Finally fed up with sitting and staring at paperwork, I push away from my desk and lean back, rubbing my eyes. Looking out the window to my right, I could see that it was already midday. I had barely managed to get to sleep before William had returned so early in the morning with the Perdu family to check up on Cara.

While there were no issues with the mages of the Perdu family entering the guild. Most plant magi abandon the guild after a few days as there is nothing to teach them except for how to trickle mana into some plants, care that most farmers know, and to point them to a library or book to help with plant identification. William is a different matter. had to set up some requisition orders for William to fix some torch brackets to justify a non-mage being in the guild.

It is sometimes such a troublesome matter. Have to sometimes follow the most ridiculous of royal decrees that we often have to adhere to.

I see the necessity in certain measures that must be adhered to by the guilds, in order to help set the minds of nobles and the royal family at ease when a country has a congregation of so many talented and potentially dangerous individuals in one locale.

If the guild were to have too many infractions, we’d be labeled a dark guild, forced to disband, where all mages would be absorbed into the royal army and those that would refuse would be executed along with their immediate family.

It had been a long time since such an occurrence had happened, though I was familiar with the odd dark guild rumor or two that said some were operating in the country Fresha to the far northwest. It’s always a difficult matter when we have a royal requisition made to the guild to go investigate another guild. It always creates tension between the guild branches, their guild members, and even when investigating rumors of a dark guild, one never knows if it was a result of them being decreed to disband over some small mishaps or if it was indeed a guild of criminal mages.

Looking around my office, I’m disappointed to see that it is already midday and I have only managed to get the outstanding work from yesterday back down to what it was the night before. It always seems as though the sun is never in the sky for as long as one would like.

*knock, knock, knock*

I hear a quick rap at the door and see that Patrick boy from the day before enters at my request.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you again guild master.” I raise my hand to stop him from continuing.

“Patrick is it? There’s no need to apologize. I take it, a senior mage has given you a message to deliver?”

“Yes! Sir! It seems that I’m always the closest mage available for requests. As for my message; mage Larse would like you to come to the healers' hall immediately as Cara has been awake for a bit and mage Larse needs your help... As mage Flow is being ‘unruly’ and ‘disruptive’ with his questioning of Cara.” Patrick does a quick bow and rushes to say, heavily using his hands to show that it was mage Larse’s choice of words and not his own. Probably in fear of offending Jeremiah

I give Patrick a quick nod of my acknowledgment that his message had been delivered and that he could leave as I start to make my way around my desk and out of my office to go stop Jeremiah. I know he could be a bit short-tempered and I can imagine that he would not be too opposed from fully interrogating the girl.

I cannot find the Perdus or William in the main hall, which probably means that they went ahead to the healers' hall to add oil to a testy fire mage.

Rushing to the healer’s hall, I’m gripping about how if only Melanie had a better idea about how soon Cara would come out of the coma, we’d have avoided this debacle. Melanie had not known if the girl would come out of her coma in the next ten-day or if she would even awaken sometime during this season. This is such a precarious and difficult situation. I do not need Jeremiah to do anything that could reflect poorly on the guild at this time.

[Wind’s Grace]

I cast my own personal flavor of body enhancement magic to quickly make it down the four northern corridors and head to the healers' hall. As I’m traversing the final corridor, my eye starts to twitch as we can hear Jeremiah echoing through the corridor.

“THAT IS NOT ENOUGH, TELL ME HOW YOU FORMED THE RUNES IN BLOOD! WHERE DID YOU LEARN IT FROM! STOP LOOKING AT YOUR HANDS AND LOOK ME IN THE EYE! WHO TAUGHT YOU!”

Great... he’s already on a rampage. I cursed at myself for not making it down sooner, or at least for not having Jeremiah on a tighter leash.

Pushing both the double doors into the healers' hall, I am mortified and ashamed at what I smell.

