Mera was pissed!

That was the only way Ashur could describe the actions of the enraged blue Library caretaker. One moment she had been sad, but compassionate. The next, her body had been suffused with crimson as she scrabbled over his supine body in a mad effort to get to his dresser.

Shocked, the big soldier sat up on the edge of the bed with an extremely confused look on his face.

“Wha..?” he started.

Brandishing the foot-long wooden rod that Ashur had found near the base of the giant stone statues several days before, she turned to glare at him.

“Where did you get this? Where did it come from?” she screamed at him. The red in her skin and eyes pulsed as one great color with her rapidly beating heartbeat. She stalked toward him and he actually found himself shrinking back from the smaller woman that he had been cuddled up with just seconds ago.

“I think it fell off the statue,” he stammered. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about but couldn’t remember.” He held up his hands, palms out to ward her off. “I wandered around there the night before that bad hangover. I meant to tell you about it the next morning, but I was so out of it, it slipped my mind. Why? What is it?”

“Take it,” she snarled.

Reaching out hesitantly, he plucked it from her grip with two fingers. As soon as he touched it, the Words that were engraved along its surface blazed into a white light. Shrugging his shoulders and holding it back out to her, he decided to brave a question.

“I don’t understand. What’s the problem?”

She didn’t answer him but snatched the stick back and looked as though she wanted to snap the two-inch wide thing with her bare hands. Twisting it back and forth in her grip, she cursed in a tongue he couldn’t recognize. Her voice started low and muttering but soon ramped up to full bellows of rage. Finally, she stopped screaming and, breathing heavily, glared at him for several seconds. Not knowing what was fueling her anger, Ashur decided the best course of action was to remain as still as possible. Seething, the furious woman shook her clenched fists at the ceiling briefly before turning and stomping for the door.

He followed her out of the room but, upon seeing she was headed for the exit, turned and grabbed up the clothes they had discarded the night before. He raced after her and dove through the shrinking gap between the doorway and the floor of the already rising lift.

Not wanting to turn her ire on himself, he rose to his feet, held the pile of clothing, and stayed silent. It wouldn’t have mattered, however, for she seemed to be ignoring him completely. Before the lift came to a full stop, she was striding away from him and in the general direction of the titanic sculptures. Even with his longer legs, he still didn’t catch up to her until they had almost reached the hub where the gigantic stone people stood.

Ashur stopped at the edge of the bookcase that bordered the big plaza. Whatever it was about the statues that had upset the now scarlet woman, he didn’t want to get caught in the blast zone; a thought which prompted him to get dressed quickly. Having the cloth armor between his skin and her rage suddenly seemed like a wise idea.

In the meantime, Mera had marched up to the male half of the statue. The outward looking face gave her no response as she raged at it.

“HOW DARE YOU! How dare you do this to me!” She beat on the base with both hands and stomped her feet. Still naked, the bounce of her breasts and buttocks might have been arousing but the effect was muted by the invectives pouring out of her mouth. “You fucking worthless pile of rock! You decrepit monument to stupidity! Why would you do this to me? Why?” Rearing back, she hurled the baton at the figure. It bounced off a stone shin and sailed away. Ashur heard it hit the ground somewhere on the opposite side of the base from him.

The throw seemed to burst Mera’s anger and she dropped down to her knees, sobbing. No longer scared of her outburst, he started to hurry to her. He almost fell, however, when his foot came down on something round that tried to roll it out from under him. Looking down, he goggled to see that it was the rod that Mera had thrown. Briefly cursing it for tripping him, he snatched it up and closed the distance to the crying woman.

He tossed the rod onto the floor and knelt beside her. Wrapping her in his arms, he pressed her into his chest where she wept, occasionally beating her fists against him with no real force. Her sobs and incoherent moans waxed and waned and he was pushed back against the pedestal of the statue when she tried to worm her way into him. Shifting from kneeling to a sitting position, he could only wait as she curled into a fetal ball on his lap, her tears going on and on.

Eventually, her weeping subsided to be replaced by a quiet chant. He strained his ears only to hear her litany of “I’m safe, I’m safe, I’m safe”. Utterly confused, he transferred some of his weight in an effort to keep his legs from going numb and resolved to wait until she was ready.

After almost an hour, she wound down and pulled minutely away from him, but did not leave the circle of his arms. When she looked up at him, he expected to see grief and pain, but instead, her eyes shone with joy.

Utterly confused now, he waited for an explanation. She laughed in delight and reached up with both hands to cup his face and kiss him.

“Mera,” he muttered, “in the name of all that’s holy, what is going on?”

She kissed him again, then turned in his arms, looking around. When her eyes fell on the dowel he had dropped, she picked it up and handed it to him. He looked at it, then her; still not comprehending. With a cry of elation, she stood up and pointed at the colossal stone man. He rose and looked up at it. Nothing seemed different about it and he looked back down to tell her so.

His question died stillborn because Mera was gently bouncing on her toes in happiness. In fact, much to his frustration, she seemed to be so caught up in the feeling that she was robbed of speech. Fortunately, the movement of various parts of her naked body muffled his irritation.

When she saw that he was still puzzled, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the base of the staff held by the male half. Holding him by the wrist, she lifted the hand that contained the rod up to it.

Guessing that there was a connection, but not seeing what it might be, he started to get perturbed.

“Mera,” he started to growl, “I need you to use words. Tell me what’s going on.”

She dropped his hand and threw her arms around his chest and started chanting again. Trying to make this one out, he started to pull away, but stopped when his ears caught the words of her mantra.

“You can stay! You can stay!” she sang to herself.

“What?” he asked in a mild roar. “What are you talking about?”

“You can stay! The Library chose you! You’re the Guardian!” She started hopping like a young girl, clinging to him and making it hard for him to keep his balance.

“No, I’m not,” he argued. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that the Library chose you to be its Guardian!” She grabbed his hand again but held it in front of his nose this time. “That’s what this means! If you don’t believe me, then try throwing that away.” She nodded her head to indicate the baton she was waving in his face. “It’ll come back to you! I promise!”

Having almost injured himself on it when it should have been on the other side of the vast room, he had no doubt it would.

“I believe you, but what does that mean? How? When?” He stepped away from her and looked back up at the great stone staff then to the rod in his hand.

This stopped her for a moment. “Ummm….” she said lamely.

Mera closed the distance he had created and looked into his face.

“I need you to close your eyes and focus on the connection between us.”

With a huff, the big man did as she asked and thought about her.

“No,” she said. “You need to think about me and what I mean to you.”

Trying again, he filled his thoughts with memories from the past couple of months. In his mind’s eye, he pictured how she walked, her laugh, her voice when she talked. Then he remembered how she felt in his arms and the sound of her moans when she was really aroused. His thoughts were slightly interrupted by a snicker, but he ignored it and continued on. Most of all, he concentrated on the affection he had for the woman in front of him, his friend and lover. He was glad she had come into his life and how much better he felt when she was around him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that hers were filled with a look of wonder.

“Really?” she asked. “You really feel that way?”

“Well, yeah,” he responded. “I told you that I thought you were amazing.”

She reached up and pulled his head down for another kiss. “I think you are too. Hold onto those thoughts for a minute.”

Once more, she focused on him and, finally, let out a huff of her own.

“Well, I get the picture now,” she told him. “That’s why you were in such rough shape. That must have been really tough on you.”

“What was?” he asked.

“Um. One second.” She reached up and touched his temple with her fingertips. Suddenly his mind was flooded with the memory of the nightmare, the horrific creatures, and battling his way through their ranks. He remembered the blue light and the staff which had floated in front of him and the agreement he had made.

Jerking back from her hand with an oath, he stumbled away and bent over, his stomach heaving and his head suddenly pounding. It was brief, but the enormity of what he had agreed to washed over him like a hurricane. The voice in his mind, the feel of the staff in his hand, and the feeling of power flooding through him all made him dizzy.

As quickly as it hit, it was over, and he leaned down for several minutes with one hand on his knee. The other was holding a suddenly six-foot long staff that he used to steady himself. Mera stood to the side, waiting. She seemed concerned and puzzled but held her peace until he was ready and straightened once more.

“Shit!” he whuffed out in an explosive breath. “What was that?”

“That,” she replied,” was the power of the Library. It chose you to watch over it. I have to admit, that wasn’t anything like what Colphon or I or any of the others experienced. Our initiation was much less intense. How do you feel?”

Looking back down at the length of wood in his hand, he shook his head like he was trying to clear it.

“I don’t know,” he said, finally. “I...uh…I’m not sure. I’ve never felt anything like that.” Turning the pole one way then the other, he studied the Words on it. Where before they were incomprehensible, now he could read some of them clearly. They were Words of Power, Strength, and Protection. To his mind, they spoke of understanding and compassion, but resolve and determination.

“Am I like you now? Did it turn me into one of the First Races?” He looked at the skin of his arm. “I don’t look any different if it did.”

“Nooo…” she answered. “I don’t think so. You still feel like one of the Following peoples, but there’s so much more to you now.” Circling around him slowly, she studied him from every angle. “Take your shirt off.”

Even before he had the cloth armor partially removed, he heard her gasp which made him stop in alarm. She murmured for him to continue and, once he was disrobed to the waist, reached out to touch his skin. He hissed when her fingers hit a section on his back that felt burned. Looking over his shoulder, he saw her staring in shock. He tried to crane his neck around to see what had her so stunned, but she put a hand to his shoulder to stop his twisting.

