Fate's Demand (Twisted Fate, Book 3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

The circular chamber was massive. It must have been a trick of light or—or... magic.

I'd seen the building from the outside and there was no way it could fit this room, which was so large that I could fit my house inside of it multiple times. Pressure built in my chest and it took me a moment to recognize the emotion because it had been absent within me for so long. It was more than joy, quickly morphing into pure, nothing-can-taint-this excitement.

"Do you like it? We call it the Great Library," Gabe said, gesturing around the room. "Every genre from every author in every time."

"I thought angels were supposed to be smart?" I grinned up at him, just for a second. Any longer detracted from the treasure he'd revealed. "Just tell me I'm free to browse."

"Of course, but Alyssa—"

"See ya!"

Whatever he wanted to say was lost in the distance I created between us as I hurried away. Not that I was running from him; I was going to find riches, a new explorer discovering the most beautiful, the most untouched land. If I could put a padlock on the doors and declare it mine, I would—I could live here.

For my own sanity, I started in the middle where there were three circles of display cases and worked my way out. If not, I would never have found my way back to the center to enjoy the artifacts on display. All ancient, all beautiful, and all fragile in the way that if you broke it, you'd spend lifetimes trying to pay for something that could never be replaced. Every display case was pristine, its clear glass masking what I assumed to be its protective steel-like impenetrability.

New to magic—or so I was told—even I could sense how strong each display was.

Moving away, I walked around the tables aligned in a three-quarter circle around the room. Again, there were three rows—at least a hundred tables—which were only broken from the formation by the massive check-out counter taking up the entire wall on the left-hand side of the main door. Behind all the displays and tables were the objects of my admiration.

Thousands.

Millions.

Every genre of every author throughout every time.

The stacks trailed back endlessly, going so far that I couldn't see their end. Each pathway between the shelves ended with light sparkling against the spines of the bound words until they truly looked like the world's chest of treasure—unpolished but shiny, raw like undiscovered gems.

"Are you ready for the garden?" Gabe asked, leaning over my shoulder to whisper in my ear.

I jumped, so lost in my surroundings that I hadn't noticed him trailing my steps and turned to smack him in his stomach. He caught my fist in his hand, holding it for a moment as though asking, "Really?" when he raised his eyebrow, and then dropped it. Rolling my eyes, I shifted my weight so I could see Gabe and the shelves at the same time.

"Can we come right back?" I didn't want to leave, but I couldn't eat in here, and my stomach chose that moment to grumble.

"Of course."

I took the hand he extended, and we made our way back out the main door. Looking over my shoulder as we left, I couldn't wait to return so I could climb the stairs and explore the balconies. As the door slammed and the books disappeared, I looked at Gabe, who stayed two steps ahead.

He had been right to say he knew me.

*****

After grabbing a sandwich from the cafeteria, we went straight to the garden. It was just as I had dreamed it to be, but without the acid trip placed on my vision. It was relaxing, beautiful, and seemingly endless with color. Words couldn't describe the feelings that washed over me to be here, to know for certain that it was real. Now I knew, without any doubts, that David wasn't a hallucination.