Huge Ajax's Arc

Chapter 233 of 619

I Ajax thought of the empty ground between the hall and the west wall. He thought of the vault and the chain locked inside it — the one the dead man had worn, the chain that hid its wearer from any scrying eye. He had left it in the dark since the ride south. A tool that sat idle was a tool wasted. He called Bran and Grayson to the yard. "One more building," he said. "Stone walls, tight roof, one door, secure from fire. Shelves for books and scrolls all around. Beside the hall." Grayson looked at the sky. "Before frost." "Before frost," Ajax said. Bran paced the ground and set stakes. Grayson set the men. Ajax went to the vault alone. He opened the door and lit the lamp. His father's chain hung from his neck, the gold warm from his skin. He had worn it since the tavern at Southern Oak. He had worn it through every gate and every pit. He closed his hand around it and lifted it over his head. He laid it on the shelf beside the ledger. He took up the other chain — strong, flat, shined gold. He put it over his head. It settled cold against his chest and then went warm. He stood a moment and waited for something to feel wrong. Nothing did. He locked the vault and walked out into the yard. Bran had four stones squared already. Grayson glanced at Ajax's chest, then at his face, and said nothing. Chalam, coming from the hall with the scholar, stopped mid-step. His eyes went to the chain and stayed there. Chalam opened his mouth and closed it and smiled. He looked at the gate, then at the road beyond it, then back at Ajax. "I can't find you," he said. "Standing here. I look and there's a space where you should be." Ajax touched the links at his chest. The library would rise. A scholar was needed for the team. And no eye reaching for him from any ridge or basin would land. He walked past Chalam to the staked ground and told Bran to cut deeper. Chalam and the team would help him.