The silence in the huge library was eerie. The huge shelves cast shadows within the library
and the tables were put a distance apart and were covered with books which the previous readers left
there. A young woman was trying to put them back in the shelf but there were many different books
from slots that she couldn't see whatever progress she was making. Then a deep voice broke the
silence as it reverberated within the walls of the library
`Wendy!'
`Yes sir,' the young woman hurried to him. She was startled as she was very new working at
the library. She couldn't even remember to address him the right way but then she remembered that
she had addressed him the way he wanted to be addressed. She had been slightly briefed on how to
address the kings and queen but Gorham, unlike the others, didn't like being called by his title `Your
Majesty'. In fact whenever someone addressed him like that in his personal quarters that person
would be immediately transferred to the public areas.
Wendy walked over to the table where the middle-aged king had been seated. `Have you seen
the Maverick volume seventeen?' he asked looking up at her curiously.
`I put it back on the shelf,' she said worriedly then continued, `I'll just get it.' then she was
walking away before he said something else.
There was a young man who had allocated a seat for himself at the end of the room and was
watching the exchange. He had been there for almost three hours yet he never opened a single book
not even for a glance. He stood up in a split second and was walking toward Gorham. The latter
looked up just as he got to his table.
`I've got to head off to Diane's,' he said as he took a book and looked at it thoughtfully. `Tell
me Gorham, if you'd have known that you would be spending a half your life in a library, a quarter
ruling and the other quarter your own- um- things...' Wendy came back with the book and handed
the tome to Gorham. `Would you have agreed to be king?'
Gorham didn't look at him as he said, `I knew what I was getting into.' He smiled then put the
book down. `I'd rather not spend that half of it in the battle field.'
The former laughed out loud. Gorham didn't fail to notice that Wendy was staring at the
young man standing in front of him. The stare was filled with adoration. Gorham shrugged. That was
a normal reaction from women around this man. `Being in the battle field is much more interesting.
The danger, the thrill, the kills...' he paused dramatically as he placed the book down on the table.
`Anyway, I have to join Diane,' he started walking backwards towards the door.
`Go have fun with Diane,' Gorham called out to him forcing his voice to be light.
`Fun with Diane? No, no, you must have got me wrong. It is not fun when she is around.' He
turned and headed to the door.
`I should hope not.' The young man was almost at the door when Gorham remembered.
`Victor,' the man stopped. `Tell her that she has to come in sooner or later this month.'
Victor raised his eyebrow and just to annoy Gorham, he bowed as he said, `As you wish, your
Majesty.'
Wendy had noticed Victor's presences long before but she could not approach him to ask who
he was or what he wanted because; first, she was too shy to do that and second, she had been told not
