We've been navigating the library for hours, running around with piles of books and papers like journalists in a busy pressroom preparing for an exclusive story on the front page. I am almost as excited about it as Ikshan. Almost. I mean, this whole story is so mysterious. I feel like an investigator of the occult in a role-playing game quest. Except, we are not just losing points if we cannot unravel the mystery.

So I'm helping with the research as much as I can. And it's not always easy. You know, the thing is, the library is big. And when I say big, I mean huge. Because there is always more than you can see. I have a good sense of direction, now that I have a GPS on my phone. But before, it was another story. By the way, I have this project of mapping the library. But I was caught up in other things and I haven't done it yet. It would have been very useful now as we are looking for really old documents. Those are the hardest to find.

Some kind of glamor protects the library so mortals cannot find it, but that's not all. There are entire hallways that are enchanted and you can access them only if you know where to find the door. And guess what? I don't always know how to find the door in this labyrinth.

So I spend my time yelling at Ikshan from one point of the building to another to ask him for orientation tips. They are easy to locate as they are often talking to themselves or letting out exclamations of enthusiasm or disappointment, depending on how the research is progressing.

But right now, Ikshan is out of my reach. Thanks to modernity though, we have cell phones, and I can text them.

Not on the fourth shelf. There are only books about weird food here.

Oh yes. The book is on the hidden fourth shelf.

The what?

My phone rings and I answer.

"Yeah, sorry, I forgot to tell you. There is a magical mechanism in the wood. Do you see the flower motif carved on your right? Well, you have to put your hand over it and then rotate your hand. Clockwise. And it will open."

"Okay, but the wood won't move. It's just a hand gesture, right?"

"Exactly."

I do as Ikshan said, and the bookcase gets blurry before turning into a completely different one.

"Wow. That's impressive."

"I know, right?"

I check the new books now in front of me and notice quickly the one I was looking for. "I found it. I'll be there in a sec."

"Okey-dokey."

When I join Ikshan in their office, they have a radiant smile on their face.

"You found something?"

"I have to check in the book you have, but..." they say, turning the pages before focusing on a particular paragraph. "Yes, that's it. I got it. It's an ancient code language used by magic practitioners in some parts of what is now France. But it was far before your time."

"It sounds really specific. Can you decipher it?"

"No. Not a lot of people can. This has been long forgotten. And as it was a secret language, there are almost no written traces of it."

"What can we do then?"

"Well, fortunately, I may know someone," Ikshan says, winking at me.