Alarick spent the next day working with Margaret, going over the protective enchantments for the Keep. Margaret knew a few ancient spells that he did not, and she added her knowledge, further strengthening his work. He also worked with John Lucas to ensure that the day-to-day operations of the castle would continue smoothly in his absence.
"I don't know how long we'll be gone," he told John as they worked in Alarick's office. "It could be a couple of days or it may be longer. Once we reach Marrakesh, I'll write to other friends and see if they will welcome us. I won't exhaust Elissa, however, so we'll be back to rest at some point."
"I suspect you'll find she's not easily tired," John said. "Don't forget that blindness does not make her an invalid. Don't treat her as such."
"I know," Alarick sighed. "I constantly remind myself not to smother her. My fear for her does not give me the right to govern her life."
"As long as you remember that, you'll do fine," John said.
"I don't think I am the only one who needs to remember things about women," Alarick said, looking up from the ledger in which he was scribbling notes and giving John a hard stare. "I have noticed you and Margaret seem to be getting closer."
John shrugged. "She's quite the woman. I won't deny I've interests there. Whether she feels the same, well, that's something I've yet to discover."
"Good luck to you, man," Alarick said.
"And to you." When Alarick shot him a look, John said, "I may be getting old, boy, but I can see how you and the Book Mesmer look at each other over meals. I notice you've been spending more and more time in that library. She's something special and you deserve some happiness. Master Hale would be happy for you."
Alarick didn't answer. The thought of what Master Hale would think of Elissa gave Alarick pause from time to time. It didn't matter because the great master was dead, but Alarick often wondered whether Master Hale would approve. He felt certain he would. Other than their age difference, Elissa was everything Master Hale valued in a person: Kind, intelligent, selfless, funny, brave, and open-minded. Their age difference might have given Master Hale pause, but Alarick felt certain it wouldn't disqualify her in his mind.
Alarick wondered, though, whether the age difference might not be too great. He was thirty-four and would be thirty-five in another month. She was twenty-five. Almost ten years lay between them. Abigail had come into his life the year Elissa was born. That was an odd thought. He shrugged, as if trying to shake the thought, and John caught the movement.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Do you think it's too much?" Alarick asked, forgetting that John hadn't been part of his internal debate. "Our age difference?" he clarified.
"Between you and Elissa?"
Alarick nodded.
John paused before answering. "I don't think so. If she were some of the young women around the Keep, I might say yes. There are more than a few here who are her age and who are still girls. They will likely never grow out of their simpering and foolishness. But Elissa? She seems like an old soul. Much like you, I would say. Maybe it's the losses you've both suffered, but both of you are thoughtful, introspective people who seem to be, what's the expression—" he flapped his hands as he searched for the words. "On a different path than the rest of us. She'll be good company for you. I don't see you leaving her behind, if that's what you're worried about."
"I just don't want her to wake up one day and regret that she wasted her youth on an old man."
"Ah. You're assuming you'll get to be an old man, sir," John said. "I don't think any of us can expect that. I wouldn't worry about your age difference. I think you're a good fit for each other, but I suspect it won't matter in the long-term, anyway."
"True. Death at thirty-five does render the point moot," Alarick said, bending back to his work.
"Live your life. That is all you can do," John said.
Those words rang in Alarick's mind throughout the rest of the day. He repeated the mantra every time he second-guessed their coming departure. Living life was paramount. Death would take care of itself. In the meantime, he and Elissa had a job to do.
The next morning, he went to Elissa's room and found her packed and ready. She had two satchels, one full of art supplies and one with clothes and necessities. He shrank both bags and placed them inside his larger one for ease of transport.
Wanting to avoid lengthy goodbyes, Alarick decided to peregrinate directly from Elissa's room rather than going downstairs. He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.
"I never asked you when I brought you back from Orange… Does peregrination agree with you? Does it cause you pain?" he asked before he cast them off.
"It hurts a bit, but nothing too awful or permanent. Mostly I feel the pull on my back, maybe because I'm still healing. It's such an odd feeling."
"It is that," Alarick said. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Don't worry about it. As I said, it goes away. I know I'm not really going to fly apart. It just feels that way."
Alarick nodded. "Well, then. Ready for an adventure?" he asked.
"Absolutely," she said, her smile buoying his certainty that this was the right course of action. She needed to fly, and he needed to let her. All he could do was be there to catch her if she fell.
