Pit of Doubt, Part III
When Aonva got to the library, she went straight to the second floor, to the advanced section on dragons. It was one of her favorite places in the library, because so few people went there. It was also where she’d met Roshil.
I have to help her. I shouldn’t have given up on her.
Aonva walked through the aisle and examined every book on the shelf. One after another, she pulled books off the shelf, until there were six in her arms. They all looked and felt familiar, like old friends she hadn’t seen in a while. At least, it was how she imagined it would be like to see old friends after a long time. She’d never had friends with which to test that theory.
My best friend, and I let her down. It’s all my fault. Whatever she did to me, I deserved it.
She walked to the nearest corner of the library. This one in particular was not only out of the way, but a light orb shone right above it. It was the perfect spot to spread out books and be alone. Sure, she could’ve sat at a table, but she always ran out of space and moved to the floor anyway.
She reached for The Mysteries of Dragons first. With practiced ease, she flipped straight to the pages on dragon-touched. She’d lost count of how many times she’d read the same words, looking for something she’d missed. Nothing about the causes, nothing about the cures, nothing about the reasons. Nothing new.
Aonva left it open to that page and grabbed The Dangers of Dragons next. While it too had a passage on dragon-touched, it didn’t tell her anything she didn’t already know. That was in part due to her having read this one over and over again in the last six months as well.
Leaving that open she grabbed another one, and another one, and another one. Aonva skimmed through The Survivor’s Guide to Dragons, A World of Dragons, and The Origin of Arcane, all from cover to cover, jumping back and forth between them. It wasn’t enough. They had even less on dragon-touched. She learned how to fight dragons, the different colors and what they meant (not much), and the names of many ancient dragons.
The dragon Umjomkwanpra taught humans the Arcane Language thousands of years ago. Many believe she held back some words because she didn’t trust humans to use the gift wisely.
Valignatiejir is thought by many only to be a myth, but depictions of a great black dragon go back thousands of years. Unfortunately, many tragedies are blamed on such a dragon, making it difficult to tell what really happened.
The treaty between the Kingdom of Skwyr and the dragons is the only one of its kind. The dragon Lengaulelin was the first to sign it, and many others followed when they realized the mutual benefits of such a treaty.
Aonva’s head throbbed. She rubbed her temples and opened another book. She had all six books sprawled out on the floor around her. After rubbing her eyes, she continued her search for answers.
What are you going to find now that you haven’t found in six months? This is pointless.
She pushed her mother’s voice out of her head, but her father’s voice replaced it.
What good do your books do you? They’ll only make you argue with people all the time like your mother.
Yes, be like your father and never have an original thought in your life.
Aonva shook her head, trying to force her parents out of it. She grabbed one of the books to try blocking them and the headache out.
Most dragons will ignore any humans they see. They don’t need to eat constantly like most other animals, and their lifespans are at least a thousand years, although no dragon has ever admitted how long they can live. This being the case, they are known to be patient creatures. Many have also learned that when one attacks a human, other humans are sure to seek out that dragon for revenge, until the dragon is eventually overwhelmed.
Do not attack dragons alone. Only the most skilled fighters stand a chance against a dragon alone. Dragons have few weak spots on their bodies.
There’s no point to this.
Aonva scratched her wrist. There was every point to what she was doing. Roshil had made her a bracelet that caused a creeping headache over a day. It was prolonged, patient, like a dragon, but unlike Roshil. It only proved how upset Roshil was with her.
I’ve got to keep doing this.
She put that book down and grabbed another one.
While a precise measurement of a dragon’s speed is unknown, it is believed that one can cross the ocean between Skwyr and Nelaro in a matter of hours if flying at top speed.
Her head felt like it was slowly being compressed. Aonva had to put the book down and close her eyes.
Give up and go to back to bed. Or go to breakfast. It’s what a proper lady would do, and that’s all men want.
No! I can’t stop, not now!
She opened her eyes, but the light burned them. She curled into a ball on the floor, holding her head.
It hurts! Why does it hurt?
Every time she tried opening her eyes, her head hurt worse. She couldn’t give up. There must’ve been something she’d missed in one of the books. Or maybe the other books on the shelf. There were plenty of them, and she was sure she hadn’t read all of them yet. She had to keep trying.
Aonva opened her eyes, then stood up on shaky legs. She turned to the shelves, then put one foot forward.
Stars danced before her eyes. Her foot shook as she put it down. She picked up her other foot, but caught one of the books she had open next to her. The book went skidding, missing her head as it landed on the hard library floor.
Aonva curled up on the floor and cried. She couldn’t cast spells. She couldn’t find answers. What good was she?
It was a mistake to come here. I should go home.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of footsteps accompanied by a staff vibrated the floor. Aonva didn’t move. She didn’t care. No one would pay any attention to her.
“Oh, dear.”
Aonva looked up and saw Lady Emgard standing over her.