“Look under your arm,” she directed him. Lifting his right one, he examined the skin along his ribs there. He was astonished to see raised letters similar to the ones that adorned hers. They were red welts but, as he watched, they were becoming lighter and soon matched the color of his skin. Using his other hand, he felt along them. The stinging sensation was gone and the Words felt like scars under his fingers.

“Why didn’t this happen the other night?” he asked.

“I really have no idea,” she responded. “My best guess is the Library locked it away in you until I realized that it was there and, before you ask, I don’t know what would have happened if we had made it to the tether before I learned about it. I’m pretty certain that, if I hadn’t seen the Staff, something would have alerted me. The Library is, apparently, getting to be kind of manipulative that way.”

She gave him a quick hug from behind before walking to where he had dropped her dress near the edge of the hub. While she put it on, he took the opportunity to study the statue again. He remembered the kinship he had felt during his late-night visit. It had seemed to call to him in a way, but there hadn’t been any clue that the Library would make this sort of decision. Magic or not, could a building have that level of sentience?

“Mera, you said the Library chose me. Is it alive? Should I be addressing it or something?”

The azure caretaker gave her dress one last tug to settle it in place and then rejoined him.

“Well,” she replied thoughtfully, “I wouldn’t so much say that it’s alive. We wrote certain protocols into the magic that makes up its defense and maintenance, but nothing this complex. I think that, over the centuries and with so much interaction with different realities, it’s possible that those protocols have evolved. I’ve definitely noticed a very basic sort of “awareness” developing.”

Putting her hands on her hips, she shifted her weight to one side while looking up at the two gargantuan figures.

“Part of what we wrote in was a need for a Caretaker and a Guardian. Since those roles were filled around a week or so later by Colphon and I, I never really gave it a second thought.” She turned her head to look speculatively at her new partner. “Now I wonder if the evolution has gone farther than I thought.” She tapped the finger of one hand on her chin. “I’m going to have to think about this for a while. In the meantime, however…”

She took him by the wrist and directed him to place his hand on the foot of the male half. “Let’s see where you’re at. I don’t think you’ll have full access to everything all at once since you aren’t one of the First races. We may be looking at a long training time for you.”

Holding his hand down with hers, she instructed him to close his eyes yet again. “Now, imagine a link between you and the statue. Most of what you are going to be doing from now on will be a mix of the Lexicon and intention. For most small stuff, all you really need to do is imagine what you want to happen. It won’t always work that way, but, for now, it’s as good an explanation as any. Think about the statue. Or to be more specific, the Staff. Create a link between you.”

Ashur tried to do as she said. Unfortunately, just when he thought he might have forged the mental link she wanted, it felt as though he was trying to push his hand through stone and it all fell apart. After several tries, he shook his head and opened his eyes.

“It’s no good,” he told her. “I just can’t seem to do it.”

“Yeah, I saw that.” Her words were drawn out as her mind worked over the puzzle that he presented. “You came close a few times, but we’ve definitely got some work to do. Come on, we could both use some breakfast.” She patted his arm and walked away.

Giving the giant marble colored pole one last look, he turned to follow her. As they walked, he scrutinized the staff in his hand. The Words moved and shifted. Sometimes, they even disappeared to be replaced by others. Resolving to solve that mystery after getting something into his stomach, he lowered it to his side and followed his new partner.

That thought almost stopped him in his tracks.

He was her partner now and could remain here with her. His mind, which had been so focused on coming to terms with his imminent departure and shocked by her morning tirade, could not yet perform the mental acrobatics necessary to comprehend all of what that meant for him and his future. By the time they got back to the house, he was just starting to process some of the implications.

“So, I guess I actually get to call this home, don’t I?” he joked as they walked in the door.

Having entered first, she spun back with a surprised look, then smiled brightly and threw out her arms to the side. “Welcome home!” she crowed, only half joking.

Even knowing that it was a small thing, his recent admission that he had never had a long term “home” was still quasi-fresh in his mind which somehow gave her humorous greeting an emotional punch that he hadn’t expected. The newly minted Guardian halted just inside the entrance and looked around the house with new eyes. In his time here, it had begun to feel a little like home, but now that it truly was, he was having a hard time accepting the reality. Suddenly, it seemed that he was entering the place for the first time.

Mera nodded in understanding and took his hand. “Welcome home,” she repeated somberly. He eventually looked at her and followed as she pulled him toward the dining area. Motioning for him to take a seat at the table, she bustled around the kitchen and made them both breakfast.

***

A few hours later, they had finished the morning meal, cleaned up, and were now sitting on one of the low benches placed at intervals around the statues. Designed to let people relax to read, wait, or enjoy the art, the cushioned seats were comfortable enough for the two Librarians to rest as they thought about the morning’s repercussions.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” the big man ventured, breaking the long silence.

Mera snorted. “Considering all the things we’ve done together, both in and out of bed, that’s a bit of a silly question.” She looked at him with a smile. “What did you want to know?”

“Why were you so angry when you saw that stick on the dresser. I was actually a little scared there for a second.”

She laughed a little at the image of him cowering, but, after taking a deep breath, she stared at the misty, non-existent ceiling. “Another lesson of longevity, barbarian, is that saying goodbye is a part of life. Obviously, some hurt more than others, but there will always be those that tear your heart out.”

Shifting her weight, she leaned against him for a moment. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m very fond of you and consider you a very close friend, but the idea of being alone again was more frightening and depressing than losing you. For weeks, I’ve been mentally preparing to say goodbye. It hurt a lot. But the last few days have been the worst, especially last night.” She held up a hand to forestall his objections. “No, that was fantastic. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I came that hard and long from something in my ass. I promise we’ll be doing that again at some point.” Her chuckle at how his eyes lit up was brief as she continued her explanation.

“Having to say goodbye was like being ripped apart over and over again. I kept picturing myself standing in one of the aisles calling out to someone, anyone…and only hearing silence. That almost broke me again.”

“Again?” he asked with a worried frown.

She was quiet for several minutes and he was surprised to suddenly feel her trembling next to him. His eyes widened and he suddenly turned and wrapped his arms around her when her quaking grew almost violent. The absolute terror in her face was unlike anything he had previously seen in her.

“Mera! Mera!” he shouted. Her face turned to him at hearing her name, but there was no recognition for a moment. Then her eyes cleared and, with a cry, threw herself onto his lap and tried to bury herself into his chest again. He held her that way until, with a shuddering breath, she unfurled herself and merely clutched at his shirt like a drowning woman trying not to sink.

He stroked her hair until she settled enough to interact with him once more. Her trembling had stopped and the panic had mostly faded from her expression. Finally, she shifted back onto the seat next to him and drew a long shuddering breath. Ashur kept one arm around her shoulders and took her hand in his.

“In the Auditorium, you wondered how I had been alone so long without losing my sanity. I didn’t. About fifteen hundred years or so ago, my mind broke and I went insane for what I can only guess was around a century.”

The hand he held tightened down on his fingers and she leaned into him once again.

“I only remember small pieces of that time, flashes of emotions and images. I remember being afraid and angry. Part of me knew I was out of control but couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything about it. It was easier to hide and let the bad stuff happen.”

I can’t remember if or when I ate or slept. It’s all a big blur, but when I did eventually pull out of it, things were in shambles. There were creatures everywhere, the Well was almost out of control, and whole sections of manuscripts had been tossed everywhere.”

She shuddered again. “I think that was me. I have vague impressions of climbing the Shelves and things kept getting in my way.”

Ashur wasn’t certain what “the Well” was, but now was definitely not the time to ask. He kept silent, allowing her to continue.

“It took me a long time to come out of it. I’m still not certain how I did and when I was rational again…” She gave a small shrug and shake of her head. “I think I cried for two days straight. I spent the next few years cleaning everything up and clearing everyone and everything out. I made so many trips through the Ether to get all of those animals home. To make matters worse, there were even more that had died of dehydration or starvation because they couldn’t make it back while I was too “indisposed” to help them. I spent a lot of time feeling guilty about that.”

Mera stood and meandered toward the statue. A few heartbeats later, the Guardian joined her. When she reached it, she laid a hand upon the marble woman’s toe and turned to look at him.

“Did you know that when I saw that the tether was whole again, I started to feel it creeping back on me? I’ve been fighting so hard since then to keep myself here and now because the alternative scares me so badly that I can’t function. Even now, knowing that you are staying and I won’t be alone again, that fear still squeezes my heart and…well.”

She waved back to where they had been sitting a few minutes before and her panicked reaction.

“So, when I saw the Staff on your dresser, I knew that the Library had chosen you and yet, for whatever reason, had hidden it from me. It made me suffer through that… that fear, that terror when it didn’t have to. That pissed me off. I’m sorry that I scared you or worried you, but I was just so angry!”

Watching her skin take on a crimson hue again, he placed a hand on her arm in an attempt to soothe her. It worked and she settled enough to continue.

“Sorry,” she said, breathing slowly to calm herself. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been that mad.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he countered. “My first day here seemed to be pretty upsetting for you.”

Lightly punching him in the shoulder for his terrible joke, she smiled up at him. “No,” she replied, “I was definitely upset that day, but nowhere near as mad as I was this morning. At the time, I thought you were a thief or someone sent to attack me and the Library. When I found out that you weren’t, that you had just stumbled…”

She trailed off and her skin flared scarlet once more. Her foot stomped and she pounded the sculpture. Ashur stepped back when Mera’s breath came whistling from between her clenched teeth.

“IT WAS YOU, YOU STUPID STRUCTURE! You did it! You moved the tether end! And you didn’t tell me! Again! I hate you! I hate you! You piece of magical shit!” Now both of her fists drummed out a staccato on the stone digit before her.

