“Come Gwaynn,” she said with a smile, as Kent took his other hand. He was immediately led away from Nev and Jon, but looked back to see his Master smile and nod to him, so he went willingly.
“We were so excited when we heard you were finally coming,” Kent said as they moved up the road made of dark red bricks. Both students noticed the limp in Gwaynn’s gait, and slowed their speed, but otherwise they ignored it.
“Yes, we were terribly disappointed when you decided to stay on Noble after the Council meeting,” Elise added.
“You knew about that?” Gwaynn asked, surprised.
Kent laughed and Elise smiled at him. “Of course,” Elise answered. “There are so few Lovers, not like the other islands. Most people shy away from true knowledge and study.”
Gwaynn noted the smugness in her voice and was reminded instantly of Nev’s warning.
“Lovers?” Gwaynn asked, cocking his head.
Elise giggled and squeezed his hand tighter.
“Lovers of Wisdom,” she explained with a coy smile. “It is what we call ourselves.”
“Are you a Lover Gwaynn?” Kent asked, with a smirk of his own.
“I’m sure he is,” Elise commented, but Gwaynn said nothing.
The two led him past the dock side warehouses, all of which looked to be made of granite, but all the buildings were whitewashed so they gleamed just as brightly in the early morning sky as the marble buildings farther up the hill.
The road they followed meandered back and forth, cutting across the hill as they slowly rose higher and higher. Down near the docks were the smaller homes of the locals who supported the Scholars, but the higher up the hill you went, the more impressive the homes became. It wasn’t long before they encountered the dormitories of the young Scholars. These were larger multi-storied buildings sectioned into small apartments, which housed four students each. It was into one of these that Kent and Elise led Gwaynn.
“You will be staying with us in our apartment,” Kent explained as they entered a large foyer dominated by a fountain. The fountain was of a man standing with his arms spread wide with four jets of water coming from the tips of his fingers. In front of the fountain was a plaque. “Galen Dawkins” it read and below that it quoted. “The Universe was created perfectly imperfect.”
“You know of Galen?” Kent asked with a smirk as if testing Gwaynn. Gwaynn knew he was considered the father of modern reason. He also knew that Tar Nev believed he was the man who led the people to the Inland Sea, but he decided it was best not to give away too much information on this point.
“I have heard of him,” was all Gwaynn said.
Kent frowned, hoping for a better reaction. “Your belongings will be brought up later,” he said and the three of them began to climb a large winding staircase. Gwaynn made the climb very slowly, having trouble with his injured leg. It was growing very sore and tired, but he didn’t want to say anything. Along the way they met several other young students before finally reaching the third and top floor. The staircase ended at an open square balcony that overlooked the foyer and fountain below. There were four large white doors directly in the middle of the four walls. They entered the one directly to the right of the staircase, and immediately stepped into a small living space. Gwaynn was surprised to find that the walls were painted a brilliant sky blue, and sprinkled throughout the blue were white puffy clouds that seemed to drift about the room; near the base of the wall treetops could be seen, and in a few of these colorful birds. There were several soft pieces of furniture positioned about and a cabinet on top of which a porcelain water pitcher stood. In each corner there was a large potted plant, and candles were everywhere, on the wall sconces and on the tables, which hovered near each chair like a shy child clinging to its mother.
“They let us decorate our apartments however we wish,” Elise said proudly. “This is your room,” she added pulling him to the right. They entered a small room, complete with one bed, a small dresser and an end table. The room was an exercise in white; white walls, white bedspread, white dresser and table, with a white water pitcher placed on a white linen cloth. On the far side of the room were two doors made of glass panes, partially hidden behind sheer white drapes. Elise quickly walked over, pulled the drapes and opened the door. Gwaynn followed out onto a small balcony. He stood there a moment looking out over the town below and beyond that, the Inland Sea in the distance.
“You will be able to decorate it any way you choose,” Kent said. “My room’s sea foam green.”
“Purple!” Elise stated excitedly.
“You may leave those here if you wish,” Kent added, motioning to the kali that hung at Gwaynn’s belt.
Gwaynn smiled for the first time. “Not likely,” he said softly.
“There is no need for them on Lato,” Elise insisted, a concerned look on her face. “Surely you feel no danger from us?”
The smile fell from Gwaynn’s face. “No. You have been…kind,” he answered in all seriousness.
“If you stay,” Kent piped in. “Master Putal will take them away from you.”
Gwaynn shrugged. “He may try, but if he does you may have a one armed Master.”
“Oooh,” Elise said her eyes widening, and Kent’s face went a shade paler. They spent a long uncomfortable moment in silence then Elise slowly reached out and grabbed Gwaynn by the hand, trying to give support, as his limp grew worse. She waited for Kent to do the same, and eventually he did so and together they helped Gwaynn from the room, moved out of the apartment and back down the stairs. Once outside they immediately headed farther up the hill, passing more and more students as they went. Everyone greeted them and welcomed Gwaynn to the island. He felt a bit like a celebrity. They walked slowly and rested often. As they went Elise and Kent named the buildings they passed and expounded on what was studied in each. The subjects were many, from horticulture, husbandry, medicine, architecture, shipbuilding, politics, and astronomy. Near the top of the hill, but well below the Parthenon, was the largest building Gwaynn had ever visited. He stood gaping before an enormous entrance, which was flanked by two mighty columns. They climbed the stairs and walked up onto a large veranda that stretched in both directions, curving out of sight before actually ending. “Terra Libri,” a sign said, and below that “West Entrance.”
“This is the library. The treasure of Lato and all the lands of the Inland Sea,” Elise said as they stepped through the doors.
“The building wraps completely around the mountain,” Kent said proudly. “If you walk the length, it’s over four miles, and you end up exactly where you started.”
Inside the entrance sat an elderly woman at a large, sturdy white desk. She greeted them with a smile but said nothing. The three stepped farther inside but then stopped in the middle of a long, slowly curving hallway that was perhaps thirty paces wide. The ceiling was high, easily twenty feet above them and all along the interior wall there were shelves and shelves of books, floor to ceiling; the shelves doing a slow curve to match the walls of the massive hall. Large floor to ceiling windows dominated the exterior wall offering a magnificent view of the island and letting in streams of natural light. The windows were spaced only about five feet apart and continued on for as far as Gwaynn could see in either direction. Comfortable reading chairs were arranged in clusters near the large windows, but only a few were occupied at the moment. From where he stood, Gwaynn could now see more books than he ever had in his life, more than he ever even dreamed existed. The only break or interruption in the endless wall of books was the double doors directly opposite the large Entrance through which they come.