Alarick thought of Talb's place in Marrakesh and they were off. They touched down in the desert far beyond the city. In front of them was a red sandstone wall, beyond which the rooftops of several buildings were visible. Set in the center of the wall was a wooden door. Alarick lifted the heavy iron knocker and let it fall twice. A moment later, a dark-skinned man who appeared to be in his seventies opened the door. Wispy gray hairs stuck up at odd angles all over his head, giving him the appearance of a large, half-blown dandelion. The man's skin was leathery from decades spent in the sun, but his face bore a boyish smile that spoke of mischief and good humor.
"Alarick Brandon," he said, moving forward to embrace Alarick. "I'm so glad you decided to come."
After a brief hug, the man pulled away from Alarick, but did not release his hold on his arms.
"You've grown," he said, appraising Alarick. "Last time you were here, you weren't much taller than my waist. Now look at you. So tall," he said. "Of course, I keep shrinking."
He laughed and turned his attention to Elissa.
"Hello," he said, extending a hand to her. For an awkward moment, his hand hung there, and Elissa did not take it. Alarick tapped the corner of his eye and nodded toward Elissa. Adil quickly recovered and took her hand in his.
"Adil, this is Elissa Stone," Alarick said. "She's the Book Mesmer I told you about."
"Honored," Adil said, bending over Elissa's hand. When he straightened, he winked at Alarick, showing his thanks for sparing him the earlier awkwardness.
"Well come in, come in," he said, beckoning them through the door.
They proceeded into a courtyard containing a magnificent fountain tiled in lapis lazuli. A statue of three entwined fish speared up from the center, water artfully shooting from the fish's mouths.
Ringing the courtyard were four large, long buildings, all fashioned from the same red sandstone as the outer wall. Beyond these buildings Alarick saw several smaller buildings that he guessed were houses or possibly apartments.
"Is your fortress invisible to non-magical people?" he asked Adil.
"Barely," Adil confessed. "I'm afraid our protections are not terribly strong. Instead of invisibility, I can only manage disguise. Non-magicals see an abnormally large sand dune that looks slightly square. Most pass us by, but one will occasionally stumble inside if they try to summit the dune. If they do, well, we have no choice. We kill them.
Elissa gasped and Adil turned to her.
"To be fair, we haven't killed anyone in a very long time. This place has gotten a reputation for being one to stay away from. And we're so far away from the city that very few people ever come out this far. However, if the Ministry ever discovers the truth about this place, we have very little to keep them from destroying us. That's why we must kill anyone who breaches our walls, Miss Stone. We cannot have strangers going back to town and reporting us."
"I understand," she said. "And I'm sorry for my reaction. It was thoughtless. I'm sure if my village had any disguise at all, we would have done the same to protect our secret."
"The Ministry destroyed Elissa's village," Alarick explained. "As it has destroyed most of the magical villages in England. We fare poorly."
"We fare little better," Adil said, beckoning them forward into the shade of the largest building's entryway. "There are no magical people left in the city proper, unless they are well-hidden. We haven't found a magical in over a year inside the city. Most live here, although there are a few who choose the nomadic life and roam the desert. They stop by occasionally, but do no stay for long."
Adil guided them down the hallway. Elissa kept her hand tucked in Alarick's elbow for guidance. "Would you like to see the library now, or later?"
"What do you think?" Alarick asked Elissa.
"Now is fine," she said.
"Excellent. This way," Adil said, turning right where two hallways intersected in a small open-air courtyard. Another fountain, smaller than the one outside, burbled happily in the center.
They didn't walk far before passing under an ornate archway tiled in bright red, orange and yellow and capped with a large stone dragon at the apex. The dragon carried a book in one talon and a scroll in the other. Beyond the archway, Adil pushed open a heavy wooden door and ushered them into the library.
"It's incredible," Alarick said. "Bigger than the last time I was here, I think."
"Yes, yes. I suspect we've nearly doubled the size since you were here last and we're still running out of space."
Elissa squeezed Alarick's arm. "Tell me what you see," she said.
"I'm sorry," he began. "I'm still getting used to being someone else's eyes," he said to Adil.
"Your blindness is recent, Miss Stone?" Adil asked.
"About four months ago, now," she said. "It has improved somewhat. I can see the faintest shapes in very bright light, but not much more than that."
