The Lost Treasure of Annwn by Catherine Cooper, RON, COOPER

inside.’
    Cloda laughed and tapped the top of Jack’s aching head.
    â€˜That book was as light as a feather, the only place all that information could have gone is inside your head.’
    â€˜Do I have to put the information back?’
    â€˜Goodness no, that’s yours to keep. The book will refill itself; it’ll be ready for the next visitor in no time.’
    What Cloda was telling him was difficult to understand but it would explain why she’d been able to carry the large book without any effort.
    â€˜I don’t feel like I’ve got a whole book inside my head.’
    Cloda peered into Jack’s eyes.
    â€˜I’d say you’ve got a headache; it’s a side effect of book rush. It’ll wear off soon.’
    â€˜That’s incredible,’ said Jack as he looked around. ‘Is it possible for just one person to hold all the information inside this room in their head?’
    â€˜Of course it is. I absorb every book before it’s catalogued. How else would I know which shelf to put it on? A good archivist knows what’s inside every book in their charge.’
    Jack was impressed. Her knowledge must be vast, and encompass all kinds of different subjects too. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have all that information inside your head. He’d only got the contents of one book inside his.
    â€˜How do I access the information?’
    â€˜Ah! When you need to know, you’ll just know. It would take years to read and remember everything inside a book that size. This way, you get all the information in a few seconds and it’ll stay there forever, providing you can get through the labyrinth. That’s the biggest test. Do you want the information badly enough to overcome what lies behind that door?’
    Jack swallowed hard. This was the moment he’d not been looking forward to.
    â€˜Sign in here before you go,’ said Cloda as she looked down at the pile of parchment on her desk. She lifted the quill out of the inkpot and gave it to Jack before placing a small book on the table.
    As soon as Jack touched the book, its cover opened and the pages rapidly turned until they reached the right place. Jack had never used a quill pen before. He signed his name at the top, as best he could, complete with a large blot where he’d tried to dot the i in Brenin. He watched as his signature disappeared into the page.
    â€˜My Book of Shadows does that when I write in it.’
    Cloda smiled.
    â€˜I think you’ll find there’s a lot more information in here than in your Book. Nora’s transferred as much as she could into the Book of Shadows, but there are books in here she’s never even had off the shelf yet. In future, if you can’t find the answer in your Book you can come back and use the library. Now… since you’ve got what you came for, I suggest you get going.’
    Jack turned and looked towards a small wooden door at the far end of the room.
    â€˜Thank you for your help,’ he said to Cloda as he stood.
    â€˜Goodbye Jack Brenin, I hope we meet again.’
    Cloda offered Jack her hand. It was claw like and bony and almost crushed his as he shook it. He set off reluctantly towards the door. The sooner he got through the labyrinth the better.
    Â 
    Jack stepped into a dimly lit cavern. There was light coming from many crystals of irregular shapes and sizes, growing naturally out of the reddish-orange rock. These weren’t the same as the ones from the Caves of Eternal Rest. The larger crystals were clear and sparkled while the smaller ones were a dull milky colour. As if from nowhere, a sentence popped into Jack’s head… crystal light takes many forms, not all crystals are magical, some give light, some heat, and some both. Jack held his hand in front of the nearest cluster. He could feel the gentle warmth from its glow.
    The cavern was large and airy, and Jack could see seven rounded