The barrow felt like a freshly opened tomb and indeed, it was very much an ancient repository. Catacombs for scrolls, rather than mummies. The chamber was vast—so vast I couldn’t begin to estimate how many thousands of scrolls lined the walls, each in a narrow hole, hundreds of rows and hundreds of columns. The ceiling of the barrow had to be a good fifty feet high, and the chamber itself was at least two hundred feet wide. I wasn’t sure how far back it went, but as I pressed inward, the illumination grew from a dim glimmer to a bright sparkling light. It wouldn’t match a fluorescent light, but it was bright enough to see into the corners, and it emanated from the walls, the ceiling, and the floor.
“What magic is this?” The very air felt charged to the point of making my skin jump. I had no idea what had gone into the making of this place, but whoever had crafted this barrow had to have been incredibly powerful. “It wasn’t the Great Fae Lords who made this place. I can tell you that. The magic here is even more powerful than they could wield.”
Smoky let out a faint huff. He sounded mildly perplexed. “No fires here. Fire magic, natural fire, it won’t work here.”
I didn’t ask how he knew, but I trusted his word. As I cautiously approached a gap in the back wall, I realized it was a passage, and then it hit me full force. “We’re in a library, I think. There are more scrolls back here.”
In fact, there were rows of the natural stone shelves, much like library stacks carved out of the ancient mountainside. And each held row after row of scroll tubes.
“Who created this?” Delilah asked in a hushed voice.
“Welcome to the Akashic Library.”
The voice took us all by surprise and I spun around. Behind us, a dark vertical line appeared in the air, and out from that line—as though stepping through a gate—a woman appeared. Dark skinned, she was dressed in a flowing dress the color of eggplant, with a silver shawl around her shoulders, the color of moonlight. A diadem encircled her head, with a droplet of lapis lazuli marking her forehead. Her hair was deep black, as were her eyes, her pupils twinkling stars.
“I am Sesarati, the Keeper of Lore. What do you seek?”
“Sesarati?” Bran’s eyes went wide. “I’ve heard of you.” He turned to me. “She’s one of the Hags of Fate, like Pentangle, the Mother of Magic.”
I had heard of the Akashic Library, as had a number of humans. But I had always thought it was a myth. I glanced around, realizing just how much knowledge and wisdom had to be contained here. I could spend lifetimes reading and learning. The desire to sit down, grab a scroll, and start studying hit me so hard that I could taste it.
Sesarati smiled, aloof but not unpleasant. “I can sense your hunger to learn. But the eternal scholars hoard knowledge like a miser hoards gold, seldom using it wisely. Don’t let yourself be caught up in the hunger. Learning is good, but what you do with it is even more important. Now, what have you come for?”
I cleared my throat, forcing myself to focus on her. “I come for the Maharata-Vashi.”
She held out her hand expectantly, and I stared at it, not knowing what she wanted.
“If you require payment, I’m afraid I’m not sure what currency you use.” I was all too aware of what some of the greater beings like the Elemental Lords and the Hags of Fate required, and I wasn’t about to pledge it without first knowing what I was offering.
“What I require is your hand so I can know that you are authorized to take the scroll.” She cocked her head, giving me a look that was almost…human.
I let out a soft laugh. “Sorry, I’m new to this.”
“So I can tell. Give me your hand, please.”
I glanced at Smoky. He inclined his head. Apparently, he was aware of who she was and seemed to feel it was all right. I trusted him, especially when he agreed with an action rather than immediately jumping to attack.
Cautiously, I held out my hand, placing it in hers. She felt almost shimmery, as though she were a flicker of energy rather than a corporeal being, and for all I knew, she was. The Hags of Fate were beyond our scope. Even Grandmother Coyote, who seemed far more approachable—I instinctively knew on a gut level just how powerful she was and I never overstepped the boundaries I could sense were in place.
Sesarati closed her hand over mine and prickles of energy raced through me, like an army of ants marching across my body. I shivered, trying to shake it off, but then she let go and stepped back. “You are who you are. I will get the scroll for you.”
“I saw…I had a vision of the woman who originally brought the scroll here. I didn’t see you in it.” It wasn’t exactly a question, because I didn’t know if she’d answer, but I wanted to see what she would say.