The Phoenix Unchained Read Online Free PDF

fascinating.
    He wondered if anyone, anywhere, still knew anything at all about the High Magick.

    ON his next free afternoon, Tiercel went down to the Great Library. The Library had always been one of his favorite places in the City. First his nurse, then his tutor, had brought him here, introducing him to the wonders of a building filled with books on every subject there was.
    Though the Great Library had been rebuilt and expanded many times over the centuries, parts of it were as old as the City itself. When the “new wing” had been added a few centuries ago, it had been at about the same time the old City walls were being taken down, and several sections of the wall had been incorporated into the new wing, blending old and then-new together. Tiercel liked to go into the New Wing just to admire the brightly glazed and ornamented stones. The ancient Armethaliehans must have loved beauty above all things if they’d surrounded their city with such a highly-decorated wall.
    On most days he wandered aimlessly through the library galleries, seeing what was new and then visiting the sections that held his favorite subjects. Today, however, he didn’t dawdle. He was on a mission: research. Quickly he sought out Master Cansel.
    Master Cansel was the Chief Librarian of the Great Library, and ordinarily he would have little time for someone Tiercel’s age, but Tiercel’s persistence in seeking out books far beyond those one of his years would normally be interested in had long ago piqued Master Cansel’s interest, and the two of them, the aged scholar andthe young student, had become friends. Master Cansel often said it was a great pity that Tiercel was bound for a clerkship, for he would have made an excellent librarian, and more than once Tiercel had been tempted to agree with him.
    “I’m looking for some books on history, Master Cansel. Really ancient history. From before the Great Flowering. I’m wondering if you have—” Tiercel pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and consulted his notes “—a copy of something called A History of The City ? It’s in six volumes. It’s supposed to be from then.”
    Master Cansel looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled. “You’re interested in pre-Flowering History, Tiercel? Have you decided to study that at University?”
    “I, um, well, I’m not sure. I think so. But I thought I’d read some of it now to make sure.”
    Master Cansel smiled indulgently. “Well, we do have some, of course. There’s not much call for the books in the general collection. Let me get you a pass, and we’ll go down to the closed shelves.”

    A few minutes later, with his new pass hung securely around his neck, Tiercel accompanied Master Cansel into the Closed Collection. The rooms were completely dark.
    “This is the Old Building,” Master Cansel said, holding his lantern up high. “As you’ll note, there are no windows here. Scholars believe that in the Time of Mages, the building was kept lit by Coldfire, though no one is quite sure why anyone would waste magic in lighting a building.”
    “Armethalieh was the City of Mages,” Tiercel said.
    Cansel smiled. “I see you’ve already been doing a bit of reading. Yes, so they say. But it’s hard to imagine that Wildmages would have been so wasteful. Of course, it is certainly fortunate that theyspent so much time preserving the books. They’re in better condition than many published only decades ago.”
    Not Wildmages , Tiercel thought to himself. High Mages .
    As they entered the main room, Cansel stopped to light several lanterns that hung from brackets on the walls. As their flames grew and steadied, they provided enough light to allow Tiercel to see that the entire room was filled with books. Along one wall, directly under the lanterns, were several small desks.
    “When the scholars from the University come here to do research, of course we light more of the lamps,” Cansel said. “But this should be enough light for you