《A loose Page》


 I - Arrival

    The autumn wind filled the ferry''s sail and made a mess of Melraka¡¯s dark, wavy hair. She pulled her pointed, wide-brimmed hat deeper and closed her brown cloak closer around her robe, the robe of an alumnus of Halonnes University. She looked back to the shore. The city of Halonnes¡¯ bright spires and towers rose into the sky, supported by elegant arcs and buttresses. Melraka looked ahead, a completely different sight; in the waves of the ocean several miles off the coast, there stood the Vault¡¯s fortress-island. Its dark granite walls encircled the citadels and garrisons, all standing on rocky ground raised with powerful magics from the ocean floor just for this purpose. The Vault was the biggest and most important repository of books, scrolls, tablets, and powerful magical artefacts west of the salt river. Even as a hazy spot seen from the mainland, it was awe inspiring and as the ferry neared the walls, its magnitude became only more apparent.


    Sitting next to crates full of food, water, paper and magic ingredients, Melraka waited for the short trip to end. She thought she would spend the journey over doing her own reading ¨C Travel reports of a trailblazer by Valentine of Hozorcia ¨C but instead, she watched the dark granite fortifications slowly crawl closer from the horizon, like blocks of dark and grim determination set on the ocean ground by a purposeful hand, sending a challenge to both, armies and the elements themselves. You think yourselves strong enough to fell us? Come and try!


    The island itself had the shape of an equilateral triangle, three miles on each side, and at the corner pointing directly at Halonnes, the ship arrived in a small harbour. It had only one inlet, barely wide enough for a small ship, yet on the inside it had many similar small ships on a multitude of docks. Even if an armada could ever breach the closed harbour gates, only one small vessel at a time could enter. Melraka and the other passengers stepped off the boat and onto a plaza supposedly built for all sorts of purposes, but was in no way impressive, if one knew the city of Halonnes and its campus. Most buildings were imposing by their sheer bulk; all the stones were simple, hard-edged blocks with no ornaments or decoration. No mortar was used, they remained atop another through their weight of several tons each and their perfect cut, leaving no space between them, not even a hair would fit.


    Staff and bag in hand and with quick step, Melraka followed the signs to the central register, accompanied by two other passengers from the ferry, a young woman of especially short and thin stature wearing the robes of a student of the university, the same blue, white and green as Melraka¡¯s but lacking the silver trim; she also wore a stiff pointed, brimless hat and a handkerchief around her neck, both adorned with the same green eye symbol. Her reddish-blonde hair was tied into two pigtails with colourful ribbons, making her head look like a toy ball bursting with energy and fittingly, she skipped happily although not very fast, taking time to look around the place as she went. The second person was a man, not very tall but clean cut and well kempt in appearance, his greying and thinning hair in an orderly cut along with his beard. He wore robes of a city official, but with a quick glance Melraka could see the magically glowing lines of the university''s seal on his right hand, as it was on hers too. His staff was straight and cleanly carved, not like the naturally curving one she herself used. He seemed to remain for a short moment at almost every building he came by, inspecting the stone and work of each as if assessing their true strength. Melraka did not come to admire architecture, she had a job to do and so she hastened her step.


    The central register wasn¡¯t far; it was a building smaller than most, only three stories in total, and its construction looked out of place, but welcoming, with red brickwork and wooden framing. To think the entire building was just one register, it impressed Melraka. The fifty feet of drawers full of index cards at her own workplace in the University''s student library seemed tiny and insignificant now.


    The building was welcoming from the inside too; the walls were decorated with floral patterns and the furniture was cushioned and elegant. In the large entrance room, behind a desk well-made but not much adorned, sat a face Melraka knew: Benedict, a former co-student of hers. How was it he got a position at the Vault but she didn¡¯t? She wasn¡¯t angry, just surprised. She never even knew he had been shooting for a position within the university. He had always been unexceptional, remaining silent, by himself and not very impressive in appearance, but friendly and nice to all.


