Chapter one:
Anger and Ink
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thionen didn't get along with most people. He was relatively grumpy and his large stature often scared people away. Often… Most... There was one exception to the rule, a girl named Julie. To say that Thionen didn't make her nervous would be a lie. When the two first met she was downright terrified by him, however what he offered couldn't be found anywhere else.
The rumors from the village might have had some truth to them as there was indeed an opening in the rock, just big enough for Julie to slip through. It was a tight fit and rather claustrophobic but she managed to slide through. After several feet the tunnel widened out, allowing her to stand up and look around. Julie's eyes widened in wonder as she walked quietly down a rough stone hall, the edges of said hall were lined with books and scrolls in stacks higher than she could reach. Periodically small holes in the ceiling let In sunlight, illuminating the piles of assorted print.
A massive lectern stood in an alcove to her left, she approached and cast her gaze upon the large dusty tome perched atop it. Seven large runes were embedded in the cover and the book was bound in deep red leather. A gilded bookmark with a tiny tassel sat midway through its thick pages. She had seen rare books, but this one felt different, alive. The mere sight of it sent a tingle down her spine and when she blinked she swore the cover twitched. As she approached the book she could feel warmth radiating from it, like being bathed in sunlight. With trembling hands she reached out, intent on satisfying her curiosity. The heat increased, it was mildly uncomfortable now but mere inches remained between her hand and the book. A twitch of her finger and she'd be-
"Don't touch that."
Her breath hitched and she froze as the eerie echo of those calm words reverberated throughout the chamber. In the shadows of the alcove something stirred, it's form far larger than any mortal man.
"Leave."
The command was powerful yet quiet, like the rumble of a far off storm. The towering figure stepped into the light as the heat in the room became unbearable. Her bones felt of jelly, her breathing was ragged and her head spun with dizziness. Her neck arched back as she stumbled away, looking up into the eyes of the creature. Glowing green irises surrounding a thin slit of pure black, thick bonney ridges above scrunched into a piercing glare. As she stared he spoke again.
"Why are you here, hmm? To kill me? To rob me blind? Many have tried and all have failed, you are doomed."
Julie swallowed on a dry throat and began to back up slowly. The beast's voice began to increase in volume.
"DO I OWE YOUR KING A TAX LITTLE GIRL? ARE YOU HERE FOR A MAGIC TRINKET?"
Her heel hit the back wall and she pressed herself flat against it, wishing she could just disappear.
"LEAVE THIS PLACE AND DO NOT RETURN OR I'LL BURN YOU TO ASH!"
Julie passed out.
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Crinkling paper, that was the sound Julie heard when she awoke from her untimely nap. Her eyes opened slowly as she battled back a headache. Her view was blurred, save for a piece of thick paper and the set of scaled claws pushing it towards her. Her eyes adjusted and her vision was filled with a wall of pebbly dark yellow hide. She stood quickly and nearly tripped over the tankard sized ink pot and massive quill next to her before looking up at the creature's face far above.
"I thought you might be mute."
He gestured to the pen and paper.
"Go ahead, I want to know why you're here before I char the flesh from your bones."
Julie opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to form words, voicing some garbled syllables before falling silent. She gazed at the paper, and made a decision. She didn't want to die here, she'd convince this fiend to let her live! Shaking hands grasped the enormous quill; it's root was at least two fingers thick, and it's height easily exceeded her own. Dipping the towering quill, she contemplated what she would write. Should she beg for her life, try to make some kind of bargain? Best to start with what he asked I guess. She thought to herself, Julie began dragging the quill in what she assumed was letter shaped patterns. She had never written before, but she enjoyed reading so she assumed it worked the same in reverse. It still took her two minutes to write a single word, but it gave her a good distraction from her current predicament. It was over too soon.
She backed away from her very large sloppy letters, and a disgruntled snort puffed from the monster's nostrils.
"Where did you see this word?"
He stooped down and turned his head, looking at the writing with a single green eye. His gaze snapped to her, his ferocious glare freezing her in place.
"Who taught you this word? You wouldn't have just picked it up off the street!"
He pushed the paper back, intent on receiving an answer. Julie finally found some words to say and with a quiet breathy voice she said:
"There was a local shaman, I asked him about my memories and he told me that word then told me to leave."
The glare deepened and she saw his eyes dart to the book briefly.
"Oh good you're not mute, how old are you?"
Julie was taken aback by the seemingly random personal question.
"I don't know, umm sixteen summers?"
"Wrong seventeen and a half."
She looked on in shock and confusion as the angry creature stumbled over to the leather bound book, opening it several pages behind the bookmark.
"You came from the walled city Intifia, the closest to Mount Luorbacstoo. You are without deformities or sickness, and possess a love for books and literature. You also have some basic knowledge of carpentry and leather working. Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong."
He slammed the book shut with an echoing boom, raising dust from the lectern. Julie was floored. The time of my birth, where I lived, even my interests and hobbies.
"How do you know th-"
She was interrupted by a soft deep tone.
"I have written it."
Just like that his glare was gone, in its place a tired frown. Despite his apparent calm, his eyes burned with anger. He huffed out a sigh and turned to walk further down the passageway. He looked back.
"And you have written me."
And with that he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Mere seconds later a tremendously loud roar echoed down the hall, shaking bookshelves as the red leather book glowed bright. Julie hesitantly looked down to the paper laid out on the floor. Her wide untidy scrawl spelled out one word.
Thionen
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Thionen was pissed.
The moment he rounded the corner he let loose a roar of frustration and a silent plea to whomever was listening that he wake from this hellish dream. Sharing my library with a tiny pathetic human?! Never. This was supposed to be a turning point in his life, an ease of some of his burdens and an assurance of his hoard's longevity. Now all of that was being threatened by this human girl, her presence was more than unwelcome, it was potentially damaging!
In his mind's eye he saw the girl holding a torch laughing, framed by the glow of his whole collection going up in flames. He had spent five thousand years building his vast selection of literature, too much time to have wasted for one human's sake.
He started back down the hall, intent on doing what he should have done the moment he saw her. Reap destruction.
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