Deciding to head her tirade off before she bruised her hands, he stepped up and put both of his on her shoulders to draw her away from the offending effigy. Still ranting, she allowed herself to be directed toward the bookshelves and the house. They were almost halfway back before her muttering wound down.

“Another surprise, I take it?” the big man asked gently.

His companion harrumphed. “Sort of.” She then explained about the nature of the tether, the oddity of it being near the surface, and her worries at its loss of strength. “I was worried that whatever caused the Cataclysm had somehow found us. It would take enormous power to shift the tether, especially from the outside. Now I know that it was the Library itself that did the moving and it put me through more unnecessary worry.”

“Ah,” was his only reply.

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Today has been a bit of an emotional day. I really need to get my head back together.”

They strolled silently for a while.

“So, what now?” the new Guardian finally asked.

“I guess,” she responded, “we’ll get you started on history and training. The history part is easy. We can use old lectures from the viewer and, obviously, the materials around us for that part.” She emphasized her point with a wave of her hand toward the shelves that surrounded them. “The training is going to be a bit harder. This is all new territory. Colphon, the others, and I were all of the Tibori so it was part of our upbringning. Since you aren’t, I’m not certain where to start, what expectations to have, or even where your limits are going to be.”

She placed her hand on his arm and squeezed a little.

“Keep in mind that I’m probably going to be winging it most of the way. I know for a fact that we’ll both get frustrated from time to time, but we’ll get there. Give me a day or so to think about it and we’ll get started.”

A sudden thought hit him and he focused on Mera.

“Does this mean that I’m actually the Chosen One you’ve been waiting for?” His heart started racing. If he was, then it meant an end to Mera’s long watch and she would be able to travel the world again. His hopes were dashed, however, by her response.

“No, I’m afraid not,” she said as she strolled back over to him. “As nice as that would be, you’re not the one I’m waiting for. Sorry.”

“How do you know?”

“The impression I got was that whoever it is will already have the power within them. You didn’t. Until the Library chose you, you were the same as any other of the Following Races. Your only access to magic would have been the same as mages of your time. You’re not the one.”

Ashur wasn’t certain how he felt about that. On one hand, he was happy that he would be able to stay and keep Mera company, but on the other, he had hoped her wait would be at an end. With a sigh, he started back to the house.

***

Ashur held the wooden rod up in front of him, mirroring the towering male statue. However, where the stone man gripped a weapon that was as tall as he was, the flesh and blood one still held onto something around a foot long. Sometime during that first night, it had reverted to its truncated size.

“What am I doing wrong,” he muttered to himself darkly. It had been two weeks since the revelation that he was now a part of the Library and he had been working to train his mind in order to gain access to the abilities that the magical edifice had bestowed upon him.

Unfortunately, the progress wasn’t going as fast as he had hoped.

Mera had started him out with mental training. His new routine involved ten minutes of concentration exercises every morning before breakfast. She had explained that almost no one could focus on one thing for more than about thirty seconds at a time without developing the skill. When he had argued that he could do it, she had laid down a challenge. She would watch his mind as he directed all of his attention on a candle flame. If that attention wandered, she would call an end to the exercise.

He had made it to seventeen seconds before his thoughts shifted from the flame to wondering if he really could make it the full time. Mera had immediately called him out on his lapse. Determined to prove her wrong, he had tried again. And again. And again. After the twelfth attempt, he had conceded her point. He hadn’t made it any farther than a count of twenty-two.

That day, she had directed him to focus on the flame for ten seconds at a time. When his new teacher had finally announced that he had reached his goal five times in a row, she had ended the exercise and told him that his next objective was fifteen seconds. Once he had accomplished that, she had continuously increased the time by five second intervals and they had repeated the exercise daily ever since.

Now, Ashur stood in his room and had spent the last hour attempting to expand the baton into its full length. Mera kept on calling it “the Staff” with a capital “S”, but until he was actually able to extend it to six feet again, he didn’t quite feel right using the term.

She had explained that there were many abilities he would be able to unlock once he had even partially mastered it, but until he did…

“What the fuck am I doing wrong?”

“Probably trying too hard,” came a wry voice from the doorway. Ashur jumped and dropped the Staff. He spun with fists raised until he saw her grinning unashamedly. “Dammit Mera!” His heart was going a mile a minute. It had been a long time since he had been that startled which was a testament to how hard he had been concentrating.

The Caretaker’s sardonic smile devolved into gales of laughter, leaving her to brace herself on the door jamb. His red face held its grimace for almost five seconds before he let it go and chuckled sheepishly along with her.

Wiping her leaking eyes, Mera was finally able to talk again. “It’s going to take time and practice, barbarian. Pushing it will only make it harder. Don’t worry, you’ll get there.”

Several days later, as they sat quietly on the couch, Ashur looked up from the history book that Mera had given him as part of his lessons.

“Tell me again why I need to know this?” he complained. It was late in the evening and he was starting to go cross-eyed.

His azure teacher folded her own book closed and turned her attention to him. “The history of the Library is basically the history of my time and the people that lived there. Since we were the ones who created the Library in the first place, understanding how we lived is the key to understanding the intricacies of how and why it works.”

“I understand that,” he complained, “but this doesn’t help me to understand what’s going on with the Library now.” Between the reading material and occasional recorded lectures that she had him watching on the viewer, he was gaining a fair grasp of what life before the Cataclysm had been like. He had been shocked by the wonders of that time. Many of the buildings had been tall, beautiful spires that held whole governments and other businesses. The homes of the general populace were equally as wonderful, being of stone and glass. Anyone from his own time who owned such a house would be considered vastly wealthy or a member of royalty.

And the crowds! In one of the lectures on general economics, the image had looked down on one of the shopping bazaars while the presenter made a point. The ever-shifting sea of humans and other races that filled the streets actually started to make him a bit motion sick as he tried to concentrate on one area after another. The only time he had seen a crowd even close to this had been the conglomeration of armies from four different countries and he still wasn’t certain it came close to the masses he saw on the viewer above him. And that was just one street!

What had almost put him over the edge, however, was the mix of magic and technology that Mera’s society had employed. While horses and oxen were used to pull carts full of goods, the carts themselves floated along with no obvious means of support. Platforms much like the one they had used to travel to other worlds floated along in lines above the walking people carrying anywhere from one to five travelers to and from their destinations.

And the magic was not only set aside for the rich and powerful. Individual citizens that only seemed to be moderately well-off were wearing glowing bracelets that apparently helped them communicate across species’ language barriers. They carried satchels that would hold anything the person could get into the opening without filling up. A child played with a brightly colored toy lark that hovered over a flat hexagonal stone in her small hand; singing and dancing like a real bird.

All of this had emphasized the real meaning behind Mera’s occasional mutters of “so much lost” when referring to the world he had grown up in. For the first time, the man who had arrived in the Library with rough spun clothes, leather pouches, and boiled hide armor truly felt like the barbarian that she had nicknamed him and often wondered what it would have been like to grow up in such a civilization.

None of it, however, explained how the Library now rested in an eternal void that just happened to allow unwanted guests in.

Placing her book on the table in front of the couch, Mera turned to give him her full attention. The confused Guardian raised both hands in a palm-up gesture of confusion and consternation.

“You’ve explained why the Library had to be hidden and kept separate from the world, and I kind of get the overlaps, but that’s about it. After that I get a little lost.”

The Caretaker gently took his hands in hers and smiled. “I can understand that,” she commiserated. “When I didn’t think you were staying, I left my explanations rather vague. Let’s see if I can give you something a little more concrete now that you are here for good.

“Just like the Library is sectioned off in increasingly specific divisions, so too are the different realities, universes, dimensions, worlds, etc. that we interact with. The worlds are all within their respective universes, which are contained within the dimensions, which are, in turn, contained within realities. I guess you could say that it is a lot like what you would find in our world. Towns are in districts, districts are in counties, counties are in kingdoms or countries, countries are in continents, and continents are all in the world. Make sense so far?”

At his reluctant nod, she continued.

“To keep the Library safe from the Cataclysm, we finally figured out a way to take it out of our world by making it here and not here at the same time. I guess you could say that we put it in its own little bubble of reality that is tethered to our world like a kite on a string.

However, to keep the Library from being found, the edges of that bubble are always shifting which, as a side effect, makes it easier for the bubble to cross the boundaries between realities. Once we cross over into another reality, we start to intersect with its various dimensions, universes, and so on. Still with me?”

“No,” he admitted, “but keep going. It might start making sense soon.”

She shrugged and continued her lecture.

“You could think of us like a ball shaped ghost that slips in and out of different rooms in an infinitely large building. As we pass through a wall, we might end up touching a table or a bed or even a desk on the other side. Where our ghost intersects with an object, there is an overlap. That is where the animals and people slip into the Library, through that intersection.”

He stood up and started to pace as his brain worked through her various analogies.

“Ok. I can see a bit of that. But if we are passing through these objects on some kind of pull string, why do you have to worry about worlds like the one with the cliff and those warriors? Shouldn’t the overlap disappear once we’ve moved past the desk or table or whatever?”

“Unfortunately,” she answered,” it doesn’t quite work like that. We aren’t moving in a straight line or even in one general direction. Hell, even the realities, dimensions, and such are moving around at random around each other. We may pass through the same spot in a particular dimension several times. Some realities are almost infinite in length, but not in height and we’ll zip through it several times a second. To make matters worse, we might pass through a universe in one dimension and another universe in another reality altogether…at the same time!”

Ashur wanted to beat his head against the wall.

“This makes no sense,” he grumbled.