    ¡°Ah, Melarka, isn¡¯t it? We graduated together.¡±


    ¡°Yes we did, but just call me Mel.¡± She pulled a large leather envelope from her bag and let the folio-sized tome slam on the reception desk. ¡°I¡¯m here to replace a missing page of a printed book.¡± She opened the tome on the missing page. ¡°I¡¯ll need to see the original of Advanced mechanics of interior transmutation by Carolus-Turrain of Calestre.¡±


    Benedicted hummed, wrote something down on a form and then handed it to her to fillin her own details. When all was done, he smiled at her. ¡°I''ll enter it into the task list. Please take a seat in the waiting room.¡± He beckoned to a door to his right. As she headed for the door, she could hear him read her name to himself as if seeing a foreign word for the first time.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.The waiting room''s walls were lined with paintings, depicting scenes of glory and victory of the university¡¯s armed forces, political dignitaries received by the dean, and important inventions or discoveries made by alumni of the university. Mel let her attention wander through the scenes and vistas on the wall for a while, but eventually she sat down to finally get ahead in her reading. Before she could truly immerse herself in Valentine¡¯s travels, the other two passengers arrived in the room. While the man quickly took place, the girl remained standing and seemed to prepare to say something.


    ¡°Hello, I am Tamaris, But you can call me Tammy! I am here today to read a very special book, I''m so honoured to be allowed in here!¡±


    Mel didn¡¯t exactly understand the girl¡¯s motivation behind that, but she answered with a ¡°Hello.¡± and turned back to her book, the man however answered the girl in a courteous tone. ¡°Nice to meet you, Tammy, my name is Reginault.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here, Monsieur Reginault, if I may ask?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you may.¡± Reginault chuckled. He seemed to have been created for this girl, a pole of serenity to her enthusiasm. ¡°I am an architect of the city, here to access the original records of the earliest land surveys the university did on the area where the city now stands. I believe some important details to be lost in later transcriptions that could hint to the cause of a problem we¡¯re currently facing.¡±


    The girl¡¯s amazement was audible before she even spoke. ¡°That is so interesting! Oh, I hope I get to do something important and honourable as you when I graduate!¡±


    ¡°If you keep your mind focussed, I am sure you¡¯ll make it, Mademoiselle.¡±


    Tamaris smiled and giggled. Mel decided she wouldn¡¯t get any reading done with this much noise in the room and clapped her book shut. Just then the girl turned to her and addressed her too.


    ¡°And you, what is your name?¡± Her enthusiastic mood did not seem to be dampened in the least.


    Mel sighed. This was unnecessary, but friends of hers had said that she needs to be more friendly to friendly people. ¡°Melraka, but people just call me Mel. I¡¯m here to get a book repaired. I work for the library and need access to the handwritten original to this.¡± She pulled a large folio tome in a leather envelope from her bag and showed it to the girl.


    ¡°Oooooh! Library business. There is always so much to be found in libraries, I love them.¡± Mel had to admit that the girl had something in common with her there. Before Mel could finish her thought, Tamaris went on prattling. ¡°I came here in hope to broaden my horizon and gain the admiration and respect of my fellow students, thanks to the guidance of the Greene''s foresight!¡± She pointed to her hat. ¡°We are a group of select individuals with ambition and youth, who help each other in focussing our inner energy towards what is important and fruitful!¡± Tamaris finished with a proud smile.


    ¡°I wish you luck.¡± Mel tried not to dash the student¡¯s hopes.


    ¡°Thank you! That¡¯s so nice of you! Say, are you from Halonnes?¡±


    This was a question Melraka heard quite often, her foreign-sounding name, her distinctively shaped eyes, her flat nose and the soft, round shape of her face stood out among the people of Halonnes. She had gotten these traits from her father, a trader from far to the west who fell in love with her mother during a stay at the trading post here in Halonnes which she managed. From her mother, Mel had gotten her caramel-brown eyes and her dark brown hair, framing her face in long waves.


    ¡°Yes I am, but my father isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ooh I hope I have not offended with that remark. I thought maybe you had interesting sights to report from far beyond Ackarom!¡±


    She did indeed live three years in that far off land, where a benevolent scholar-emperor ruled absolute, but she barely remembered that time, she was eight years old when she left, yet she still remembered the spicy cuisine. ¡°No, you did not offend.¡± Mel never really understood the fuss people make about personal slights or their own image, and so she never understood people being ¡°offended¡± by average ignorance.