"You didn't tell me you could see shapes," Alarick said.
"Because it fundamentally changes nothing," Elissa said. "It requires very bright light and even then, I can't distinguish what the shape is. Neither can I gauge distance. I'm still just as likely to trip over a chair as ever."
"Still, any improvement is positive," Alarick said. "I wish you'd tell me these things."
She sighed. "I will when it's important. Now, please, can you tell me about this library?"
Adil chuckled at her impatience and Alarick hastened to describe what he saw.
"It's a long rectangle and we've entered on one of the short sides. To our left and right are walls of bookshelves, each twelve shelves high. Taller than ours at the Keep," he added for scale. "And full of books and papers. In some places, materials are stacked two or three deep."
"There is a row of regular desks running up the center of the room and three scribe's desks at the back. The floor is red stone, as are the walls. There are no windows."
"The summer sun is too bright," Adil added. "It would damage the manuscripts. Plus it would get too hot in here to work. Here in the desert, darkness is our friend."
"Would it be possible for me to use one of the scribe's desks?" Elissa asked Adil.
"Of course. They are not assigned to any one person, so it will be no trouble for you to use one."
Alarick guided her to the one on the right, as it was nearly empty. Only one piece of blank parchment rested on its surface. He pulled her bag of materials out of his bag and used his wand to restore it to normal size. Then they both worked to set the materials out on the desk in an exact replica of her desk at the Keep.
"Do you want to begin work now?" Adil asked.
Alarick shrugged. "That is for you to decide. We are ready now, or we can wait. We will need the service of your scholars for translation assistance. Neither of us knows any Arabic."
"Then allow me to give you the tour of our home first and show you where you will be sleeping. Ah, I hate to ask a delicate question, but will you need one room or two? Having seen the two of you together, I'm certain there is a relationship here, but its nature eludes me."
Alarick chuckled and Elissa said, "Do not feel badly, Adil. It eludes us, as well. Two rooms, please, if you can spare them," she said as he laughed.
"No trouble at all," he said. "However, I think I can do better. I have a set of adjoining rooms. If you should decide you need one room, simply open the door between."
Alarick raised an eyebrow at Adil, and he smiled innocently. "The desert air is sometimes romantic, Master Brandon," he said with a wink.
Elissa, Alarick noted, was turning bright red, but he also noticed she wasn't offended by the offer. Neither did she decline. That was… complicated, he decided.
Adil saved him from further contemplation of any complications by escorting them out of the library and on a long, informative tour of his walled village. In addition to the library, the building they were in also contained the dining hall. The other three large buildings contained workshops, the infirmary, some administrative offices, and the stables. The smaller buildings were, indeed, residences. There were a few single-family dwellings and preference went to those who had children, followed by prominent members of the village. Singles and couples lived in the apartments.
As there was no need of a kitchen in each apartment, they contained only a bedroom and an adjacent room for reading, relaxing, or gathering with friends. There was a fireplace in each sitting room, though, adding a touch of hominess. A smaller area off the bedroom contained an ewer and washbasin, as well as a chamber pot for necessities.
Elissa and Alarick would each be staying in one of these apartments although, as promised, theirs did adjoin.
"We built several like this so that if a couple had children, but a single house wasn't available, the family could move in here and avoid being so cramped. As we've had fewer and fewer children arrive these past years, these adjoining apartments are mostly superfluous these days."
"We don't have many children at the Keep, either," Alarick said.
Adil shook his head. "I can't blame anyone for not wanting children now. Why would you bring a child into this world just to have it killed by the Ministry before its first birthday?"
It was a rhetorical question and neither Alarick nor Elissa answered.
Adil showed them to their rooms and then left them alone, promising to come back when it was time for lunch.
Alarick escorted Elissa to her room and helped her familiarize herself with the surroundings. The sitting room thrilled her, as it had no real furniture, simply piles of enormous pillows everywhere. Alarick thought it looked terribly uncomfortable, not to mention a dangerous tripping hazard, but Elissa seemed to enjoy stacking the pillows in various configurations until she found comfort.
"It's pretty at least," he told her. "The pillows are rich jewel tones and there is gauzy material in pastel shades draped over the walls to hide the sandstone."
