incredulously.
“Go on down!” Ammon said. “My library is
always open for friends.”
Taisiya, Melitta, and Ammon made their way
down the stairs, with Ammon pulling the platform back into place
after they started down. “I used to run the Solames Library until
the queen usurped the throne and wanted certain texts thrown out. I
told her I would burn them like she wanted, but instead I smuggled
them out and quit shortly thereafter,” he explained, “This shanty
was once a secret hideout for the military. It’s built with nearly
indestructible materials, but no enemies would ever want to burn it
anyway, seeing as it’s just a little hole in the wall.”
At the end of the stairs was a vast room that
went on for as far as the eye could see. This room was decorated
much more lavishly than the upstairs, with books lining the walls
and cozy chairs scattered about in a variety of different sizes and
colors. Beautiful tapestries were hung here and there between
bookshelves, and magnificent purple rugs decorated the floor.
“This is too amazing.” Taisiya said, taking
it in.
“Welcome to my home!” Ammon chuckled. “I
enjoy the company of books much more than people. It’s quite
remarkable, isn’t it?”
Melitta nodded, “Indeed it is. Let’s just
hope the queen never pops in for a visit!”
Ammon snorted in derision. “As if she would
get off her high horse and come into Solames. I’m not too worried,
but even so, all the books here are perfectly acceptable to her.
After all, she and her soldiers would surely know about the false
bottom in the floor upstairs. The books she doesn’t want people to
read I have tucked away in a secret room I built on to the place
after I started living here, just to be safe.”
Melitta sighed in relief. “Good. If anything
happened to you or your library, I would be devastated.”
“Nothing to worry about!” Ammon said, leading
them through his library. “Right this way, to the ‘secret’ secret
room!”
They passed bookshelf after bookshelf, each
one holding hundreds of books. One chair had a book resting in its
seat that Ammon was reading when he heard Melitta knocking.
Everything was cozy and pleasant. On the other end of the massive
room was a discrete door with no handle that revealed itself when
Ammon pushed in on exactly the right board.
Ammon’s secret room appeared to be just as
big as the room before it and was filled with just as many books.
Even Melitta gave a surprised little gasp when they entered. “I had
no clue there were so many books the queen wanted hidden from the
people.”
“Intelligence is power, Melitta,” Ammon said,
shaking his head. “Power is not something the queen wanted her
people to have.”
“You’ve got to be the most powerful man on
earth, then,” Taisiya said. “Have you read all these books?!”
“Nearly!” Ammon said, giving a timid chortle.
“What is it that you’re looking for, ladies?”
“Well, Ammon,” Melitta began, “do you still
have the blueprints for the castle when it was being built?”
Ammon furrowed his brow. “What in the world
would you need those for?”
Taisiya spoke up, “The queen has taken my
parents. I’ve got to sneak into the castle and find out what she’s
up to.”
“No, no, no.” Ammon shook his head. “You
might as well just walk to your death. The queen has done too many
wicked things – killing one more child would mean nothing to
her.”
“Ammon, please,” Melitta said calmly,
“remember your children. Taisiya is a very clever young girl; if
there was anyone suited to bring down the queen and her reign of
tyranny, it’s her.”
Still shaking his head, Ammon pondered their
request. “All right, Melitta. I suppose I trust you. Young girl, please be careful, though. The queen is a force to be
reckoned with.”
Melitta smiled. “Ammon, Taisiya knows this
better than anyone! She’s tried breaking into the castle more times
than I can count. As a matter of fact,