Malinee Sutthirat's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Malinee stands in the rented back room and frowns. The auction needs rules. She pulls out a blank ledger and opens it on the dusty counter. Her pen scratches across the first page. Rule one: all bids are final. Rule two: no book leaves without payment. She pauses, then adds rule three: blood oaths bind the buyer to silence. Her paw aches from writing, but the rules are clear now. She closes the ledger and tucks it under her arm. The first auction is two days away, and she still needs to learn how collectors think, how they move, what makes them trust a stranger with fur and glasses who promises forbidden things. The stone library tower rises ahead when she turns the corner. Tall windows catch the morning light. Through the glass panels, she spots wooden shelves packed with books. Malinee pushes through the heavy door and climbs the spiral stairs. She needs to study the dangerous ones, learn what makes them valuable. A thick volume bound in black leather sits alone on a high shelf. She opens it carefully. The pages smell like smoke and iron. By afternoon, her satchel bulges with notes. She heads back through the trees and stops at her camp. The forest-proof metal trunk waits beside her tent, its domed top gleaming. She lined it with waxed cloth last week to keep moisture out. Malinee kneels and lifts the lid. Inside rest three volumes wrapped in oilcloth. These will be her first lots. She adds the notes from today's research and locks the trunk. As dusk settles, she returns to the general store. Behind the building, she sets up the torch stand near the back entrance. The wooden pole stands firm. She wraps the cloth around the top and lights it. The flame catches and burns bright orange against the darkening sky. When the auction starts in two days, collectors will see this signal and know where to enter. Malinee adjusts her glasses and watches the fire dance. Her dream is taking shape, one careful step at a time.