As the sun hit the mouth of the cave, Ciara felt  rested, but weak. I'm not cold anymore.  I must have slept deeply. Maybe I was worn out from running, just like Skye said. I still don't remember.

It looked bright outside. She headed for light.

Squinting in the sunlight, Ciara saw that the cavern was on a bottom rim of the cliffs. It sat above the camp and behind a rockfall of boulders. She glanced over her shoulder. There's the cliff ridge where Skye said that he was, but he's gone now.

The space in between the cave and the camp looked impossible to cross. The cracks had long ago filled in with grasses. I'll have to go round.

She tried to run through the fields between the mountains, but her legs disagreed. So, instead she waded through the high grass.  At last, she passed the camp below and made her way across the main path. The sound of murmuring voices startled her.  She waited in a tall thatch of grass to see who was coming. 

As the voices drew closer,  she determined they came from the Library, just where she was going.  The boys were chatting and laughing, approaching from the opposite way, until they eventually crossed the main trail from the Spire and went back toward camp. That was lucky! I don't really want to run into Rondan again.

She stepped out of the grass and continued on her way. Before she got near the library vault door, she heard rustling high above her and felt Skye's presence. Gravel crunched on the footpath in front of her and bits of stone went tumbling down the mountains below. Skye.

Ciara pulled hard and held the door's weight as long as she could. She didn't really know if it was possible for an unseen Skye-voice to go through walls or if he merely was a sound just in her head. Regardless, holding the door open for him seemed like good manners, at this point.

"Shhh. It's a library! We have to be quiet," she whispered to Skye.  She paused as the heavy door clanged shut.  She could hear Skye, so she knew he was with her. "Quit breathing so hard," she whispered.

Then loudly, Ciara heard the second woman whom she'd first seen with Liv call out to greet her. "Are you with someone?" Can they see Skye?

Ciara hesitated. "Oh, sorry. I'm a Proxy for him."

Looking around the assistant clearly saw no one, but she played along, guessing that this was a game. "All right, I see. Good that you're quiet, then," she winked at Ciara.

"Er—this is my —Trainer, um—Skye—Voice," Ciara replied.

"Oh, hello. Nice to meet you, Skyvoice!" The Assistant was cheerful and nodded to both sides of Ciara.

"Could I talk to Livara Quek, please? We're exchanging this book."

"Oh, she's gone to visit her family, just now. I'm the Curator, Ylva Manladel, but I'll help you."

"I had hoped for a new one." She knew Library Liv had signed the book out as her personal guest, so Ciara locked eyes with the girl and stared intensely. I should impress upon her that to have a different book is truly important. This one was just a mistake.

"What circle is that for?" the Ylva asked.

But suddenly, Ciara's throat grew raw and wide and just opened, entirely on its own.

"Just orien—ta—tion." The voice squawked out, rough and raw. Ciara started to cough and she sputtered, "We haven't decided yet—"

"Umm— You'll hurt your throat if you don't tell your friend to talk more gently." The Curator's wink was warm with advice.

"I've told him." Ciara tried to sound normal, but hid her alarm. Stop it!

Then the squawk from her throat spoke again. It said, "I've always wanted to be here. You hear so much about the Guild, you know."

"You do? It's supposed to be secret."

Skye-voice recovered, quickly, "But when you're special—," he rasped.

"Yes, well, when you have a calling, I guess you would know." Ylva smiled to herself and looked at her notes.

You don't know what you're doing, do you? Ciara asked Skye in her head, but instead heard her mouth squawking to Ylva, "That's how it happened. A calling. We came. I'm the 'sign'."

Quit talking for me!

You're the Proxy. You're talking for me!

No. This is you pretending to be me.

Well, it will be you soon. I'm just helping you out!

Don't!

Argaak!

"Oh, well that certainly is a big deal—!" More winking wrinkled the smile on Ylva's young face.

"Can I use your pen?" Ciara looked over the counter for the white plume in its elaborate stem.

"Oh. No. I'm sorry. That vanished this morning, it looks like. But, here—dip this in the ink. It should work." The girl handed Ciara the brown feather that Liv had used.

Ciara paused and studied where the white quill had been previously anchored. Only the holder remained.

Ylva explained. "Sad. I found its holder on the floor by the door. At least we have that. I suppose it was bound to happen." Then she added. "Somebody late for their circle, I expect—just grabbed it and ran. I hope they'll return it. It was an important donation to the Library, here. I'm the Curator. Oh, I said that—just filling in at the front."

Ciara thought Ylva seemed disappointed about the loss though.

"And I had just written out the tag for that one." Ylva pushed the now slightly bent pen holder closer on the counter for Ciara to see. "Frustrating. It just arrived last month—just took it out of its crate in the back. It was an honour for us to have such a nice gift."

Picking up the holder, Ciara observed, "It looks like some of the gems have come off."

"I'll look around. Likely shot under a desk or a bookcase. Thank you. I'll see if they're here."

"But the rest are set into their places with claws that are tight. They couldn't really have come out in a fall—wouldn't you think?"

"Why, yes. You are a studious girl. You notice such small things? You'll do well in the school. I can see that. Good for you."

"Oh. Look. I wouldn't imagine they came out on their own. I think the pen might have been taken."

The young woman frowned and shook her head.

Ciara felt out of place. "Could I have a book with instructions for map-reading in it, then? And can I see where it came from? —The pen, I mean." Ciara looked between rows of shelves to the back and into the shadows.

"Oh, the crate, you're talking about? Well— Yes, I suppose. If you really want to. I doubt there's anything there, but you might notice something I didn't." She glanced at the front door and then to the rear. "Do you have time before Circle, Go Round? Come with me. It's in the back room."

She put up a sign, with words etched into dried leather and a wood stand holding the stiffened sign like a board. It read, "Placere, expectabo!"

Ciara's eyebrows raised. What does that mean? They use different words, I don't remember!

Ylva noticed her expression, but her lips didn't move. Ciara could feel the curator's voice as she focused on her clipboard and moved to the back, expecting Ciara to follow.

Absently, the female voice Ciara now heard in her mind explained—means, Please, wait.

Does she know I can hear her? Ciara followed.

I don't think she knows very much that can help you.

Shhh! Ciara said again to Skye. So, how do I get help?

If Skye knew, he didn't answer.

≈≈≈ /