othing!" Alonso said, slamming the heavy tome shut with a loud thud, heaving it down on the table before him.
"…Shh!" the librarian commanded with his pointer finger pressed against his lips, he was a slender Elf with long, silvery hair.
"Did he just shush me?" Alonso asked, on the verge of anger.
"Be quiet and have some respect, man," insisted Chris, pulling his eyes up from a hefty book of his own.
"We've been at this for hours, for what?" Alonso's tone turned defiant, in hushed words. "There's nothing in these old books about the object Danny described. We've spent four long days in this library searching for some information on some kind of evil snow globe."
"Keep your voice down," Briza scolded.
"Oh great, now the other Elf is telling me what to do," said Alonso, his tone growing strained with frustration. "It's Sunday and we should be resting, not studying," he added to further his point.
"For once, I agree with him," added Matt, placing another heavy book upon the table.
"On which subject? His blatant disrespect toward Elves or that this is a waste of time?" Doug asked.
"The evil snow globe. If we haven't found anything on it by now, I don't think we ever will," said Matt.
"I'm hungry," was all Anthony had to add on the subject.
Before anyone else could comment, the first of twelve sharp chimes signaled the noon hour.
Danny sighed as the twelfth ring echoed through the library, allowing the tone to cease before he spoke. "I appreciate the dedication that all of you have given this. You're all true friends." Danny paused in order to allow the sincerity of his words to sink in before continuing, "I'm going to meet Sabrina down at the beach to tell her what has happened, as well as what we've discovered. With any luck, she'll be another pair of eyes to help in the search. Get yourselves some lunch and we'll meet back here at the tone of the tenth bell."
"Oh, thanks for your permission, Mageknight," said Alonso sarcastically.
"Or don't return if you don't like it," said Danny, slamming his hand down flat on the table with a heavy thud. The past four days of research, in addition to his training, were taking their toll on Danny's mood. "I asked for your help and you volunteered it. Help, or don't help, it's still your choice," he said, in a hushed but angry tone.
"I…" began Alonso, silenced by a heavy hand upon his shoulder as Chris stepped up behind him.
"He'll be back," assured Chris. "I think we could all use a break. We'll be here when you return, Danny."
"I'm sorry for losing it," explained Danny, running his fingers through his short brown hair, taking a calming breath. "If we haven't found anything by late tonight, I'll ask Calador for his help."
"Sounds like a good plan, man."
With that, Danny bid his friends goodbye with a wave of his hand and a nod of the head, he turned around and made a controlled dash for the library exit. Once outside, he felt somewhat better, the noonday sun bathed him in a bright amber light. Greeted by the salty sea air, he took a long slow breath deep into his lungs and released it in a sigh.
The past four days proved to be frustrating, to say the least, as they poured through piles of books with nothing to show for it. Additionally, he had to continue to pretend to trust Sir Syndil as he trained under the Elf. Danny was mentally and physically exhausted. Walking toward the edge of the island, with the promise of Sabrina's company, Danny felt better instantly. Simply thinking about her tended to make his step lighter and the world brighter. Moreover, he was glad just to be beyond the stuffy confines of the library.
Nearing the overhang of the rocky cliffs, the air grew saturated with salt, Danny could taste it on his tongue; the familiar sound of waves crashing speeded his approach. Stopping at the edge, he peered down, comforted by the rhythmic flash of Sabrina's pink-colored blade as it reflected in the sunlight. Descending the steep stone steps, he kept his gaze leveled upon her, mesmerized by the sheer grace of her movements.
Stopping a safe distance from her, well out of sword range, Danny stood and watched Sabrina, content to wait until she was finished.
For a few more minutes, Sabrina twirled, slashed and parried in a deadly dance with her Bonded, fighting some unseen foe. Finally, with a wide arc that traced the midsection of her stomach, she whipped the blade before her, leveling the rose-colored brand with her eyes. Peering past the naked steel of her Bonded, her gaze narrowed upon Danny, a smile swept across her face.
Danny took the first step forward, returning the smile. "Your bladework is perfect."
"I know," she said, as she slipped her Bonded back into the ornate sheath at her side.
"I have something I need to tell you," both said in perfect harmony, they laughed together.
