Invicta Bricks
The Great Library of Salamackia (Salamackia's Story Part 2)
For eleven days and eleven nights Salamackia had not moved from his desk. His servants were used to his marathon stints of study, but this one had been difficult. Not least because Salamackia’s mood had worsened the longer it continued. The handwriting on the ‘request’ slips that he passed to his servants for the books and charts he needed had deteriorated steadily. Most of his servants, too fearful to ask and terrified of getting it wrong, could now not decipher the scrawl of ornate runic lettering. Only Earlic could fathom his master’s wants and as such he had been on duty for the last three days without respite. He was beginning to dream on his feet.
The reason Earlic could decipher his Master’s wants was because he had been trying to follow his Master’s work. Even since he had been brought into service, Earlic had been a bit different to the other servants, in that he always saw opportunity in all that befell him. On entering the tower’s great library Earlic had seen a chance for an education. Servants were of course forbidden any personal use of the library, but in carrying out his duties for his Master, Earlic was able to get a significant amount of reading done in his twelve years of service. This had helped him get on enormously and although not an official position - Salamackia could not have recognised one servant from another - amongst his peers he was the head librarian.
Salamackia had started his studies by reading the memoirs of Duke Wirklich Nervig, a Lenfald Noble. Further requests then centred on various histories and maps of Lenfald. This was when Salamackia’s mood had started to darken for the first time. But then a few of the well worn tombs from Mary Makatoosh’s Complete History of Roawia’ , one of Earlic’s personal favourites, seemed to have put him right. Suddenly the mood had lightened and Earlic had been handed a message to send. ‘GLARCE, THE WINDOW’. The writing had improved, but Earlic still rewrote it clearly. It was a message destined for Garheim in the far reaches of the North and his master’s mood would be insufferable if it came all that way back as unreadable.
From there, his master had moved swiftly through various Garheim History texts to modern times. Then he returned to Lenfald, again moving swiftly up to date. That had brought them to yesterday morning, when his master had sat up and stretched. Earlic too had relaxed thinking he’d soon be in his bed, but then one more note had come, Loreos Histories Last 100 years. Vast weights of text were exchanged from the shelves to the desk, while his master took a glass of wine. Progress through them was again swift, until this morning. It seemed there was something in recent history that was troubling his master and barely legible notes were coming thick and fast for further cross references. Although not a word had been said in the library for all eleven days and nights, Earlic could feel his master’s mood building.
From across the room Adis, one of the other servants made a gesture to Earlic - a message for their master. It was handed to Earlic. It was a reply from Garheim. He presented it to his master with the most discreet of coughs to announce its presence. It was snatched from his hand and torn open, before Earlic could even offer the letter knife. It was read fleetingly, no more than a glance and then dropped to the floor.
Salamackia rose. ‘My horse’ may have been his first words for over a week, but his voice was strong and certain. He strode from the room, just as Earlic made the necessary gestures to ensure the message got to the groom, before Salamackia had descended the tower. Earlic was going to let the other servants restore order to the library, as he was ready to collapse with fatigue. But first he had to see. He picked the letter from the floor and looked at its single word. GONE. .
The Great Library of Salamackia (Salamackia's Story Part 2)
For eleven days and eleven nights Salamackia had not moved from his desk. His servants were used to his marathon stints of study, but this one had been difficult. Not least because Salamackia’s mood had worsened the longer it continued. The handwriting on the ‘request’ slips that he passed to his servants for the books and charts he needed had deteriorated steadily. Most of his servants, too fearful to ask and terrified of getting it wrong, could now not decipher the scrawl of ornate runic lettering. Only Earlic could fathom his master’s wants and as such he had been on duty for the last three days without respite. He was beginning to dream on his feet.
The reason Earlic could decipher his Master’s wants was because he had been trying to follow his Master’s work. Even since he had been brought into service, Earlic had been a bit different to the other servants, in that he always saw opportunity in all that befell him. On entering the tower’s great library Earlic had seen a chance for an education. Servants were of course forbidden any personal use of the library, but in carrying out his duties for his Master, Earlic was able to get a significant amount of reading done in his twelve years of service. This had helped him get on enormously and although not an official position - Salamackia could not have recognised one servant from another - amongst his peers he was the head librarian.
Salamackia had started his studies by reading the memoirs of Duke Wirklich Nervig, a Lenfald Noble. Further requests then centred on various histories and maps of Lenfald. This was when Salamackia’s mood had started to darken for the first time. But then a few of the well worn tombs from Mary Makatoosh’s Complete History of Roawia’ , one of Earlic’s personal favourites, seemed to have put him right. Suddenly the mood had lightened and Earlic had been handed a message to send. ‘GLARCE, THE WINDOW’. The writing had improved, but Earlic still rewrote it clearly. It was a message destined for Garheim in the far reaches of the North and his master’s mood would be insufferable if it came all that way back as unreadable.
From there, his master had moved swiftly through various Garheim History texts to modern times. Then he returned to Lenfald, again moving swiftly up to date. That had brought them to yesterday morning, when his master had sat up and stretched. Earlic too had relaxed thinking he’d soon be in his bed, but then one more note had come, Loreos Histories Last 100 years. Vast weights of text were exchanged from the shelves to the desk, while his master took a glass of wine. Progress through them was again swift, until this morning. It seemed there was something in recent history that was troubling his master and barely legible notes were coming thick and fast for further cross references. Although not a word had been said in the library for all eleven days and nights, Earlic could feel his master’s mood building.
From across the room Adis, one of the other servants made a gesture to Earlic - a message for their master. It was handed to Earlic. It was a reply from Garheim. He presented it to his master with the most discreet of coughs to announce its presence. It was snatched from his hand and torn open, before Earlic could even offer the letter knife. It was read fleetingly, no more than a glance and then dropped to the floor.
Salamackia rose. ‘My horse’ may have been his first words for over a week, but his voice was strong and certain. He strode from the room, just as Earlic made the necessary gestures to ensure the message got to the groom, before Salamackia had descended the tower. Earlic was going to let the other servants restore order to the library, as he was ready to collapse with fatigue. But first he had to see. He picked the letter from the floor and looked at its single word. GONE. .