“I know,” she told him. “It took me a long time to get my head wrapped around it too when Eshava and Mineed first explained the concept to me.”

“Mineed?” he asked.

“He was one of the professors here for almost thirty years. He was excellent with “way out there” physics. In any case, it was all really a lot of speculation until we actually did it. To be honest, what we really thought would happen was that the Library would float along hidden from everything. I was shocked when I came across the first animal.”

“So, what about the platform that looks like the lift? That takes us to the different places. How does that work?,” he asked.

“I’m still working on that,” she replied ruefully. “It used to bend space just a bit to take us to one of the other Libraries, but that was all it did. How it started being able to make its way across dimensions and realities is beyond me. Mineed might have been able to explain it, but I really can’t.”

“Hhmph,” he finally grunted. “I’m never going to understand all this.”

With a small laugh, she handed him his book and nodded to it. “Don’t worry, barbarian. You will…eventually.”

***

After another week of frustration and failure, Ashur had pretty much given up on the Staff and was starting to doubt the Library’s choice. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be Mera’s partner. After all, he was just a man and had never used magic of any kind before. Perhaps he really wasn’t supposed to.

That thought made him wonder if the Library had decided to give him just enough power to be able to hold his own in fights so that Mera could do her job. Instead of being a true half of the duo needed, he was just supposed to watch her back. It was a mildly depressing conclusion to hold onto, but he decided that if, with more effort, he couldn’t actually unlock anything more, he would have to live with it.

So, once they started patrolling again, he strapped on his familiar weapons and followed along beside her as they travelled. Unfortunately, he was still keeping his bearings by the use of his folded paper map. His partner had told him that he would, eventually, not need it and be able to know where in the Library he was by feel. Until then, however, he would continue to carry at least three of the ever-shifting charts with him.

As he walked, he felt the now odd sensation of something bumping on his thigh. He had grown used to the pockets that had been sewn into his clothes instead of myriad leather pouches tied to his belt. Now, the Staff hung on the side opposite from his sword by a cord braided around one end of it.

When he had asked Mera how her old partner had carried his, she shrugged. “He never really did,” she had explained. “He liked the way it made him feel wise and sagacious, so he left it long unless he needed it to be otherwise.” Rolling his eyes now at the memory, the current Guardian shifted the thing once again to the side of his hip to reduce the distraction of it.

Throughout the morning, they mostly found harmless animals that had stumbled through an overlap. Mera and her Sphere were all that was necessary to send them home. However, as part of his training, they followed each one back to where it had entered. Ashur was astonished when he saw the blend of realities. It was like seeing two pictures at once on the Auditorium viewer and it gave him a bit of a headache until he got used to it.

The first time they approached one, the gawking man walked up to the edge and put his arm through. Other than a slight tingle that could almost be attributed to excitement, he felt no difference. At his teacher’s urging, he took a few steps across the boundary and looked back at her. It was like looking at her through a shimmer of smoke. He could see the Shelves and her, but they were misty.

“How does it feel?” she asked. He was a little surprised to hear her so clearly. From what his eyes were telling him, her voice should have been warbly and distorted, but his ears were certain that she was just a few steps away.

“Ahh…weird?” he replied uncertainly. Rotating in a small circle, he took in his new surroundings. What seemed to be pale orange glass stretched out in every direction. However, rather than being a smooth sheet as he might see in a window pane, it rolled away in hills and valleys. The small furry animals that they had corralled back were already running up one of the knolls, the big pads on their four feet gripping the glossy surface with ease.

“So, is that where the Library ends?” He waved a hand at the boundary line. “Is that where our powers stop?”

Mera stepped into the world with him and, taking hold of his shoulders, turned his body to face away from the boundary. Pointing off into the distance, she brought his attention to another hazy curtain.

“That’s where the Library ends. What you walked through is where their world ends. The amount of overlap is different every time we connect. Sometimes its miles and miles, other times, it’s just a few feet. You never know until you cross over and see the other side.” She looked around and took the few steps necessary to be fully within the Library again. He joined her a few minutes later once he had satisfied his curiosity. Once he had rejoined her, she walked back to the boundary line and ran a hand across it.

“I have to admit that it’s been a long time since I voluntarily crossed over to another world through one of these.” When he looked the question at her, she shrugged. “I started getting nervous after the third time I almost got trapped on the other side. Once the Library loses connection, anything on this side stays here and anything on that side stays there. I really never had any way back, so I only cross when I have to and I definitely try to make it back as quick as possible. If I have to return to that world for any reason, I just go by the Ether Paths. That way I know I have a way back.”

Nodding his understanding, the big man approached the barrier and was going to test it again but stopped when the shimmering started to fade. They both backed off a bit and, over the next few minutes, watched as the scenery beyond disappeared.

“Well, that was different,” he chuckled. Where the overlap had been now stood the usual bookshelves. “Why don’t the books or the shelves cross over? Or plants and ground from the other side?”

Mera shrugged again. “No idea. I think it’s because the overlap is simply a place where they are occupying the same space but are just a little out of phase with each other so they don’t actually interact.”

“Out of what?” the soldier asked.

“Oh, just wait until we get to that part of your training!” his teacher laughed.

***

Mera stepped into Ashur’s bedroom to ask a question and let out a little shriek of terror. The Guardian looked up from his sitting position on the bed and the book that he had been reading, then down to the hand he had held up next to his face. The middle three fingers were oversized and swollen, reaching almost a foot in length each. The other two stuck out at right angles and had somehow moved to the back.

“Shit! Um…Sorry!” His face took on a look of concentration and the fingers began to return to normality. The dumbfounded woman stared in horrified fascination as the mutation reversed itself. Ashur’s focused expression eased and he swiveled it back and forth to show his partner that everything had been set to rights.

“What? How? Ashur! What the hell?” Mera strode forward to grasp his hand and feel the skin and bones underneath. Satisfied that all was good, she stepped back and crossed her arms under her breasts, clearly looking for an explanation to why she had been concurrently startled and worried.

“Ahh…well…” he started lamely. “I was thinking about how you said that the Guardian manipulates the body while the Caretaker works with the mind and…well…” He shrugged helplessly.

“You’ve had me studying the Lexicon for the last three months and I decided to see what I could do. I thought I would have to change the Writing on my skin somehow, but it turns out that all I really have to do is concentrate on the part I want to change and… it happens.” Picking up the book he had been reading, he handed it to her. She turned the anatomy text over in her hands and opened it to several areas that he had bookmarked.

“I figured if I was going to be making alterations or fixing wounds, I’d better know exactly what I was working with. Didn’t Colphon do anything like this?”

Mera shook her head emphatically.

“I don’t think he even thought to do anything like that.” She waved at the hand he had been experimenting with. “There was never a need and we never got into a fight that required major surgery.”

Cocking her head to one side, she looked quizzically at him and asked, “What else have you altered?”

He blushed a little and looked up at her sheepishly. Her hands flew to cover her mouth but not in time to block the loud guffaw that flew past her lips. “YOU DIDN’T!”

“No,” he replied, “but I seriously thought about it. I mean…wouldn’t you?” He looked meaningfully at her chest which she quickly covered with both hands.

“No!” she denied vehemently. Then she dropped her hands to hold up each breast and studied them. “Well, maybe. Okay, yes. The thought would have crossed my mind too…eventually.”

Ashur chuckled a little at the hint of soft purple that flickered across her skin. Knowing the laid-back attitude his partner had towards sex, he would have been very surprised if the thought hadn’t occurred to her in time.

Although they had shared one another’s bed from time to time in the months since he had become “faculty”, they spent most nights apart. Their friendship hadn’t moved beyond that point and neither felt the need for anything more.

What the big man had learned, however, was that Mera’s centuries of experience before her unwilling secession from the world had given her a broad range of knowledge in the bedroom and had erased most of her inhibitions. With very few exceptions, he found that she would enjoy just about anything he was up for…which actually shocked the soldier just a bit. He had thought his time enjoying the brothels had broadened his outlook but had been quickly disabused of that notion. The millennia-old Tibori had stories and ideas that he could only wonder at and she was doing her level best to show him when they did have the occasional romp.

Now, the adventurous woman seemed a little shy and glanced from his hand to his crotch and finally back to her own chest.

“Do you think you could make changes like that on someone else?” She seemed hesitant and excited at the same time.

“Mera,” he chuckled, “I think you look fine as you are.” He reached out, grasped her by the hips, and pulled her closer so that his face was level with the objects of her attention. “I don’t really see the need.”

“Oh, there’s no need,” she replied,” but I’ve always wondered what I’d look like with other…sizes.” She motioned vaguely to herself. “I don’t want overly large or a flat chest, but the curiosity is there. Don’t you wonder what it would be like to have a few more inches swinging down there?” She bent down and gently patted his pants where she thought his manhood lay. “I mean, it’s not like you wouldn’t be able to put things back.”

Ashur leaned back and supported his weight on the bed. “I think I can, but I’m really just starting out. My hand and my foot are all I’ve experimented with so far. I don’t even know how much I can change yet.”

Mera leaned forward toward him to make another plea but found herself jumping back when his nose elongated by several inches in the direction of her face then returned to its normal size. The big man grinned unrepentantly at her shocked expression and laughed when she reached out to smack his shoulder.

“Sorry,” he said, “I couldn’t resist. Do you really want to try this?”

Her answer was to pull off her top and straddle his legs. As usual, his brain came to a complete stop at the sight of her breasts, but other parts of him got started. Mentally shaking his head to clear it, he brought his hands up to hold her chest and lightly brushed her nipples with his thumbs. Her light gasp brought a smile to his lips and he tried to think about how to manifest his ability in her.

