7.

Vivian Topaz had no idea what she should do as she watched Lynn march up the mountain. Part of her felt as if she should follow his lead. Lynn Jet was clever, he would easily find his way to the library. But...she had her luggage to deal with as well. Vivian’s single attendant wasn’t going to be physically able to assist her. The trunk contained the many gifts given to her by Lord Ivory, hardly something to simply be left behind at the docks. Her dresses alone were worth a small fortune, more than her mother could have made in ten years, and that wasn’t including the jewelry. Vivian wore her favorite piece, a necklace with a circular ivory pendant with a topaz embedded into the center, but there were several others that she couldn’t possibly abandon. Leaving that amount of wealth at the docks, unthinkable.

Several others appeared in her same position. Everyone seemed to have likewise assumed that there would be a legion of servants present to assist them after arriving. Several applicants dispersed with time, leaving their belongings behind as they disappeared into the thick jungle terrain. After a few hours, the captain of Haven Finder gave them a swift farewell and wished them the best of luck, in an extremely polite way. He and his crew set up the ship’s sails and began their return to Neo Regnum.

Only three others remained. Kaylin Garnet, Uriah Diamond, and the girl named Dreme. No one seemed particularly eager to speak to Vivian so she just sat on her trunk, Ida lurked behind her like a shadow. Uriah Diamond was speaking to Kaylin Garnet who nodded as the elderly man spoke, her eyes glazed over.

“Lady Topaz,” Ida said in a whisper. “What are you planning? We cannot stay here after nightfall. The island’s predators come out. It will be too dangerous to travel.”

“But Ida, I can’t just leave. But maybe you’re right.”

“Indecisiveness won’t be a useful attribute here, Lady Topaz. I recommend deciding definitively your plan of action. Your life may very well be forfeit otherwise. Silvian Island is well known as a center of knowledge but never as a haven safe from harm. Quite the contrary, in fact.”

Vivian bit her lip. “I know…but….”

“I will follow whatever lead you take, Lady Topaz. I simply want to advise you the best I can.”

Vivian remained uncertain how to respond to that. She looked out at the sea. The colorful rocks could still be seen under the shallow water.

“That reef is quite dangerous, Lady Topaz,” a wheezy voice startled her. Lord Uriah Diamond appeared beside her, apparently having exhausted all the conversation out of Kaylin Garnet.

“Lord Diamond, uh, what a pleasure!” She had spoken to the elderly man once before on the ship when he invited her to dinner. “The rocks in the water? They’re very pretty.” She inwardly cringed at her word choice. She needed to talk like a lady, not a five year old.

“Yes.” Lord Diamond paused. “They are indeed rather pretty; however, the prettiest things are often the most deadly. Coral reefs have been known to tear out entire hulls of ships that pass over them. The crew that brought us here exercised incredible skill in navigating past safely.”

“Oh…I didn’t realize.”

“Those rocks house thousands of fishes, protecting them from the dangers of deep waters. It reminds me of the court. Beautiful and dangerous. A system set to protect the citizens. But fragile. Ever so fragile. It takes several years for coral to grow back even slightly.”

“Grow? They’re rocks though. I don’t understand.”

“It’s a type of living rock. Most don’t understand. I don’t understand and it’s been explained to me by some very intelligent individual. Hmm…was it Ander? Or maybe Benidict? I can’t remember. Whoever it was, he was quite clever…. But as I said. It takes many years. Just like nobility. It takes a long time to recover. You’re an example of a piece of regrowth. A Natural in a time like this. Almost as if you appeared in an attempt to grow back a section of our reef after the Jet tragedy. So much death.” The elderly man’s eyes turned sorrowful.

“How many?” Vivian said softly.

“Twenty nobles. The victim count for citizens was a bit hazier, Nornex’s central setting made it perfect for trade and travel so the population constantly fluctuated. It was estimated around thirty thousand total deaths.

“But you’re the new growth in the court. The Topaz growth to compensate for the loss of the Jet. Isn’t it interesting how nature attempts to balance itself?”

“I suppose.” Thirty thousand. Did people actually expect her to replace thirty thousand people? She shivered.

Lord Diamond kept speaking but Vivian stopped listening. A small section of her felt bad for not paying attention but the lord spoke in a tone that might be better utilized in the process of drying parchment. She felt it impossible to focus on it, her mind wandering shortly after every attempt.

Vivian looked fout along the coastline of Silvian Island. Trees hung over the sides of the coast, their leaves dipping into the shallow water as if sipping the liquid. She had never seen anything as astonishing as the island, examining the lush green layer of trees took her breath away. Then she noticed a figure in the distance. He made his way toward them on a path next to the water, weaving in and out of sight. The figure halted his progress several times at random points as he approached. Finally, she was able to make out the details of the figure. A boy who looked around fifteen years old, just a few years younger than herself. But his hair was an unnatural stark white. Vivian had never seen anyone with a skin tone quite like his either, a daunting gray. As he approached she a jolt of fear ran through her body, it was as if a corpse was approaching her. Death itself coming at her. Then Vivian’s eyes met his. They were a rich blue. Her body immediately relaxed, giving her a measure of relief, eyes like his didn’t belong to a dead man.

