Student Field Trip
It had been a few days since Nolan was robbed by the weird tall lady. He was dead broke now, but the little he was able to buy gave Bitey the energy to swipe more food from a seven eleven. Apparently that was the usual form of sustenance for her, when the pigeons and squirrels were being hard to catch.
They were hanging out on a less crowded beach, munching on the last of the Cheesables she had taken. Nolan wiped the orange dust onto his jeans, and sat up.
“So, I’ve been thinking about things…”
Bitey held up a finger and stuffed the foil bag into her mouth. She chewed on it until it was a solid flat sheet of metal, and spat it out.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you something too, Rabbit.” She wiped her drooling mouth on her sleeve.
“Uh, yeah. Shoot.”
“So, we only have so much time until the full moon. Others have probably already started networking and doing their prep for the night. You did good on that Deluna guy, that was our first of three steps.”
“Why haven’t we done the second?”
“I get most of my info from a more… connected member. I hate everyone, and that makes it hard to be a part of a team like this. This member who I can’t tell you anything about has been out of town for a little bit, but we should be able to meet up today. We’ll learn about exactly what the Deluna guy was a part of, and continue our operation.”
Nolan put his head back down in the gravel. This beach didn’t have many people, but it also didn’t get any good sand. He felt the chill of the cold rocks go straight past the light stubble of hair growing on his scalp.
“So right back into the thick of things, eh?” He asked.
“Not for certain. We’ll see what happens at the meeting, we’ll kit you out, odds are good that the whole thing turns out even better than the home invasion.”
“Sounds great. When do we go?”
“Now.”
Nolan groaned. He wouldn’t have a great time to bring up his thoughts, then. He waved away those concerns as he put on his mask, and pulled Bitey up off the ground. She could be very sedentary at times, making a spot comfy and staying there for hours as she worked on her little metal projects.
—
The sun was just dipping below the mountains as they walked the long pier to the lighthouse. It was more of a light pillar than a house, just a twelve foot red and white striped concrete block at the end of the long winding and windy breakwater. Apparently this was far enough out to sea that it was beyond the claim of any of the councils, while still being close enough to town to not trip off the Gatekeepers.
Five benches circled the lighthouse, leaving a gap where a door was set into the pillar. Nolan had been here a few times before, to enjoy the wind and sea with friends or family, but never paid mind to where the door led. Bitey knocked on it ten times, and it swung inward.
Nolan assumed the door normally led to the electronic innards of the lighthouse, everything needed to keep the light running. Right now? It led into a cozy room with a high ceiling and a staircase winding upwards. It was easily ten times the size of the exterior.
Holding the door open was a rough looking man, wearing a mask made of beachwood that covered three quarters of his face, leaving the space around his right eye exposed.
“Bitey, look what yer’ line has dragging along with it.” His voice was deep and booming, with a slight irish accent that only showed up on certain words.
“I’m only pulling what has bitten the hook.”
“Then let’s measure the catch.”
Bitey walked into the room, but Nolan hesitated. He looked to Bitey, but only got the empty skull eyes of her mask. He fidgeted outside the door, but she gave him a quick beckon and he followed in. He got a better look at the man as he closed and locked the door behind them
He was tall, around 6’9”, and wore a thick threaded turtleneck sweater, a simple white captain’s hat, and dress pants. He had a leather glove on his left hand, but not his right. He removed his cap and sat in the only chair in the room, facing the fire.
“So. What brings ya’ two here?”
Nolan waited for Bitey to explain, but she elbowed him instead of speaking.
“We need to prepare for the full moon, make things ready for the emergence. You gave Bitey a mission, and she gave it to me. We need the next step, if you could.”
The man closed his eye and leaned into his chair. He gave a long groan as he sunk comfortably into the cushioning.
“Go upstairs and bring down my spyglass.”
“That’s the mission?”
“No.” He said, curtly.
Bitey was sitting with her feet out by the fire, and was clearly getting settled in as well, so Nolan started his way up the staircase alone.
The winding stairs were exhausting to climb. The steps were affixed to the wall, with open spaces between them, and a foot of elevation from one step to the next. It was more like climbing a twisting ladder without being able to use his hands. As he rose, the air got colder. He felt the worst of it against his bare head. He needed to get a toque. Maybe he could’ve taken the Captain’s hat with him, since he wasn’t using it.
