“This whole place is powered by magic,” the Matriarch pointed out.
“It is kept at a constant low temperature to avoid damage to the books. There are intricate spells that would discover even a tiny spark and snuff it out. Every book in this room is bound with magic.”
“I always thought stories were magical,” Damselfly agreed.
“How did magic happen?” The Matriarch began quoting a famous poem. “Well, it was with the first child in the first garden.”
“A whispered word telling a simple rhyme, it all happened with the first sharing of Once upon a time,” Damselfly finished the paragraph.
“Everyone and everything, has a story to tell,” the Matriarch taught. “It only requires someone to hear it.”
Damselfly walked along the many aisles looking at all the books. Her fingers brushed against the spines and it was almost as if the magic was tangible. Buttons was also interested by the display of knowledge, enough to stop him thinking about his stomach for a few moments.
“Think of all the people who wrote these books long ago,” Damselfly said. “We can hear their voices even now by simply opening these books.”
“Maybe one day you could write a book about all the stories you know,” Buttons suggested, which Damselfly thought was a very good idea.
The Matriarch was momentarily distracted by one of the copiers asking a question about a very ancient-looking tome, leaving Damselfly and Buttons alone to investigate the books.
“I like ones with pictures,” Buttons stated. “Especially if they are pictures of food.” The greedy rabbit caught sight of what appeared to be a large egg on a narrow green cover and opened it tantalizingly.
A deafening noise physically struck Buttontail as the book roared at him, until he slammed it shut.
“Some books can be dangerous.” The Matriarch appeared behind them.
“W… w… what was th… that?” Buttons stuttered.
“A History of Dragonlore.” Damselfly read the strange book’s title.
“How was that a history of anything?” Buttons asked, still shaking in fright.
“The author is a dragon. Who better to explain a history of Dragonlore than an actual dragon?” the Matriarch explained.
“A dragon wrote this book.”
Damselfly was in such awe that she almost opened the book again; however, the Matriarch swiftly removed the offending item from the princess’s hands before that could happen. Replacing the volume, the sorceress stroked Buttontail’s fur. The rabbit seemed to instantly lose his sense of terror and even began grinning.
“You can take away his fear with magic?” Damselfly gasped.
“We can ease it,” the Matriarch explained. “Now, let us continue our tour before we disturb the librarians any further.”
“What did the dragon say?” Damselfly asked as they made to leave.
“I have no idea; only another dragon could understand it,” the Matriarch answered.
As the trio exited the library, they were once again standing in the Magical Quarter. Having visited two of the four buildings, Damselfly was surprised when the Matriarch announced,
“Why don’t we head to our final destination.”
The Matriarch headed towards the South West corner, leaving her followers looking in the opposite direction.
“What about that building over there?” the princess enquired.
“That is the gaol,” the Matriarch spoke over her shoulder.
“It is not a pleasant place to visit.”
Since the sorceress had eased Buttontail’s fear with magic, the rabbit had been wondering about how he could permanently dispel his cowardice, for in his heart he wished to be brave, and slowly a plan began to form in his mind.
“You will enjoy the museum; it has many fascinating treasures to behold,” the Matriarch continued.
Damselfly was following the sorceress when she noticed that Buttons was not behind them. Looking across the square, she glimpsed the rabbit disappear inside the gaol.
“Buttons, no!” she cried.
“What happened?” the Matriarch demanded.
“Buttons went into the gaol.” The princess pointed.
“I don’t understand, he’s normally frightened of his own shadow.”
“We had best find him before something bad happens,” the Matriarch stated.
The Matriarch strode across the courtyard purposefully with Damselfly following close behind. The gaol was an imposing stone building without decoration and a large warning on the door.
Danger! Do Not Enter.
Unfortunately, Buttontail could not read although it still mystified Damselfly that the timid rabbit would enter such a dangerous place voluntarily.
“Why are there no guards?” the princess questioned.
“The magic employed here is concentrated on keeping people inside the gaol, not stopping those who enter from the outside,” the Matriarch replied.
“Is Buttons in danger?”
“We all are.”
It was extremely rare that magicians went bad, so the gaol actually held very few individual criminals. Instead, it incarcerated evil spirits, dangerous artefacts and magical creatures who if allowed to move freely would cause harm to others. The gaol held the single largest concentration of magic in Fable; however, in a sharp contrast there was almost so sign of it as they entered. Magical creatures or spirits often fed off magic so in many places inside the gaol there were vacuums where no magic existed. Only in specific areas was magic housed although often in heavy doses. The Matriarch had fortified many of these defenses personally and knew her way around the dark corridors.
“Stay close,” she whispered.
Damselfly was scared the moment she entered the gaol. It was practically pitch-black in all directions and a feeling like being submerged in cold water kept washing over her. She could only imagine how Buttontail would feel in such a threatening environment and hoped they would find him soon.
“Wait,” the Matriarch ordered.
Damselfly caught sight of a pulsing light coming towards them at eye level; it moved searchingly, producing a hypnotic effect that would have lured the princess out if the Matriarch had not placed a strong arm across her.
“It is a wraith,” the Matriarch explained. “They feed on fear and sorrow.”
The spirit turned so Damselfly could see it clearer:
