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They slipped silently as knives into the heart of the Steinsaltz Library, Klaus pulling the archaic door closed behind them.
As his eyes adjusted to the dark, the interior that unfurled before him was one that was vast and ancient and lovely. The scent of old paper and dust-laden volumes perfumed the air and gauzy moonlight pooled in through floor-to-ceiling windows that were bordered by two-storey shelves filled with tired books. The library was circular with the ceiling constructed from a dome of glass, reinforced by an arching lattice of metallic beams. The seven divine gods had been lavishly painted just above the mezzanine, weaving an illustrative story of sanctity and vengeance.
"How poetic," Daria mused, "that the gods will be watching over us as we rob them blind." As she spoke, Klaus was unsurprised to see her smile was rakish and utterly devoid of any kind of poetry.
It also did not escape Klaus' notice that Josef had elected to ignore the religious mural and was instead studying the lock on a nearby door with pious devotion.
"Is this the room we're looking for?" Klaus asked as he and Daria went to join him.
"Impossible to say," Josef said, "But it'll be easy to break in." He stepped aside to let them examine the lock before adding, "Though maybe not for Klaus."
Daria laughed delightedly and Klaus shook his head. Et tu, Brute? he mouthed to Josef, who barely suppressed a guilty smile.
"As much as I want to see nothing more than Klaus make a complete fool of himself trying to pick a lock," Daria said, crouching to peer inside the keyhole, "We are slaves to the gods of time."
After a moment she rose, removing her glove in a swift movement, and pressed her thumb to the keyhole. Daria closed her eyes as she focused her concentration until there was a sharp click. Without ceremony, she turned the handle and gave the door an aggressive shove.
The room that unfurled before them was windowless and devoured by shadow. For a beat, Klaus stared into a void, until Daria flicked a switch and the warm glow of several sconces chased the darkness away.
Whether it was willed by the fates or a result of Josef's keen intuition, it seemed that by some small miracle they had found precisely the sort room that they were looking for. As they stepped inside, Klaus discerned that the space had been built for archival purposes; numerous shelves and labelled cabinets lined the walls and in the centre of the room was a number of neatly aligned glass cases, each displaying a selection of historical artifacts and assorted curiosities.
"We may be slaves to the gods of time," Klaus said as he went over to examine one of the cases, "But at least Lady Luck is on our side."