Ashur knew that this was something he would need to accomplish at some point due to the danger that their duties entailed, but he was nervous about going too far or doing it wrong in a way that would hurt her. Using the lessons drummed into him over the last few months, he centered himself and focused on the link between them. It was easier than usual with her soft breasts in his hands and he felt within himself for the power that had been growing steadily stronger.

“Bigger or smaller?” he asked while closing his eyes in concentration.

“Try for bigger, but not so much that can’t stand up. I had a friend that used to be almost twice my size and I always wondered what that would have been like.” She settled her weight onto his legs and leaned back to give him more room to work.

Taking a long breath in, he let it out slowly along with his power. He could feel it flowing down his arms and hands and his skin tingled where it met hers. Her sharp indrawn breath let him know that she could feel it too, but he focused on his task. It wasn’t long before the power flowing through to her grew steadily stronger. It became easier as well and it wasn’t until he felt something tap the top of his head that he stopped. Opening his eyes, he realized that the hands that he had raised to cup her chest were now resting on her straddling thighs. Her upraised arm was still fisted from knocking him on the skull.

“Oops,” he said meekly. “I was afraid of that.” He looked down at her now voluminous bust. Each breast was easily three times the size of his head. Her expression wavered between shock and amusement.

“Yeah, me too,” she muttered. “Hang on, I want to try something.” The slender woman leaned back in order to stand and almost tipped over backward when her increased mass shifted. Ashur grabbed her again but was pulled off balance himself. Rather than try to heave her back up, he shifted their weight so that she ended up supine on the bed instead of the floor. Each of her massive mammary glands slid to the side and partially trapped her upper arms beneath them. They both paused for a long second before losing control and laughing themselves silly. 

“Do you think you could fix this?” the top-heavy Caretaker asked while trying to wipe her eyes and hold her aching sides at the same time. He was glad that she was finding this as funny as he was. “I mean, I know men like bigger, but this is a little ridiculous.”

With a grin, Ashur sat astride her midriff and leaned down to spread his hands to each side. Grasping her again, he kept his eyes open this time as he concentrated. Gradually, Mera’s chest reduced to a little more than her original size.

“How’s that?” he asked, rising to a kneeling position. She sat up and twisted her torso from side to side, then leaned forward and back.

“I rather like it,” she admitted. She grabbed his arms and replaced his hands. “Remember this size. I still want to try the other direction.”

For the third time, Ashur manipulated her flesh until his hands were just barely cupped. He very nearly broke down laughing again at her incredulous look.

“By the First Ones!” she cried out, staring at her new almost boyish look. “That’s more weird than too much!” She gave him an impish look and rubbed her chin. “Now, how about a beard?”

“Maybe some other time,” he chortled and reached out again. Once her bust was back to her preferred dimensions, he decided to curtail any more alterations for the night. His companion pouted a little, but he remained adamant. Until he had more practice and understanding of anatomy, he was done experimenting.

“What did you originally come in to ask me?” He resumed his seat on the edge of the bed. Mera stood and redressed.

“I was going to ask if you’ve been able to get any messages from the Library yet.” She looked at him with her head cocked to one side. “I just got told that we have a few overlaps forming, but we’ll need to do a routine check on the Well tomorrow first. Did you get any of that?”

The big man shook his head and raised his shoulders in denial. “Sorry, I’ve got nothing.” He held up the anatomy book and waggled it a bit. “I have been pretty deep into this though. I may have just missed it.”

“Hmm…” she groused quietly. “I’m pretty certain that you would have noticed. It’s usually like someone else having thoughts in your mind with you. When we go out tomorrow, I’d like to make a few more stops before we head out into the Shelves again.”

Mera waved at his book and continued. “We’ll pick up a few more of those for you too. The Administration building had a medical center. There might be something still there that you can use to learn as well.”

With that, she left him to his studies.

The next day, they walked into the Power Well of the Library. The giant rotating orb moved in its usual random seeming pattern and Mera continued to explain how to interpret its motions and color configurations. They had spent almost three days in instruction at the beginning and he had retained little of it since he had still been learning the general concepts of the magic that ran the Library. Because of that, she took the opportunity to reiterate her lessons every time they visited. His comprehension grew as his education increased, but they both knew that it would be some time before he would understand it fully.

As they perambulated the concentric walkways, Ashur noticed that Mera was studying him as much as the Well itself. When he asked her about it, she drew him over to one of the consoles that non-magical administration staff had used to interact with the nucleus of power. There were many buttons, switches, and dials and it reminded him of the viewer. To the side, however, was an upraised flat section labeled with what Ashur could now interpret to read “Direct Connection”. Mera took his right hand and placed it on the pad.

“Ok. I want to try something,” she said. “I’d like you to try to make a change in the console like you did to my body yesterday.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she waved a quieting hand and continued. “I know this isn’t a body, but I’m hoping that whatever you did or however it felt when you were doing that will help you make more of a connection to the Library. It’s definitely not what we had to do back then, but I’m starting to get a little concerned. If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to try something more drastic.”

For a moment, Ashur wanted to continue his protest but he didn’t have any better ideas. Turning inward, he drew from the core within himself and directed it to flow out along his arm to his hand. There was no tingling where his skin contacted the metal plate this time, however he got the impression that his power was going somewhere. After a moment or two of this, he stopped and relayed the sensation to his partner. Mera let out a grunt of displeasure and strode away from the console. Not knowing what else to do since she wasn’t heading in the direction of the exit, he decided to simply wait where he was.

Over the course of the next five or so minutes, the Caretaker made several circuits around the Well muttering to herself. Eventually, as he began to get bored, Ashur turned back to the console and replaced his hand on the plate. He pushed his magic into the plate again, but this time he kept it flowing farther into the console, streaming it into the giant globe of the Well.

Instantly, his mind exploded. His eyes squeezed shut against the overwhelming images that cascaded through his head. Pictures of locations from all over the Library flashed in front of him. He saw the house and the Auditorium, the armory and the training room Mera had shown him; all of them strobing in front of his mental self almost faster than he could register. He felt as though part of him was jumping from place to place without rhyme or reason. Then he was flying through areas of the Shelves, soaring around twelve feet above the floor. He caught a brief glimpse of an overlap area before zipping past it. It soon became too much and his mind shied away from the rapidly shifting visions.

Desperately, he tried to jerk his hand from the console but was held tight by the connection between himself and the vast power of the Well. He started to panic but caught hold of himself and tried drawing his power back. It returned freely and he was able to pull away from the pad. Panting heavily, he dropped to the floor and grabbed his head with both hands. Shouting his name, Mera came rushing over from where she had been pacing.

“What happened? Are you alright? What’s going on?” Her questions all jumbled together in her concern and he had to hold up a hand to stop her long enough to recover his own mental stability. Finally, he looked up at her and described his experience. She replaced his hands with hers and, for the first time, he actually felt her mental caress as she reached out with her own power and used it to soothe his nerves.

“Thank you,” he mumbled. “That was intense.”

Mera sat down beside him and he leaned against her. She patted his thigh and stared thoughtfully upwards. While he regained his balance, she let out an occasional “Hmm” or “I wonder”. When he made to stand, she joined him and looked into his face.

“I’m alright,” he reassured her. “It was just a lot all at once.”

“So I see,” she replied. Looking around as if to make certain that all was as it should be, she grasped his arm and started to direct him to the Well’s exit. “Well, now I have a better idea of how to proceed. Are you up to try something else? It shouldn’t be anywhere near as extreme.”

Ashur rotated and twisted his head in an effort to stretch suddenly aching neck muscles and said, “If you’re sure…let’s try it.”

Not long after, they were standing once more in front of the male Librarian statue. Mera turned to the Guardian and placed a hand on his upper arm.

“Ok, so I was wrong on that first morning. How you create a link is different from what I do. I just have to imagine the connection and it happens. For you, though…I think you have to “feel” it. I watched your mind while you were changing my size, but I thought it was just what happened when you were working with a body.”

She looked up at the statue and pulled him over to it.

“Now, I think that’s how you make connections, which makes sense. My area is the mind so creating a mental picture works for me, but if your specialty is the body, a physical sensation would be the natural correlation.” Pressing his hand to the gargantuan Staff, she urged, “Do whatever you did down in the Well.”

Ashur inhaled deeply and repeated his earlier actions. Just as before his mind was inundated with visions of the Library’s interior, however this time the procession was muted and slower. Unfortunately, it was still too much for him to take in and he pulled away from the stone with a shake of his head.

“That’s till too intense,” he told his partner. “It’s like I’m watching the viewer at five times the normal speed. I can’t wrap my head around it.”

Mera crossed her arms and tapped a finger on her chin. “Was it any better than before?”

He thought about it and finally replied, “Yes, but not by much.”

They both stood in thought until Mera turned to him and held out her hand.

“Try to make my fingers longer like you did to your hand.” Ashur shrugged and stepped toward her. He stopped when she twisted her palm to face him in an arresting gesture. Taking a few steps away from him, she told him, “Try it from there.”

The big man looked at her quizzically. “I don’t know that I can,” he said.

“Ahh, but you don’t know that you can’t. Try treating the air between us as an extension of your arm or mine.”

Lifting his own hand, he pushed the flow of energy to his fingertips where it stopped. His face took on a look of concentration and his body started to shake with the effort.

“Hold the Staff on your belt,” Mera suggested. He reached down with his other hand and the moment his finger touched the short rod, the power jumped from his hand to hers. His opportunity to make any changes was brief as the Staff in his hand shot out to its full six-foot length. The end of the Staff impacted the base of the monument and, still being tied to his belt, shoved the big man sideways and off balance. After a bit of cursing and fumbling, he untied it and held it away, rubbing his side where the top end had tried to imbed itself.

