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At the start of this current predicament, Eskel had found himself within, he could cope by using just one small chest. A harmless-looking box, something straightforward, he could hide problematic reading materials without raising any suspicions.
Eskel felt a strange requirement to keep the books close while he developed a more satisfactory long-term plan. A solution that could maintain people's safety while soothing his howling moral code at the injustice he was enacting.
Jaskier, like the free spirit he was, happened to be terrible at putting anything away like a civilized man. Well apart from his beloved lute, which he doted on like Geralt did to Roach and her needs. The room tended to have scattered like a rainbow had puked up, small piles of silk and wool discarded amongst an oasis of order.
Geralt liked that possessions had homes. Cloths, folded and placed neatly away. Weapons were organized in the racks for both witchers, leathers hung on stands for easy care, and books on shelves.
It was amicable and soothing for both men, who permanently seemed to fight the tide of discarded garments.
Eskel knew his clueless lovers, would be slow to notice the new, yet locked chest amongst the clutter that usually occupied the bedroom. Geralt dismissing it was yet more of Jaskier's hodgepodge jumble and the bard being clueless unless the chest got up and tried to eat his face off.
And it had worked like a charm for a couple of days.
Then the cat school turned the whole of the keep on its head by digging out some rather pornographic scrolls, all the gods knew where they had been, and causing an orgy of all things to happen.
Eskel had been forced to act quickly to regain a semblance of order within the keep. He'd tracked down the scrolls and was still convinced there existed more than just six of the cursed items.
He endeavoured to make them fit in his little chest, which was promptly overfilled, meaning a few had to be stacked on top.
Eskel was confronted with the knowledge he was at the point where he could not add any more scrolls or books. Much to the wolf witcher's aggravation, leaving him feeling twitchy and unsettled.
That was six days past.
Days in which Eskel maintained his inner struggle with his thoughts on the problem.
Eskel at heart was not one to withhold education from any person, he loved to see the eager look to learn in people's eyes.
Knowledge was said to be power, yes indeed it was, but in an unbiased format.
Words on paper were inert, simple lines of ink, just strokes of a pen, and on their own unable to harm. Unable to hold a sword or cook a meal, that required a mortal being, however, the application was where things got messy.
It was how the person intended to use the new wisdom they had gained where it all collapsed, a man's desires would greatly influence the results.
A good man would desire to use his newly found knowledge to better his world for the interest of others. A selfless act.
A bad man would covert what they had discovered, to the point of destroying any chance others could acquire it. They would use it only for themselves. A selfish man.
But the problem was not so black and white. Eskel as a boy, had discussed for long hours with Vesemir on this very topic. Delving deeper into the theories and what-ifs...
****
Now only six days later, Eskel was forced to use a larger chest to house his collection of confiscated books and such like.
Its size denoted it could no longer just be slid into an unassuming corner of the bedroom and just be ignored, and thus a more secure location was required.
As a boy, Eskel had used an interesting method. Plain sight.
He left things harmlessly spread out in the open, it had worked for him to obscure such items before.
One too many blankets were not as easy to spot if in a cluttered pile to one side or foot of his bed.
Or the odd text he was not meant to own, would be placed in his reading pile, or amongst the neatly shelved books.
Carrying the newly filled larger box, in his strong arms, Eskel found himself diverting along familiar hallways, towards the other room he also spent plenty of time within.
It felt silly to be praying to gods he was not sure existed or would even heed a frustrated witcher's cry for help. Yet, Eskel sent a few words skywards.
Having settled his new problem-solving chest in a corner. Nestled between his desk and chair, it would be hidden while he worked. With stacked piles of loose papers on top of the box, created the casual look Eskel was rather good at pulling off, the 'a nothing to see here' vibe, now he just needed to stop feeling so jumpy.
Perhaps his office would buy him the breathing space to form a more reasonable alternative. Eskel feared he was going to need to bring this matter to the council's awareness.
Rising from his desk, Eskel decided to leave for the library and see if he could work out this perplexing problem and annoying doubt plaguing his mind. Eskel was convinced something had occurred, leading to items becoming awry in his cherished home.
****
Kaer Morhen's rebirth had started when it became the witcher base of operations out of necessity. Its dark corridors had felt more like before the human lead sacking, that left so few wolf witchers to walk the halls.