With one last tremendous effort, he had reached the peak of the lighthouse, and that’s what this was. The view was spectacular, wide open water in all directions, lit by the spinning light and cracks of lighting. Some waves rose to the size of buildings before crashing down with a thunderous roar. It was almost worth the climb up here.
The space inside was cluttered with maps, books, charts, and pens. Nolan switched on his sight, and rather quickly found the spyglass amongst the piles of papers. Also now visible were the portraits hanging above the windows, sketched and rendered beautifully. The faces were all of tired old men in fisherman’s garb, wearing even more tired smiles. He didn’t see any of them wearing the Captain’s hat though.
He enjoyed the warmth of the light and time to catch his breath, but was quickly back down the stairs. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the way up, though he was still going slowly, careful not to drop the fancy spyglass. It looked battered already, with dents across the brass surface, but the lenses on the front and back were pristine.
When he reached the bottom, the Captain rose from his seat and took the spyglass.
“Took ya’ long enough, Bitey was telling me about yer’abit with deadlines. No problem in my mind so long as ya’ get the job done. Ya’ didn’t ‘ave any trouble while looking for it? I know I don’ run the tidiest lighthouse, but I make up for it with the maps.”
He held the spyglass up to his eye, twisting and pulling at it with more finesse than Nolan assumed a spyglass needed. Of course, it was likely showing something far more important than the random spot on the wall he was aiming it at. Nolan knew a magic object when he saw one.
“Also, I suppose I didn’t make time for intr’ductions. I’m Castaway Captain, a Rakshasa much like yer’ friend there.”
“I had assumed as much.”
“Ya’ can never be too sure with how empty-noggined some Practitioners can be.”
He clicked his tongue and handed Nolan the spyglass.
“Hold it steady and take a look through.”
Nolan took a delicate glance through the magic spyglass, and saw an old and cramped library. The books on the shelf immediately visible were thick and tall, with ornate gilded bindings and gothic printed labels.
Slaying the Undying; Standing against the Tides, Making a Demesne in Chaotic spaces; Storing, Stowing, and Sealing; Sundering, a Counter Practice to Collecting.
The books continued for a long way in both directions, though it was much harder to read those and Nolan was being ever so careful to not adjust the spyglass.
“That’s yer’ mission. In the basement of 1100.3 Government Street, Victoria, British Columbia. Destroy as much as ye’ can.”
“That’s the Bookkeeper’s Library, right? How am I supposed to break into their demesne?”
“My spyglass can’t see into demesnes. Wherever those books are hidden, it’s very much accessible by ya’ and Bitey.”
“Even once I get there, I’d still be causing trouble in the middle of the HQ for a bunch of Practitioners.”
“Bitey has put ‘er faith in you. You’ve got sometin’ in ya’ that few people have.”
“What?”
“Damn if I know. If you had knocked on my door alone carryin’ a mask like that? I’d’ve slit your throat right there. Now, I don’t know how well ya’ know Bitey, but compared to her? I’m a real cuddly fella. So clearly, I’m the one missing something.”
Nolan looked to Bitey, who was curled up sleeping by the fire.
“We’ll need some resources.”
“So you’ll do it?”
“Of course. I’m not backing out.”
Student Library
The Monroe Bookstore was a large bookstore in the heart of Downtown. The building was originally a bank, and still had the classical stone facade with grand pillars and arches rising above the front doors. The building was one of the best bookstores in North America, but it wasn’t the best bookstore in town. That was Russell’s Books, five blocks east. Add in Boleyn Books and you had the three storefronts and families that made up the Bookkeepers.
Nolan had interacted with the Bookkeepers on rare occasions back when he was still being introduced to the practice, mostly to exchange books for his teacher. He never saw much of the library itself, and he never went to the Monroe store. He had last been inside this building when he was a little kid. It had a great kids book section, and on the rare occasion his grandfather was in town, he’d always take him to the store and buy him whatever books he wanted.
It was nostalgic in a sense, stepping back in here. He had changed so much since then, before he had awakened. He wore a toque to cover his bare head, an extra large camping backpack, and a large pair of sunglasses. He had to be careful not to be recognized outside, but he would stand out too much wearing the glasses indoors, especially since he already looked shifty by the nature of his visit.
