“Sanctuary!”

The child cried, running into the library. They nearly collapsed against the large semi circle desk that dominated the main space at the back of the lobby. Their breathing was hard, labored from some immense effort. A guard burst in the following moments, immediately noticing the child. The small one stood out, unfortunately, with their ragged clothing that hung loosely over their body.

“Nice try, little one,” The guard sneered. “But only holy places can grant sanctuary.”

Two librarians stood behind the desk. They said nothing. They made no indication of anything with their eyes, their mouths. They kept their faces blank as they turned to share a quick glance between the two of them. The head librarian, a middle aged woman with slightly graying brown hair rest her hands on the desk. The words that came next were spoken softly yet firmly, her eyes coming to rest sternly on the guards.

“Sanctuary granted.”

The guard was a portly man, red in the face and covered in more sweat than the child. He took a step forward. A single heavy step that left an echo ringing out in the mostly empty space. His voice was low but harsh as he locked onto the librarian with a glare.

“You can’t do that. This ain’t a holy place, and we all know it.”

“All knowledge is holy, guardsman.” She said confidently. “And as a house of knowledge, that makes this a holy place.”

“Says you, woman.”

The guard stepped forward again, each step heavy and loud. He got within steps of the child and reached out for them. Thick fingers lashed out only for his hand to be stopped. Not by the head librarian, but the other one. He had been quiet until now, and still never spoke a word. But his grip kept the guards hand in place.

“Perhaps you would like some proof, guardsman.”

The librarian moved with an elegant grace as she moved behind the desk. She reached below and brought up a small stack of books bound together by a simple cloth ribbon. She untied it and ran her hand gently over the cover of the topmost book. Her eyes flicked up to the guards as she lifted the book and placed it on the desk. The old spine creaked as she opened it and a gentle breeze washed over them.

The guard look around with widened eyes. There wasn’t a window in sight and the only doors, which he come through moments prior, was closed tight. He spun to face the doors, but they were no longer there. In fact, the whole of the entryway was gone. In its place was a large dense mass of trees and vines. He turned to face the librarians again, wrenching his hand free from the grip holding it. Only then did he notice that this space had changed as well. The desk remained, but it was no located in a large clearing full of flowing grass and wild flowers. Vibrant colors filled his vision.

“What is this?” The guard hissed at them.

The head librarian scanned the pages. Her hand glided across with a featherlight touch, leading her eyes as she read the words. She only looked up to the guard in response to his words.

“This is the story of a young girl. She lives in a small village, but dreams of a life beyond it. She often wanders through the forest and the fields. She sees beauty in everything, but finds herself lonely. She wants a partner, someone who finds her as lovely as she finds the flowers and the breeze.”

The guard watched in wide eyed wonder as the leaves parted and from the trees a young girl came out. It was as if she hadn’t a care in the world, and like she couldn’t even see them. She walked through the field, admiring the beauty with a smile. He reached out to touch her as she walked by him. His hand shook ever so slightly, and when he finally touched her... he didn’t. His hand went through her as if she were made of dust and she simply went on as she were like nothing happened.

“What is this?!”

His voice was louder this time. He glared at the librarian as she looked down at book open before her. Wordlessly, she closed the book. The forest and the fields faded away into the shadow as the guard watched, eyes darting all around to for any more of the supposed trickery. A tiny thud got his attention again. His gaze fell back upon the librarian and another book she had in her hands.

This book was thicker than the last, with its heavy spine laid directly on the desk. She nimbly found the thin braided cord that marked the last place the book was opened. Yellow aged pages flowed open with the book. Another gently blowing breeze washed over them. The guard drew his sword and pointed it at the librarian, only to find her blocked. What stood before him he could only describe as a wall of muscle. Taller than him by a head and shoulders easily, and broader by nearly the same. This imposing figure had armor covering only one arm and part of his chest, but it was enough to block the guards blade. The guard stumbled back from the sudden appearance of this stranger.

“Or perhaps you would like this story a bit more, guardsman,” The librarian said, speaking with her calm yet firm tone still. “An ancient legend of a gladiator. A man who threw himself into the arena to fight, and fight he did. He fought and fought, and won and won. He was a master of weapons.”

As she spoke the guard watched the walls being erected around him like magic. Each massive stone fell into place with each step the gladiator took. It moved for him with speed unexpected of a man his size. He reached into the nothing and pulled out a small sword, shorter than the guards but just as lethal. It unleashed a flurry of blows at the guard, who barely managed to block or evade them. The blades clashed in series of rapid, decisive strikes. The gladiator was attacking for spectacle, roaring with the fury of the crowd only he could see. The guard was doing all he could to survive. His padded armor took most of the blows he couldn’t stop. A thin red line spread across his cheek from the last one, letting a few small droplets seep out before rolling down. The gladiator stopped attacking when it saw the blood, turning and throwing his hands up in silent celebration.

“Or perhaps not.”

The book slammed shut. The sounds of the leather bound pages coming together echoed in the space, and all fell into shadows silence once again. The guard, through heavy breaths, stared up at the librarian. The child, who up until now had been curled up at the foot of the desk, also stared. One last time, the head librarian put a book aside. One last time, she chose a new book. This new book was also bound in leather, with leather straps and thick metal clasps. It was easily the oldest book, looking more like an ancient tome to be found in a museum than any library. The metal clasps came undone with soft clinks.

Everything around them seemed to darken as the book was opened. Shadows grew longer and merged together to form an imposing darkness that was not there before. On either side of the desk, between the guard and the librarians, torches suddenly burst alight. The flames were low and flickered in the darkness, showing just enough so that everyone could see the bare stone stone wall roughly hewn and not naturally formed. The floor looked to be made of massive stone slabs, cracked and worn down over a great span of time. A low rumble came from the distance, from behind the head librarian.

“This was always a favorite of mine,” She said. Her words seemingly disappeared into the darkness. “An old, old story, of a monster...”

From the darkness behind the librarian, from the behind the desk, the shadows came together to form something new. Or perhaps they simply parted so the guard to could finally see. It really didn’t matter to him as he stared up. Two eyes stared back at him. Massive eyes with slits for pupils. He could barely make out the creature the eyes belonged to. He swallowed hard. His sword dropped from his shaking hand.

“..that protected the lands it inhabited from all who dared to cross its path. Many tried to kill it, to claim its treasures. It had hoards it, after all. But none ever did come back from such quests.”

A flicker of recognition spread over the guards face. He backed up out of instinct alone. He didn’t even realize he was doing it until his back was pressed up against the solid surface behind him. He turned to face a blank stone wall. He clawed at the stone in a desperate attempt to pry the illusion apart, even as the fear gripped him heavily. The deep rumble from before came back, louder this time. It settled over the desk and lowered its head at the guards. He stared the dragon in the eyes. It had the same cold, calm, firm gaze that the head librarian had in her eyes.

“S- S- Sanctuary... gr-granted.” The guard managed to utter, stumbling over the words like they were weighing him down.

The head librarian smiled. For the first time since the guard came in, she let her lips spread into a genuine display of warmth. She closed the book and shut the clasps. They clicked closed as the cavern faded from view and the normal library lobby came back. The guard felt the handles of the doors pressing into his side. He turned and fumbled with the handles until they opened and rushed outside. His sword still lay on the floor. The child rose to his feet and watched in wonder as the head librarian walked around the desk. Every move she made flowed into the next like and ethereal mist, elegant and graceful. She picked up the sword before turning to the child.

“Come child. You will find safety here, and more than a few worlds to explore.”