A Cosmic Discovery Spills From a Magical Book in This Short Fantasy Story

io9 is proud to present fiction from Lightspeed Magazine. Once a month, we feature a story from Lightspeed’s current issue. This month’s selection is “Dekar Druid and the Infinite Library” by Cadwell Turnbull. Enjoy! Dekar Druid and the Infinite Library By Cadwell Turnbull Dekar Druid lives in an infinite library. Besides Ebizenum, who is in a special category of their own, he is the only living person in the library’s single tower. Outside, a forest surrounds the tower. There’s a lake a short walk to the north and a peak to the distant south. And nothing else. The lake is easy to get to, a respite on hot summer days, but Dekar Druid has never made it to the mountains, not even close, though he’s walked for miles southward, until the oppressive forest stole the breath from his lungs. He’s only tried the one time, an experience he does not intend to repeat. Truth be told, the infinite library may not be infinite. But Dekar Druid has climbed the spiral staircase up and up until, from ... Read full article.