    ¡°Oh good then, I hope we can continue to get along.¡± The girl turned back to Reginault to pelt him with more questions, all of which he seemed happy to answer. The two of them talked about all the different aspects of an architect¡¯s job, how he used his magic to cut, lift and shape stone blocks and how important a university with a faculty of architecture was for the growth and stability of a city. The girl seemed to absorb each of his words with bright eyes. It was after a lengthy explanation of how an architect¡¯s job interlinks with a city planner¡¯s that the door to the waiting room open and Benedict poked his head in.


    ¡°Mel-¡­ I mean,¡± he looked to a slip of paper. ¡°...Mademoiselle Melraka-Tassepante, the book you requested has been brought to the reading room.¡± Mel jumped up, finally she could fulfil her task! She was almost at the door when a sound like a rhythm of metallic clanging came from outside, then shouts and panicked running started. An alarm had been sounded.

 II - Alarm

    The many alarm bells outside were flooding the fortress with panic. All four of the people in the waiting room moved to the windows. They saw guards run from one fortified building to the next. Finally, two guards entered the waiting room.


    They wore metal chest plate and helmets and carried light halberds. Their long gambesons were kept in the colours of the university and on their sleeves was the symbol of the vault, a book surrounded by a wall.


    ¡°Any guests will be escorted to the barracks.¡± Was the only thing they said as they arrived.


    Benedict tried to keep his composure, but his face showed him to barely contain anything. ¡°What has happened? Are we under attack.¡±


    Tamaris seemed scared and jittery, fidgeting with her hands and feet and looking all around her. ¡°Are we in danger?¡±


    ¡°We will not disclose anything until we¡¯re in the barracks.¡± The guards started to hurry the four of them out of the building and towards a building in an additionally fortified part of the island behind its own interior wall.


    When the four of them arrived at the gates, two guards at the entrance halted the group of six.


    ¡°All non-combat personnel must surrender their weapons, staves, flux and spell-indices.¡±


    Mel tried to piece anything together. It was Reginault who spoke up first. ¡°What? What is even happening? What is this alarm?¡±


    ¡°Someone has made it into the fortified area. So far we only know that the alarm system has detected an intruder and that a malfunction is unlikely.¡±


    Reginault seemed not satisfied but in the end, he and all others handed in their staves and cast books, as well as small pouches or flasks of flux, that most crucial of all spell-ingredients that supplied magic spells with the necessary energy. None of them had any indices with them. Mel¡¯s - most magic users¡¯ - was a tome of vellum pages, too large to carry around during day-to-day affairs. As long as she had prepared spell papers in her palm-sized cast book, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry, but that was taken now, too. She had the Arcane Gift and could just weave the spells she knew by memory, but that were not many. Tamaris didn¡¯t have a staff to hand in, and Benedict didn¡¯t seem to have brought anything along from his desk at the register. After the guards had also written down their names, occupation and reason to be on the fortress-island, they went through their bags. After all was done, the four were escorted further into the barracks, to a large room that seemed to be like a dinner hall or cantina, capable of housing a hundred people but currently housing only a dozen or so.


    ¡°This few? Where are all the other people?¡± Tamaris looked around the room. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be many more?¡±


    Benedict leaned down to her. ¡°Most buildings have their own secure rooms for personnel, the central register and reception is not built to resist weapon¡¯s fire or war magic.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh. But isn¡¯t it a really important building?¡±


    ¡°Notreally. The paperwork in there is moved to secure storage every two days, the file cards are just for knowing where to look for specific books.¡±


    Tamaris marvelled at the deep insights she was getting from Benedict. ¡°Oooooh. That makes sense I guess.¡±


    They sat down at a table and the guards left them. A few were also stationed in the cantina, keeping a vigilant eye on the few people spread far across the entire hall.


