Read The Library - The Complete Series for Free Online Page B

"Surely a man of your talents would be able to track a human from a distance of many miles?"
    I do not reply. Instead, I merely turn and try once again to detect the human's scent. It is simply not possible that she could have escaped from me, yet the only odors in the area would seem to come from a few scattered corpses and, a little further away, Gum's sausages as they cook on the camp-fire. It is as if the human has vanished completely.

Claire
     
    "My name is Gum," the man says as we sit next to his camp-fire. "I don't suppose you've heard of me?"
    I shake my head. There's something very unusual about this Gum character; it's as if he's carrying the weight of great age in his eyes. Sitting with a black shawl covering much of his body, he seems to have the face of an old man, while his hands appear to be very young. As he slowly turns a small sausage over the flames, he seems strangely calm. It's almost as if he expected to come across me today. Still, if he's a part of my subconscious mind - and that remains the only possible explanation for all of this - I suppose it's not that surprising if I've imbued him with a certain level of fatalism. Still, it's weird to think that this character is someone I've created in my coma-induced madness. I guess I've got a pretty warped mind.
    "I have other names," he continues, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. It's almost as if he's barely aware that I'm present; I get the feeling that he's talking mostly to himself. "When one is feared throughout a land, one tends to inspire legends, and these legends in turn tend to produce all sorts of names." He pauses for a moment, before glancing up at me. "Then again, perhaps there's a good reason why you have never heard of me. You're not from the Library, are you?"
    "No," I reply, trying hard not to smile. "Definitely, definitely not from the Library." I pause for a moment. "Though I suppose you could say that the Library might be from me."
    "Are you feared in your land?" he asks.
    "Oh yeah," I say. "Totally."
    "And how have you achieved this greatness?" He narrows his eyes a little, as if he's studying me. "Do you slaughter your enemies in public?"
    "Pretty much," I reply, figuring I might as well play along. I never knew that being in a coma could be so much fun. "The usual stuff," I continue. "Gutting them in the town square. My favorite hobby is to tie one of my enemies to a wooden board, pull out his intestines with a hook, and then let little squirrels play with the bits."
    Gum lets out a gasp of amazement, as if he's genuinely impressed by my claims. "Do the victims suffer a slow and agonizing death?"
    "Totally."
    "And do they beg for mercy?" The way he's looking at me, it's almost as if the thought of such cruelty is making him a little over-excited. His voice seems to be trembling, and he's staring wide-eyed at me from under his shawl.
    "They scream," I reply. "But do you know what I do?"
    "Tell me!" he blurts out, clearly engrossed.
    "The more they beg for mercy, the longer I make them suffer."
    He rubs his hands together with glee. "You are indeed a most creative and vicious torturer," he says after a moment. "I must try some of your methods out on the next unfortunate souls who wander across my path. But tell me, if your name is feared throughout your land, surely it is a most powerful moniker. By what name are you known?"
    "Claire," I reply, although as soon as the word is out of my mouth, I realize it doesn't sound very impressive. "Claire the Torturer," I continue, correcting myself. "And sometimes Claire the Foul."
    "Claire the Torturer," he says, as if he enjoys the feeling of the words rolling across his tongue. "Yes, I can imagine a whole world living in fear of such a creature. Tell me, did you devise the name, or did others come up with it?"
    "Others."
    "Excellent."
    "That's not all," I say, figuring I might as well have some fun in coma-land while I wait to wake up. "Do you want to see my scar?"
    "A creature such as