His study still had a pleasant warmth to it. After leaving the box crate gently on the table he moved to the fire pit in the middle of the room and grabbed an iron poker to uncover the embers hidden in the ashes, still dancing with light. Nikoos then pced a few twigs and other kindling on top of them.

  Later he will need to package an old shipment together with a note for more volumes, to be sent back to Vantium after Ganbold receives much-deserved rest. It helped that the hawk listens only to Maker and those schors closest to him. Otherwise, the new shipments of goodies might end up drying away.

  He used the poker to crack open his delivery of securely packed books. Opening the crate always felt like opening a present from an old friend. Nikoos removed the straw and blew some chunks of it from the silk wrappings protecting the tightly bound tomes. Despite all he read and all the lectures he listened to, there was always more. More truths to be questioned and much more to learn.