Page 46 of Professor and the Seer
“Duly noted. What’s that cabinet hold?” She pointed to a grim piece of furniture with locked doors, inscribed with complex runes of protection.
“Dangerous texts containing concepts and actual spells that could be devastating in the wrong hands. An example being a book of necromancy written by a man who could actually make the dead rise.”
“Seriously?” Her eyes rounded.
“Oh yes. Roger Swain started out reviving animals, which is what most necromancers are capable of. Bringing back the dead takes immense power. But Swain didn’t stop at rodents and cats. Once he figured out how to steal the magic of others—”
Frieda interrupted. “He stole magic like me?”
“Hardly like you,” he countered wanting to dispel the horror tightening her features. “First off, you only temporarily borrowed it under extreme circumstances to protect yourself and others. He used his more nefariously. When animals weren’t enough to satisfy his depraved nature, he learned how to revive people. Not a pleasant thing, as their spirit got trapped in a body that continued to decay.”
“He made zombies.” She shuddered. “That’s horrifying.”
“And that’s only part of what he did. Stealing magic wasn’t his only theft. He could take the living essence from people and give it to himself. He even sold it to others. It is said by the time he died he was more than three hundred years old.”
“What happened to him? Did old age catch up?”
“He was killed by one of his wives. She realized he planned to replace her with someone younger, rather than give her his elixir of youth, so she murdered him in his sleep. She didn’t live for long after his death. People came looking for his secrets and tortured her to find them. His book of experiments and spells went missing for centuries, although there are historical events involving possible walking dead that lead me to believe it got passed around.”
“How did the college end up with it?”
“During World War II, a German wizard stole it from the Nazis when he realized that Hitler planned to use it. He traded it to the Arcane League in return for immunity and asylum. It’s been locked away since.”
“Damn. Can you imagine if that psycho had an army of the dead?”
“The world today wouldn’t exist.”
“What other spooky stuff you got in there?” She couldn’t hide her curiosity, and he totally understood. He’d been fascinated with the books in this room since his own father had shown them to him as a young boy.
“A book that blinds when looked upon, so no one knows what’s written inside. There is another on transmogrification, also a stone tablet on how to open a door to another dimension.”
Her expression brightened. “Like the portal in that cavern. Did it tell you how to close it?”
He shook his head. “Nope, and the spell itself only appeared to create a temporary rip that led to a place of ice and snow. Unfortunately, efforts to explore that dimension failed because the moment anyone crossed over, the doorway would close. When reopened, no trace was ever seen of those who’d entered.”
“This all sounds like stuff out of a fantasy novel,” she murmured as she headed for the closest bookcase and craned to look upward. “There’re so many books in here. When you said secret archive, I kind of expected a handful, not hundreds.”
“Keep in mind these are centuries’ worth of texts from around the world.”
“Is this the only arcane library?”
“No. And some of these books are copies. Still priceless for their content, but not originals.”
“You’ve gone through them all looking for the symbols on my back and on the pillar?”
“Not all. But a good many. Keep in mind, I’ve known Bane since his curse began, so I’ve had decades to look. The marks and their origin have proven elusive.”
“What makes you think we’ll find something now?”
“Because I’m not one to give up. It used to be that only the pillar Bane guarded had those symbols. Now there’s you and your sisters, plus the clues from your dreams. That tunnel and cavern you described, and the fact it had actual electric lights up to a certain point, indicate it’s a known structure.”
“But how do we find it? I didn’t see markings in the tunnel, and the smashed opening appeared recent. Meaning the cavern beyond has most likely not yet been discovered.”
“A challenge, yes, but that’s what I’m trained for. Seeking out with few clues. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve located the impossible. Let’s start with what you saw.”
“You want me to describe it?”
“Not exactly. I’ve got something to help us.” He headed for a curtain that hung on the wall. He drew it back to reveal a mirror the size of a platter, the rim bound in intricately worked silver.