I can smell burnt cloth before my eyes even manage to focus in the bright room. Focusing, I can see Jeremiah holding a frightened but awake Cara by the upper arm. She’s transfixed on a wall away from Jeremiah. That’s always a blunder, to not keep your eyes on an angry fire mage.

Following her gaze, I can see some burnt cloth partitions, and on the wall was an unconscious William, with Melanie and Adam Perdu kneeling beside him to protect him. Further down the wall, I can see Vicky Perdu, holding and cradling her struggling daughter. I recall that the entire Perdu family are all plant affinity mages and would not be of any use defending against a random farmer, much less a skilled fire mage like Jeremiah. I quickly glide over to where Jeremiah is.

“That’s enough Jeremiah! Let go of her this instant. Melanie, tell me what’s going on. JEREMIAH! NOW!”

I came up beside him, placing my hand firmly on his shoulder. I quickly put together a trickle of mana into a [Searing Hands] spell and while slowly increasing the temperature on Jeremiah’s shoulder, I am essentially giving him a countdown before I lose my patience with him. He knows that I am serious and that he is to back down before I start burning through his clothes and skin.

He hesitates briefly though complies with my wishes.

After he releases Cara, she quickly jumps out of the bed to go join Adam and Melanie at her father’s side.

Melanie is examining the unconscious William, checking his eyes, and feeling the back of his head. Cara’s on the verge of tears and hyperventilating.

“Don’t worry deary, he’ll be fine in just a moment. Adam, could you please go over to the cabinet there and grab a stick of vilefeather grass?” Melanie assures the girl while pointing to a white cabinet on the wall past Vicky and her daughter, who is now getting up to join William and Cara.

Melanie, after setting things in motion, turns to address my initial question, where I am waiting patiently with Jeremiah essentially under my thumb as my hand is still on his shoulder, but I’ve dissipated the spell. I can feel tense up a bit, probably out of guilt and the mess he most certainly started.

“I’m terribly sorry about everything guild master. Mage Flow was here, checking up on Cara’s condition when she actually managed to rouse. I would have never expected her to come out of her coma so soon. Once she was awake, mage Flow began to question her about the incident and...”

“She’s lying! She keeps saying she does not know anything. She’s lying and covering for someone!” Jeremiah interrupts, slowly becoming more agitated.

Jeremiah’s outburst seems to have cowed Melanie, as she is now looking away and towards the ground, clearly not wanting to say anything against Jeremiah.

“Melanie, tell me what happened,” I say, gesturing towards William who gave a slight moan as Adam attends to him and snaps a sprig of something below his nose.

“Well... mage Flow had begun to ask Cara questions about the events and Mr. Foregess entered and became heated at mage Flow for accusing his daughter. I don’t know what happened after that…” She gives Jeremiah a scared glance.

“I believe mage Flow defended himself, though Mr. Foregess was only trying to protect his daughter.” Melanie summed up the events, though looking at the results of the dispute, it is apparent that it was a one-sided affair with a fire mage against a non-mage, two children, and three plant mages.

Sighing and motioning Jeremiah to give me some room. I pull a stool up to the bed and motion for William to remain calm as he begins to become aware of his surroundings.

With a growl, William heaves himself to his feet with the assistance of Adam and glares daggers at Jeremiah over my shoulder. He pulls his daughter close to his side in a protective manner, though says nothing. I wait calmly until I have all of their attention before asking the questions in the correct manner that Jeremiah obviously is incapable of.

“Hello there Cara, you might recognize me from the day before, I’m the guild master for our mages guild branch and I need to know what happened yesterday. Could you please answer a few questions? To the best of your recollection of course?”

I can see William still staring intently at Jeremiah over my shoulder and can only imagine him returning it in kind. I have Cara’s attention finally and she gives a slight nod that she’d comply. Going over all the questions that I have in my head and, surmising which ones would have probably caused Jeremiah to become heated about. I decided to ask the one question that Jeremiah had most certainly avoided.

“Cara? How are you feeling? Do you know where you are and what happened to you?”

I give her a small soft smile and I can see that she is not clinging as hard to her father now as she looks around the room in contemplation.

“Um... I feel very drained and tired, but otherwise, I’m okay I think...” She finished looking around the room, a bit of a lost look on her face and I guess she did not have an answer for the other two questions.

“Okay, well you are in the guild’s healers hall, where mage Larse has been looking after you since the summoning ritual. You came very close to dying on us and you have been in her care since last night’s events.” I explain, seeing fear flicker across her face before she composes herself before she asks.

“I guess I failed my summoning ritual then? Was I hit by lightning... and dreamt the rest...?”

The latter part was more mumbling to herself, though wanting to ease into the ritual and not start off as Jeremiah had probably, I correct her.

“No my dear, you did not fail and you actually passed your summoning ritual and are now a fully qualified m-a-g-e...” Thinking of that, I look around quickly and I become a bit worried as to where her familiar disappeared to, as he does not appear to be present.

Jeremiah had probably caught on just then and I can hear him whipping around, looking for the boy. Giving Jeremiah a cautionary nod, giving him leave to find the boy.

“Go. No more mishaps Mage Flow.”. Jeremiah quickly turns and leaves the hall as I continue to address Cara and everyone present.

“Well Cara, it appears that we have misplaced your familiar at this moment... No need to worry, maybe he went to look for some food. A curious thing you managed to summon. You are a mage now and especially so as you successfully summoned a familiar, though we are not quite sure about ‘the how’...” I smile as I see in delight register in Cara’s face as her jaw drops before turning into a beaming grin from ear to ear and hugging her father, who’s now visibly less tense with Jeremiah gone.

“So I managed to summon a familiar!? Then I did not dream it?” She said with excitement.

I nod and watch as she seems so overjoyed by the matter. I had heard of what some would call the cursed Foregess bloodline and can only imagine that she’d be very happy with herself. It could not have been a very light burden to bear at such a young age.

“Cara, it would seem that your familiar went to go wander around a bit, though did you know that runes are a fairly complex means of enhancing some spells and can allow for alterations to be made to those spells?” She slowly shook her head no.

“Well, the most complex set of runes; are those that are used in the summoning circle. Could you please tell me where you learned those other runes that were used in your ritual?” A look of hesitation flits across her face as she prepares to answer.

“Sir, I’m sorry, though I have never seen runes used before and I had nothing to do with them, they appeared on their own.” She began to say, though I raise my hand to interrupt her.

“Cara, then could you tell me, if you’ve never seen runes used before, then how were they incorporated in your ritual, with your blood, and from recollection, you appeared to all the bystanders of the ritual as though you knew what you were doing.” Cara looks desperate and panicked now, glancing at the doors that Jeremiah had left through. I’d have to have a severe talk with him in regard to his behavior, as she seems to be scared now that I am bringing up the items that set Jeremiah off. I need a better idea of what transpired inside my guild. Cara began to try to answer, though she was stuttering at first.

“I-I don’t know, I d-don’t know, it was not me that did that, though it was me, b-but just my body that did it, I don’t know how to explain it... Sir...” Tears forming in her eyes. Putting my hands up in the air to hush her, I try my question again.

“Cara, Cara, please, slow down. Why don’t you start your story as to what happened from the beginning and describe what happened, in your own words.”

“Okay... Jessica and I were the last ones to arrive, as we thought that I would not succeed and it would be easiest if we were last because then we could leave right away after I was done. So... Jessica went first and she managed to summon a plant familiar, I think I overheard you call it a flayer...” I nod, so far in agreement with her story. I am a bit surprised that she picked up on that snippet of conversation from yesterday.