Danny's expression turned stern. Sabrina seemed to be in such a good mood, suddenly he wanted nothing to do with the news he was about to tell her.
"You first," she said calmly, as if sensing the reluctance in him.
Danny faked a smile. "No, you first, mine can wait."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, you go first."
Too excited to argue, Sabrina took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them. "Dragon Army is in the semi-finals. We defeated Griffon Army last week, if we win against Phoenix Army this week, I will be dueling in the finals. You should have seen it. I iced four squires of Griffon Army and almost got one of their lieutenants."
"Iced?"
"Oh, it's a term used when you land a killing blow against an opponent in a duel, locking their armor."
"I see." Danny was well aware of Dragon Army's prowess in the Great Dome. It was rumored that they would take the Chalice of Light for the third year in a row.
"Promise me you will attend the final duel if Dragon Army makes it past the semi-finals?"
"I promise."
Sabrina beamed at the response. "Oh, what did you want to tell me?"
Danny hesitated. Seeing her so excited, in such a good mood, in contrast to her usual stern self, he couldn't burden her with his news concerning Sir Syndil or the fact that he might actually be the Mageknight. Strengthening his resolve with a quick deep breath, faking the second smile of the day, he decided not to tell her.
"It was nothing," he lied.
"You are holding something back," said Sabrina, squinting, clearly unconvinced.
"It was only about Doug and Briza," said Danny, lying for the second time, faking a smile for the third. "Those two seem to be getting closer, Doug has been talking about visiting the Elvin capital," he added, that wasn't a lie.
"…Oh really?" Sabrina asked, her curiosity outweighing her ability to see through Danny's false display of emotion.
"…So, Phoenix Army, huh?" Danny asked, changing the subject to keep the focus away from himself. For the rest of the afternoon, he kept his burdens to himself, unwilling to dampen Sabrina's good mood. They talked until the sun had fallen well beyond the rim of the toiling black clouds above. As the final streaks of sunlight touched them, Danny bid Sabrina goodbye and trudged back to the library.
He was in a better mood by then, Sabrina always had that effect on him. But the closer he got to the library, the worse his outlook became. Climbing the ivory stairs, his irritation grew with every step. Entering the ornate building, Danny found all of his friends sitting at the same table they'd shared previously, hard at work with piles of old books circling the table.
Looking up, they all showed the same confused expression.
"Where's Sabrina?" Chris asked, verbalizing the thought of everyone present.
Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't tell her."
"…Why not?"
"She seemed so happy and she already has too much to do. Dragon Army is entering the semi-finals and they will be training for the finals if they win. I just couldn't do it."
"And, what, you don't think we have other things we could be doing?" Alonso asked, raising his voice, standing.
"Shh!" the librarian repeated for the second time that day, placing a single slender finger to his lips.
"Did that Elf just shush me again!?" Alonso said, turning, as if to confront the tall librarian.
"Oh, no, you don't," said Chris, grabbing Alonso by the shoulders, forcing him back down into his chair.
Alonso struggled for a short time before giving in to Chris's superior strength, content to sit quietly with his arms crossed.
"Danny is right," said Chris in a hushed tone. "Sabrina is a second-year and she has different obligations. Any help she could've provided would've been welcome, but limited and perhaps even harmful if the other squires of Dragon Army became curious about her time away."
"Thanks, man," said Danny.
"So, what do we do now?" Matt asked.
Danny sighed. "Any luck with the archives?"
All eyes dropped to the table in frustration, except for Briza. "The object you described is not within the text," she said. "Either it is something that has never been encountered in the history of the Light or it is so old that it pre-dates the records. If there is any information to be found about what you saw, we will not find it here."
"If that's the case, then we'll have to talk to someone who was around before the creation of the Light," observed Matt, huffing on the lenses of his glasses, wiping them clean with the sleeve of his robe.
"Briza has been telling me about the elders of the Elvin capital," said Doug, his pitch jumping a range or two in excitement. "Some of the Elves have lived well over two hundred years. Perhaps one of them could help us."
"It is true. Our recorded history predates the founding of the Light," Briza added.
"But we have no way of contacting them," Matt pointed out.
"Maybe we don't but we know someone who might," said Danny.
"…Who?" Chris asked.
"Calador," Danny said, as he closed the heavy book in front of him.