The Cave Part 13

"Who are you?" I asked through a dry mouth. I actually felt dread as I stared at the hooded figure that towered above me in the darkness beyond.

A giver of gifts.

The whispered voice now sounded as if in my head, not emanating from the figure. A very real presence pushing aside my own thoughts to make its offer known.

We give knowledge that others would keep from you.

"I find that somewhat disturbing," I replied, still speaking and not assuming that communication would go both ways through thought transference. "Why would you give me something that others thought probably dangerous?"

Only fools hide their heads in the sand when true power is within their grasp.

The figure vanished then, like a vapor receding on a morning breeze. I know I gasped aloud at this, and felt a bit foolish, but then I began to wonder why I felt that way. Hadn't Tharkin failed to tell me that there might be other living creatures dwelling in the library? Was I merely dreaming again, or was there indeed something here to be afraid of? I took a few steps forward towards where I had seen the figure. Great drops of perspiration were gathering on my forehead as I sensed I was not really alone after all.

You must come deeper into the depths to find my words.

I shivered as I saw the figure loom up again as if it had risen from the ground with the dust of ages running down its features, like some creature that had crawled through the dust to a place further down the hall. Now that it was a little nearer than before, I could see great horns coming from its head, like that of a stag. It was quite terrifying, and part of me wanted to bolt for the exit. Yet whether by my will, or the other's, I took a few more steps in its direction.

"Why should I trust you?" I stammered, bringing my own staff forward and holding it up to use its light to best advantage. The person or creature melted away, and then reformed again further on down the hall. "And why can't you walk like a normal human being?"

We are in no way normal. We are hidden. We are many. We are secret.

"Yes I have gathered that," I replied, feeling both revulsion, curiosity, and some degree of tediousness now, realizing that the other was not willing to let me get close to it. Perhaps that foolishly emboldened me, because I know started following my unconventional guide with braver footfalls, passing corridors of books and scrolls. Torches sprang to life as I passed them, giving a sudden burst of blue light for me to navigate by, though the mystery guide kept well away from these. As we journeyed onward into the heart of the library, I noticed new things about my guide. One thing noteworthy, was that it now had eyes.

"Why are you becoming more defined as I follow you?" I asked, feeling like a foolish fly wandering right down the webbed tunnel of a spider.

We honor the bold with greater truths that they can perceive, only when followed in the path of wisdom.

I was certain there was no path of wisdom that actually led after this creature or person, unless it was to that of evil. However I wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery. Tharkin had definitely never mentioned anything about such a being, or that there might be secret knowledge buried away that I was not to see. Why was this happening now? Where was the old man when I needed guidance?

Suddenly, I beheld a great stairway that led away from the floor I was on, into the darkness below. It was wide, enough for at lest ten of me to walk in unison down together. Torches continued to spring to life as I descended following the darkness clothed figure who seemed now to be floating down the stairs on invisible legs or other appendages. With the shadows hung around it just beyond the light, one could imagine just about anything beneath that shroud and hood. Once or twice it would look back towards me, and I could see the glow of two green eyes that froze my blood with fear, but then it would turn away after it was satisfied I was still following.

We did not stop on the next floor. To my amazement, I could see that there was almost a mirror image of long corridors of ancient texts housed on this floor too, to that of the one above. If I had thought the first floor was beyond the mere mortal life of a human like myself, I had no hope of ever reaching the second floor during my lifetime. There was simply too much here. Even the other long lived races such as the elves, dwarves, goblins and orcs that all lived longer than humans would find such reading a real challenge had they wanted to take it on. One would have to have the life time of a dragon in a scholar's body.

However, we continued down the great stairs. In fact, we passed two more floors just like those above, and I no longer kept silent record of all that I was missing on my way down. To even catalog all that was available would have taken an army of researchers. So I tried to forget the growing despair in my hear of what I would never know or see. I was helped in some part, because now we reached the end of the stairs and the dark floor we had entered was quite barren. There were strange stacks of books in piles, not on long shelved walls. It was as if we had entered a basement of the forgotten and unworthy texts that were left to languish away in the darkness. There were still pillars with torches that came to life for my benefit, but a great chill fell on me. I somehow knew I was not where I wanted to be.

Here we are, waiting for you to read us.

The creature stopped before a pile of books, wreathed in a shimmer of green and purple flame, the fire springing up suddenly from no source I could see but the black books stacked up, etched in pale white silver along their spines. These flames did not burn the volumes, but quite clearly came from some living source of power inside them.

Turning suddenly, the guide rose to its full height and ripped back its hood, revealing the skeletal face of some creature I had never seen before, long of muzzle and deep set hollowed eye sockets. The fangs protruding from its jaws were like knives, razor sharp and hungry for blood. It fixed those now blazing green eyes upon me with a ravenous expectation, as if it were going to devour me.

Will you now taste the knowledge of life and death Cairandawyn, and become as a god? Will you embrace our gifts, oh mortal man?