Vivian realized suddenly that Lord Diamond had stopped monologuing. Seemingly, the lord also noted the strange man’s appearance. His age spotted hands now clenched into fists and lips tight. The stiff demeanor of the lord seemed uncharacteristic.

“Do you know that man?” Vivian asked timidly.

Lord Diamond shook his head slowly, returning to his normal, relaxed stance. “No, not him personally. Just…another who looked a bit like him.”

Vivian let the conversation drop. The white haired young man slowly came to the group and cocked his head.

“I thought there were to be twelve of you? I count eight people. Where are the other four?”

Confused, Vivian glanced about. Eight? Only four candidates had remained at the docks. Then she realized he had been counting their servants as well. Each one of them had a single servant, bringing the count to eight.

“You were late so they left,” Dreme said. “I think they thought it might be a portion of their acceptance, finding the library on their own.”

Vivian’s eyes widened. She never even considered that. No wonder Lynn took off in such a hurry.

“I’m not that late.” The shaggy white haired young man looked up at the sky. “Oh, actually I suppose I am that late. The sun has moved a bit since I left. My bad. Hopefully the others can make it to the library fine. The villages have been abandoned for the Flame Festival so they’ll just have to follow the candles. It’s not all that difficult. Now, if you’ll follow me.”

“Who are you? Why should we trust you?” Dreme spoke again.

“My name is Rin. I’m your guide to the library. Follow me.” He turned away and began to wander back where he had originally come from.

“Wait!” Kaylin Garnet said panicking. “What about our luggage? I can’t carry all of my things alone!”

“Ill planning on your part.” Rin looked up at the sky once again. “I don’t think it will rain tonight, grab what you can now and return for the rest in the morning.”

Vivian’s insides froze briefly but quickly thawed. The decision had been made. She gathered up two sets of clothes and a few smaller items from her trunk and put them in a small knapsack, Ida followed suit.

She and the others began following Rin back down the coastal path where he had come from. The path was overgrown so roots constantly threatened to trip her up. The first time Rin stopped she almost ran into him. Rin kneeled down and simply stared at a blue and red flower, as if in awe by it, gingerly touching its petals. The groups stood dumbfounded for several minutes before Rin got up and continued leading them down the path. That was only the first of many stops. Rin stopped to grasp green vines and smell lumps of moss. Finally, while Rin stared at a long beaked bird above them, Dreme spoke to him.

“Why do we keep stopping? It will be nightfall soon. Everyone knows Silvian Island is famous for night predators.”

“Appreciation is worth any risk,” he said.

“Appreciation?” Dreme’s tone turned irritated. “Personally, I would appreciate getting to the library alive.”

“If you’re in a hurry, simply follow this path until you reach a large stone building. Just knock on the door and you’ll be brought to your quarters.”

“You’re a horrible guide.” Dreme stalked off down the trail. Kaylin Garnet followed with a huff. Vivian almost went with them but Lord Diamond was the only person in their group she had actually spoken to. Despite his rambling, she felt a piece of respect for him and was hesitant to leave him. He was also the only one of the group of applicants who had seemed to enjoy the frequent stops, using them to catch his breath. Seemingly completely focused on traveling, he had barely spoken since leaving the docks.

“Her tantrum made the bird fly away,” Rin grumbled.

They continued down the path, still stopping frequently. Eventually, night inevitably came. Darkness engulfed them all at once. Just barely she made out Rin’s white hair as she continued to follow him. Vivian stumbled a number of times over unseen obstacles but quickly scrambled back to her feet. Rin did, at the very least, stop his examinations of nature after it became dark. Nature’s sounds whispered all around them, only disturbed by Lord Diamond’s heaving breaths.

They left the dense forest suddenly, Vivian had to shield her eyes as lights from a castle blinded her. Rin brought them to an elaborate wooden door and swung it open. Inside was a hallway with dozens of doors lined up on either side. A plump woman slumped in a chair snorted awake as they approached.

“Oh, you finally made it.” The woman rubbed her eyes aggressively. Rin slipped away through a door as the woman began speaking to them. “You’re the final two? Which one of you is the Natural?”

“Me.” Vivian’s voice came out in a squeak.

The woman eyed her for a moment. “Your quarters are at the end of the hall on the left. The rest of you can take whatever is available on this floor. There will be a welcoming breakfast at dawn for everyone. However, at noon, all of you will be expected in the main hall for a mandatory meeting with the Mystics.” She turned away from them, indicating that their conversation was over and not welcoming questions.

Vivian went to her room and Ida lit a lantern. It was tight but there were two mediocre straw beds and an ancient wooden desk. Far from accommodations she had experienced at Lord Ivory’s mansion but still a bit larger than her cabin on Haven Finder. She thought it strange for them to be housing nobles in cramped spaces, but she didn’t really know much about how the court actually functioned.

Ida apparently maintained the foresight earlier to pack Vivian’s silk nightgown into her knapsack so Vivian slipped into it and let Ida assist her getting ready for sleep. Despite the rough sheets, it didn’t take long for her to lose consciousness.