“So it was my turn... I went to step in the circle, and as soon as I entered, it felt heavy, I felt heavy, like I was in water, but more. It was like I was surrounded by sand and I moved when the sand moved. I remember feeling a tingle down my spine, I remember seeing my hand-cut but not knowing how or where, though I think it did not hurt. I thought that maybe someone was controlling my body with the weight of the sand and then I remember the words forming in my mind and my body saying it, though I did not, my body did, but I was stuck there… unable to do anything. It was weird that I was in my own body but did not have control... I saw the blood turn into a pair of rings and then the rings formed into runes after a woosh appeared. Some of the runes were kinda similar to the stones in the summoning circle. After that... I remember seeing a boy on the ground, the runes wrapping around us and my body is made to say the other words... Is it true? Is h-he... m-m-my fam-iliar?”

She starts to stammer and blush at those last words. Though it was indeed true that for all intents and purposes, he seemed to have been the subject of the ritual. I am not going to dig too much further after what Jeremiah had done. I can see that she’s interested in what I was going to do with this information and if I was going to ask anything else. I did not get a chance as Melanie frowned at me and turned to Cara.

“Alright, we have yet to be introduced, though my name is Melanie Larse and this is my healer’s hall. You lil' miss, are lucky to have come out of that coma and I need you back in bed for observation. I think we’ve had enough excitement and I’ll be needing to kick everyone out.” She cut William off as he began to protest.

“That means you too, I’ll keep mage Flow out of my hall and I need your daughter to be resting after yesterday’s events.”

With that, Melanie moved around William and began to herd his daughter back to bed.

Vicky and her daughter went to join Adam beside William as Melanie turned to start herding them out as well. As she’s waving everyone off towards the exit, she looks over her shoulder in my direction and then starts to usher me out of my own guild’s hall.

Cara while in bed, all of a sudden has her eye roll back up into her head and starts to convulse.

Panic breaks out as we return to her side and I assist Melanie to get Cara onto her side to hold her still. The convulsions slowly go away, being replaced with full-body tremors.

The Perdu’s are trying to hide the other girl’s line of sight from seeing her friend in this state and William is just at the foot of the bed, holding her ankles, trying to help us with the convulsions.

Melanie is frantically grabbing items with one hand at the side table. She pulls out a thick stalk of something and places it between the girl's teeth to prevent her from biting her own tongue off.

Even more great news comes not a couple of minutes later.

*B-Bang*

I hear the hall’s doors open again and I look over my shoulder to see Nicholas Strauss heading straight as an arrow towards me. The man was normally quiet in his demeanor, preferring to study and perpetually organize the library.

He is now in a dead panic, which does not mean a lot right now as he has a terrible penchant of complaining about the smallest things and exacerbating them tenfold. He is near lunacy at the moment as he makes his way to me, huffing and wheezing.

“GUILD MASTER, *wheeze*, guild master! *huh* *cough* *cough* In the library… *wheeze* And the archives! *haah* That thing! *wheeze* It’s running amok! *wheeze* Destroying! *wheeze* the archives and all the books. Please! You must put an end to this, it’s going to destroy everything! *huff* *wheeze*”

He came barreling to a stop behind me. I honestly do not want to have to deal with Nicholas, ever, and I figured that it was probably Jeremiah still in search of the familiar or another rat peeing on some books. I am running through a few scenarios that would allow me to deal with Nicholas in the fastest manner possible so that he does not end up monopolizing the majority of my day with a small complaint or demands of a group of silvers to hunt a solitary urinating rat.

“Ah! it’s hers!” he said pointing at Cara, who was currently being held down by us.

“It’s her fault, she summoned that boy! He’s destroying the archives, dozens if not hundreds of books are being destroyed. Please! you must stop him! Hurry guild master!”

While I’ve normally done my best to ignore Nicholas’ complaints or the winters due to his predisposition for exaggeration. I figured the boy might have gone searching for food or to relieve himself.

“Why not ask the two silvers that are escorting him to stop him?” I find it perplexing as to what that boy would be doing in the archives when he did not speak any known language… Maybe... Was he searching for something?

“He’s wreaking havoc alone with no escorts, otherwise I’d have demanded them to force him to cease his destruction!”

Heaving a huge sigh, I looked back at Melanie and rolled my eyes.