Her bedroom was functional and nothing more. The quilt was patterned in the same jewel tones as the pillows, but beyond that there was no decoration. There wasn't even a proper dresser for clothes, merely a chest at the foot of the bed. Alarick didn't see the point in unpacking. After all, a bag was a good as a chest for all the organization either provided, but Elissa insisted on treating the place like home, so into the chest went her clothes.
Leaving her arranging her pillows in the sitting room, Alarick went through the adjoining door and into his room. His sitting room offered a single green, hard-looking cushion and not much else. The bedroom was as Spartan as Elissa's except his quilt was patterned in the reds, oranges, and purples of the desert.
Settled, he went back for Elissa and found her lying in the middle of her pillows, looking like some ancient queen waiting for her servants. Or her lover. Alarick quickly banished that thought. Before he embarrassed himself, he coughed to let her know he was there.
"Have a seat," she said, waving a hand at the mass of pillows around her.
"If I get down there, I may never get up," Alarick said.
"Oh, you're not that old and decrepit," she said. "It's fun."
With a sigh, Alarick lowered himself to the nearest pillow. It wobbled as he sat, threatening to throw him off.
"I miss the sofas at the Keep," he muttered.
"Well, what do you think of your adventure so far?" he asked Elissa.
"Amazing. I can't believe I'm in Morocco. And I can't wait to get to the books. Thank you for this," she said.
"You're going to have to stop thanking me all the time," Alarick said. "Otherwise this is going to be a very long trip."
"Sorry. It's just so incredible. I never thought I'd leave my village, much less England."
"Yes, well, those with special talents often travel far. In another, better, world I have no doubt you would have traveled the world. You'd probably have found a home at the court of a king and spent your life working through libraries the size of cities."
"You sound as though the thought makes you sad," she said. "Why?"
He shrugged. "It's just that if the Ministry weren't around, I know you'd have had a richer life. I hate what has been stolen from you. From all of us."
"Were the Ministry not around, I probably would have gone nowhere. After all, there would be no need to preserve books, would there? What king would come looking for a Book Mesmer if he believed his library to be in no danger of destruction?" she asked. "I'd probably be happily ensconced in Keldon, drawing animals for the local children to play with. But there's one thing you didn't think of in your picture of a so-called better world."
"What's that?" he asked.
"If the Ministry did not exist and I was in Keldon, I would not have met you."
"That hasn't exactly been a boon for you," he said.
"It has and don't you ever say differently," she argued.
"You're blind because you met me," he said.
"No, I'm blind because I was an idiot and made the wrong choices. True, that might not have happened had I not met you, but everything that has happened to me happened because the Ministry is in our lives. Yes, they've brought me some bad tidings, but they also brought me to you. And that's not a bad thing. For either of us, I don't think?"
Alarick shook his head then remembered, yet again, that he had to speak his feelings. That was what made loving Elissa so terrifying. There was no place to hide.
"No, it hasn't. Don't you ever have a negative thought, though?" he asked. "Your optimism and goodness make me feel small."
"Of course I do. Every day. But what I want you to see is that much of a person's response to a situation is in how they frame it to themselves. I choose to believe in the better things, rather than dwell on the bad. Of course I know the bad is there. I live it everyday when I wake up and fail to see daylight. Looking for the good keeps me sane," she said with a shrug.
"You have your reasons for seeing the bad," she continued, "And I do not blame you for doing so. Just try looking for the good things once in a while. I think it will make you happier."
"I'm looking at a good thing right now," he said, watching her. "And I keep waiting for you to disappear."
Following his voice, she crawled across the pillows to where he sat. She kneeled across from him and reached up to touch his face. He leaned in to place his face in her hands. Her hands lingered over his lips and then moved to his forehead where she smoothed her fingers over the vertical crease in his brow, deepened now with worry.
"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered. "I tried to run from you once and you came for me. I won't run again."
He took her in his arms and clasped her to his chest. "Promise me," he whispered.
"I swear. Until you tell me to go, I'm staying with you."
The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Dammit," Alarick swore as he released Elissa and got up to answer it.
"Yes?" he asked, his voice clipped, as he yanked open the door. Adil stepped back as Alarick towered over him in the doorway.
"Ah," he said, seeming to understand that he'd intruded on a private moment. "Lunch?" he finally managed to ask.
Alarick relaxed. "I'm sorry," he said. "Thank you."
