Analinde (The Chronicles of Loresse) by Melissa Bitter

Author:Melissa Bitter [Bitter, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Daedalian Press, LLC
Published: 2013-09-19T21:00:00+00:00

The library was a magnificent place. It filled four floors, faced a courtyard, and the welcoming smell of paper wafted in the air. Practically every type of book that you’d ever want to read could be found here. Three floors were dedicated to the three separate disciplines of Healing, Earth, and Mage studies. The fourth floor housed many old and dangerous books and manuscripts and was restricted from general use. The staircase leading to it was enforced by wards and shielding that even the most powerful mages would not have been able to circumvent. Only the librarians and a chosen few ventured forth.

“Third floor, front-right corner,” Analindë repeated to herself as she headed for the stairs. She’d rarely explored the library since a stack of books had accompanied each class she’d taken so far. Those she’d kept in her room in the student’s quarters. She felt a gentle tug as she reached the landing and turned toward it. “Over in the corner,” she said to herself as she wound her way through the maze of bookshelves that lay in front of her.

She passed towering bookcases on either side, filled from floor to ceiling. The occasional pillar marked a new area. Some sections were brightly lit, others were dim. She turned and walked between two shelves that were narrowly spaced apart and shuffled down the long passage wondering if she’d ever reach the end. The row finally emptied out into a dimly lit corner of the library where the scent of old parchment hung heavy in the air.

She walked close to a set of shelves in front of her and crouched down to run her fingers along the spines of a particular set of green-bound books. Dizziness assaulted her and she clutched at the shelving to keep from tipping over. Her head cleared, air whooshed, and she frowned. Clear headed, she stared at the shelved books in front of her. “These aren’t what I need. How in the Realm did I end up here?” She craned her neck around, searching for something that would tell her where she was. Carved into a pillar near her was the glyph for two. “Second floor!”

She lurched to her feet and strode back toward the stairs. At least that’s what she’d meant to do. Upon taking her first few steps away from the shelf, an insistent tug had immediately pulled her left arm back toward the shelves. Every hair on her body stood on end and her palms became clammy. Scared, she swung her head around searching for danger. Nothing but books on shelves and dust motes floating in the air. She switched to magesight.

Nothing.

Curious, she turned back to study the shelves nearest her and retraced her steps to where the compulsion had left her. The second floor was dedicated to earth energies; the pull seemed to come from a few green-bound books that looked to be at least a few millennia old.

She scanned the titles in front of her, “Caves and Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Them; Rocks and Stones; There is More to Dirt Than Meets the Eye.

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