“Go, I will have things covered here, we could probably use the familiar’s proximity to help, or maybe he’s moved too far away, causing this.”

I release Cara who’s just having slight tremors as if she’d been exposed to the cold and back away as there is very little I can help with. Taking my leave with Nicholas, I have him lead the way to the library.

I had long tuned Nicholas’ rambling and complaints out. He’s setting an aggressive pace for us to almost jog back to the main foyer, where we would head into the lower section of the library that was just south of the main foyer.

It had been a while since I had been in the main library and archives as I maintained a small library of my own in my office. The books that I’d have people grab for me never seemed to make their way back down here, unfortunately.

Once we entered the library, I took a cursory look around and could see no evidence of the library being in such disarray that it would warrant my attention. However, Nicholas leads us to the far back corner where the door to a spiral staircase leads up to either of the two upper floors of the library.

I quite enjoyed it here, there was a lot more room than in my office and there always seemed to be a certain quiet that would allow one to study and learn in earnest here. I look back at the rows of shelving units on the main floor and gaze absently up at the second and third floors where you could see more and more volumes with sliding rails along the walls to allow mages access to a plethora of learning material.

Scanning the second and third floors, I cannot see the familiar anywhere, it’s quiet, as it ought to be in this place of learning. I guess Jeremiah would have found the familiar more easily if he was in plain sight. I supposed that he must be in a corner somewhere hiding.

As we enter into the circular stairway and I’m instantly disconcerted when Nicholas does not make his way up to the second or third floor, but actually starts to descend towards the old archives.

No, no, no, no. All of our old and most rare texts were in the old archives and thus, young mages were not allowed access to even peruse those tomes. Many are historical in nature, where there is a lot that can be gleaned from past fights between mages, wars, or how groups were routed by magic beasts. I’m horrified at the thought of how much damage the boy could do to some of our rare and unique tomes that could never be replaced. I should set up a water mage requisition to make some copies and perhaps set up a trade or safekeeping agreement with other branches. I would also have to find out from Nicholas as to how the boy actually gained entrance down here.

As we make our way down, I can see that the main metal portcullis is open and no longer bars the room which is already well lit with all the torches.

Nicholas had probably come down or had noticed their light from the stairs and perhaps did not close the door or had been unable to communicate to the familiar that he had entered a restricted section. I would have to find the two silvers that I had left as escorts and find out why they had left their charge.

My pace quickens with Nicholas at my side. We make our way across the back wall, towards the center of the middle aisle of the room that is not blocked by shelves holding centuries of stories and knowledge.

It’s a tight squeeze, shoulder to shoulder, between the wall and one of the many rows of bookshelves. Once we reached the end of the current row and round it towards the center aisle towards the center of the entire room, there ought to be a small communal reading area.

I come to a dead stop in my tracks. Further down the center, only ten or so rows of bookshelves away, at one of the reading tables sits the familiar. He’s at one of the benches, facing away from the table, and simply lounging back against it with his elbows propped behind him on the table.

There, he’s sitting... Staring... Up at the ceiling.

Nicholas is in the process of losing it. Gesticulating and beckoning me to do something to stop him. Though I was far too riveted in watching what he is doing.

Slowly. I approach him. Careful, to not disturb what is happening. He makes no show of paying any attention to us. I’m having problems understanding what or how he is doing it. Though above him, are dozens of books, suspended in mid-air, forming a slight dome. Suspended in the same fashion the blood runes had been.

The books are all open and pages are being flipped at what seems like various different speeds for each book. I watch. Amazed as one book that turns its last page, then closes and simply floats to the side where it is deposited on another stack of books that are on the ground. Highly reminiscent of the system I have going in my office.

The hole in the dome of books is being replaced by another book from a shelf fifteen feet away. I understand now that Nicholas was right, that the boy was going through dozens if not hundreds of books by the looks of some of the piles on the ground.

There are two book piles that are almost as high as the ceiling is tall and there are smaller towers of books everywhere within twenty-five feet of the familiar. Looking a little closer I can see a small procession of books leaving various aisles and approaching the epicenter.