“Fuck,” he muttered. He glared at the Staff for a brief second before turning back to Mera. “Sorry,” he started. “Let me try that agai…”

The blue woman’s face held a strange sort of fascination as she held her hand up level with her head. The smallest two of her fingers had disappeared and the other three had melded into one grotesque digit.

“That is…” she trailed off, turning her palm one direction and then the other.

“Fuck, Mera! I’m sorry! Hang on a second!” He dropped the Staff and jumped forward to take her hand in his. A few seconds later, he released her restored extremity and she studied it while wiggling the fingers.

“I could actually feel my bones shrinking and melting together. That was definitely a first.” Giving her hand one last shake, she extended it toward him once more. “Try again.”

“Are you sure?” he asked with trepidation. At her nod, he picked up the Staff and repeated his attempt. This time the power bridged the few feet between them easily and her first and second fingers elongated to twice their length.

She grinned at him wickedly. “I’ll have to have you do this the next time I feel like playing with myself. I bet I could reach all sorts of place now.”

Ashur shook his head ruefully and let his power flow again. When he was done, he asked, “What was the point of that? Other than to fuel your fantasies.”

She pointed at the stone. “Connect with the Library once more, but from a distance this time. Hopefully, it should be easier on you.”

Gripping his Staff tighter, he tried once more to bond with the giant statue and everything it represented. Instead of the crushing flood of information, the visions that passed before him were steady and distinct. He saw the Auditorium, the house, the administration offices, and the Shelves again, however this time he was able to make out what was going on in each area. Eventually, he began to feel as though he could control where to watch.

Shifting his weight to one side or the other, he took control of the inner meanderings and directed it toward where he and Mera stood in the Hub. Looking down from around the same twelve-foot height as before, he swung the vision around the statue, finally able to see it from a better vantage point. He moved closer to the face of the female half and looked deep into it. The woman’s features seemed to be a blend of Mera’s and another woman. Circling the statue, he did the same for the man and was startled to see that it was his own face mixed with another’s. He stared at the mingled visage for some time before refocusing on the two people below.

His own body stood stock still with a far-off stare, but the blue woman seemed to be looking right back at him. She waved and he heard her voice from two sources at once. It bewildered him momentarily until he realized that not only was he hearing her voice from his bodiless position, but from his physical ears as well.

“Today is all sorts of firsts,” she mused. “I can’t really see you up there, but I’m looking into your mind and seeing what you see. I did the same thing way back when, but since it was just me, I had no idea if there was anything visible. I can’t see or sense you up there so it must just be the Library relaying the information to your brain. This is really interesting! Oh! Can you feel anything? Try to touch something!”

Feeling playful, he zipped his consciousness around behind her and tried to pinch her rear. Even though he felt like he wasn’t in his body, he still had the sensation of his fingers contacting something. Mera jumped a bit, but the reaction was delayed as though she wasn’t certain if she had actually felt anything.

“Huh!” she exclaimed! “I wonder if I could do the same!”

Suddenly her eyes took on the same glazed stare as his. Far away, he felt a brush on his own posterior, but, had he been more in his own body, it might have been mistaken for a puff of air across his skin. He looked around but could see nothing of her.

Wonderingly, he tried to will himself back into his body and the vision faded slowly, overlaying what his physical eyes were seeing much like looking at the overlaps. Once his vision was clear again, he shook his head and looked around. Mera was still standing immobile, but she soon blinked a few times and focused on him.

“That was more fun than I thought. It’s so nice to have someone else around!” She laughed delightedly.

“I take it that you really haven’t experimented with that before,” he rumbled with a smile. She gazed up at the face of the male half and then back at Ashur.

“To be honest, there is only so much you can do when it’s just you. This is something that Colphon and I never really had the need to use, so I didn’t even know it was possible until after I was by myself. The first time it happened, I thought I was hallucinating. Once the novelty wore off, I only ever used it to look in on the overlaps and to make sure everything was alright. After a couple of decades, the need to move around and get out of the house more made me start going on patrols. It was nice to be surprised when I turned a corner. Granted the surprise wasn’t worth it a few times and I got hurt.”

She snickered a bit and reached with her right hand to rub her ribs on the left side.

“Not exactly my proudest moments, but it did get really boring when all I had to do was look around mentally. There were whole weeks that I never even left the house.” She stopped for a moment and her face went slack. Ashur thought that she might have gone looking around again, but she shivered and her eyes came back into focus.

“Sorry, for a second I wondered if that might have contributed to my bout of insanity, but that was too long before.” She shook herself and started to walk toward the benches surrounding the Hub. “You know, we might be able to take the day off. Why don’t you get a bit of practice in and check the Shelves for visitors? If we don’t have to go chase anybody home, we can head to the house and rest.”

Mera took a seat near where they had been sitting so many months ago and pointed to the spot next to her. “You might want to lay down and save yourself some back ache.”

Ashur took her advice and started to rest his head on one of the armrests before she stopped him. “No, go ahead and rest here,” she said, patting her thighs. “I’m feeling a little lonely and would like the contact.” With a nod of understanding, the soldier lay back on the bench and, resting his head on her legs. He shortened the Staff and reached out to the Library.

For several hours, he psychically wandered through the aisles and rooms of the massive building. He could feel his partner shift from time to time and even noticed when she left for a few moments, but his attention was on his work. Progress was slow at first, but, with practice, he was able to not only govern his direction, but the speed as well. By the end of the first hour, he was speeding up and down the aisles. Because of this, he almost missed the first overlap he came across.

He circled around the area where the Library and another world transected. The actual circumference was only about twenty feet across, but it was irregular and misshapen. From what he could see of the world on the other side, there wasn’t much chance of anything living crossing over. Rivers of molten rock raced through his field of view and occasional bits of cooling stone arced into the Library proper.

Ashur started to worry about that until he heard Mera say, “Don’t worry about those. The upkeep spells will treat them like detritus and remove them before they can do any damage.” Indeed, he saw that those fragments vanished before they could contact the floor or, worse, the books and manuscripts themselves. Reassured, he moved toward the boundary of the overlap, intending to do some experimentation. Mera brought him up short, however.

“Don’t bother,” she said. “Not only will it not work, but it’s really draining to try.” Taking her at her word, he moved on and kept scanning.

By the end of the second hour, he had found one other intersection, but, like the first, there was little chance of guests. Where the first had been a roiling mass of heat and fire, this one was a lifeless planetoid. He was shocked when his mental hitchhiker informed him that what he was seeing was a moon. She told him that not only did it have no life, but that it also had no atmosphere to support any. He wondered what that meant and tried to puzzle it out.

Apparently, she was linked to him enough to hear his thoughts on the matter because she told him that she would find him a few books that would explain it. That brought up the question of just how deep she could hear.

“Just your surface thoughts and what you are seeing at the moment. Until we’re both more comfortable with each other, that’s about as far as the connection will go. Come on back. I think you found them all and, if not, the Library will let us know if anything slips through.”

Ashur mentally nodded and made his way back to where his body was laying. He looked down at his friend and she smiled up at him. Her hand was lightly stroking his hair while the other rested on his chest. It was rather a pleasant view to the veteran and he took a few minutes to enjoy it. True companionship between the sexes was rare indeed in the military since most unmarried interactions happened in brothels or the camp follower’s tents. Mera caught the emotion and smiled gently.

“I’m enjoying it too…even if I’m not that kind of working girl.” He silently chortled at that and remembered a few of the more “energetic” nights they had spent together. Suddenly the image of her in a very low cut, high hemmed dress and corset with badly applied makeup popped up in front of his eyes. Hers went wide and her skin alternated purple and pink for a couple of seconds. Remembering how she had consternated him with her toilet antics, he deliberately focused on the bawdy picture and started to manipulate it.

His first inclination was to strip her completely, but he quickly changed direction and slowly raised the skirt of her image. Inch by inch, the fabric faded away, revealing her thighs which he quickly remembered to put garters on. When what was left of the skirt consisted of a few inches of imaginary silk, he looked past it to see her physical body. She was mock glaring at him and the purple suffusing her was deep and full.

“Stop that!” she called out to him. A grin was trying to make its way through her faux-glower and her eyes were starting to show pink, so he turned back to the mental striptease.

In his astral view, the picture of her spun around and put its imaginary hands on the puffy hips of the dress. Her head turned to look over her shoulder with a smoldering smile. Without the aid of her hands, the fasteners on her dress started to undo themselves one by one starting from the top. As more skin was exposed, he took the experience up a notch and impressed the beginnings of arousal upon her.

The real Mera gasped and he looked down to see her rubbing her thighs together. The plum hue was most definitely being overtaken by a bright fuchsia and her breathing was getting faster and deeper.

Returning to his fun, he imagined the corset falling away and the top of the dress crumpling down to her waist. Still facing away from him, she ran her hands up her sides and, covering her breasts with them, leisurely bent at the waist. The last of her dress dwindled away leaving only the garters and sheer black lace underwear.

“Ashur!” Mera was actively moaning now as he increased the heat in his construct’s core. The scantily dressed fantasy turned and stroked her own breasts once before standing straight and placing her hands behind her in a naughty parade rest. Her chest pushed out and the nipples were hard. Fully immersed in his imaginings now, Ashur created licking and sucking sensations on them and other parts of her neck and skin that he knew were particularly sensitive. The woman in his mind groaned and the sound was echoed by the one below him.

