Excerpt: Aislin's Story

Aislin crept up a flight of stairs and paused outside the library’s heavy wooden doors. When there was no sound to be heard from within, she pushed the door open and slipped inside. The room was dark, lit only by the pale light of a waning moon. She felt her way through the area, careful not to trip over the odd little tables and chairs that decorated the room. When she reached the map table, she ran her hands over the furled parchments resting across its top. She hoped no one had perused the maps in the past two days, as, during her last visit to the library, she’d placed the one she’d need on the top of a stack of scrolls. She plucked up that roll and skirted the furniture until she stood at a window. Taking advantage of the spill of moonlight filtering through the glass, Aislin unfurled the parchment and could just distinguish the outlines of land and water. A quick glance and she was sure she held the right scroll, the map she was searching for. She added it to the collection of scavenged items in her bag and stole back out of the library.