Jade Vesper's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Jade unwrapped the oilcloth bundle on her workbench and felt the manuscript before she saw it. The air around the pages pressed against her skin like a warning. This one didn't whisper. It hummed. She reached for the pocket watch in her desk drawer. The brass casing was cool against her palm. She'd marked the hidden face herself years ago with careful notches. Each position meant something different. A manuscript that screamed went to the deepest vault. One that whispered stayed close but locked. This one made her fingers tingle. She pressed the crown and the secondary face revealed itself. The needle she'd installed swung hard to the right, past whisper, past scream, into territory she'd hoped never to see. She wrapped the manuscript back up and carried it to the basement door. Her library would need a new room now. One with iron hinges and salt along the threshold. One where even she would need permission to enter. But a room wouldn't be enough for transport. The manuscript had already started affecting the air around it. She needed containment now, before its influence spread through her house. Jade pulled the travel case from her storage closet and set it on the floor. The painted scenes on its surface showed peaceful libraries and smiling scholars. She traced the brass latches with one finger. The case's interior compartments could hold more than they should. She'd used it for delicate acquisitions before. Never for something this dangerous. She lined the main compartment with iron shavings and crushed salt. The manuscript went in wrapped and bound with silk cord. When she closed the latches, the humming stopped. The case grew warm in her hands, then cool again. Jade carried it down three flights of stairs to the building she'd purchased last year. The stone structure waited at the edge of her property, its arched doorway sealed with wards she'd spent months crafting. She unlocked the heavy door and placed the case on a pedestal in the center of the empty hall. Her library had its first truly dangerous piece. The collection she'd been building had just become something more.