by Amy Cross
A second Mite comes into view. I can't see their bodies, not from down here on the shelf, but I can see their blade-like, spider-like legs scuttling through the rain-soaked mud, and I can hear that horrible sound of sharpening knives every time they move. Leaning forward slightly, I look alone the aisle and see half a dozen more sets of legs. Somehow, we've accidentally found ourselves right in the middle of a big gathering of the creatures. I take a slow, quiet breath. Maybe it's just a coincidence that they're here, and they'll just move on in a moment. After all, they don't strike me as the smartest creatures in the world.
"Don't move," Thomas whispers in my ear. He's woken up and seen the Mites.
"Won't they be able to smell us?" I ask.
"They focus on vision," he whispers. "Sound, smell, all those things are secondary to them."
We wait as the Mites move along the aisle. It seems as if they don't know we're here, so all we have to do is wait and hopefully they'll be gone soon.
"Don't worry," Thomas whispers. "They're dangerous, but they're not very smart. They're dying off, too. Over the years we see less and less of them. They're being hunted to extinction. My guess is there are only a few hundred of them left in the whole library."
After a few more minutes, the Mites seem to give up and wander away. Whatever they're doing out there in the storm, they don't seem to be aware we're here at all. Finally, I start to relax.
"It'll be dawn soon," Thomas says. "There's no point going back to sleep."
I turn to him. "So what do you want to do?" I ask.
He smiles, looking a little embarrassed. "It's kind of cramped in here," he says.
"True," I reply, "but I've never made love on a bookshelf before, and I don't know when I'll get another opportunity." I lean in to kiss, him but suddenly I see something moving behind him. I look closer, and I see that there's something moving in the shelf that backs onto our shelf. It takes a split second before I realize it's a Mite, and suddenly the back of the shelf is smashed open and the Mite reaches its sharp legs through to try to get us.
Grabbing Thomas, I pull him out of the shelf and into the muddy aisle. It's dark and pouring with rain, but there's just enough light from the moon to see that the Mite is struggling through the shelf to try to get to us.
"Why did it attack from behind?" I ask, shocked.
"Like I said," Thomas replies, "they're not the smartest creatures."
I turn and look along the aisle. "Unless it was just trying to drive us out so the others could get to us."
"They're not capable of planning ahead like that," he says.
I reach out, take his head in my hands and force him to look along the aisle, where two Mites are watching us. There are two more in the other direction, which means we're surrounded.
"Clever bastards," Thomas says.
"Up!" I shout, pushing him to the shelf. "Climb up!"
As the Mites rumble towards us, we climb up onto the top of one of the bookshelves. We're soon a good ten meters up above the Mites, but they're slowly starting to climb after us.
"I thought you said they weren't that smart!" I say as lightning flashing above us.
"I guess they're learning, "Thomas says.
We back away along the shelf as the first Mite reaches the top.
"Stay back," I say, switching to my wolf form and launching myself at the creature. I manage to sink my fangs into its head, forcing blood to burst out into my mouth. I feel the creature immediately go limp, and then I turn and growl at another as if climbs up onto the top of the shelf. Ignoring my threats, the Mite lashes out at me, catching my arm and cutting the skin open. The wound'll heal fast enough, but right now I have to protect Thomas. I throw myself into the Mite, biting hard into its neck as we tumble from the bookshelf and land down in the mud again.
What happens next is a blur. There are still two Mites left to fight, and they're quickly all over me. Although I bite and scratch at them, it's hard to overpower two of the creatures at once. Their blade-like legs rip and slice at me, and eventually one of them thrusts out one of its straw-like tubes, puncturing my chest. I feel it start to suck blood and other matter out of me, and it's a horrific feeling. For a moment, I feel all the fight start to leave my body, but then I realize how important it is that I survive so I get to my feet and bite down hard on the Mite's head, killing it. It doesn't take me long to kill the other creature, either, and finally I'm standing in the rain with dead Mites all around me. I'm badly hurt, and bleeding heavily, but my werewolf physiology should heal things pretty soon.
"Jess!" Thomas shouts from up on the bookshelf.
I switch to my human form, but I'm still injured and there's not much more I can do. I collapse into the mud, and everything goes black.
When I wake up, it's light and Thomas is sitting next to me. All the fury of my battle with the Mites has gone, replaced by a kind of peace and calm that I've long missed.
"Hey," Thomas says. "How are you feeling?"
I sit up and run my hands over my body. All the injuries seem to have healed, but I still feel kind of rough. "I'm good," I say.
"I thought you were dead," he says. "You were bleeding so badly, and you had such bad injuries, but then I realized you were healing. I sat here and watched as your wounds slowly knitted together and then, finally, healed up completely."
