The Archivist — Chapter 9

Chapter 9

At the door for Certification, Lennie paused. “Before we go to the lower level, we’ll stop in the cafeteria and get a bagel and coffee.”

Fifteen minutes later, Nickie studied her new ID. “The picture turned out pretty good. Glad I got my haircut this morning.”

“You look good.”

“Thank you.” She placed the ID in her pocket. “I better get myself a wallet.”

“Good idea.” Lennie opened the door of the Scryers’ office. I hope Lynda is here today. Of all the Scryers, she’s the one I trust the most.

Lynda Mayers sat at her usual desk, glancing through a file. Lennie approached with Nickie on her heels. “Archivist First-Class Lenara Lenquil, and Keeper of Nickie Atlan. I would like a copy of the report for Nickie, please.”

She looked up, a smile crossing her face. “Good morning, Lennie. Congratulations on your promotion. Please, sit.” She waved to the two chairs before her desk.

“Thanks, Lynda. Been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Eight months. I was in Sedona training a new class of Scryers for The West Coast Archive.” She leaned back. “Congratulations to you as well, Archivist Apprentice Nickie Atlan.”

Nickie jumped. “Th-thank you.”

“I have a copy of the report, Lennie. Are you sure you want to read it?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t ask for it.” She studied Lynda’s face. “All right, what’s in the report I won’t like?”

Lynda retrieved the report. “You’re in the report under the Personal section. When they did the reading on Nickie, no one knew who would be her Keeper.”

She held out her hand. “Let me read it for myself.”
Flipping through the pages, Lennie found the section.

Destined to be bondmates, Lenara Lenquil, and Nickie Atlan match in all aspects of their personality and way of thinking. They should meet as soon as possible. We cannot see what lies ahead, the Mists block us, but they have important work to do. They will need the love and support of each other.

She read it twice before stuffing it in her bag. “Thanks, Lynda.”

“You’re welcome.” She gave her a wan smile. “I hope you realize the Scryers have no control over what they learn.”

“I know.” Lennie studied Nickie who looked around. On each desk rested a large, six-sided crystal. Some Scryers held their crystal; others rested their left hand on it.

“If you have time this week, why don’t we get together for drinks and dinner? Stan would be more than happy to grill steaks for the four of us.”

“Sounds good. I’ll give you a call and let you know when we’re free. We have a lot going on right now.” Lennie got to her feet.

“Then let’s put it off until next week,” Lynda said.

“All right. Take care and give my best to Stan.”

“Why do the Scryers have those crystals? And why do they have violet eyes and silvery blond hair? It makes them look strange.”

Oh boy, that’s not something I expected to learn today. Bondmates. That explains why I don’t feel uncomfortable having her around. She answered Nickie’s quesation. “They use the crystals to focus their energy. As for their appearance, that happened after the comet. From what I heard, the change they went through was very painful, some died when it happened.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. Do the crystals glow when they use them?”

“It depends on how much personal energy they expend.” She made a decision. I better let her read the report tonight. If the Scryers picked that up, then it’s important.

They sat by the windows, both ordering bagels and coffee. Nickie sipped her coffee. “The coffee isn’t bad for a cafeteria.”

“A lot of Archivists work odd hours and having good coffee is important.” Lennie took a bite of her bagel, chewed and swallowed. “Nickie, I’m going to let you read the report tonight.”

“All right. Is it bad news?”

“No. Unexpected news for certain, but not bad.”

#
On the lower level, Lennie stepped out of the elevator, but Nickie hung back. “I don’t like this place. Why don’t they have more lights?”

“Many documents stored here are old and fragile. Too much lighting causes damage.” She suppressed a shudder. Hate to admit it, but the lower level reminds me of a tomb. “Come on. I don’t want to spend too much time here.”

“What’s the oldest document stored here?” Nickie rubbed her arms against the chill.

“We have a five-thousand-year old scroll no one has managed to translate. I’m on the waiting list to study the scroll.” Lennie studied the shelf labels as they walked.

“Where was the scroll found?”

“In Egypt, during a dig for a Pharaoh’s tomb. They didn’t find a mummy, but they found bits of pottery, the scroll, and several clay tablets. The markings on the tablets resemble what’s on the scroll, but also contain several differences no one can explain.” Lennie turned right, walked half way down and stopped. “This is the aisle where they found you.”

Nickie pointed ahead and to the left. “I was on the floor over there when the guards woke me.”

“Interesting. Most of the stuff here has to do with Atlantis, Lemuria, and other lost and legendary civilizations.”

“Never realized there were so many books written about Atlantis.”

“Most of these were never published. The journals have to do with the searches people made for these places. Others are strange theories people came up with.” Lennie rested a hand on Nickie’s shoulder. “Wealthy people usually donate their libraries to The Archive. Archivists sort through them see if any warrant further investigation. Usually, one in five hundred journals has credible information we consider worth investigating.”

“What journal on Atlantis is the oldest?”

“The oldest journal is a thousand years old. I had a copy translated into English. It’s at home in my study. Took me two weeks to copy the drawings and runes in the journal.” A loud thump echoed through the area. “The noise you heard was a box falling from a cart. Must be a delivery.”

“Can we go now?” Nickie shivered.

“Yep. I’ve seen what I needed to see. Time for us to do some shopping then lunch.” Lennie retraced her footsteps.

Enroute to the electronics store, Lennie cast a quick look at her passenger. “What do you think of everything that’s happened today?”

Nickie rubbed her face. “A little overwhelming. I’ve gone from homeless to Archivist Apprentice in less than 24 hours, have a new home, new clothes, and money to buy something. Not to mention eating well.”

Lennie chuckled. “Think you can handle it?”

“Yep, bring it on!”

“All right.” Nickie’s smile spread a familiar warmth through her, and Lennie silently groaned. Good grief! The last thing I need right now is a physical relationship.