DoA || Gloomy Reading: DoA || Gloomy Reading

A book drifted down from the shelf and hit Tavos squarely in the face. Cursing under his breath as he swept it in close with his prehensile tail, he shook the stars out of his eyes and fervently hoped that no one had been witness to such humiliation.

The library was empty at this time of night, the rows and rows of shelves stuffed with tomes and scrolls eerily silent in the dark. Maintenance fish darted about here and there, gobbling up debris left by customers earlier in the day, but there weren’t any nearby that Tavos could see. Small blessings.

Haphazardly clutched in his fins was a pile of books that reached almost up to his chin.  It was incredibly heavy and made swimming cumbersome, but he managed to return to his chosen worktable, following the path of the glowing lanterns. There was an almighty crash that seemed to shake the entire ocean as he half-dropped most of the books, sending them sliding across the stone table and into the darkness beyond.

Tavos sighed in frustration and resisted the urge to repeatedly bash his forehead into the stone desk. His independent studies into the crafts of leatherwork and blacksmithing weren’t going nearly as smoothly as he had intended. This was his second night in the library and last time he had worked until the very wee hours of the morning. The librarian had been arriving just as he had been leaving and had given him a puzzled yet slightly curious glance as she swam by.

In his youth, he had always bragged about knowing everything. It was only as he matured that he realized this was not the case and that there were many subjects that drew his interest. He had been quite out of his element the first time he’d plucked up the courage to swim inside, but the librarian had been patient and helpful. She’d led him right to the books he’d asked for and he’d spent hours researching other Aqrion who had been born with acid as an element like he had; he’d read all about their triumphs and sorrows and their first-claw accounts of what it was like to be born with a gift that was at once so powerful and so potentially dangerous.

He had connected to someone other than himself. It was as if all his life had been spent swimming in darkness and someone had turned on a light.

Now it was blacksmithing and leatherworking eating up most of his nights, though he hadn’t yet decided which of the two he would like to pursue as a career. Both had their appeal and, believe it or not, there was some overlap between them. A blacksmith might find himself working with armor at one point or another. Sometimes leatherworkers had to craft things with iron like clasps for pouches, or else pay more to commission the help of a blacksmith.

It was all very interesting.

Tavos swam around the table, the edges of his fins brushing against the surface with a light scraping sound. A clatter sounded somewhere off in the darkness and he tensed, swinging his head around with a growl half-forming in his throat. It sounded like someone was there, but he was sure he was the only one in the library at this hour. Maybe one of the maintenance fish had knocked something over? The idea eased his anxiety, but it did little to calm the wild racing of his heart.

“Stop this,” he scolded himself. “You’re being foolish!”

He was making things up. Between the darkness, the quiet, the time of night and the eerie light from the lanterns…he was imagining things. He did have to admit that it all added up to a creepy atmosphere.

He picked up his book and opened it with careful flicks of his claws. It was crafted from dolphin leather, the words burned into the surface of the pages with urchin venom to better survive the water. Most letters and documents were forged with squid ink, but older tomes like this were built to last.

“‘Beginner’s guide to the element of acid,’” he read aloud with a simmering of nerves in his gut.

He took a deep breath and turned the page again.

Tavos was old enough now that his lack of use of his breath was beginning to become something of a joke among other dragons. He needed to get over this hang-up and start using his powers. He’d never be of any use to anyone if he didn’t try.

“An Aqiron’s acidity can take many forms. These include a mist, acid breath and almost always results in the poisoning of their victim. However, there are those with the element of acid that are known to be able to remove toxins from poisoned beings. See page 477 for additional information.’”

Hope bloomed inside Tavos’ chest. The element of acid…could draw out other poisons? How could he have never heard of this? He stared at the blank space of the nearest column, glancing around to make sure he didn’t have an audience. He took a breath, accessed that power within and exhaled fine particles of mist that dispersed almost as soon as they hit the water.

The ball of light inside the lantern—conjured by an Aqrion with the element of light—flared bright and hot for a moment before snuffing out of existence. The darkness that followed seemed even colder and hostile than before. Tavos felt his hope wither just as quickly as it had formed. That couldn’t possibly be a good sign. Healing acid, or whatever he was supposed to call it, was probably rarer than the acid that destroyed things.

But maybe not all hope was lost. It might help him should he wish to become a blacksmith. The light had reacted to his acid. Perhaps fire would do the same. That could only be a benefit, right? He would have to look into this, perhaps do some more research but not tonight. On this night, the library felt a bit too much like a tomb.