Velhari

With everything going on in the world right now, I thought another Pride special was in order. One that isn't as wholesome as I normally like it but something harsher and more violently cathartic. There are minor spoilers for The Librarian and The Archive here.

Detective chief inspector Elizabeth Hodgins and commissioner Noel Stewart stood before the town hall. The plaza had been cleared of onlookers, but even the barricades in place, a crowd had formed to see the spectacle dangling just below the windows of the third floor. Two city council members and a few other men were gagged and tied up, dangling more or less safely from the building. All of them were attempting to free themselves from the restraints.

“So, what’s your guess, detective?”

Hodgins raised an eyebrow. “If this is truly the librarians’ work, then I would guess something pretty nasty. I know mister Borison over there tried to cancel the Pride event yesterday. Just as an example.”

Stewart nodded. “That would make sense. The timing, the librarians’ general motives… still, seems rather drastic.”

“I mean, it is drastic but they have taken much harsher steps in the past. I suppose this is just for the theatrical effect.”

“It’s certainly impressive.”

There was some noise from the crowd. Two of the librarians were making their way to the plaza. The police let them pass.

The younger of the two spoke as the two librarians approached. “Commissioner, detective, good morning. Seems like you found our present.”

“Good morning. Miss Crowley, I really don’t want to ask for an explanation, but I have to.” Commissioner Stewart sighed.

Head librarian Kate Crowley shrugged. “Let’s call it a proactive stance on the recent political attempts. All these men tried to stop or abuse the event yesterday. We decided that this year they went too far. We will no longer tolerate such behaviour. We have protected this city for millennia and our services have always been free to all. All we asked for was peace in and around the library. Men like these are disturbing our peace, they want to remove valuable members of this society, destroy parts of the cultures we archive. We will not tolerate that and are now stamping this out before it grows out of control.”

“Not that we can stop you, but how do you intend to do all that?”

“First, we will address the crowds here, broadcast the speech to the rest of the city. Then we will act on what we announce. I am trusting you to do the right thing.”

“I cannot make any promises, that depends on how your actions, law and the treaty collide.”

“That is all we need to be able to trust you. I mean, you have yet to disappoint.”

“Well, thank you. Do you need anything for this broadcast of yours?”

Kate shook her head. “We have everything ready. You should warn your people here that his might not go over well. The library, other important institutions and anything else important has our people standing ready to protect and intervene if necessary.”

“Hm. This will be bad then?”

“For some. I would argue that keeping bigots from acting on their idiocies isn’t bad.”

“And I would agree, but those bigots tend to lash out when you put boundaries up.”

“Yes, that’s why we have people everywhere and that’s why I warned you.”

“Alright. Give me five minutes, I will warn my people. Hodgins, you stay with the librarians. I need someone I and they can trust. Someone from our side.”

Hodgins nodded. “Understood, sir.”

Stewart returned the nod and walked over to the police officers holding the crowd back. After a few minutes, he gave the librarians a nod. Kate stepped forward, her voice booming across the plaza.

“May I have your attention.”

Silence fell over the crowd.

“Thank you. I am the head librarian. Many of you have noticed the presence of our security personnel at yesterday’s Pride event. We have provided security for many recent events at the request of the mayor’s office and the event organizers. The men hanging above us were caught by our security in multiple different attempts at sabotaging the pride event, harassing participants, stalking several women home after the event, as well as many cases of vandalism against public art projects. Several other bigots have already been handed to the police. These here are just the worst of the worst and we will punish them accordingly. From this day onward, the library will not longer provide mere sanctuary. We will actively intervene.”

There was murmuring among the listeners.

“If you live your life and do not actively harass or discriminate against anyone, nothing will change for you. If you have been targeted or might be a target of discrimination, we will now offer protection. You have always been safe in the library and we were always willing to keep the library a place of sanctuary. Now, we will extend this to the rest of the city.”

Kate paused for a second to let this statement of intent sink in.

