Ain't no mountain high enough

***

CHAPTER 77:

INVADERS

Neither Mars nor I spoke on the way to the library. It was as if we were bracing ourselves for the storm of questions that would hit us as soon as we met the others. My gaze kept slipping to Mars involuntarily. Tension had seized his expression completely. As the library entrance came into view, a flash of lightning seemed to spark in his blue eyes, intensifying the panic in my heart. Together, we walked toward the door that had been our escape route from the Archive the first time.

"They're here!"

At Diego's shout, everyone turned toward us. My friends had already arrived and were no longer in their ball attire. The equipment we had stashed in Ursa's room lay at their feet, ready in their hands. Everything was going according to plan, except for one unexpected detail: Helene was there.

I didn't know what had happened, when she had changed her mind, or where Lark was. There was no chance to ask any questions because all eyes were suddenly on me. I bowed my head, trying to hide my face, but it was futile. My eyes were swollen from crying; my cheeks were still red from the cold. The marks from the cloth used to gag me were visible on my face, and my neck and wrists showed bruises.

"Olive?" Ursa asked anxiously. "What happened to you?"

I lifted my gaze from the ground and met my friends' eyes, all fixed on me. "I... had an accident," I managed to say.

"What kind of accident?"

"It's not important right now. We don't have time for this. Let's focus. Did you get the key?"

Before Diego could reply, Tarben stepped forward, visibly upset—really upset. He turned to Mars. "Not important? Where did you find Olive? Why does she look like this?"

His voice was thick with accusation. Mars looked ready to fire back, which could have led to a needless argument, but I stepped in.

"Tarben, I'm here because Mars helped me. I promise I'll explain everything later. But right now, we can't afford to lose time," I insisted, then turned to the others. "Are we ready?"

Diego pulled out the key, an old-fashioned piece of metal with an ornate head. But within seconds, it was clear this was no ordinary key. As soon as Diego turned to face the bookshelf, the shelves started to shake, books clattered against each other, and the ground trembled. The transformation was astonishing. The shelves slid sideways, taking the books with them and revealing a door in the space that had just opened up.

"Wow..." Diego said. "It actually worked." His eyes darted between the key in his hand and the impossible door in front of him.

Until now, entering the Archive had been just a wild dream. But suddenly, that dream materialized before me in three dimensions. From this point forward, there was no turning back. My stomach twisted and turned, a knot of nerves.

"Gear up, everyone," Tarben instructed.

At his command, everyone bent down. Diego grabbed a knife belt, slung it over his shoulder, and stuffed the rest of his weapons into his pockets and boots. Blue held the music set. Ursa and I carried silver spears, still unsure how to use them effectively despite all our practice. We had two swords, and the plan had been for Tarben to carry both since he was the only one trained to use them. But now that Mars had joined us, I could see Tarben wrestling with his emotions and the right course of action.

After a brief hesitation, he handed one of the swords to Mars. "Since you're here, make yourself useful," he said.

Mars managed a tense smile and kept quiet, giving a slight nod as he accepted the sword from Tarben. Without missing a beat, Tarben bent down again to pick up the ropes—our heaviest burden—intended for tying up the wolves. He slung one roll over his shoulder, and Diego grabbed another. As Mars reached for the last roll, Helene stepped forward.

"Let me take that. I can be useful, too."

The weight clearly strained her thin, tall frame, but no one said a word. Now, we were as ready for battle as we could be—to face divine monsters and claim the treasure—with nothing more than a few pieces of theater decor.

"Get ready, Blue," Tarben said from the front.

Blue moved forward and stepped behind Tarben, holding the music set up like a shield. Her finger rested on the play button. I saw Diego move like a shadow right beside her—one hand on Blue's back, the other on the hilt of one of the knives. Ursa and Helene were right behind them, in front of me. They looked as inexperienced with their weapons as I did.

"Hold it with both hands," Mars said.

When I looked up, he was behind me, eyeing my spear. As Tarben turned the knob, he closed the gap between us and raised his sword defensively. The same terrible memory that triggered his reflexes was replaying in my mind. Following his advice, I tightened my grip on the metal with my other hand and held my breath, expecting skeleton wolves to leap at us.

But there were no monsters. Not yet.

Tarben stepped onto the metal ladder, followed closely by Blue. Diego, Ursa, and Helene quickly joined in, and within seconds, we were all descending the steps. Mars was the last to go down, securing the door behind him.

"Has anyone seen the wolves?" Ursa whispered.

"No," everyone responded.

Despite the lack of sightings, Tarben wasn't taking any chances. "Blue, play the music," he instructed as he reached the middle of the stairs.

Without hesitation, Blue pressed the button. After a few seconds of the cassette spinning idly, the sound of a violin filled the Archive. The soft melody was a stark contrast to the tension I felt in my chest.

"I still don't see anything," Blue said.

We had reached the bottom step and lined up side by side. She was right; I couldn't see anything either. The Archive looked as abandoned as it had during our previous visit. Endless columns stretched before us, each covered with mailboxes filled with secrets waiting to be discovered.

"Probably there's a trigger for the wolves to appear," Mars speculated. "Last time, we had the computers running and the videotapes in."

"Maybe they won't come out at all since we entered with the key," Ursa hoped.

"Yes, that makes sense!" Blue agreed, turning to us. "After all, you guys sneaked in last time. They might think we're authorized personnel."

"Don't forget the music," Diego reminded. "Maybe they've already fallen asleep like in the fairy tales."

Everyone was clinging to these wonderful possibilities. But I looked at Mars, and his darkened gaze told me he was expecting the worst, just like I was.