    Reginault folded his hands and rested them on the table, Tamaris sat on her hands and looked at her feet and Benedict looked around for familiar faces. Only Mel knew exactly what to do; she got out her book and got to reading, she wanted to get ahead in the plot. It was a refreshing silence that fell upon them, until Reginault finally broke it. ¡°I hope it is nothing too serious.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Tamaris seemed to most nervous of them all. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re in danger?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s most likely just a mishap on the guards¡¯ side and even if not, we¡¯re well protected here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a mishap, that much I can tell.¡± Benedict leaned over to them. ¡°Such cases never go on this long. Last time the alarm rang because they messed up, I barely made it out the door.¡±


    Reginault furrowed his brow as if he was angry with the clerk. ¡°Well what is it then? Don¡¯t tell me the Vault is actually under attack!¡±


    Benedict shook his head. ¡°The alarm can stand for a number of incidents, like a fire, a collapsed wall, a suspicious object, a person outside of permitted areas, or a ship in distress close to the island.¡±


    Melraka gave up her reading again, it was impossible to concentrate while Benedict went on talking. ¡°But since they brought us here, I¡¯d say it¡¯s an intruder and they need to make a tally of everyone and everything that isn¡¯t supposed to be here.¡±


    Tamaris seemed to be actually troubled by that. ¡°I see.¡± She paused for a while until getting up. ¡°I think I''ll use the latrine; do you know where it is, Monsieur Benedict?¡±


    He pointed over to a door to a wide corridor in the back of te room.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Tamaris headed off to where Benedict directed her. Peace and quiet returned, safe for the ringing bells, which still persisted. It was Benedict who broke the silence again. ¡°Where is she? She can¡¯t take that long!¡±


    Mel put on her most sarcastic glare. ¡°Yes she can, us women take something called ''care'', so our trip to the latrine can take a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it feels like she has been gone for quite a while.¡±


    Melraka rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, if it soothes your heart, I''ll go check on her for you.¡± She slapped book shut slammed it on the table, got up and followed Tamaris.


    Down a short hallway to the left was the women''s public latrine. She entered and found no one there. It was rather pretty for a public latrine, dividers were set up between the holes that led down into the sewer line, each stall with its own bucket and sponge to clean up, a bucket and a bar of soap on a string next to the entrance allowed people to even wash their hands. Halonnes was a very advanced city with the newest applications of magic and alchemy employed even for the public, after all. As far as the fortress island of the vault could be considered ¡°public¡±.


    Apart from the impressive furnishings, the latrine was empty, no person anywhere in sight. ¡°Tamaris?¡± Mel allowed herself a sarcastic comment and bent over one of the holes. ¡°Did you fall through there?¡± No answer. She turned around a few times. When she was done admiring the marvels of public sanitation, she left and returned to the others.


    ¡°She¡¯s not on the latrine, that much is clear.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Benedict''s face was visibly distraught. ¡°We need to look for her!¡±


    Mel was in no mood to play babysitter to a twenty-year-old. ¡°Why? Let the guards deal with it, if we go after her we might be implicated if she is somehow responsible for all of this!¡±


    Benedict bit his lip and stared into Melraka¡¯s eyes. Whatever he was trying, it wasn¡¯t going to work, she left her empathy for idiots at the student library¡¯s front desk. ¡°Have you just checked the women¡¯s latrine or the men''s too?¡±


    ¡°Just the women¡¯s, why would she go to the men¡¯s?¡±


    Benedict stood up and strode towards the latrine. Mel decided to follow. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Let the guards deal with it!¡±


    But Benedict didn¡¯t listen, he just sped up his pace. He stormed into the men¡¯s, but soon after he came back out. ¡°She¡¯s not in there either!¡±


    ¡°Who would have thought?!¡±


    Benedict turned to Mel and came closer. ¡°Please help me find her!¡±


    ¡°WHY? Why are you so obsessed with her? Do have something for her?¡±


    Benedict looked left and right before looking Melraka in the eye. ¡°I was a member of Greene''s Foresight too!¡±


    ¡°What? Those nuts with the stupid hat? I never saw you in one!¡±


    ¡°It never was a requirement to wear that, but Tammy seems like an overambitious ball of energy, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll get herself into trouble. Will you help me? Please?!¡±


    Getting sucked into it was the last thing Mel wanted. ¡°Go ahead, try to find her like an idiot. I¡¯ll do you one favour and not tell the guards.¡±


    ¡°The Vaults premises are huge; I¡¯ll need someone to help me along!¡± He gave her puppy dog eyes. She couldn¡¯t believe he could even do that, but before too long she was sucked into them. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s not like I can get any reading done either way!¡±


    His face blossomed into a flower of joy. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Now, how do we actually get out?¡± Benedict was looking all around and Mel did not like where his eyes came to rest: the latrines.


