was. Her bottom was beginning to ache from sitting on the uncushioned wooden chair. She looked down at the papers – she had read a little over half of it already.

  “Perhaps,” she admitted. “Although I am not sure. We may need to investigate further.”

  “Oh, I’m delighted for you! You should let Maurice know if it was helpful, he is ever so grateful to hear any praise.”

  Lilith smiled.

  “I will make sure to do that, then.”

  “I presume you will be staying a while longer then,” the dwarf continued, “and I wish you the best of luck with your search! But I must leave now to catch the next steamer to Taquin. If you don’t find what you’re looking for with this, please do come to visit me. Just come to the library and ask for me, there is always someone who knows my whereabouts.’

  Lilith took Catarina’s hand and shook it.

  “We will. Even if we do find it, I will be sure to come and visit some time. You have been a great help to us, and I am exceedingly grateful. If there is ever something I can do for you, do not hesitate to let me know and I will do my best.”

  Catarina smiled.

  “That’s a dangerous promise to make, dearie. I appreciate it nonetheless. But now I really must be off.”

  She bustled toward the door, which Maurice held open for her. He bowed his head slightly when she rushed past him, which earned him a light tap on the head.

  “Don’t you be doing that now, Maurice, dear! Ta – ta!”

  Maurice was left looking guiltily after her and then turned around to Lilith.

  “What a woman,” he said, shaking his head while running his hand through his hair. He walked up to Lilith and nodded at the document.

  “Did you find anything useful in there? Do you need anything else?”