As Daniel stepped out of the carriage, he held the door open for Adrian and Amber. Both of the twins quickly found themselves on the pale street below. Daniel looked at Adrian with a smug grin then spoke with a confident tone,
"I've managed to set up a meeting with the Librarian- though without the Elders," Daniel told him, "We'll be able to talk to her without interruption."
"You told me the Librarian was a relative, didn't you?" Adrian asked as Daniel closed the door behind Adrian. Daniel quickly nodded before readjusting his suit once more. Adrian quickly noticed the beads of sweat that slowly grew on his brow. His eyes jittered constantly and his breath was erratic.
"Yes," Daniel nodded, his nervousness growing stronger with his answer. He took a deep breath, "The Librarian will ask you many questions. Be honest with all of them. She'll know if you're lying or not."
Adrian looked at Daniel with curiosity. He found it amusing that Daniel purposely dodged the subject of his relation with the Librarian, but Adrian didn't choose to push the questioning. He would find out the truth behind the matter soon enough, anyway.
After the coachman began to lead the carriage away from the building, Daniel turned toward the massive structure and began walking to its front doors. The twins followed closely behind, each of them with a curious glint in their eyes.
Both of them were wondering what kind of person the Librarian was. Adrian wanted to know how she managed to keep such an impressive organization intact. Amber wanted to know how strong she was. As the trio approached the golden doors, two guards wearing golden armor flashed their weapons and stood before Daniel.
"Halt! State your business!" one of the guards ordered with a loud and stern voice. As ordered, the trio stopped in their path. Daniel looked to the guards, then sunk his hand deep into his jacket pockets. When his hand emerged, he held a small golden slip of paper between his fingers.
"I have permission to meet with the mistress," Daniel spoke. The guards looked at the golden slip, and then at each other. For a moment, the two of them could only stare at Daniel in shock. Adrian assumed the golden slip of paper must've been important to cause such a reaction, though he knew now wasn't a good time to ask Daniel about it.
The guards backed away as they sheathed their weapons. Then, they each grabbed onto a golden bar on either side of the door and pulled. The door slowly began to part open, though not without a struggle. Adrian and Amber winced at the sound of the metal door dragging across the stone floor below. Adrian could see black marks on the ground where the door had scarred the marble before. As the doors moved, they created a sound so loud and horrifying that Adrian was tempted to cover his ears like a child. It was as if a dagger was forcibly stabbing its way into his ear canal. He didn't cover his ears, however, as his mind was instantly clouded and dazed upon hearing the sound.
Only a few more seconds later, his mind was cleared. He looked up and found that the door had been opened all the way. The horrifying screeching echo was gone. As he turned to his companions, he noticed that Amber was out of breath, though Daniel seemed fine.
"The door is made from dwarven gold. It reacts violently to anything related to magic- including mages," Daniel explained, "It's supposed to be used to defend against attacks, but it looks like even the sound is dangerous."
"Were we affected because we're mages?" Adrian wondered aloud. Daniel nodded his head, then turned back to the opening the doorway had created. The guards bowed their heads as Daniel passed, though they didn't do so as the twins followed. He looked at Daniel and asked, "What's that golden slip?"
"It's just a key. Whoever has it is allowed direct access to the Librarian, though they're not infinite. I usually don't have one on me," Daniel answered as he twirled the paper slip in his hands. Then, Adrian watched as the paper took alight in flames. In only a moment, it disappeared from Daniel's fingers in a display of red and orange sparks. Daniel smiled as he watched the sparks hover in the air for a moment before extinguishing, "See? Now that we've made it past the door, we have no more need for it."
Adrian turned toward the halls of the building. He first noticed the floors- polished marble- as well as the brown and golden checkered design that covered it. For as far as he could see, the floor shared this checkered design. The walls were a similar color of brown, though just a smidge lighter. There were portraits on the walls, each depicting a person sitting in a golden cushioned chair. They all wore the same thing- a suit with a golden tie and a golden handkerchief. Some of the subjects were old- some were young. All of them had golden eyes and a smug smile on their faces. Most of them were dark-skinned, like Daniel, though a few had lighter tans.
"The family legacy," Daniel explained, "My forefathers and foremothers. Each of them held the position of Librarian, though only a few were ever remembered for it."
"What do you mean?" Adrian asked curiously. He turned to Daniel and saw him wear a saddened expression.
"They weren't very good Librarians, is all. The position is handed from parent to child, so some Librarians are wholly unprepared for their position. I can't even tell you the deeds of half of these people- even less their names," Daniel explained. Adrian nodded in understanding, then turned back to the portraits. He knew all too well the disappointments of a failed promise.
"If the Orders headquarters are in the center of the city, how are you managing to keep this place a secret?" Amber asked with a confused expression on her face. Adrian nodded along, also curious. He couldn't see how choosing such a large and obvious location was a smart move for a secret organization.
"The paper slip," Daniel explained, "Upon showing it, the guards didn't open the door to the main hall. They opened the door to the basement. There's some spatial magic involved, of course. Above us is the city hall, where parliament and the nobility argue all day."
The three of them walked for a few more minutes, eventually passing several other hallways and large wooden doors. They ignored all of them as Daniel led them to the end of the hall. Here, the walls were a little bit taller and the hallway was a little bit wider. Before them was a massive set of doors- each decorated with golden designs.
"Prepare to meet the Librarian."