    ¡°Oh no, I will not climb down there, it doesn¡¯t matter how stupid she is, I will not help her if that means being just as stupid!¡±


    Benedict already had one foot through one of the holes, but he was still figuring out how to fit the entire rest of him through the rather narrow passage. Tamaris might be small enough to fit, but he wasn¡¯t.


    Benedict¡¯s attempts were cut short when another person appeared in the hallway.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be down here.¡± It was Reginault. ¡°The sewers are grated off too well, she wouldn¡¯t have made it very far.¡±


    Both Benedict and Mel turned around. Benedict was faster with his remark than Mel. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only person endeared by the girl.¡±


    Mel got out her much more pressing and significant remark. ¡°And how do you know about the sewers?¡±


    ¡°Because I wrote my dissertation on the many stages of construction throughout the Vault¡¯s history. The current sewer system is fairly new and the same almost everywhere on the island.¡±


    Benedict still hadn¡¯t pulled his leg from the hole. ¡°She has the Arcane Gift, she could have bent the grates open!¡±


    ¡°No, she couldn¡¯t. Even experienced architects or warcasters would have issues with the protection spells on the sewer system. This is the Vault, not some two-bit pile of stones.¡±


    They looked around the room. Apart from the door the only other opening was a broad vent to the outside, allowing fresh air to flow, but it made a right-angle bent to prevent anyone from peeping in. It was approximately three feet wide and less than a foot high, impossible to get through.


    Benedict turned back around to Reginault. ¡°Do you think she went through there?¡±


    Mel couldn¡¯t believe she had to tell Benedict something this obvious. ¡°Unlikely. We handed in all our flux, remember?¡±


    Reginault spoke up again. ¡°I know a way she could have gotten out.¡± He headed down the corridor and opened another door. Behind the door was a small closet with various cleaning utensils, and high above the ground was a small round window. Barely wide enough for someone of such a minute stature as Tamaris to squeeze through.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any of us fit through there.¡± Mel deduced after just a glance.


    It was again Reginault who took the initiative. He turned around and led them to another door, that led to a stairwell down into the basement below the barracks. It was dark and barely lit, but they could tell that crates and barrels filled most of the large hall that seemed to stretch the entirety of the building''s floor area. Reginault walked down one of the paths between them with sure steps, his shoes'' wooden heels sending loud CLAK sounds through the vast darkness with every step. They followed him and came to a wooden door with a bar across it. There was no lock on it and so, Reginault merely undid the bar and opened the door. A corridor stretched deep into the darkness ahead of them.


    Mel was about to ask the obvious question, but Benedict was again faster with his remark.


    ¡°I heard about these; they¡¯re siege tunnels. If somebody assaults the fortress, it¡¯s dangerous to move about up above because of fiery projectiles, falling rubbe and such. So they have fortified tunnels to move troops and goods safely from where they are stored to where they are needed.¡±


    Reginault smiled with a certain boyish manner. ¡°Correct. They date back quite far, basically, the entire fortress is built atop another fortress, like layers of a shielding spell, each enabling the upper one to perform even better.¡±


    Mel raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know all this from your studies? And you just tell us?¡±


    ¡°Well none of you are explicitly forbidden from knowing, since you¡¯re both University staff. Really I''m the only one who shouldn¡¯t be down here. But I always enjoyed fortresses and castles, even as a young boy. My dissertation was a labour of love. Now, are you in for this expedition or not?¡±


    Mel looked back. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure. But it was better than sit around and not be sure what was actually happening. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll come with.¡±


    ¡°And so will I.¡± Benedict proclaimed, straightening his back and pushing his chest out as he stepped forward.


    The darkness before them yawned wide open.

 III - Alleys

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 IV - Assault

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 V - Aftermath

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