Chương 77: Bells and Whistles

"You want a heavy bell?" the elderly woman asked, raising an eyebrow. Lira recognized her as the same woman who managed the palace storage tower. She had met her once in passing when Tessa helped her get her first maid uniform on her first day working at the palace. Just like Lira, the woman was supposed to have a fixed position and answer only to the grand steward.

"Yes," Lira replied with a pleasant smile. The old woman studied her for a moment before recognition dawned across her face.

"Aren't you the new library caretaker?"

"That's me," Lira said with a nod. The woman folded her arms.

"Pray tell me, why does the library caretaker need a bell?" Of course, Lira had expected that question. She had spent the entire walk from the library inventing a believable explanation.

"Moths," she answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Moths?" the old woman repeated, clearly unconvinced.

"Yes." Lira nodded seriously.

"I noticed several books upstairs with their pages partially chewed. I believe there's a moth infestation in one of the upper storage rooms. The problem is that moths only become active during the night, so I can never seem to find them during the day." The old woman looked even more confused.

"So... you're planning to ring a bell until they wake up?"

"Pretty much," Lira answered with complete confidence.

"Moths are very sensitive to noise. If I disturb them enough, they'll start flying around, making them much easier to locate." The old woman stared at her for several long seconds. Lira maintained her innocent smile. Finally, the woman shrugged.

"I suppose it won't hurt to lend you one, provided you return it afterward. Bells aren't cheap, you know. This one will be needed again during the Equinox Festival."

"Of course." Lira nodded immediately.

"I'll bring it back as soon as I'm done with it."

"Follow me." The woman led her away from the front desk and into one of the many side storage rooms. The space was cluttered with orderly junk. Old lampposts leaned neatly against one wall beside cracked marble flower pots waiting to be repaired. Massive brass bathtubs occupied another corner, while several crystal chandeliers hung from wooden beams overhead after being taken down during previous renovations.

Against the far wall lay a tidy pile of dismantled bed frames, wardrobes, and old chairs that still looked sturdy despite their age. Lira's eyes lingered on the beds for a moment. Actually... She could solve another problem of hers while she was here. She spent so much of her time inside the library that sleeping in the tiny storage room upstairs would be far more comfortable if she had an actual bed instead of blankets spread over a wooden table. She pointed toward one of the smaller wooden frames.

"If I wanted one of those beds, how would I go about requesting it?" The old woman glanced over.

"For yourself?"

"Yes. I spend so much time working in the library that I'd like to convert one of the unused storage rooms into a proper bedroom."

"Hm." The woman considered it for a moment.

"Get written approval from either Lady Celene or Master Dalwin. Once you have that, convince a few footmen to carry it over there."

"Thank you. I'll do that." The woman disappeared behind another shelf before returning moments later, carrying an enormous bronze bell. It was almost the size of a bucket.

"You wanted it to be heavy." Lira accepted it with both hands and nearly lost her balance. The bronze felt far heavier than it looked.

"Thank you." Cradling the bell against her chest, she carefully made her way back outside. She deliberately avoided the route toward the library. Instead, she headed behind the royal stables toward an older well that was rarely used. Unlike the larger communal well where the palace maids gathered to wash clothes throughout the day, this one mainly served the stable hands, as they used it at dawn and dusk to fill the horses' troughs, leaving the area deserted during most of the day.

After looking around to make certain nobody was nearby, Lira removed the wooden bucket hanging from the rope. She carefully set it aside. Then she tied the bell onto the rope in its place before slowly lowering it into the well. The bronze bell descended with surprising steadiness until it hovered just above the still surface of the water. Satisfied, Lira took one final glance around the empty stable yard, making sure no one would witness what she was doing. She extended one finger over the well and cast.

"Eldra. Fila. Curad." A small floating sphere of orange flame appeared, illuminating the darkness inside the well. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. She waited until the water became perfectly still. Then she gripped the rope.

"Time to experiment." She gave it a sharp pull upward, making the heavy bronze bell swing in all directions. GONG... GONG... GONG. The deep metallic sound rolled through the narrow shaft. Lira leaned over the edge immediately to watch what happened. The water below erupted into perfectly circular ripples that spread across the surface in expanding rings. Her eyes widened. It worked. Sound really was a wave. It literally behaved like one.

The ripples continued spreading across the water even after the bell stopped swinging.

"My father was right; his translation was correct," she gasped.

"Hishar... really does mean wave..."

"What's that noise?" said a voice over the sound of the echoing bell and whining horses.

"Oh no," said Lira. The bell was far louder than she had anticipated, and someone was inside the stables.

"Damn." Lira grabbed the rope with both hands and hauled the heavy bell upward as quickly as she could. The bronze scraped against the stone lining, adding additional noise to the cacophony before finally emerging from the well. She untied it with practiced fingers, ever grateful for her time practicing knots, before dropping the wooden bucket back onto the rope and securing it just as the voice called out behind her.

