Misplaced Knowledge [takes place after the events of Kole’s birthday] _ “What?” Xander asked, horrified as Zenni told him the news. Zenni nodded sadly as her pink eyes welled up with tears. Kole and Deck are . . . gone? Where did they go? Wh-what would this mean for the kingdom? Xander felt like crying, But he couldn’t. He had no tears to cry. All of the strength in his legs failed and he fell into an armchair. He set down the book he had been reading and put his head in his hands. Zenni sat down next to him in a matching armchair and tried to comfort him. “Maybe the guards will find them. I’m sure that Remi will try all that he can to find Kole and Deck,” she said assuringly. Xander felt a nagging at the back of his mind. There had to be a reason they disappeared. He felt deja vu. Has this happened before? But he shook his head and then nodded, not wanting to disagree with Zenni. Maybe Remi would find Kole and Deck, and everything would go back to normal. Xander lifted his head and looked at Zenni. “Maybe. We’ll have to see.” They stared at each other for a few seconds. Zenni stood up, breaking the silence by saying, “Well, I’d better go finish sorting the mythology section.” Xander nodded. “Very well.” As Zenni went off to the mythology section, Xander had the terrible feeling that this was just the beginning. _ For the next few days it was like a dark storm cloud had settled over the palace and its residents. Remi was always anxious or angry, Kenji was having trouble concentrating on his work, and Xander himself didn’t feel right. It was as if someone was poking a sharp pin into his head. Over these few days, Xander always found himself at the forbidden edge of the library. It was the only place of the library no one was allowed to go into. Rumors said it was filled with Abaddon and Lejna family history, along with many books on the history of the Clash of Dragons. Whenever Xander was sorting books and moving them, he would always stumble over to the forbidden section on accident. Invisible hands seemed to be pulling him, urging him to open the door to the forbidden room.
Xander felt like he needed to open the door, like something needed to be discovered. But he restrained himself. _ Xander’s body was practically dragged by the invisible force a few weeks after Kole and Deck’s disappearance. He slammed into the door to the forbidden section of the library and felt his hand reach for the handle. “No!” he said angrily. “Bad hand!” He felt like detaching his arm. His hand faltered and Xander tried to force it away from the door. But his hand snapped right back onto the handle and twisted it. Then he was thrown on the floor on the other side of the door by the invisible force and the door shut behind him. Xander stood up quickly and tried to unlock the door. No luck. Apparently the invisible forces have keys too, He thought sarcastically. He turned around to look at his surroundings. The room was fairly small, with a couple of high windows, filled to the brim with books, and covered in cobwebs. In the middle of the room was a faint glow. Xander ducked his head as he made his way to the middle of the room so no cobwebs would get into his eyes or on his face. He saw scattered pages on the floor that seemed to be torn from some of the books in this room. When he reached the middle of the room, he found that there was a plaque. Inscribed on the plaque were the words Quarter of the Realm. What did that mean? What is the Quarter of the Realm? Xander brushed his hand over the plaque so he could see if there was anything else on it. He heard a click and the sound of gears turning. He shielded his eyes from a bright light that shone from the object now hovering above the plaque. “Fascinating,” Xander said in awe as he put his hand down. Xander picked up the floating object with one hand and studied it. It seemed to be a small card with numerals carved in it. Xander tapped his chest with his free hand. Nothing happened for a moment, and then his chest opened up to reveal wires and a main motherboard. He slid the card into a slot in the motherboard and winced at the searing pain of the new memory card loading in. Xander’s chest sparked as it closed. He waited for a few seconds before doubling over, his neck and body experiencing myoclonus. Or that’s at least what Xander thought until he couldn’t stop. The movements became more severe and violent, and he fell to his knees, not able to control his own body. Xander wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. His mouth was sealed shut. He couldn’t see anything. Darkness filled his vision. Welcome back, Keeper of Secrets. Xander’s head whipped around, even though he couldn’t see anything. He tried speaking, but to no avail. Xander . . . it’s about time you remembered. “What do you mean?” Xander wanted to ask, but of course, he couldn’t. Remember who you were. Who they were. The voice faded away just as a scene came into view. Xander saw four people - teenagers, he was guessing. They were gathered around a square table. They seemed to be planning something. They looked familiar, for some reason. One of the teenagers had a book in one hand. As she sank into a chair, she dropped the book onto the table. “This is hopeless. I can’t read Akkadian.” “But Taf said it was the only way that we could . . .” “I know, I know. We need somebody who can actually read it.” One of the teenagers snickered. “Guys, you’re forgetting the one person in the palace who specializes in lost languages.” He paused. “The librarian, Xander.” Xander froze. What? “Maybe he’ll be able to translate it for us.” _ Darkness filled Xander’s vision once more as he tried to wrap his head around what just happened. I - Why were they talking about me? Memories came flooding back. So much was happening that Xander felt like he was going to drown. Akkadian, the lost language. Quarter of the Realm. His work at the palace library. He even remembered opening his eyes right after he had been built. His manufacturer had looked at him with her blazing green eyes that were filled with joy. “You’re finally here! We finally got the mechanics right!” she exclaimed. But she was long gone. It turned out that Xander was much older than he remembered. Even the people from the original Quarter of the Realm had passed. Xander cried out at the memories. He slammed his hands against the wooden floor of the library. “Xander?” Xander lifted his head as his vision cleared to see Zenni standing in the doorway of the forbidden section. Xander stared at Zenni for a few seconds before putting both of his hands to his face. They were scratched and sparking from being slammed against the floor, but he didn’t care. “They’re all gone, Zenni. Why couldn’t I remember until now?” he asked. Zenni shook her head sadly. “You didn’t remember for a reason. It was for the safety of the Quarter.” Xander’s head snapped up as he looked at Zenni, who was now kneeling beside him. “How would you know?” _ Music: Feeling Good - Michael Buble
