Chapter 231: Idiot

Author’s note 29.5.2025: I kinda messed up the chapter release and the tier 1 patreons you got chapter 232 before 231. I'm sorry.

Author’s note: Hey guys.

I just want to let you know that I've already paused billing for April. So you don't have to worry about being charged without getting anything for it. I know some of you would still support me, but it would be hard on my conscience.

With that said, I haven't settled on how to further approach the writing of Lament of the Lost, yet. You guys, and the readers on RR and Scribblehub have given me a ton of support and also great suggestions - plenty to think about. I want to get a clearer picture over the weekend, but I guess I'll see definitively with April and how it goes.

You can plan all you want, but reality is a different kind of beast. :D

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

Now, enjoy!

Chapter 231: Idiot - link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/125208087

─◇─◈─◆────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 231: Idiot

"How much?"

"Oh, you're leaving already?" Byron, the innkeeper, asked, making no effort to hide his disappointment - unlike her. "How was the food? To your liking?"

'Fuck. Had I even tasted the damn food?' Too much had been on her mind, Zander taking up every thought. "Yeah, it was good. Now, how much?"

"One silver, twenty coppers, Miss Akene."

A straight answer, no beating about the bush. That, at least, was something to appreciate. A whole night wasted waiting for Zander, only to find out he was already rotting in a cell. Two silver coins hit the counter. For what he served, his prices were fair.

"Keep that."

"Oh, many thanks, miss," the innkeeper beamed, taking the money. Then, with an innocent enough question, he twisted the knife. "You'll be staying here tonight, too, like your friends?"

The word lodged deep. Friends. A careless assumption, and a dangerous one. From across the room, Yonas met her gaze, unreadable for a breath. Then a slow nod - her choice, and if she stayed, he’d keep covering her ass.

"Yeah, I will."

The innkeeper's eyes sparkled. "Good to hear, then I'll leave your room as it is."

A nod was all the answer he got before her fingers hooked into Birhane’s scarf, yanking him out of the Broken Mug. Lucky for him - he had rushed in too fast to order anything.

"Which way?" The words came as a growl, boots already moving the moment he pointed.

─◇─◇─◇─

"So, what happened?" Ashe asked as they stepped into a small square. Rows of well-kept houses framed the space, nothing grand, nothing remarkable. Citysfolk wandered through, lost in their own affairs.

'Why was Zander even here? Why not head straight to the labyrinth’s entrance?’

"Hey, you do realize I wasn’t actually here when it happened, right?"

"That’s what you claim."

"For fuck’s sake, Ashe. Really?" Birhane muttered into his shawl, irritation thick in his voice. "Can’t recall ever crossing you."

"Don’t think I didn’t notice how you never liked that I..."

The pause stretched. Birhane leaned forward, eyes sharp. "That you what?"

"That I never paid much attention to you."

"Fuck, you must be mad tits over him to think I’d sell out Zander just ‘cause you wouldn’t ride my…"

"Maybe I'm that crazy, so?"

"Fine, fine. Look, all I found out is that Zander went to that library over there."

"That's a library?"

The building didn’t look the part. Wedged between others at the edge of the square, it had the same stone walls, the same stacked floors - three above the ground floor, just like most of Castiana. Only two things set it apart - a broad wooden door, reached by a handful of steps, and the unsettling absence of windows on the lower levels.

"Yeah, it is."

"And Zander went there?"

"He did."

"Why?"

"Don't know, I didn't go in. Ask him. Hey, calm your tits down and put the dagger away. No need to start a fuss like he did. Or… do you?"

Might be the fastest way to find him. "Not that crazy. So, they got him in the library?"

"No. He walked out. Some bastard bumped into him, words got sharp, then fists flew. Zander put them down hard."

"There were more?"

"Some say three, others say five."

"Did he kill anyone?"

"Not that I heard. They say he almost did, but the City Dogs got there just in time. Then again, people say all sorts of things."

"And they caught him just like that?"

"Apparently. Look, calm down - that’s when I ran to tell you. If you want to know more, snoop around yourself"

Teeth clenched, Ashe forced herself still, leaving the daggers hidden in her spatial storage. "That all you know, then?"

Birhane shrugged halfheartedly. "If this were Munca, things would be different. Can’t slip into someone’s trust looking like this."

Truth be told, under all that winter gear, he wasn’t a bad-looking man. And with 212 sigils, not a weak one either. When he wanted, women found themself speaking more than they should.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Not blaming anyone - well, except this damn cold. Just stating facts."

"And you sure have nothing more to say?"

"Wish I did. Look, Ash, I’d love to help more, but..."

"Yeah, yeah. Just fuck off." She waved him off, eyes sweeping across the square before settling on the library. "Thanks, Birm," came a grudging add-on before she strode off to see what Zander was after in the books.

─◇─◇─◇─

The door, massive and carved from solid wood, yielded without resistance, opening into a space far beyond what Ashe had braced for - both in sight and in presence. The library dwarfed the one in Munca, its towering shelves packed with far more books. Yet it wasn’t the scale that unsettled her. Not even the sheer number of tomes.

No. What made her alert was the silence prevailing in the library - or rather, the walls humming with enchantments while magic was licking at her skin.

'This whole city’s insane. First the city walls, now the library - and a pretty creepy one at that.'

No shouts, no feet pounding the cobblestones. The silence, thick and unsettling, made the air feel wrong.

With every weave at the ready, a shiver ran down her spine as a presence locked onto her. ‘A bloody weave! Where the fuck are you, you bastard? Got you…’

In her outer domain, a man stepped from between the bookshelves, old and grey-bearded, book in hand. If anyone fit the image of a librarian, it was him. At first glance, anyway. But appearances could be misleading.

[Librarian: 73 sigils]

As he moved closer, the Lattice confirmed what his appearance suggested.

"Greetings. What brings you to my library?

The words, spoken with deliberate care, and having a slight tremor, hinted at the many years spent sharing stories and wisdom. "Are you searching for a book? Or if specific knowledge is what you seek, I can help you find the books that hold it."

Ashe flashed a fake smile. "I'm looking for a friend."

The librarian froze, a moment of bewilderment crossing his face. Then, as it passed, he cleared his throat, straightened his beard. "I’m afraid I can’t help you. We’re the only ones here, miss."

'Good to know.'

"Not what I meant. Apologies," Ashe replied, keeping her tone respectful. The man seemed like the type who would appreciate it. "I know he's not here."

"Then what are you hoping to find in my library?"

"Clues. Clues to where he might be."

"What clues? Is he fond of old legends? Visiting the sites of ancient events? Many times I have wished to see with my own eyes the meeting place of the Emperor Freineric IV with King Halen. Or..."

"No." Ashe stopped him, sensing the conversation would stretch on otherwise. "I know he was here."

"Ah, that makes it simpler. Not many find their way into my library. Seems like the world’s lost respect for books," he said, setting the book down with a soft thud on one of the many tables. "What did your friend look like?"

"Big. Muscular. You would see him as a [Master Swordsman]. I heard he was here yesterday."

The librarian’s eyes went wide. "Are you perhaps Ashe?"

Her heart stopped, a breath away from drawing daggers. 'How the fuck does he know my name?'

"Pardon me. It’s just that he mentioned a girl by that name when he was going through the maps."

"Maps?"

"Indeed. He was searching for a place to settle down with the girl."

'What a fucking idiot!' Ashe cursed inwardly, nails digging into her palms.

─◇─◈─◆────────────────────────────────────────
                                                     Glossary

                                                   Korra’s Grid

Previous Chapter . . . . . . . Table of Contents . . . . . . . Next Chapter