Gravin wondered at the wisdom of keeping the most dangerous object the world would ever see right in plain view of anyone passing by. Then again, it was probably the safest place of all for several reasons. First and foremost, the library was a place of study of books. No one would suspect that a weapon would be found and studied here. Second, the weapon was stored in a book, so one had to know that fact to even know where to start looking. Third, this book was kept on a shelf of the Spiral, the enormous staircase whose steps led to the ancient texts in the lowest level. Who would ever think that hundreds of people would pass by it day after day, and any one of them could grab it? Finally, one had to understand how to use the window inside the book, and the number who did was small.

Yes, it actually was a genius idea to have it stored right where it was.

As Gravin passed by a few students going about their business, he casually walked by the book in question and started looking at the spines of surrounding books, his finger skimming over the titles as if he were looking for a work he didn’t already know the location of. More people passed behind him on the stairs, some up, some down. Gravin grabbed a small book here, a thick one there, the book he was really here for, then a few more.

Casual, unassuming, just as he did every day.

Finding his way to an empty study room down near the end of the Spiral, he closed the door behind him, and set the books on the table. He immediately pulled the book which housed the weapon, titled simply “Earth.”

What a strange world this Earth was; it would have been a fascinating study in and of itself, but that was not why Gravin was here. Shrugging, he turned to the forty-seventh page, and saw the window. Placing his right hand on the picture, he slowly increased the pressure until his hand reached through to the other world. Reaching blindly inside, his hand felt around for the weapon.

He assumed that in the other world his hand was inside some kind of box, but his own world had never constructed a box made of metal. The world of Earth was very advanced, of course, for the weapon he was reaching for was beyond anything his own world’s swords and shields could defend against.

Ah, there it was. He grabbed hold and gently pulled it out of the window in the book. The window shimmered once his hand and the object emerged.

He set the weapon down and began to resume his drawing of it on the forty-ninth page.

When he was finished, he would show it to the king. This “automatic pistol” would strike fear into their enemies, and make their kingdom great again.

(The word prompt today was “Study.”)

[– 31 Fantasy Characters in 31 Days –]