"One of the perks of being a werewolf," I say. "Sorry to give you a fright."
He smiles. "It was strange seeing you in action. You're pretty wild when you're angry." He pauses. "I guess you saved us both. I had no idea you could be so powerful. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you were rather majestic."
"I know it sounds crazy," I say, "but I feel more comfortable when I'm a wolf. I don't have to think so much. When I'm human, I have to think about everything I do. When I'm a wolf, I just follow my instincts."
"I guess that's another good reason you have to leave the library," he says.
I don't know what to say. He's right. Thomas and I are so different, in many ways we're complete opposites. He likes the conformity and thoughtfulness of life in the library, and I like the freedom of being a wolf in the wilderness. It's crazy to think that we could ever have contemplated trying to find a lifestyle that would allow us to be together.
As we start walking, it seems like we've run out of things to talk about. I guess we're both thinking about the fact that we're soon going to be parted forever, and about the fact that fate seems to have made us so different to one another yet also so good together. I don't understand why people can't just fall in love with people who are exactly like them. Instead of a crazy werewolf like Duncan, or a Library dweller like Thomas, why can't I just fall for another werewolf who wants to live in the wild? Life would be so much easier.
Finally, I see the entrance ahead of us. The huge wooden door hasn't changed a bit, still set into the high stone wall, and still with that little bell handing nearby. Relief is tinged with sadness, because the last time I was here I was with Duncan. I've tried not to dwell too much on the question of what happened to him, but I'm fairly sure he's fine. He's either exploring the library and inspiring more tribes to think he's a god, or he back in the outside world getting on with his life and looking for Excalibur. I doubt he'd have spent the whole of the past year looking for me. He probably thinks that if we're destined to meet again, then we'll meet again, and I suppose that's fine with me. It was stupid of me to think that he and I could ever be together permanently. Besides, I've got myself a husband now! It's so weird; this whole period of time in the library has been like a dream.
"You must go," Thomas says as we reach the gate. "No long goodbyes."
I turn to him. "One last chance to come with me," I say.
He shakes his head. "I belong here, in the library. And you belong out there in the other world. It's how things are meant to be. Let's just be thankful that we had this time together." He steps over to the wall and rings a small bell, and moments later a group of peasants appear from a small
doorway.
"You want to go out?" one of the peasants asks wearily.
"Yes," I say.
The peasant sighs and, with his colleagues, starting pushing the huge door open.
"I'll miss you," I say to Thomas. It's hard to believe that I've been in this library for over a year. When Duncan and I arrived, we were just supposed to be here for a day or two, but so much has happened. I got separated from Duncan, I joined a small tribe, I got married... all during a trip to the library.
"I'll miss you too," Thomas says, and we hug. After a moment, the hug becomes a kiss.
"Door's open!" the peasant shouts.
"You should go," Thomas says.
I nod. There's a part of me that really wants to stay. After all, I've no idea where Duncan is, and I don't really have anything to go back to in the other world. But I can't live between the bookshelves. I need to go somewhere wide open and free and wild. I know I'd be unhappy here, and eventually Thomas would get old and die. I can't face seeing that. I'd rather remember him as he is now: young and strong.
"Maybe I'll see you again sometime," I say, stepping towards the door.
"Maybe," he replies.
I pause. "And if you happen to ever bump into a strange guy named Duncan, tell him I'm fine without him. Tell him he doesn't have to come looking for me. Tell him... Tell him I'm living the way I want to live, and I'd appreciate it if he wouldn't disturb me."
"I'll do that," Thomas says.
"Bye," I say, fighting the urge to rush back over to him. Instead, I turn and walk out through the gate, finally leaving the library after almost a year and a half. I stop and look back. The peasants have already started pulling the door shut, and Thomas and I stare at each other until the door slams close and we're separated forever. Deep down, I know that I'll never see him again. He's where he belongs and, like it or not, I'm where I belong. All that's left for me to do now is switch to my wolf form and make my way to the Scottish Highlands, where I can live as a wolf and never have to worry about my human side again. The great thing about being a wolf is that after a while, your human memories seem to fade to the back of your mind. It's simple. It's uncomplicated. It's like being free.
"About bloody time," says a voice behind me.
I spin around to see Duncan standing a few meters away.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask.
"Waiting for you," he says, sounding slightly annoyed. "Chatting with some big guy with a sword. Of course, his sword wasn't as big as my sword, but still... Anyway, where the hell have you been? I've been sat out here for more than a year!"
"You've been waiting for me?" I say, finding it hard to believe that he could have been just sitting around for so long. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely," he says. "Well, actually I buggered off a couple of times to do a few things, but I left a note." He holds up a large sword. "Look! Excalibur! What do you think? Isn't it shiny?"