When Geralt began to protect more lands and people, Kaer Morhen had somehow become a royal court. Needing a small army of mortals to help tend to all the daily requirements.
This meant life was slowly being breathed into the old and dusty rooms, the keep was no longer rotting beyond repair.
The library was no exception, Eskel could always count on at least a few of his brothers using it at most hours. Adepts studying, insomniacs occupying their restless minds, or those seeking companionship after night terrors. The library had always been a haven of safety.
Eskel now sought the quiet soothing of the huge room, finding himself wondering with no rhyme or reason, mind turned inwards.
Past a bookcase full of what looked like mind puzzles, he had no idea so many books had been scattered in the unsorted stacks, the bears must be rather pleased with such treasures.
Past the odd secret room open for a mere handful of days, strangely a cuss was uttered from within. The doorway was now unbarred, the council had decided on the permanent use of the space as a reading nook. As Triss had catalogued the books and removed the more worrisome reading materials, the room could be used by all freely. When no further disturbances floated out of the space, Eskel continued deeper into the great cavernous library.
This part of the library Eskel discovered, on returning from his thoughts, was older and on examination contained shelves yet to be sorted. Bestiaries had romance, prose and anatomy books scattered throughout like breadcrumbs. It made his lips twitch up into a fond smile.
Konrad had come to Eskel's office 12 days ago and asked for more help with the library project.
The young Crane complained that the unsorted stacks seemed to be growing instead of reducing in number. The library had somehow run out of space, even with using the new side room, like books were rapidly spawning themselves overnight.
Till more space was allocated and bookcases made, the trainees were forced to stop working on the whole, a few still maintained the returns and implemented the new restoration ideas.
Needing something to do with his hands, Eskel began sorting the books before him and let his mind wander.
****
More and more he was feeling like whatever had him ill at ease, was some strange kind of attack.
As a boy, he had read about such interesting battle tactics, visual effects that tricked the eye, or empty forts that looked fully manned. Lots of methods that were meant to keep the victim guessing where and how you would strike next.
*How! Just how was he going to keep all his brothers, cousins, and trainees safe? Then there were the non-fighters, humans, and Ciri, damn it everyone safe?*
Eskel sat, running all the facts through his mind once more as his hands worked.
He could not see any scheme to take over the wolf lands, past the usual greedy humans, and this situation was rather out of character for any of those factions.
No army amassing on their borders.
It appeared to be no threat to Ciri directly, she had thankfully remained untouched by whatever madness stalked his home.
Whatever forces were at work seemed to be benign and centred around or linked by reading matter. *Books are not evil.* Eskel scoffed. Cursed ones did not count.
It was only 24 days past that a hidden room full of secret mage texts was found and the strange broken box. The resulting close call had put Kaer Morhen on high alert for a few days afterwards. Eskel never heard of a resolution to what exactly had happened.
Eight days afterwards began the interesting sights in the outside testing area of the keep. Eskel was yet to get his hands on whatever the blueprints were compelling the crane's most delinquent spree of mayhem to date.
No less than a week later, the whole Manticore school managed to freak out the poor human staff, by appearing dead. All because some idiot thought a recipe book looked cool to try out. *I must remind Lambert to confirm if there are any applications for that discovery.* Eskel made a mental note.
Next on his mental list of anguish, god's preserve him, the cat debacle. Eskel paused in his sorting a moment to rub at the bridge of his nose. Just thinking back five days, to the madness of sexed-up cats running loose, still gave him a headache.
Today's problem was, the vipers nearly blew up the main alchemy lab, the mess was going to take weeks to deal with. It had been sheer luck and quick reflexes that had possibly saved them, even if they did not come out of the event unscathed. Bruised egos and an odd skin colour aside, they should count themselves blessed.
Eskel was at a complete loss.
Each of the events he had been reflecting on, on their own, were mostly harmless, funny even in some cases.
But together... That was a different set of worrying consequences.
Eskel as Geralt's right-hand wolf, had to think outside the box, to consider all angles, regardless of significance.
Some reading matter, apparently, was fast becoming problematic at best and vastly dangerous at worst.
He also had no idea how or where the stuff was coming from.
Finding that the books were as sorted as Eskel could get them and no further in sorting out his vexing problem. The night was growing long and his bed called to Eskel. He decided in the morning he could gather the blueprints, and then talk to Vesemir.