"What happened here?" Lira turned. Berom, the stable master, was hurrying toward her with an irritated expression. Fortunately, by the time he reached the well, the bucket was already hanging exactly where it belonged. Lira forced an embarrassed smile while lifting the heavy bell into her arms.

"Sorry." She gave an awkward laugh.

"I accidentally dropped the bell." Berom frowned.

"You startled every horse in the stable."

"I know." Lira lowered her head apologetically.

"I'm really sorry. It's much heavier than I expected." The stable master narrowed his eyes at her.

"Just... be more careful next time."

"I will." Still hugging the bell, Lira hurried away before he had time to ask any more questions. She didn't allow herself to smile until the stable had completely disappeared behind her. The experiment had worked perfectly, and her father had been right all along. Sound was a wave. Which meant she no longer had any reason to doubt her translations. More importantly... she could finally begin creating sound magic without uncertainty clouding the process.

Lira returned to the library with the enormous bronze bell cradled in both arms. Prince Lyth was already there, seated at his usual table with a book open before him. Sir Henry stood silently behind the prince, hands clasped behind his back, ever watchful. The prince looked up from his book, his eyes immediately settling on the oversized bell.

"Miss Lira," he asked curiously, "why are you carrying a bell?"

"I think there's a moth infestation upstairs," Lira said with a smile.

"I'm going to use the bell to find it." The prince blinked.

"... A bell?"

"Moths are sensitive to loud noises," Lira explained confidently.

"If I ring it near where they're hiding, they'll fly out." Sir Henry gave her a skeptical look but wisely chose not to comment.

"Can I come see?" Lyth asked, already halfway out of his chair.

"I don't mind," Lira replied, "but you should ask Sir Henry first." The prince immediately turned toward his bodyguard, putting on the most pleading expression a royal child could manage.

"Please?" Sir Henry closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a long, defeated sigh.

"... Fine." The prince beamed.

"I promise I'll stay behind you."

"I've heard that promise before," Sir Henry muttered. Together, they climbed the narrow staircase toward the library's upper storage level. The corridors were much darker than the reading rooms below. Some windows were open in nearby rooms, allowing beams of sunlight to illuminate patches of the main corridor, but most of them were shuttered or even boarded shut. Lira lit a candle using a fire steel and handed it to the prince.

"You'll be my assistant," said Lira.

"You can carry this."

"I get to hold the light?" Lyth asked. The prince smiled proudly at the idea. Lira led them toward one of the storage rooms where she already knew the moths lived. She had discovered them days ago while experimenting with her life-detection spell, though naturally she couldn't admit to that. She crouched beside a shelf and picked up a damaged sheet of paper.

"See this?" The prince leaned closer as he noticed the tiny holes covering the page; parts of its edges had been completely chewed away.

"The larvae eat paper," Lira explained. The prince frowned.

"So we're looking for the baby moths?"

"No, it's the adults who are sensitive to sound." She lifted the bronze bell.

"If we find the adults, that means the larvae are nearby." Sir Henry instinctively took one step backward. Lira swung it. GONG! The deafening note echoed through the narrow corridor, bouncing from wall to wall. For a heartbeat... nothing happened. Then... the entire room exploded. Hundreds of pale moths burst from shelves, rafters, and cracks between old boxes, filling the air like a living storm.

"WAAAH!" Lira shrieked as several flew directly into her face. She instinctively ran toward the door as a few moths followed suit. The prince, on the other hand, laughed in complete delight.

"They're everywhere!" As more moths poured out of the room, fluttering wildly through the corridor, Sir Henry grabbed the prince by the collar, pulled him backward several steps, and slammed the storage room door shut. THUD. The cloud of insects remained trapped inside, though a few of them had made it into the corridor and started diving toward the candlelight, much to the prince's delight. Sir Henry slowly turned toward Lira and gave her a look.

"That was your plan?" he asked.

"... It was more than expected." Lira awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. She could hardly believe that her half-assed excuse worked this well. The prince, meanwhile, was practically bouncing with excitement.

"That was amazing!" he exclaimed.

"There must have been hundreds!"

"Probably."

"So what now?" he asked eagerly.

"Are we going to catch them?"

"Not a chance." Lira looked horrified.

"But..."

"I've confirmed where they're nesting," she interrupted.

"Now I'll report it to Master Dalwin, and he can send someone who actually knows how to deal with them." The prince's shoulders slumped.

"Oh." He had clearly hoped for an afternoon spent chasing moths through the library. Lira couldn't help smiling.

"Come with me."

"I know a book you'll like."

"What kind of book?" His disappointment vanished instantly.

"You'll see." She carried the heavy bell downstairs while the prince hurried after her. Sir Henry followed behind them in silence. Though judging by the look on his face, Lira suspected he was already wondering if it was wise to let this lunatic have access to his charge.