Unknown Darkness (Dominions Book 2)

Chapter 23: Jayden

When Jayden stepped into the portal he was instantly hit with artificial lighting. He looked up and saw that he was in a completely covered dome. Books lined the entire floor that they walked on. From the floor to the ceiling the stacks of books were never-ending. The books were written in a language Jayden had never seen before. Squiggles and symbols all lined the covers and spines in intricate designs. Kids and adults walked along the paths and selected a new book. Vibrant pictures decorated the covers of the books that the kids selected. Each one depicted an epic adventure. Some had sailboats, and others had dragons. Each time they replaced their new book with an older one they were holding.

When they saw Jayden and the other Glorians come out of the portal their eyes instantly narrowed. They pulled their kids away quickly. They averted their direction if they happened to be walking toward the Glorians. It was like Jayden and the others were the bad guys and the elves wanted nothing to do with them already.

This does not bode well.

Elora looked around the area and nodded once she laid eyes on an old man. He had a white scraggly beard and brittle liver spots that lined his arms. He had a large hunch on his back. He did his best to attempt a bow when he saw Elora, but she gently touched his shoulders. "There's no need for that, Gowen," she said. "We are visiting your domain."

She bowed to him and he nodded in approval.

"Elora, always a pleasure," said Gowen in a way that let Jayden know this was not indeed a pleasure. He had an air about him that let Jayden know he'd rather be anywhere but where he is currently. "I assume you're here for the trial? Which of these young people is going to rise to the occasion?"

Jayden raised his hand shyly and cleared his throat. "Me," he said bowing. "My name is Jayden."

"I didn't ask you to speak, boy," said Gowen as he turned and began to walk away. Jayden looked at Elora who gave him a reassuring nod. "Follow me," Gowen called. The group walked through rows and rows of books. Each turn led to an even more impressive stack than the last. Jayden looked perplexed as he stared at the height of the towers. There was no way that these were a safe height, and there was no way that the books on the very top ever got read.

As if reading his mind, the tower magically shifted. The book on the very bottom of the stack slid out from the bottom and flew to the top of the tower. Each book stack magically lowered itself neatly onto the book underneath it until the tower was whole once again.

"My people care a great deal about knowledge," Gowen said coming up to a great steel door. "When my ancestors were building Enflad, they wanted to build a kingdom that fostered the ability for people to learn whatever it is they wanted. From that idea, they came up with a dome structure. In this dome, we could string books out in the street. You could grab a new one on the way to work. We never had to worry about the weather not being accommodating because we were indoors."

"You don't go outside?" Elle asked confused.

"Don't be stupid, girl," said Gowen. He gave Elora a disgusted look as he turned to Elle. "We all can go outside. The dome also opens up to reveal a glass ceiling that still controls the weather but lets in sunlight."

Elle bit her lip and Jayden could tell she wanted to give him a piece of her mind. Judah placed his hand on her shoulder and Jayden saw her cool down.

Gowen knocked on the door and the giant piece of steel swung open. Behind the steel, laid a circular tunnel. Gowen motioned for Jayden to follow him but held his hand up when Elora attempted to follow. "Only the trial member may be present for the trial."

Elora stopped dead in her tracks and allowed Jayden to follow Gowen into the tunnel. When both were past the door, it slammed shut behind them causing Jayden to jump. His pulse began to race as they walked into a giant library. Bookshelves as tall as skyscrapers lined the walls. Ladders on wheels rested against them, and Jayden felt queasy even thinking about going up that high to find a book.