The moment he took the sunglasses off he locked eyes with someone he hadn’t seen in a while.
“Nolan?”
Shit. He had been immediately compromised, and it was by Kim Baxter of all people.
She had been a classmate of his through middle school. He and her were often paired together by their classmates as ‘the awkward nerdy couple’ because they were both the smart kids, so they *had* to be dating. In reality they hung out because he was the one boy in class who hung out with the girls, and she was the one girl who played Cape Kingdom, a browser MMO he was obsessed with at the time. They had gone to different highschools, and they never had that much in common in the end anyways.
All of that came flooding back the moment she said his name.
He raised a finger to his lips and approached the service counter she stood behind.
“Kim?” He asked her. He was pretty damn sure it was her. There couldn’t be that many black haired brown eyed short girls his age who liked books and knew his face well enough to call his name on eye contact.
“What are you doing here?” She said awash with shock and confusion.
“It’s hard to explain. I’ve been helping the people who are helping me with my debt, please don’t call the police I’ll be gone before you know it.” His words tumbled out of his mouth in the latter half of the sentence.
“No, what are you doing *here*.” She hissed and leaned in towards him.
“The Lord of Victoria has a bounty on your head and apparently there’s a deputized bunch of crazies hunting for you right now.” Her words were a whisper.
What. She knew about the practice? She was warning him, instead of just calling the magic cops, so that was a good sign.
“Since when did you practice?”
“Since I started dating Nicholas Monroe. Since when did *you* practice anyway? Imagine my shock learning that the mask-wearing rogue practitioner is my middle school study buddy.”
Nicholas Monroe was a pretty well known up and comer in the Victoria scene. The heir to the Monroe library and overall an adept binder and collector, he filled out his collections by cutting up Others and artifacts into the perfect pieces to complete his sets.
“I awoke shortly after my grandpa died.” He had to get the balance of information squared before he made his next bargain.
“Can I go inside the library? I swear I won’t touch any of the books or steal anything.”
“What? I can’t just do that, I’m barely allowed to go in there alone! Let alone bringing in guests.”
“I’m not a guest, I’ll just slip in behind you as you open the door. I’ll sit there for a few minutes, get my things in order, and I’ll be gone before you know it. I bet that’s one of the only places where they won’t see me if I do this.”
“Do what?”
“I can’t say exactly. Again, I promise it won’t hurt you or anyone else in this building.”
She balled her fists. She took a good look around him, her pupils turning into a silvery reflective surface as her sight was active.
“You can’t go in there, and that’s final.” She said, turning around and going to the downstairs door. She gave a single glance behind her as she put a hand to the doorknob.
He quickly walked up behind her, and the pair walked through in silence, Nolan nearly getting cut off by the door closing behind her.
He wasn’t there quite yet, but he was close. The bookstore was originally a bank, and it still had the old vault downstairs. It was a small and cramped space, but it worked for storing the books that for some reason or another weren’t being stored in the main library Demesne. Kim got ahead of him as he pulled the mask out of the backpack. It quickly went on his head as she twisted the vault door’s spinning combination lock.
She stepped in, and then said to herself, “Ah, I left a pot of coffee upstairs. I guess I’ll have to come back here after I’ve finished it.”
As she spoke, Magician’s Rabbit slipped past with the stealth the mask had been reinforced to grant him. It was his first helpful preparation he had made for this mission, but it wasn’t even close to emptying his new bag of tricks.
The door swung shut behind him, and the heavy locks of the vault door clunked into place. No way out for now.
He had to act fast, even with all he swore, Kim surely wouldn’t be that lenient with how long he could be unsupervised down here. He dropped his backpack to the floor and unzipped the main pocket. Curled up and just waking up was Bitey, who took up nearly the entire backpack.
“I got you in, Bite Maker, but now you need to act, and act fast.”
“Mmmmkay.” She yawned, stretching the fabric of her mask as her widening jaw pulled it taught beneath the zipper.
“I’ll scout ahead, I just need to be careful to not touch any books and I’ll be fine.”
He sidestepped through the vault, which had clearly been expanded from the original dimensions, though it was still small, and glanced through the titles of the tomes he could see.
*Gear beyond metal weapons, ethereal blades and projectiles; Gerrymandering, changing the boundaries instead of the population; Glamour*
None of those were right. He didn’t know what he was looking for, not exactly, but he was told he would know it when he saw it.