Elissa got up and Alarick took her hand in his. Adil led them to the dining hall. The food was aromatic and delicious and Adil's stories of desert life were fascinating, but Elissa and Alarick ate quickly, wanting to begin work as soon as possible. Adil seemed to sense their desire and ate quickly as well and soon they were off to the library.
Alarick settled Elissa at the scribe's desk. Three scholars clad in brown robes entered the library. All three were male. Alarick had hoped there might a woman in the group for Elissa to befriend, but he had known it was not likely. Even without the Ministry's restrictions on the education of females, female scholars were a rarity.
Two of the men were fairly young, younger than Alarick, at least. The other one appeared to be close to Adil's age.
The eldest handled the introductions. "My name is Tazim. This is Kadin and Mehdi," he said indicating the two men with him. "Brothers," he added.
Now that the relationship had been pointed out, Alarick could see the resemblance between the two younger men. Not quite enough to be twins, but they shared the same high cheekbones, long nose, and almond-shaped eyes.
"I am Alarick and this is Elissa," Alarick said.
"You must be the Book Mesmer," Kadin said, reaching for Alarick's hand.
Alarick clasped his hands behind his back.
"She is," he said, inclining his head toward Elissa.
"Apologies," Kadin said, taking Elissa's hand in his.
"A woman?" scoffed Mehdi. When she turned sightless eyes toward him, and he realized her blindness, his incredulity grew.
"And a blind one at that? This cannot be the famous Book Mesmer."
"But I am," Elissa said, cutting in before Alarick had a chance to berate the man for his insolence. "Is there a problem?"
"Women can't read," Mehdi said. "Especially not blind women."
"Quiet," Tazim hissed to Mehdi. Kadin edged to the outside of the group, clearly uncomfortable at his brother's outburst.
"No," Mehdi said. "We're entrusting our library to her. What good can she possibly do?"
Alarick raised his wand. Elissa, sensing the movement at her side, placed a restraining hand on his arm.
"No, please," she said. To Tazim she said, "Please give me one of the books you'd like protected. And summarize it for me, if you don't mind."
Tazim went to the shelves, took down a book, and placed it in her hands when he returned.
"It's a book of magical medical remedies. Cures for various diseases and injuries," he said.
"Oh, lovely," Elissa said.
Alarick, beginning to see what she had in mind, opened it and thumbed through until he found a likely page.
"Serpenspox. It's a pox caused by contact with an infected reptile, usually a snake but sometimes lizards," he whispered into her ear so the scholars could not overhear. "It causes large blue blisters to appear on the skin, high fever, and is often fatal if not treated immediately."
"Excellent," she said as she set to work, drawing a quick picture of a man suffering from a severe case of serpenspox. Without her grid to guide her, the picture wasn't the best she could do, but it was adequate.
As she worked, Alarick whispered to her, "I know what you're doing. This is something I would do, and I'm a complete bastard. Are you sure you want to do this to him?"
She nodded absently, her fingers flying over the page. "It's curable," she muttered.
She waved her wand over the picture, binding it to the book. Then she sprinkled Alarick's hair as well as her own into the spine and repeated the incantation that would allow only the two of them to safely access the book.
"Please, Mehdi, open the book," she said in her sweetest voice as she held it out for him to take. Alarick, knowing what was coming, had to admire her skill as an actor.
Mehdi took the book and opened it, flipping through the pages. Nothing happened at first, but after he'd held it for about a minute, a cloud of blue smoke billowed from the pages, directly into Mehdi's face. He screamed and dropped the book, but it was too late.
The smoke quickly cleared and revealed Mehdi, his face a mass of blue blisters. His eyes were bloodshot and he collapsed to the floor, too weak to stand.
"Serpenspox!" Tazim cried. "What have you done?"
"Just imparted a small lesson on your friend," Elissa said.
"It's contagious and fatal, you fool. You've doomed us all," Kadin said, backing away.
"No, she has not," Alarick said. "Her curses only afflict those who try to access forbidden books. Only your brother will suffer. You can save him, though. The cure is right here," Alarick said, picking up the book and showing the young man the cure.
"It's treatable if he gets help immediately. I suggest you get him to the infirmary. And do not bring him back," Alarick said in a deadly whisper.
He handed the book to Elissa who waved her wand over it, releasing the enchantment so Adil's healers could safely read it. Alarick then shoved the book into Kadin's hands.