“In fifteen-thirty-nine, the British Crown signed the Pactum Bibliothecarii. A treaty between us and the crown that allows us many freedoms across this entire city. It also codifies that it is our duty to protect this city and its citizens. Today, we will fulfil this duty ocne again and make use of the rights bestowed upon us by that treaty. In practice, it means the following. Any librarian or any person authorized by us will be able to intervene in any situation that breaks the laws set by us. Any harassment of minorities, any discriminatory action, any vandalism against public art, any attempt to undermine sanctuary given to anyone by us. All the above and more is now punishable in accordance with our laws. Any harm done must be repaired, any act repaid to the victim’s demands. And if no repair or repayment is possible, then the victim may choose punishment. And if all that is not applicable? Then there is only death.”

There was shouting from the crowd. One man stepped forward, the police stopped him from entering the plaza proper. “How dare you! This is not your little military dictatorship! We have rights!”

Kate looked at the man. “You have rights before your peers. You have rights before the police. You have rights before the government. We are none of those. Besides, what rights are you talking about? What rights are we taking from you? The right to beat your wife? To forcefully out your trans siblings? To send your gay children to conversion therapy? Those rights?”

“The right to parents as I see fit!”

“As you see fit? By suppressing the rights of your children?”

“By not allowing these disgusting ideologies to corrupt my children.”

“Let him through and bring him up here.”

The police holding the man back nodded and let the man through.

Kate waited from him to arrive before her. “Tell me the truth. Did you forbid your children from attending the event yesterday?”

“Obviously I did.”

“Henry Barns, do you know your daughter is lesbian?”

“She is not. That is all just a stupid teen phase. She will marry a proper man.”

“And you will try to force her?”

“Force her? She will come to her senses, she just needs to be raised properly.”

“Then you will serve as an example to everyone.” Kate put her hand on the side of his face as he began to gasp for air. It took only a few seconds before he crumbled onto the cobblestone plaza.

Kate turned to address the crowd again. “This is the fate that awaits all who break our rules and cannot undo the damage they have done. Our rules will be visible to all right here after I am done, just in case you need a reminder to not be filth. Now, to address the problem of these men up here. The councilmembers will offer public apologies to any they have wronged. We have a list. They will also immediately reinstate the funding for the Other-Space, the local sanctuary for minorities, and offer twenty-four seven staffing. It will serve as a safe space for anyone not comfortable coming to us. They will also immediately cease any projects not approved by us. Oh, and if the attempted cancelation of the bus route to the neighbouring towns goes through… well… the entire council will lie at my feet in that case.”

Kate snapped her fingers and the dangling councilmembers were pulled back up the building and inside through the windows above them. It was a rather uncomfortable affair for them.

“Now to doctor Brackenwell over here. His office is closed, effective immediately. He will take an active effort in procuring treatment for the three trans children he refused to treat and serve, financially and in action, the one he forcefully outed to her parents until she has significantly surpassed the need for any assistance. Failure to comply will result in death and seizure of his assets to benefit the wronged parties.”

The doctor was reeled back up too.

“The rest here were simply involved in the harassment of people yesterday. They will be held by us until their victims have decided what they wish as repayment. As multiple of the art pieces belonging to the infinite diversity project of the local university were damaged by them as well, they will repair those damages and repay the time the artists spent on the art to those artists. This will be done through direct servitude. Failure to comply will be punished, as usual.”

They too were pulled back into the building.

“To end this, I will reassure you all that any who come to us for help will receive it. We will deal with anyone who wronged you, no matter who. We do not differentiate between random citizens, judges, politicians, celebrities, anyone. All will be held accountable equally. The library is always open to you. The library will always be safe. And within its walls, so will you.”

Kate stepped back and turned to Apollyon, she was no longer magically projecting her voice. “Alright, that sucked.”

Apollyon nodded. “It did but it was necessary.”

Hodgins spoke up. “So, uhm, that’s a lot of stuff. Are you sure this is the right way?”

Kate shook her head. “Not at all. But for now, it’s necessary. I have a report you can read later, but there are over thirty incidents our security personnel reported yesterday. Only two of those were genuine mistakes, every other one was an attempt to disrupt the event or just harass people. The two stalkers we caught were already punished in accordance with their victims wishes, but they did other stuff as well. Overall, we have taken note of ninety-eight people who either attempted or supported something bad yesterday. We can’t let that stand. As I said, we have a duty to keep this city safe and those people make it unsafe for many others. It only takes one bad actor to ruin the lives of hundreds of innocents.”

“I see. I would love to read that report later, the details could be interesting. I am also intrigued if you actually caught everything. We had four people come in yesterday to make reports of incidents. I want to see if those are separate issues or if you caught them too.”