*Famulus; Famulus; Famulus*
There was nearly a full shelf of Famulus, with incredibly varied age and binding, often different authors or publishers.
He carefully rounded a corner where a bunch of books were stacked on the floor, overflowing from the shelf they sat by. At the end of the corridor was a junction, and some Other made out of pens and rulers in the shape of a slug went straight through the junction without turning to see him.
A loud crash from where he left Bitey was technically a good sign. She was at least getting her part of the mission done. Less good was the fact that the whole library seemed to react to the sound. Flits of paper shot through the air in the direction of the noise, and some whole books jumped off the shelves and took flight past Nolan. By some small miracle, they purposefully avoided any collisions with him, and quickly left him to his devices.
He took the opportunity and distraction to pick up his pace, thumping as his sideways trot picked up speed. Bitey was cackling and shouting in the distance now.
“Burn! BURN! Yes! You’ve fallen right into my trap! You cannot destroy me! BURRRN!”
Past the junction the books were a little more sorted, though the sparseness of the shelves after the flight of the security books was ever present. Tomes were set into larger categories and fields of information, with actual labels above them.
Augury, Counter-Augury, Collecting, Demesnes…
There!
Dramatis Personae: a series of books collecting as much information and names of Others and Practitioners across the world, and the crown jewel of the collection.
The Unabridged Dramatis Personae of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
He had to be very careful. He reached into his pocket and took out a vial, inside of it was a bookworm, an ancient form of Other that feasted on knowledge of the arcane, in order to limit the loss of innocence following the rapid literacy increase thousands of years ago. In the wild they rapidly replicated and swarms formed into hiveminds capable of unleashing the knowledge they used. If controlled, they were a fast and reliable form of data storage and erasal.
He twisted the vial, and a small aperture opened a hole in the lid. He pressed the lid against the binding of the book. The worm crawled to the end of the vial, and smelled out the contents. It was knowledge it deemed palatable, and it extended its mouth out through the tiny hole, pushing centimetres beyond its head. The whole process was very icky, not to mention dangerous enough that it was best to not simply unleash onto the library, even if this wasn’t their only captive bookworm. The mouth sucked at the book, and the words were pulled out, the spaces left behind filled in with convincing but incorrect information.
The worm moved its mouth to another book, finished eating this one. Nolan yanked on the bottom of the vial, pulling the worm by its tail and forcing it all back behind the lid, which he quickly screwed shut.
He was done. The damage would be the priority focus, in alignment with his previous modus operandi; by the time the changes to the book would be noticed, the full moon will have hopefully long passed.
Now he had to rescue Bitey and make their escape.
He prepared the escape route in advance, taking his last tool from the backpack. It was a single use escape route, and apparently very expensive to make. It was also a flat packed cardboard box he had to fold together while running and avoiding touching any of the books still.
“Bitey! Come here! We’re done!”
He slammed the box on the ground, and Bitey barrelled through a shelf of books while wreathed in flames. The flames were more than your standard burning too. Apparently she had been able to make a ‘draught of ethereal phlogiston’ with a bunch of fire spirits and alcohol, that burnt things that normally couldn’t burn, including magically warded libraries. The downside was that she caught on fire as well, and had no way of dousing it.
She fell into the box first, and just as he was told, the bottom of the box unfolded under her weight and opened into a safe tunnel space.
He jumped in after her, and grabbed the flaps as he fell, pulling the box through itself, destroying their exit.
“Phew. I was worried she would show up and we wouldn’t make it out before she knew it.” He said.
“We’re badasses, and a great team. Of course we made it!” Bitey said, stripping off her hoodie.
The hoodie would burn, but apparently it was just strong enough to survive that, combined with the fact that she could repair it with her Self, and the only major damage sustained would be gone just like that.
The space they were in was a form of dangerous but rapid magical transit. So long as you didn’t break open the cardboard box you travelled inside while it was in transit, it was perfectly safe, and the Oni had figured out the secret to building boxes that got to their destination quickly.
The light of the smouldering halo around Bitey illuminated the walls of their box as it jumped and jostled without warning, and he matched her hunched over posture that kept all of their limbs tucked in.
Nolan breathed a great sigh of relief. That had gone really well!
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