“Oh, please,” she begged. What for, he wasn’t quite certain, but he knew what she liked and continued his teasing. Sensations of stroking and feather touches surrounded the woman in his mind and she writhed in tortured pleasure, her fingers traveling of their own accord to her sex. The heat that he pictured there was already a glow that covered her hips and stomach. Curious, he made it bigger and brighter. Mera’s vocalizations grew when it did, so he knew that he was headed in the right direction.

He was about to increase it a bit more, but he felt himself jerked back into his body as it landed face first on the floor. Before he could recover, the now frantic woman was rolling him over and tearing at his clothes. Hers were already laying beside them and he rushed to help her. Once he was fully undressed, she pounced on him and, without any preamble, speared herself onto his already stiff cock. He had been so focused on teasing her that he hadn’t realized just how worked up he had made himself.

Her nails bit deep into his shoulders as she rode him and she mashed her lips into his, frenetically kissing him with abandon. He grabbed her hips and ground his pelvis up into hers. She responded by gyrating on him, working her clit against his pubic bone and grunting into his mouth.

For several minutes they enjoyed their frenzied passion until Ashur decided to take it yet another step further. Even in his ardor, he held onto enough control to push his power into her body. Suddenly Mera found herself re-experiencing all of the touches, kisses, and strokes that her mental counterpart had been enduring.

“Nononononono…oh yes!” she cried out and came for the first time, her vagina spraying fluid that splashed up between them. Before she could come down, however, he directed more energy to her clitoris, making it just a little longer and she came again as the shuddering of her climax brought it into contact with him again and again.

This time she screamed.

She sat straight up in an effort to distance her sensitive nub from him and braced her hands on his thighs. Her body was wracked with spasms and her nails ripped into his skin. He could no longer hold onto her bouncing hips and he settled for grasping her by the waist. When she ultimately started to relax, he took away the extra sensations and length.

Mera nearly fell backward, but he jerked up enough to grab her by the ribs and pulled her down on top of him. Her head thumped down on his chest and her ragged breathing started to slow. Eventually, she weakly pushed up enough to look into his face.

“Never…never do that again,” she gasped weakly before laying back down. For a minute, he thought she might have fallen asleep, but she pushed herself back to a near vertical position and looked down at him.

“Never do that again,” she repeated.

“You already said that,” he replied.

“Did I? Fuck.” She snorted once and slapped him on the chest. “I guess that proves why. I think I orgasmed my brains out. What made you think of that?”

Still lying on his back, he shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. I wanted to get you back a little for teasing me with taking you to the toilet way back when. The prostitute bit gave me the start of an idea. From there…” He shrugged again.

“And the extra touches? That was just mean.” She leaned on his chest and noticed shredded bits of skin under her nails. She jumped off of him and stared in horror at his legs. Several bleeding strips marked a multi-lane path down his thighs.

“I am so sorry! Let me go get the ethobucil and some water!” Blood was flowing freely from the wounds, but he sat up and grabbed her before she could take the first step toward the house.

“Hold up, Mera. I’ve got to do this at some point, so this is as good a time as any.” He looked down at his wounded skin and concentrated. It only took a second or two before the scrapes closed up and the skin returned to being healthy and whole. “There,” he remarked calmly, “all better.”

His lover brushed her fingertips over the injured area and, realizing that he was still hard, let them trace up to his penis. It had started to soften but was reinvigorated at her touch.

“Well, not all…” she purred and it was his turn to gasp as she inhaled his cock into her mouth. She worked him in and out, tightening her lips as she drew back and pressing him to the roof of her mouth when she pushed down. Then he discovered that he wasn’t the only one who could create sensations. Every pleasure center in his brain lit up all at once and he could feel the ecstasy she had experienced as she replayed the memory of it in his mind. Wave after wave of rapture crashed through him as he relived the rush of her orgasms.

He grabbed his lover’s head and held it tight as his body curled up around her face and he exploded in her mouth. His muscles spasmed time and again as his body pumped its seed into her. Once he was done, he started to fall back, but Mera had other plans. Taking his mind firmly in hand, she repeated her memory again, but added the extra sensations that had overwhelmed her clit and altered them to the head of his cock. He roared into the air as another massive orgasm smashed him into insensibility.

When he opened his eyes, Mera was grinning down at him. A small trickle of semen or saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth and her tongue snaked out to clean it up.

“Want to play some more?” she smirked. She lay down next to him and he tried to turn his head to follow her, but it seemed like too much effort.

“Fine. You win,” he snorted.

They lay like that for a while until the stone floor had sapped sufficient heat from their bodies to make getting up a more feasible option. Gathering their clothes, they made their way back to the house and fell onto the couch. Both were asleep in seconds.

***

“Ok, I see at least two bipeds and a big damn thing that is oozing a weird clear mucus from openings on its legs. I’m so glad I don’t have to clean that.”

Ashur opened his eyes and faced his companion. In a rare moment of fashion for her, she had opted to don trousers similar to his instead of her usual dress. Her blouse was covered by a vest that was also twin to the one he wore. He noticed that, since they were spending more time occupying each other’s thoughts, her mannerism had changed slightly and wondered if his were as well.

*Just a little*, she said directly into his mind. *Most of it’s in your speech patterns and the way you react to the Library. You’re not as skittish when we get notifications anymore. You used to jump so high!* Her laughter and a memory of the first time he “heard” the Library speak to him leapt up before his mind’s eye. It was the same ageless voice from his dream that was neither quite male nor female, but boomed in his mental ears nonetheless. At the time, he had been able to grasp what was happening after a second of quick reflection, however the unheralded announcement had startled the experienced soldier more than Mera’s intrusion on his efforts with the Staff had almost six months prior.

Now, two months later, the warnings were becoming commonplace and he shot her a rueful smile at the reminder. She leaned up and casually kissed his cheek.

*It’s ok, you’re still cute to me. What do you want to do?*

The Caretaker was much more comfortable communicating mentally than he was. She claimed that she was reverting to old habits from before the Cataclysm, but he had private suspicions that the intimacy of the connection helped to reinforce the idea that she wouldn’t be alone again. After reading many of the books on behavior she had provided, he was certain that, by the time she no longer needed the reassurance, the pattern would be long ingrained.

His preferred mode of conversation, however, was still physical verbalization. For a week after his first astral trip, the house had been quiet as they interacted mentally, but the silence had gotten to him and he had reverted to using sounds.

“The bipeds are closer so let’s see what we can do with them. I know it sounds bad, but I’d like to put off the slime thing for as long as possible.” Mera chortled at the bemused look on his face and nodded her assent.

Ten minutes later they came around the corner of a bookcase full of history texts to see the backs of the pair of two footed creatures. Their “hands” appeared to have four short digits covered in long brown fur and five long ones that, amazingly, were constructed out of a shiny green metal. They were wandering aimlessly along the aisle and pointing to various breaks in the Shelves. Ashur thought that they might be discussing where to go next by the movements of tiny heads on long prehensile necks. First one would make small circles in different directions, then the other would reply with motions of its own.

*It looks like they’re not only sentient, but intelligent*, he thought to Mera. *I think it’s your turn.*

The psychic woman nodded to him and turned to address the alien visitors then came to a stop when she noticed that they had spun to face the Librarians. If their body language was anything to go by, they had obviously heard his mental chatter. With a quick look of confirmation to him, Mera addressed the interlopers and, raising her right hand, asked, *Can you understand me? If so, please copy my movement*.

Neither of their hands rose, but they became agitated and started toward Mera until Ashur stepped in front of them. He towered over them by at least eight inches and they both stopped up short. Grasping his intention, the two backed away several feet and conferred with one another. Eventually, they seemed to regard Mera again, but she looked at him and shook her head.

“I think they can tell I’m speaking but can’t understand what I’m saying. I dealt with something like this a while back. Let me try this.” Stepping around the Guardian and into view of their visitors, she waved her arms around to indicate the Library around them and then pointed to herself and Ashur. Then she pointed to the two of them and started walking backward in the direction of their overlap.

For a moment, they stood still, but when Ashur followed the beckoning Caretaker, they made tapping motions with their green fingers and did the same. Fortunately, they were only about two hundred feet from the overlap and all four beings passed through the gauzy barrier. Their guests grew agitated again. They tapped green digits and made head circles at the Librarians for a few seconds before racing for the other visible barrier. They crossed over and were soon out of sight. Ashur took in their surroundings, but, having seen so many alien worlds at this point, could see nothing that caught his notice.

“You know,” he told his partner, “at first I thought they were angry, then happy, but it looked like they were just scared. What do you think?”

She patted his shoulder and smiled. “I’m not going to argue with that. Are you ready for the gooey one?”

“Damn,” he groused. “I guess so. I really hope I don’t have push that thing home.”

It didn’t take them long to find the mucilaginous beast. Mera knew where it was, but, remarkably, the still struggling man had to use his maps. He had thought that would change with the connection he had created to his new home, but, instead, it seemed to be proof of how far left he had to go.

When they came upon the big beast, it was immobile. Instead of wandering and exploring, the thing had simply slumped down. Ashur strained to find any rear legs and gave up when he saw that the hind end was simply a long, wide, and thick tail that also appeared to ooze the same viscous substance that leaked from its legs.

*Is it asleep?*, he asked. *It looks like it just fell over.* Indeed, the animal was laying partially on its side.

*I think so*, she replied. It also might not be reacting well to our air. If that’s the case, we’ll need to drag it to the platform so we can find its home quickly.* Her steps were careful and slow as she circled around it. For a moment, Ashur thought she was going to reach out and give the thing a shove, but her hand held out her Sphere. It glowed momentarily, but there was no reaction from the slumped mass of hairless flesh.