Kadin dragged his brother to his feet and together they made it out of the library, Mehdi moaning in delirium.
Tazim said, "Was that necessary? They're young and foolish. They don't think before they speak. But you didn't have to give him a fatal disease."
"We are here as a favor to Adil," Elissa said. "Perhaps it was wrong to be so harsh, but I won't be disrespected simply on the basis of my gender or my blindness. And he did ask what good I could do to protect your library. I gave him a demonstration he will not soon forget."
Tazim shook his head. "Young and foolish," he said again. "I've seen many things in my life, but never something like what you just did. You can make people ill, just from pictures?"
"The wrong people, yes. And I can kill them with deadly creatures, cast them into the pit of hell, or bind them into the pages of a book forever. Your friend should think himself lucky that he's only got a mild, curable case of serpenspox."
Tazim looked from Alarick to Elissa. "How do I help?" he asked.
"What we need from you are translations of the books you want protected. Not word for word, just enough so I know how best to protect them and what should be drawn in each," Elissa said. "We also need some hair from the people who will be allowed to access the books."
"None of that is a problem. And we have other scholars who would be better helpers than Kadin and Mehdi. I only asked them along because they were not currently engaged with other work. My hopes that they would rise to this work were clearly in vain. I will pull some others away from their work to help you with yours."
"Are we protecting the entire library?" Alarick asked. "And are you keeping the books here, or do you want us to take them back to the Keep?"
"We will do most of the books on the left-hand side, I think," Tazim said. "Those are the books about magic. The right-hand side is mostly human history and science. Things that the Ministry will likely not destroy."
"Don't be so certain," Elissa said. "They destroy that with which they do not agree. Which is almost everything."
"Still, we will begin on the left," Tazim said. "And we want to keep the books here, although you are welcome to copy anything you wish and take it with you. We can help with that, too. All of our scholars can write English."
Alarick nodded. "Excellent. Thank you. Shall we?" he asked Elissa, dropping a hand to her shoulder and squeezing it gently.
"Let's get to work."
Over the next week they worked, if not quite as hard as they had in Orange, still tirelessly. There wasn't as much time pressure in Marrakesh; they weren't expecting the Ministry to show up at any moment, after all. Still, the risk was ever present. Tazim found a small army of scholars to help them. Several were dedicated to Alarick, helping him copy anything he thought useful or important enough to take to the Keep.
Elissa had her own group of helpers to whom she taught her methods. This group did not share the prejudices of Kadin and Mehdi. They were curious about her work and enthralled by her. She, in turn, made fast friends with most of them, even taking the time to animate cute baby animals for them to take home for their children to play with.
Despite the labor, they were having fun. Actual fun. Alarick couldn't believe it. Each night, after the work was done, Adil or one of the scholars would tell stories, some true, some fiction, around the fire in the dining hall. Alarick watched as Elissa sat rapt, night after night, her face glowing in the firelight, enjoying every moment.
On the eighth night, she surprised him by volunteering to tell a story of her own. To his surprise, she told the story of the Gloomy Dragon which he had read to her back at the Keep. He was impressed that she remembered every detail of a story she'd heard only once. But then he reminded himself that nothing she did should surprise him. Not when it came to the written word.
Her listeners applauded when she finished and passed her the jug of wine from which the storytellers earned the right to drink. She took a large swig and praised it as some of the best wine she'd ever tasted, earning her a standing, foot stamping ovation from Adil's residents.
The laughter and merriment lasted longer than usual that evening, and it was after moonset when Alarick escorted Elissa back to her room. She immediately flopped onto her pillows and Alarick went into his own suite. Although they'd been keeping their distance, they'd also reached an unspoken agreement to leave the connecting door open.
Alarick told himself it was to hear her if she needed anything in the night, but he knew the truth. Leaving the door open made him feel closer to her. Being able to get up at night and see her resting on her pillows (she eschewed the bed in favor of the pillow festival happening on her floor) in the moonlight made him feel both like a voyeur and awed by his good fortune.
He dressed for bed and settled down to sleep, but sleep didn't come. After tossing and turning for an hour or so, he got out of bed, slipped back into his clothes, and crept out of the suite.
The library was his first stop. A few of the scholars were still at work. The library had become a twenty-four hour operation since their arrival.
