Chapter 13

“You must come,” Yoodma insisted. Danel was almost certain that she stamped her foot, but he thought better of looking down. Instead, he tried to give her the best puppy eyes he could muster.

“This is my first event,” she said with determination. “I’ve lined up that condescending ass of an art historian, you know the one with the upturned nose you said was best for sniffing turds, and two Orders who claim their goddess is the Patron of the Arts. We’re in the Naturalist Painting Gallery on the First Floor for the unveiling of this new ‘Old Masters’ painting we’ve received. There’s food and wine.”

“You lassoed Turdball into giving a lecture on a painting of which he knows nothing?” Danel said, trying to keep the evil smile off his face.

“Turnowell is recognized in his field,” Yoodma said.

“As a pompous ass,” Danel retorted. “If you serve wine beforehand, I will gladly come and support you.”

Yoodma gave him the eye. “Bribery and extortion are not tolerated in the Library of Ibados. Unless you want me to defenestrate your internal organs, you will arrive five minutes early, properly dressed, and with a smile on your pretty face. Violence is tolerated. Got it?”

“Got it,” Danel said. “Can I bring a guest?”

“Not if your guest can in any manner embarrass, interrupt, or somehow mar this event,” Yoodma said. “If you even think of bringing a debauched acolyte from a contrarian Order, I will arm her with all the information she needs to neuter you for eternity.”

“You act as if you don’t trust me,” Danel responded. “I think I’m offended.”

“Horseshit, Danel. You’re upset because I’ve blocked your every exit and rid you of any weapons,” Yoodma said. “You can fool the neophytes on the First Floor, but that’s all you can fool. You are known, named, and tagged.”

“You don’t have to get personal about it.”

“You will arrive five minutes early, Danel.” Yoodma said as she stepped back into the workroom. “I suggest you wipe that smudge of rouge off your collar before your next meeting.”

Danel twisted his neck funny as he tried to check his collar with his peripheral vision. “Augh.” He stormed off, continuing down the corridor until he reached the tenth hallway. Turning right, he continued westward until he arrived at the wooden door with two bands of black metal across the top and the bottom. He grasped the handle with both hands, slowly pulling the door towards him. He stepped out onto the sun porch, taking a deep breath as sun beams warmed his face.

A few Librarians were lounging on the chairs and two were immersed in a conversation on one of the stone benches decorated with pillows wrapped in a heavy, yellow fabric. Each looked up as he stepped out from the archway and into the full afternoon sun. He gave them all a small wave before turning towards the half door on the north side of the porch.

“A pot of tea and a nibble, please,” he called to the man inside.

“I need to heat more water,” the man said. “I’ll bring it out to you when it’s ready.”

Danel chose a seat near the parapet, a wooden chair with arms and a small square table. Plopping his messenger bag on the table, he fished inside for the prized find he had located in one of the major collections on the Second Floor. The room was built with shelves going up to the ceiling. Hovering in front of the shelves was a tall statue of the goddess of wisdom, her head and head dressing illuminated by a round dome of light behind her. Her flowing robes hid her figure from her bosom to her toes.

She had no name attached to her pedestal, which caused several Orders to claim ownership. Because of the arguments and near acts of violence, the Librarians banned all priests and priestesses from the room, and only researchers with the proper tags were allowed to enter. Since most of the collection gravitated towards theology, pantheons, and metaphysics, an employee had to be stationed at the card catalog inside. The employee would search for any book a patron requested, but the book would be taken across the hallway and the patron would sit and read the book in that unadorned reading room. The patron could not leave the reading room without returning the book.

Perusing the catalog, Danel came across two potential books that could offer information about the jade god Yudi. The first book was not what he was looking for, as the author was more concerned with the minutiae of the rituals for petitioning the gods than the nature of the gods. The second book was hard to find. Behind the statue, built into the pedestal itself was a shelf of twenty-five books that could not be seen from the rest of the room. Hiding a book in plain sight piqued his interest. Considering the location propitious and after viewing the title page, Danel took the book with him, planning to scan the text on the porch while getting a little sun.

The title “The Gods of the White Mountains” was embossed on the glue-infused cover of the codex in a black ink. After the title page was a sketch of the White Mountains as viewed from the valley below. Danel debated whether the picture matched the image he remembered from his encounter with the god Yudi. He decided the picture was close.

A copper pot of tea slid into his view. The server also placed a handle less cup and a plate of stale toasted pieces of bread and slices of a strong-smelling white cheese. Danel gave his thanks to the man before pouring himself a cup. The man knew Danel’s tastes by now, holding aside the green tea for the polite Librarian, leaving most everyone else with the other choices. The cheese was made from sheep’s milk.

The first chapter on Yudi delved into the characteristics of jade and how the devotee was expected “to read” the rock to ascertain what Yudi was willing to grant with the gem in one’s possession. Yudi had already told Danel that all this prognostication was fabricated. He skipped over many pages. After this section, the author began to examine the character of the jade god and what a devotee should expect.

Yudi was stern, check. Yudi was masculine power, check. Yudi was heavy-handed, maybe. Yudi was direct - no, Danel decided. Sunder’s observation of the gods and their games had expanded Danel’s skepticism of the god’s priorities for their human worshipers. Yudi intervened in the world, yes, at least in Danel’s and he was not happy about it.

He picked up his cup, bringing it to his lips. The cup was empty. He jiggled the pot, and it was empty as well. The snack was long gone without even a crumb to show what had been on the plate. Looking around the porch, he realized that he was alone. The sun was closer to the horizon than he expected as well. Closing the book, he shoved it back in his messenger bag.

After returning the book to the shelf where it belonged, Danel wandered over to the common dining hall for a bite of dinner. Four of his five classmates were gathered around one table, scooping out vegetable squares from a baking sheet in the middle. He sighed as he took a seat and waited his turn. He took a red square, a white square, and a green square. “No meat tonight?”