"Still, be cautious," Tarben added, echoing our worries. "We don't know what triggers the wolves. They might detect from our appearance, our scent, or something else that we don't belong here."

Heeding his warning, we cautiously ventured deeper into the Archive. Mars and I took the lead, guiding our friends based on our grim memories from that terrible night. We moved carefully, scanning left and right as we navigated between the columns until we finally reached the computers and desks. Blue then set the music system down on a table.

"What now?"

"The videotapes are in the mailboxes," Mars said, though everyone already knew this from our plan.

"As we discussed," Tarben cut in, ignoring him. "We'll search the boxes in pairs. We need to distribute the weapons evenly. Ursa, you take Helene. Diego, you're with Blue. Olive, you're with me."

"But someone has to stay back," Ursa reminded everyone.

Tarben turned to Mars. "Since you're here and you're not involved with the tapes, you can stay back and make sure the music keeps playing."

Mars gave a mock salute with a smirk. "Yes, sir."

Tarben ignored him once again. "Let's go! We'll move row by row from the inside out. Whoever finds their tapes, shout."

I glanced back at Mars one last time before moving to Tarben's side. He was trying to appear relaxed, but the concern in his eyes was palpable. His hand was white from the tension of gripping the sword. I knew he detested being here, hated that we didn't listen to his warnings, and feared what might happen to us. Yet, he stood steadfast like a statue at the head of the desks.

I stepped into the first column ahead of Tarben. The next few minutes proved more exhausting and unproductive than I had anticipated. We finished checking the first three columns without finding a single familiar mailbox.

Four, five, six... We pressed on. We weren't about to give up just because we were weary, especially since we hadn't encountered any wolves yet. However, the burning in my legs soon became unbearable. I pushed myself to keep climbing, relying on the metal railing for support. Just as we descended after finishing the tenth column, a cry of joy pierced the silence of the Archive.

"Helene!" Blue shouted. "I found your tape."

What a tremendous thing hope was. This news seemed to inject life back into our weary muscles. We continued our ascent and descent with renewed vigor. Eleven, fifteen, twenty. Climb, climb, climb. Search, search, search!

But that first tape wasn't followed by another.

"Maybe not everyone is here," Tarben said finally, his voice filled with unease. I think we were around the thirtieth column or maybe thirty-five. The numbers were starting to blur together. There were still hundreds of columns and thousands of mailboxes left to check. Despite what Tarben suggested, I was almost certain there was a box and videotape for everyone in this Archive. Yet, the likelihood of finding our own tapes in a single night now seemed less realistic than at the start.

But I continued to climb. What else could I do? I was at the top of the column. Tarben grumbled a few steps behind me. If he had been closer, he would have seen me suddenly stop, my eyes widen, and my lips part as if to scream. For the first time, a familiar name was in front of me. I almost shouted in excitement. My rational mind kicked in and stopped me just in time. The box belonged to the only person who wasn't trying to find their tape.

Marsilio Bertocchi

That's what was written on the mailbox. I had found Mars's tape despite his resistance to coming here. What would he do if I handed him the videotape? Could he face the reality that had become his nightmare? In front of everyone... No, I didn't think he could. But... with the tape right there, within reach, how could I leave it behind?

I made the decision in an instant. Tarben was approaching fast, leaving me no other choice. Unseen, in the blink of an eye, I opened the box, grabbed the tape, and tucked it inside my sweater, securing it at my waistband.

"Find anything?" Tarben asked as he reached my side.

I shook my head. "Nothing here. Let's move on."

He hadn't seen the name on the box as we moved to the next one. I tried not to dwell on the knot of anxiety in my stomach as we continued up and down the steps. It wasn't long before Tarben had a stroke of luck.

"Olive," he called out excitedly, waving a tape at me. "I found Diego."

That was precisely the boost my weary legs needed. We quickened our pace for the remaining steps. However, neither behind that column nor in the next ten did we find any other surprises. When we finally regrouped with the others in the middle, I could see they were just as exhausted. At least each group had a tape in hand.

"What did you find?" Blue asked. "We've only got Pam."

"Pam?" Tarben and I echoed simultaneously.

Blue shrugged. "I couldn't pass up any information we could use against that girl."

Mars was leaning back against a table, arms crossed, watching us. Although his gaze was lowered, I caught his mischievous smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"We have Diego," Tarben said, handing the tape to its owner. Diego clearly hadn't expected this.

"Re... really?" he stammered, staring at the videotape in his trembling hands. "Thank you."

Ursa planted a wet kiss on her soulmate's cheek and then turned to me. "We also have Olive."

I stared at the tape she held out to me. The shock that had just overwhelmed Diego now paralyzed me. I barely managed to grasp the tape, unsure of what to think.

"I suggest we watch these before we head back out," Blue proposed. "We could all use a bit of rest."

Ursa had already settled into one of the chairs. "I couldn't agree more. Let's start with Pam's as a reward."

Everyone grinned. That grin froze on our faces two seconds later. All our heads snapped toward the music set at the same time. Something was wrong. The melody had started to distort, the violin sounding like it was coming from a scratched record.

"The cassette is unwinding!" Diego shouted in horror.

At his words, everyone lunged toward the music set—Mars, Blue, Diego, Ursa, Tarben. Mars was the first to reach it. He hit the stop button and tried to remove the cassette. I caught a glimpse of the black tape tangling out of the corner of my eye. But my attention, like Helene's, was fixed on something else. Something far more alarming...

"Wo... wolf!" Helene murmured.

No one else heard her, but it didn't matter. A moment later, a wolf's howl echoed through the Archive. Then, three of them leaped at us from one side.

***