"Excuse me," he said, interrupting the work of one man who, Alarick knew, was copying a book of potion recipes for him.
"Yes, sir?" the man asked. "Is everything all right?"
"Fine. Can you tell me where Adil sleeps?" Alarick asked the man.
"He rarely sleeps," the scholar said. "But at this time of night you are most likely to find him outside the gate, on the dune to the northwest of our village. It's not far. It's a clear night. You should have no trouble spotting him up there."
"Why does he go up there?"
The scholar shrugged. "It is not my place to ask, sir."
"Thank you," Alarick said and headed out into the night. Once outside the village walls, he pulled his cloak tighter around himself. The cold night wind, kept at bay by the walls of the village, blew freely out here, kicking sand into Alarick's face. What in the world could Adil find interesting about sitting out here in the middle of the damn night?
The scholar had been correct. Alarick had no trouble spotting the lone figure sitting atop the dune. He did have trouble climbing to the top. Sand was a foreign substance to him and staying upright as it ebbed and flowed beneath him was a challenge. He soon figured out how to work with it, however, and summited the dune.
Without a word, he sat down next to Adil who turned to him, only the faintest surprise on his face, as though he was expecting company.
"Why?" Alarick asked, indicating the sand on which they sat.
Adil shrugged. "I stopped sleeping through the night years ago. It made more sense to come out here than to fester in my room. Been doing it ever since. Look up," he said.
Alarick did and gaped at the number of stars and planets above him. Plenty were visible in England, but trees always blocked at least some of the view. Out here, the stars draped all the way to the horizon.
"Incredible," he said. "And humbling."
"Exactly. I'd rather come out here and watch this than stay inside and brood. Sometimes I can see a nomad camp or two," he pointed to a tiny flicker of light on distant sand. "And every so often I think about running away to joining them. What brings you out here?"
"Looking for you," Alarick said.
"I figured you might come. You don't seem like you sleep much either, friend."
"Not for years. Between the Ministry, the Keep, and now—" he trailed off, uncertain how to continue.
"Ah. The relationship between yourself and Miss Stone of which, as she said, the exact nature eludes you both. But I think it no longer eludes you?" he asked, turning to face Alarick.
"I know what I want," Alarick began. "But I do not know what she wants. Or if what I want is the right thing, the best thing for her. I'm a selfish man, but I hesitate to impose my selfishness upon her."
Adil shrugged. "I was married once, but so long ago that I may not be the best person to give advice on such a situation."
"What happened?" Alarick asked.
"What happens to all of us. It was before we established this refuge. I was part of a small group of magicals living in an apartment inside Marrakesh. We were young and careless, heedless of the threat the Ministry presented. We all believed their reign wasn't so terrible or, at least, we were beneath their notice. What fools we were," he muttered.
"Sarah, my wife, was caught in the market one afternoon and executed because she was reading a merchant's menu to another woman who could not read. I'm not certain they even knew she was a witch. Just the fact that she could read was enough to get her killed."
"I'm sorry," Alarick said. "That is essentially why Elissa is now blind. Her literacy."
Adil shrugged. "It is what it is. If you're seeking my advice, it would be to find out what your lady wants. But you'd best find out before it's too late. Happiness is a rare thing for our kind in this world, and you might find it snatched from you on a sunny summer afternoon. Best grab it while you can. Your Book Mesmer seems to be a woman who knows her own mind. If she wants you, then it's the right, best thing. If she doesn't, well, there's plenty of room on this dune each night, friend."
Alarick chuckled. "Thank you. Then let me get to the reason I sought you out. Do you have anyone in the village that can make a ring? As you say, it's time to find out what the lady wants. Having no female ancestors worth a damn, I don't have any family pieces to pass along and I certainly don't want to ask empty handed."
"We do have a silversmith. I'll take you to him," Adil said, standing up and brushing sand from his robes.
"What, now?" Alarick asked. "We don't have to wake him."
"You'll find he doesn't sleep much, either," Adil said.
Alarick shook his head and stood. "Does the whole village stay up all night?"
"Many of us do, friend. Many of us find that sleep and the darkness bring too many nightmares. Far easier to work than face our demons."
Alarick, who could not deny the truth in that statement, slid down the dune behind Adil, hopeful that Elissa might be the one person who could keep his own demons at bay.