Letter 6

Poppy,

There was a crazy storm today, with thunder and lightning so intense it made the accommodation tower shake. I had to go and check on the enchanted moss, and see how it was holding up with the deluge of rain. It seems to be okay so far.

For some reason though, I got it into my head to go back to sublevel 17, and make sure the wraith was still trapped in the vault. I stood outside the door for what felt like an eternity listening, but I couldn't tell if the noises were scratching, like bones on iron, or it was just the bad weather. I didn't dare open the door again, I'm not insane yet.

With no one making the journey to the library in this weather, we were each assigned a cleaning task. I was sent to sublevel 10 in the vaults, to scrub the artefacts and keep them pristine.

I had no idea this place had an armoury!

I have never seen so many weapons. Swords, daggers, staffs, shields and armour all lined the vault. I soon realised that's why I'd been assigned it. It took more than 8 hours to polish each blade and that was just one wall. I didn't finish the rest. To be honest, I may have been distracted reading about each weapon. There were blades there from the First War, more than a thousand years ago. That made for some interesting reading.

Did you know that the First King became mad with power, and enthralled his Wife and First Mage to him? In his search for even more power, he created “Devouring Servants” capable of sucking the magic from someone else, to pass to the King himself. The whole kingdom united against them in an epic war that spanned years. No one knows how the Union won, but the First King is buried here in the library, while the Queen and First Mage are elsewhere. The three were so powerful together that they were buried in secret, apart.

I may have sneaked a dagger out with me. I know, I know. Now I'm a thief on top of everything else. But according to its entry log, the dagger is enchanted with a magic draining charm, and I just thought that it would be very helpful if I ever see that wraith again. They are made of dark magic after all. I'm keeping it inside my cloak, just in case. Let's face it, I won't be leaving the library, so as long as it stays on library grounds, is it really stealing?

By the Arcane I bet you're more disappointed in me now.

Your dearest friend

Willow