“Of course. We have it ready for you at the library.”

“I need to visit you more often anyway. Even if just to coordinate this, well- “ Hodgins chuckled. “Wrath month of yours.”

“Oh, that is a nice name, I like it.”

“And an apt description. Before I get back to the commissioner, do you need us to take care of the body?”

“What body? Oh, that one. Yea, that would be nice. We have our hands full already and just advertised that we want more work. Any help we can get is appreciated, even if it is just disposing of a body and notifying his family. And please make sure his wife knows exactly why he died.”

“Oh, I am certainly letting her know. She is either with us on this or, well, not and we will deal with an orphan soon enough.”

“Ever the pragmatic. Can I also just let you know how much I appreciate that you see yourself as part of this? It has been good to be able to trust you. I’m sorry it took so long for us to prove that we do after the desk situation.”

Hodgins smirked. “It’s not always easy to return that trust. But I have come to learn that the librarians walk in mysterious ways and you better follow them. Anyone standing against you either ends up on the wrong side of history or just plain dead. I like you guys. Just wish I knew who the fuck you really are.”

“One day, Elizabeth, one day. You have certainly earned our trust more than enough to get to know us when the time is right. I just don’t want to ruin the career of the city’s best detective prematurely.”

“You think properly knowing you would ruin my career?”

Kate smiled warmly. “I would certainly change it. A lot.”

“Fair enough. I will just be patient then.”

“Good.”

“Alright, I will see you later. I have much to discuss with the commissioner.” Hodgins bowed slightly and walked away.

It had taken a few hours for the initial shock to fade and for people to react to the librarians’ declaration. The line that had formed at the library was long and so the justiciars were called in to help. All of them had been informed about the new rules and were all eager to answer the questions of any human who approached them.

Of course, there were always people who didn’t simply wish for clarification or reassurance. Just as grand justiciar Sariel had predicted, there was a wave of violence against the minorities the new rules were supposed to protect. Almost an attempt to get a hit in before everyone else would be ready to report anything. Too bad for one group of young men that Sariel had experience with unpopular laws and their enforcement.

The grand justiciar stepped closer to the tied-up group of men as the other justiciar was consoling the young gay couple these bigots had targeted.

“Explain to me why you are acting like this.”

One of the men fidgeted with his fingers. “We uhm… we don’t approve of how… how… you know, it’s unnatural and all. Marriage is for making children.”

“I am infertile, should I never marry?”

“Uhm… I mean… you should do what you want…”

“And why shouldn’t they?”

“Because it’s weird when men kiss. That’s no okay. Marriage is a man and a woman. Not two men.”

“Then why don’t you judge them in silence?”

“Because they are what’s wrong with the country. They make the children gay, make it so that schools don’t teach important things anymore. The gays ruin this place for everyone else. You can’t even talk to a woman anymore without her turning lesbian.”

Sariel sighed. “I do not want to traumatize these innocent men more than you did. Following them to attempt beating them up for ‘ruining the country’ is more than enough for one day. You will be held by us until they are ready to decide your fate.”

“No! I’m sorry, I didn’t think…”

“You didn’t think, yes. Many of your kind don’t think. You were warned and you did not listen. I would have just executed you but maybe your victims are merciful. We shall see soon enough.” Sariel stepped away and returned to the other justiciar. “Yumi, do you require further assistance?”

Yumi shook her head. “If you could take the idiots away, that would be nice. I will make sure the guys here get home safely.”

“Of course.” Sariel nodded. This wasn’t the first time today that she took a group of people around a corner to teleport away and it wouldn’t be the last. All these humans who turned against each other over such minor differences had made the grand justiciar think. They had called it Pride month. Why, she didn’t know. Maybe to celebrate their differences? It didn’t matter much. As far as Sariel was concerned, these attacks just for being different called for something different. Not a celebration but a cleansing. Just what the librarians had called for. Not Pride month. Wrath month. Pride month would be the perfect celebration of a new safe world once Sariel and her kind were done. All this was just a fantasy, of course. This time, only the city around the library would be safe. Maybe one day it could be the world. Maybe, Sariel hoped, the world could be made safe without this violence. Until that dream comes true, Wrath Month would stay on the calendar.