Forbidden Tomes

Writers: Corrin, Yvonne
Date Posted: 27th April 2025

Characters: Q'helias, Halia, Sanvi
Description: Sanvi and Halia twist Qelhelias’ arm in order to get their hands on the dirtiest book in the Weyr…
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 18 of Turn 12
Notes: Follows "A Toe-Curling Read"
Mentioned: Saibra, L'val, I'serin, R'enh, T'gyrlan and T'mhas (None by name, lol)

Q'helias

Qelhelias, looking sharp in a tailored tunic of Harper blue, led Halia and Sanvi through the door to the lending library just off the weyr’s main archives. It smelled of hide and paper and lost time. Though small, the collection was neatly ordered and meticulously maintained. “I don’t know why you need me,” he was saying. “If you want romance, there’s a fine selection right there.” He gestured eloquently to the back wall where the weyr’s most popular section was housed on tall shelves, the many tomes clearly well-worn and oft-read.

“Because we don’t want _romance_, ‘Helias,” said Halia with a shameless laugh. “We want _smut_. The dirtier, the better.”

“This _is_ a weyr,” he pointed out dryly. “Those tomes are plenty smutty. There’s usually a shirt or a skirt coming off in the first few pages.”

"No, we need something really, _really_ dirty," Sanvi said. "Maybe with pictures?"

“I specialized in legal disputes, you know. Not smut peddling,” Qelhelias sighed, but a twitch of his lips betrayed his amusement. “Why do you need… how did you phrase it earlier? "The most horrifically explicit book in the Weyr”?”

"Reasons." Sanvi batted her eyelashes. "Isn't that what all the greenrider girls are supposed to be preparing for? I want to study up before we do that 'greens and blues' class with the Weyrlingmasters. Don't you want me to get a good grade?"

“Oh, you want it for _study_,” Qelhelias echoed, playing along for all of a heartbeat. “That’s what all the boys say when they come in here looking for some entertainment for the evening.”

Halia rolled her eyes. “Well is that so bad, ‘Helias? So what if we want some entertainment. We’ve been cooped up with the same thirty odd people for months. We have chores and a curfew and little babies that get fretful if we go too far. Let us have _something_ fun!”

“Fine, fine,” said Qelhelias, putting up his hands in surrender. “There’s a small collection of books that were pulled from the shelves or confiscated from people. They’re either too graphic or somehow historically noteworthy and earmarked to be sent back to the Hall. I’ll get them for you-- You can take _one_. And you treat it like a rare manuscript. No bandying it about in the dining hall or anything-- and for Faranth’s sake, keep it away from any children, alright?”

“Alright!”

Qelhelias gave them both one last warning look--equal parts Harper and man-who-suspects-this-is-a-terrible-idea--and then turned on his heel with a theatrical sigh. “Wait here.”

---

It didn’t take Qelhelias long. He returned from the depths of the archive carrying a small, weathered wooden crate which he put down carefully on a table. “I’ll give you a quarter candlemark to pick one while I go watch the door. If anyone tries to come in I’ll head them off so they don’t see the two of you acting like a pack of felines with a fish.”

He hurried off before they could object or bargain and Halia eagerly pried open the crate. “What do we have here…”

Sanvi's eyes widened as she looked over Halia's shoulder. The book was illustrated with crude print blocks, and the page that Halia had opened had two women with breasts larger than their heads and a very well endowed man holding-- "Is that a finger root!?"

“Oh, Faranth it is!” Halia said with a choked laugh. She flipped quickly to the next page where the finger root was creatively put to use. “...If we go with this book, we should definitely give it to her with a finger root. A large one.”

A few stupefying pages later Halia let out a low whistle. “Well. It’s not your ten men and one women, but it is _four_.”

"Gimmie that." Sanvi stuffed the book beneath her shirt with a wink. "Let's see what else there is. Ooo..." She plucked the next book from the pile and flipped it open. This one did not have pictures, but her eyebrows fled toward her hairline as she read the first few sentences at the top of a page. "Oh no. Oh _no_."

Halia leaned over her shoulder, eager to see what provoked such a response. It took her a second of scanning, but she gasped as the words clicked into place. "_Vaibra_ of gold Ghioneth? Oh, _no_."

Sanvi covered her mouth to keep from laughing as she handed the book to Halia like it was hot. "I can't believe someone wrote this!"

Halia's grin was downright wicked as she found the synopsis page and began reading in a hushed whisper, "With her queen due to rise, Vaibra of Dragonsfeck Weyr finds herself caught up in a game of passion she didn’t start-- but isn’t quite ready to end. Five bronzeriders. One gold. And a Weyrwoman whose body might betray her before her dragon ever does."

"Oh, _Sanvi_!" she breathed, torn between horror and delight. "I guess we know why this isn't out on the shelves."

"We are _definitely_ keeping that. That belongs in the Weyr its about!" Sanvi glanced toward the door. "Think we can sneak two past Qelhelias?"

"We have to try. They're both too good to pass up." Halia flipped through the book a bit more, sniggering over a few choices tidbits. Everything and everyone was scandalously familiar-- everything except their relationships. There was a T'val, E'serin, Z'enh, L'gyrlan and R'mhas, each taking a turn or sometimes sharing. She wanted to read it all, but that had to wait. She passed the book to Sanvi. “Stuff _this_ one under your shirt and we'll carry out the picture book. Just in case he tries to be noble about protecting the Leadership or something."

Sanvi obligingly pulled the first book from her waistband and replaced it with the second. "Lets sneak out tonight before lights out and read it out loud to each other. Shells, I can't wait for us to have our own weyrs. If we can get them both out... although I wouldn't _mind_ if Qelhelias gave me a thorough pat down..."

Halia made a face. "Much as I'd _love_ to see you and my brother get handsy, let's try to avoid that this time. We have a mission to accomplish."

After a cursory glance at the remaining books, Halia placed the lid back on the crate and dusted her hands off with a very self-satisfied smile. "I think we found the best of it. Let's go show Helias our one book," she winked. "And get out of here."

Last updated on the May 1st 2025

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Forbidden Tomes