"You found it?" I say, shocked.
"Yeah," he replies, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. "I know I said it didn't exist, but it turns out I was wrong." He frowns. "Weird, that. It wasn't even that hard to locate once I'd looked up the details in the book."
I take a deep breath. "So the quest is over? You've found Excalibur and now we can stop looking for it, right?"
"Yes!" he says. He pauses. "No. Well, kind of. It turns out I shouldn't have found it. Terrible idea. Big mistake. It's absolutely vital that we hide it again."
I stare at him. "We have to hide it?"
"Yes!" he says again. "It's a very dangerous item. I understand now why someone went to all that trouble to try and make sure that people like me wouldn't come along and find it. It was well-hidden, too. It's a miracle I found it. Now we have to find an even better hiding place, because there are lots of very nasty people who'd like to get hold of it and use its power for evil." He admires the sword. "To be honest, if I'd known it was real, I'd never have spent such a long time looking for it. Some things are never meant to be found." He looks up at me. "So where the hell have you been?"
"I got lost," I say.
"I figured. How'd you find your way out?"
"I..." I pause. "Well, I found a map."
"Useful," Duncan says. "So you just spent a year wandering around the library?"
"Not quite," I reply, as we start walking away.
"So what did you do?"
"Well, I joined a tribe. And I hung out with my new husband."
"Your what?"
I smile. For once, I'm the one with the shocking and surprising news. "Yeah," I say casually, "I got married in there to a really nice guy named Thomas. He wanted me to stay and live with him and his tribe, but I decided I couldn't handle living in a giant library so I decided to come back out to the real world."
"Good move," Duncan says.
"I hope so," I say. "To be honest, I thought you were probably lost in the library too. I thought I'd never see you again."
"Oh, you know me," he says. "I managed to find my way out."
"Did you look for me?" I ask.
"Not really," he continues. "I mean, I took a quick look around, but then I figured you'd find me anyway. I just didn't think it'd take more than a year for you to manage to make your way out of the bloody place. Seriously, Jess, what were you doing all that time?"
"What were you doing?" I ask. "At least I was with people. Were you just sitting out here waiting for me?"
"Like I said," he replies, "I went off a couple of times. But it was quite fun sitting around outside the gate. I learned to fish." He points towards the left. "There's a river over there. I didn't manage to catch anything, but it was fun to try."
I smile, thinking back to the bunch of soldiers who had somehow managed to build an entire religion around Duncan. Part of me wants to tell him all about Dukan and all that stuff, but another part of me things that Duncan's ego is already big enough, and it would probably make him unbearably smug if he found out that he'd accidentally become a god to a bunch of idiots.
"What are you smiling about?" he asks suspiciously.
"Nothing," I say, deciding not to tell him. Knowing Duncan, he'd turned right around and demand to go back into the library so he could see the statue for himself.
"Good," he replies. "We have to focus on our work. We have to go and hide this sword." He raises Excalibur, and I have to duck out of the way.
"Watch where you swing that thing!" I say.
"Sorry," he says.
We walk on. I'm still planning to go and live in the wilderness as a wolf, but I guess I'll help Duncan find a place to hide Excalibur first. Glancing over my shoulder, I look back for a moment at the library. It's weird to think of that whole world existing in there, and it's weird to think of Thomas. My husband. Although I'm glad to be out in the real world again, and I'm even kind of glad to have found Duncan, there's definitely a small part of me that was left behind in the library. It was a gentler, calmer life in there. I'll miss it. I'll miss Thomas.
"Stop!" Duncan says suddenly.
I look ahead of us and see a large, armor-clad creature standing before us. He's huge, maybe ten meters tall, and he's holding a huge ax. His entire body is covered in black metal, and he doesn't look like he's in the mood to mess around.
"Not again," Duncan says, sounding more tired than scared.
"Who the hell is that?" I ask.
"He's one of the chaps who want to get hold of Excalibur. His name's Malkioch. He's rather evil, and he'd use the sword's power to do terrible things."
I sigh. "So that fucking sword has put a huge target on our backs?"
"Basically," says Duncan, staring up at the creature as it raises its ax, "yes. That's one of the reasons we need to hide it fast. Carrying this thing around with us just isn't tenable. We need to bury it deep, where no-one can ever find it, and then we need to make sure that no-one even knows that we know where it is. Now stop asking stupid questions, and run!"
We both switch into our w
olf forms. With Duncan holding the sword tightly between his teeth, we turn and run just as the huge ax swings down and slams into the ground behind us. I guess nothing ever really changes.