Book Six: Chapter 153

Kisa moved slowly toward the dais, each step measured and careful, as if the book itself might react poorly to sudden motion. The tome rested there like a silent judge, its weight and presence undeniable even before she touched it. When she leaned closer, she saw that each page was divided cleanly into three neat columns, the parchment crisp and impossibly intact despite the age this place seemed to radiate.

The first column was composed entirely of names, written in a precise, elegant hand that varied subtly from entry to entry, as though the book adjusted its script to suit each individual. The second column listed items—televisions, she realized quickly—organized by size and brand. Fifty-five inch Samsung. Sixty-five inch LG. Seventy-five inch Sony. The third column was the strangest: a combination of two letters followed by four numbers. No spaces. No punctuation. Just codes. They didn’t make any immediate sense.