Demon studies is just as it sounds. I`m seated at a desk in the back corner of a small classroom next to an open window overlooking a courtyard. The rest of the squad sits attentive in front of me. Our professor, Dr. Umber, drones on about class three demons. His thin white hair hangs long over his ears and his wire-frame glasses bounce on top of his chubby red cheeks with every word. I wonder when civs retire because he looks like he`s past time.

　　We learned demon basics at the academy. Their common traits, strengths, how they attack, and how to kill them. It`s nothing I haven`t heard before. My attention wanders to watch the officials and administrative staff busily cross the courtyard.

　　"Some species of class three demons reside in the rocky cliff sides deep inside the Mist." My attention is back to the front of the classroom with this new information.

　　There aren`t any mountains or cliffs within patrolling distance of the walls. Dr. Umber displays a holographic topography map of the Mist. The terrain is unusual.

　　"Although little information has made it back from the Outer Reach, recordings of Flyer demons launching from cliff side caverns tell us there are at least two different Flyer species. With the cliff dwellers being the dominant ones." His bushy white eyebrows rise high seeing my hand raised from the back.

　　"Warrior Oren?" He takes his glasses off to squint at me.

　　The squad turns in their seats and I remember I live in the background, not in the spotlight. But it`s too late now, so I may as well ask my question.

　　"Are you saying some demons have a hierarchy?"

　　Umber`s dull eyes lighten with a gleam. "Yes. The cliff side Flyers exhibit leadership behaviors when in contact with their tree dwelling relations."

　　"This assumed behavior is based on recovered, damaged, footage from an unknown source." Iva interjects, causing Umber`s smile to dim before he places his glasses back on.

　　"Yes, warrior Algar is correct." His wrinkled hands grip the top of his podium and he leans over it with renewed energy. "Very little information is known about the Outer Reach and our enemies that dwell there. Think of all we have yet to discover. The lives we can save by going deeper into the Mist."

　　"Yeah, except for the warrior-born assigned to go out there." Luce grumbles too low for Umber to hear.

　　The captain shoots a sharp look from across the aisle that has Luce straightening in her chair. I miss the rest of Umber`s lecture thinking of demons with a hierarchy. We`re taught they`re nothing more than mindless creatures driven by their base instincts. I think back to my trial. Could the demons have been working together? Before I know it, class is over and we`re dismissed.

　　"Oren." I stand from my desk at attention with the captain`s commanding voice.

　　I don`t make eye contact, but see her nod, and stand at ease.

　　"You`re going to skip policies class and meet a tutor in the library for the duration of your three weeks. We need you caught up on how things work in Centrum."

　　"Yes, captain."

　　"Dismissed." She says, leaving me standing in the now empty class room, wondering why my scheduled changed.

　　***

　　If the library is as grand as its entrance, it`ll be more than I ever imagined. I stand before double doors that reach all the way to the high ceiling. They`re made of an ivory colored wood with a marble-like smoothness I`ve never seen before. Intricate carvings, that seem familiar, run along the borders. I reach out and twist a polished golden knob that reflects my warped image and tug on the door.

　　It`s like opening a secret vault. Behind these doors is a treasure of historical records, information, and answers to all the questions I have. The door glides silently open and closes automatically once I`m across the threshold. Everything in Centrum Building gleams ivory, gold, and stone. Yet somehow, it all blends into a peaceful warm serenity here.

　　I stand in the alcove with a high, domed ceiling above me made of pure crystal. The sun shines through, painting soft colors on the white marble tiles around my feet. Placing my back against the doors, I can see there is a pattern to the refracted light. The founding families insignias reflect in a perfect circle on the floor. My finger traces my warrior marks when I see my family`s emblem glow before me.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

　　"Warrior Oren?" A petite elderly woman waves at me from behind a circular desk.

　　I walk away from the alcove to the librarian`s desk. It`s in the middle of the room with rows of dark wood study tables surrounding it. Now that I`m further inside, I see rows of shelves fill out the rest of the room and line the walls. And there`s two more levels above packed with more shelves. Leather cushioned reading nooks and armchairs are spaced along the length of the balconies above. The distant chime of an elevator joins the background hum of whispers and turning pages. How am I ever going to go through all this?

　　I stand in front of the desk and salute the small older woman. "Yes, ma`am."

　　"Oh, no." She quietly chuckles in her soft voice, waving wrinkled hands in front of her.

　　"At ease, warrior." Keen brown eyes crinkle with amusement. "Although most personnel in Centrum Building are officers, I am just a civilian."

　　The shake of her head causes some of her frizzy silver hair to fall from her loose bun. She puts her hand out for a shake instead.

　　"I`m Edna Harris, but you can just call me Edna, dear. I`m the head librarian and your policies tutor."

　　I`m careful as I shake her thin smooth hand. Her head cocks to the side as she looks me up and down. She has fine delicate features and holds herself in the easy, elegant way the regional delegates do. I wonder what she was like in her youth.

　　"I`m old, not fragile." She grips my hand tight, making me wince. "Always shake like you mean it, warrior."