The Caretaker looked up at him, shook her head, and backed away behind him. Once she was safely protected by his body, he grasped the Staff and expanded it out to around ten feet. This was reaching the limit of his current abilities, but he wanted as much room as possible for what he was about to do.

“Hey!” he called out while prodding the seemingly unconscious creature. When there was no reaction, he poked the grey skin again while raising the volume of his hail.

“Shit,” he grunted  and return the Staff to his belt when it was obvious that the thing was not going to move. It looked like they might have to cart the unpleasant animal after all. It was quite obviously breathing easily and unhurriedly but there was no other sign to indicate that it was otherwise healthy.

“What do you want to do?” He turned to his companion and she stepped forward. She pondered their situation and, ultimately, puffed out a hard breath.

“We’re going to have to move it, but something about this feels off. I think I want to get some restraints on this guy.” She circled around it, tapping a finger on her chin in her usual gesture.

“We have restraints?” He looked at her in surprise then smacked the side of his head with an open palm. “Of course we have restraints. Sorry. I don’t know the spell for that though. You’re going to have to teach me.”

Mera grinned at him and pointed in the direction of the Hub and house. “We’ll need some supplies for this,” she told him.

“What?” Ashur was shocked. He had never heard of any of the Lexicon-based spells needing anything but Words. Was this some new, advanced technique that Mera was going to train him on?

“Yup!” she continued. “We’ll need several lengths of that thick strapping material that you are currently using in the training room and a bit of rope! The spell should work easily with those.”

He gawped at her for a second before dropping his face into his palms and groaning heavily.

“Mera, I love you but by the gods you are incorrigible sometimes.” Without looking up he turned and started to trudge away. It was a good hour walk back to the house and he had no intention of letting the sleeping creature wake up and wander the aisles throughout the night.

He stopped, however, when shock flooded through their mental link. Thinking that the sliming creature had woken, he spun and reached for his sword, but it was still motionless.

Instead, the normally blue woman was a deep and dark violet. Her eyes were wide and luminous and her hands hovered in front of her mouth.

“What? What did you say?” Her voice was tremulous and full of wonder. “Did you just say what I think you said?” She took a hesitant step in his direction.

Confused, the big man tried to replay his words, but her shock was filling his mind to the point of distraction. “Umm..I don’t know. What did I just say?”

Her arms wrapped around her own body as she tiptoed closer.

“You said you love me.”

Finally recalling the words of his muffled complaint, he stared into her incredulous face. For what seemed like an hour but was, in reality, an instant, he looked hard at his feelings for his companion, partner, and friend.

Did he love her?

He knew that he was, indeed, very fond of her; more than anyone else he had ever known outside of his long-deceased family. Her intelligence and humor made her enjoyable to be around, her compassion and kind empathy was often a balm to his weary heart, and her energy and casual physicality made him feel wanted and more alive than he had in the last few years.

Did he love her?

Yes, he did. He felt the truth of it in his core and knew she felt it too. The flood of emotion emanating from her was immense. She was breathing rough and heavy and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Reaching out to him, she took the first long step to run into his arms.

The long wide tail not only swept her feet out from under her, but it sent her flying down the aisle. She grunted when she landed and rolled in one of the controlled falls he had been teaching her as part of her combat training.

The now alert beast was standing and turned four large eyes on the startled Guardian. Opening a large, wide mouth, it roared at him. Serrated teeth sprang from its gums and it started to stalk toward him. Its front legs pulled the tail along on a trail of mucus.

“Friend,” Ashur growled while pulling his sword free of its sheath, “you just lost visitor privileges.” The big man extended his vambrace shield and braced himself for the thing’s charge. He had no clue how fast it might or might not be and had learned from previous encounters not to underestimate unknown monsters and this one was larger than most. At its standing height, the top of its back reached to just under his chin.

When the beast saw that he was not going to make the first move, it rushed him. It closed to less than five feet and spun on one of its front legs, whipping the heavy tail at him. Forewarned by its attack on Mera, he pivoted on his right leg and let the strike hit his shield, using the force to give his own spin more power. His sword came whipping around in an arc and carved into the thick skin. The thing shrieked and lumbered toward him again.

This time, he took the initiative and charged, driving his sword point towards the junction of shoulder and torso. With luck, he could sever a tendon or artery and render it harmless enough to restrain.

His hopes were dashed however, when he saw that his first cut was already healing. Grey flesh knitted itself back together with nearly the same speed as he could.

“Shit” he said. “This is not going to be fun.” With a sinking feeling, the soldier knew that this fight was going to last until one of them ran out of energy. Seeing Mera hobbling from where she had landed, he threw up an arm in her direction and put some space between him and his adversary.

*Are you okay?* he asked silently.

*Yes,* she answered. *My leg is badly sprained, but that’s about it. Can you beat it?*

Ashur deflected a swipe from one of the monster’s front arms and struck back. One of the four eyes burst in a spray of ichor and another pained howl filled the air. It rushed him again. He jumped out of its path and moved so that he was between it and Mera.

*I’m not sure. It can heal like I do so this is going to be a battle of attrition. So far, I’m faster, but I don’t know how long that will last. After that, its going to be dicey.*

He dodged another tail strike and his blade sheared off a corner of it. For several more minutes, the two clashed. Ashur still held the speed advantage, but the monster was adapting. It was countering his moves easier now and taking fewer deep hits. To make matters worse, its attacks were getting through his defenses.

As if to emphasize the point, it feinted a tail swing, but, as the Librarian held up his sword to slice, the creature turned back suddenly and clamped on his arm. Jagged teeth bit down and he dropped his blade with a scream of his own.

Blood sprayed over the things face and it bit down harder. Ashur was shocked to see his hand and part of his forearm separate from his body. He rolled away as fast as possible and leapt to his feet. Looking down at the remains of his appendage, he cursed and focused on healing.

The wounded man was given a few moments as the beast tried to swallow what it had gnawed free, but it soon gave a racking cough and his amputated hand went sliding across the floor. It turned back to him to take another piece, but the brief respite was all he had needed to seal the bleeding stump and his arm started to reform itself.

“This isn’t working,” he muttered to himself. Backing away, he refolded his shield and mentally called out to his partner.

*I need you to hide for a few minutes. I’m going to see if I can lure this thing back to its world.*

Mera slid slowly around the corner of a bookcase and tried to make herself as unobtrusive as possible. Meanwhile, Ashur quickly cast his mind out to find the overlap this troublesome animal had come from. Fortunately, it wasn’t far. He started to distance himself again and he was relieved to see the angry fiend follow him.

Knowing that he would have to keep its attention, he charged rapidly and then shied away. Aware that he wouldn’t make a good meal, it was more wary now and simply approached him.

“Dammit, I need you to come this way.” He felt a weight settle at his hip and looked down to see that he had apparently gotten far enough to trigger the magical return of his sword. It made him feel a bit better and gave him an idea. It was childish and not really likely to work, but fixing his arm was tiring him out faster than he had hoped.

Jerking the weapon from its enchanted sheath, he jumped forward and slashed the animal’s face in three rapid strokes before it could defend or return the favor. It cried out and rushed him. This time, instead of holding his ground, he spun away and started running.

At first, he thought that his trick hadn’t worked, but when he looked over his shoulder, he saw the true reason for the slime it was excreting. The front legs pumped madly and what had seemed to be thick, viscous fluid was providing more than enough glide for the creature to follow right along on his heels.

“By all the…!” he cried out and sped up. He definitely hadn’t expected it to move that fast, but he supposed the stone floor was a helping factor.

He grabbed the corner of a Shelf and, sliding a bit himself, made the last turn before facing the overlap that his pursuer called home. He raced past the barrier and into a field of fistful sized rocks. He stumbled for a few steps but caught his balance quickly. Not trusting his feet enough to look back, he tried to judge how far he would have to run in order to make certain that the Library was down by one visitor.

He did, however, glance around to find the edges of the overlap. Perhaps if he could get the thing across the second barrier, it would decide he wasn’t worth the trouble anymore. His arms pumped and he was happy when his lost hand had finished reforming.

Suddenly, he realized that, although he could hear his own footsteps, he could no longer discern any others. He stopped and turned around, ready to lash out if needed. Seeing the boundary of the Library nearly three hundred feet away, he put his hands to his knees and tried to draw in great gulps of air.

There was no sign of his attacker.

*Mera? Can you hear me?* He shot his thought out to her, not certain if it would penetrate the edge of the overlap.

*Yes! Are you hurt?* Her reply was worried, but not frantic.

*No, I’m ok. A bit winded, but ok. I think I need to integrate some more running into my training. I don’t see that thing anymore. Did it cross over?*

After a brief pause, her voice returned. *Yes. It’s gone now. Come on back*

Ashur nodded to himself and started to walk. His steps were long but slow as he tried to conjure up a second wind. They could head home when he got back to her and he could rest.

*Ashur! Where are you?* Mera’s voice was more concerned now.

*I’m almost back. Why?*

*Hurry! The Library is moving on!*

“What?” he shouted. He stepped up his pace and peered toward the hazy veil. With every second, it was getting harder to see. With an oath, he broke into a run and shot forward.

*Ashur! Hurry! Please! Hurry! Ash…*

Mera’s voice disappeared from his mind as the ghostly image of the Library disappeared. He slid to a stop nearly twenty feet from where it had been. Dumbfounded, he stood immobile. Walking up to the line of the vanished intersection between this world and his, he waved his restored hand around, trying to feel anything. He couldn’t.

“Shit.”