　　I can`t help the small laugh that escapes at her hidden strength. She laughs with me and has an unapologetic way. I`m pretty good as spotting the fakes. The ones that play behind masks like I do. She`s not one, making her a rare individual. I want to like her. I give her a firmer shake. Her hands feel thin and cool. And before I pull back, she clasps her other hand on top of mine, pulling me down to her level.

　　"I knew your family." She lightly pats my hand once.

　　I can`t look away as she stares deep into my eyes. My body locks, ready for her to turn on me. Ready to accept the accusations that aren`t mine.

　　"They were good people." She stresses each word, squeezing my hand harder than I would`ve thought capable. "Centrum is not the outer regions. There are still many of us that will never forget the good your family has done for this nation."

　　Her warm smile slowly takes over again, and she lets me go into what feels like a full-body free fall. Before I can recover or even process what she said, she`s already on the move. She scoots from behind the desk with the small, rapid steps of an over-excited toddler. Her long beige skirt drags over the tile, and I worry about her getting caught up and falling over. She whips around the tables with ease, to the far end of the room where she plops down in a chair, and slides a tall stack of heavy looking books next to her. I quicken my pace to join her. She moves like Addy and I`m curious about how old she really is.

　　"Hmm . . . better not smile too much." She nods in agreement with herself. "You`ll have all the girls in a tizzy if you keep that up."

　　I raise a hand to my mouth. I didn`t even know I was smiling. With a wink, she pats the stack of books and I take the seat across from her.

　　"We will start with what you know and fill in the gaps." She shuffles through the books in front of her, huffs, and throws her hands in the air, muttering about moving faster than her brain.

　　"I`m sorry." She looks flustered. "Would you be a dear and grab a book from the shelves for me?"

　　"Yes, ma`am." I rise swiftly, waiting for her direction.

　　"It`s in the stacks directly behind my desk in the nine hundred section." She scribbles the title and location on a note card and slides it across the table.

　　Worn spines and oversized books fill the stacks on this side of the library. These books look ancient and frail. I walk to the second row on my left, then down to the end, against the wall. It`s quiet way back here and the musty smell of aged parchment is all around me.

　　I check the note card again, Governing Offices and Regional Leadership, is scrawled in Edna`s erratic handwriting. The reference number matches the shelf, but I can`t find the book. I turn to leave but take a step back when part of my family`s insignia peeks out from the top shelf. Two golden half circles engraved into a wide black leather spine glint under the overhead lights.

　　I look down the aisle into the rest of the library, no one else is close by. My senses pick up someone a few stacks over, far enough for me to grab the book unseen. At the academy I was never given free rein in the library like the other cadets. Maybe they didn`t want to arm me with too much knowledge or maybe they just didn`t care if I was educated or not. Whatever the reason, I`m not going to risk access to this library by being caught reading something I wasn`t assigned.

　　I rise on the balls of my feet and push my fingers between the spines. The book is thick, and heavy, so I give it a hard tug. My hand flies back, hitting the shelf behind me from too much force. I suck in a breath and bring the book to my chest, worried I damaged it. But it looks fine. The leather is soft with age but well taken care of. The Oren Histories and Genealogy is in gold metallic script across the front. My fingers fumble to open it and I have to take a calming breath to slow down.

　　I gently open the cover. And find a hollow wooden box inside where pages should be. I look over the other books on the shelf. This entire section is nothing but family histories. I pull one book out after the other and see they`re all complete books, pages intact, except one. Mine. I place the box back inside the cover and slide the book where I found it.

　　My gut feels twisted and knotted. There goes my grand idea of learning more about my family. I should have expected traces of the Oren line would be removed or hidden but why not just take the whole thing off the shelf? Why the decoy?

　　I`m frustrated as hell but nothing has ever been easy. I guess it`s a good thing I found this out early on, saved me some time. I could have spent weeks looking for it if Edna hadn`t sent me to the wrong shelf. She`s old, and old people get things mixed up sometimes. Except, she seems pretty sharp to me. I want to believe it was an honest mistake but I`ve survived by being cautious. So I`ll need to keep my suspicions and my lost family book to myself. She`s the head librarian and can revoke my access and I still need to search for the combat archives.

　　I wander a few sections over and find the shelves with the governing policies. I locate the book she wanted and head back to the table. Edna`s glasses reflect the light of the table top touch screen she`s bent over.

　　"Here it is." I announce, waving the book before placing it gently on the table.

　　Her eyes narrow as she stares at the book in front of her. She clears her throat and slides it over to add to the others. "Wonderful, let`s get started." She says smiling up at me.

　　We spend our time going over what I learned about the other regions and Centrum`s governing policies from the academy. Edna is commanding in her instructions and efficient with our time. She lays out a syllabus to get me caught up and lets me know she`ll update the captain on my progress as we go. She expects I`ll only need two weeks of tutoring before rejoining the rest of the squad.

　　Edna extends an open invitation to visit the library anytime, it`s open twenty-four hours a day, and extra time will help me progress faster. It`s the perfect cover to search the library whenever I want. My mind is back to my missing family histories and I worry I`ll find something similar with the combat archives.