There can be no way that he is reading them. Possibly searching for maps or pictures? However, to use magic to this extent for something like this would have to be astronomically wasteful.

Looking at the suspended books, I find myself, while being so close, still perplexed as to how they are being kept afloat. It’s too similar to the summoning ritual, where Cara had had the blood runes formed and suspended in the air. Did it mean that the familiar, himself, was a mage and capable of his own magic and not simply a tool to refine his master’s arts?

I’m literally speechless as I watch. If I had something to write with I would have been tempted to try a modification of the earlier [Wind Sol-Sensi] and perhaps drop Sol and add another to rune to pair with Sensi to figure out what might be driving the movements.

I clear my throat but do not know what to say to the boy that cannot speak anything understandable. After clearing my throat, all the pages slowly stop being flipped from their various rapid paces. The books all close in midair simultaneously and slowly and gently come to rest onto various piles.

Astonished, I turn to the boy. He has just closed his eyes before sitting up and then opens them as he looks over to me, cocking his head to a side.

With all the books flitting through the air in their theatrics, I missed his eyes. They are glowing with their own light like a predator’s in a torch’s light in the darkest winter’s night. Or perhaps as if there are tiny blue flames behind them, slowly dimming as he continues to watch me.

“Wow... that is certainly an interesting trick... Cara... the girl that summoned you... She’s awake upstairs.” I feel ridiculous. Trying to use my hands to sign waking up and to beckon him towards me.

Had he honestly been reading the books? Was he searching for something in particular or was he simply looking at the pictures that were contained in some of the historical texts and bestiaries?

He does not respond to anything except for me pointing upstairs. At that, he seemed to understand and stood up. Looking around him, he goes over to one of the piles and grabs a fairly large tome and places it in both hands as he brings it back to me.

Showing me the book before gesturing upstairs. I guess I had done a poor job at conveying us to go back upstairs and perhaps he did not understand that his master had possibly awoken.

Looking again at the book he has in his arms, I can see that it might be one of the thicker but less precious books, part bestiary and part history of the guilds, guild masters, and adventurer parties' encounters with them. [Guild Altercations, Requisitions and Bestiary XIV - 134X]

He must have chosen one of the largest books available with pictures and maps. I saw little harm in allowing him to keep that book in particular if I can get him to return to the healer’s hall. He motions upstairs and begins to make his way towards where Nicholas and I had come from. Following behind the boy, I’m still amazed at what I had just witnessed. How do you question someone who does not speak? Perhaps drawings of events? I do not know how to even begin to try and form a where, how and what form of magic was it that was just used to control and float items so effortlessly in the air in pictures alone, in any intelligible fashion.

This new event is disconcerting, in that it adds another factor to the ever-growing list of questions about him and his master, Cara. Was it even possible to summon and bind another mage as a familiar? Jeremiah and I were still trying to go over and understand how another person could be made to become a familiar, or if he was simply a creature that adopted the form of a person…

*Whimper*

I hear a whimper behind me, not realizing in my musings that we passed Nicholas, who’s now looking at hundreds of books that will need to be replaced.

“I’d have him put them back, but that would possibly make it worse, I’m sorry Nicholas, I’ll bring him away and will prevent his return.”

I give him a promise that I have no intention of trying to accomplish as I escort the boy to the back corner of the room, where we ascended the circular stairway to the main floor.

I still need to find those two silvers that I had left to watch him overnight and see what they had deemed so important as to abandon the task that I had given them. This was yet another thing for me to have to discuss with Jeremiah when we meet again. There seems to be a never-ending and growing list of issues and surprises that keep happening.

We make our way back to the healer’s hall in silence, luckily avoiding Jeremiah and any spat that could potentially ensue.

Melanie turns to confront us upon entering, however, she says nothing as she sees that I’ve brought the boy back.

Looking towards our patient I can see that Cara is awake again, sitting up in bed.

“She’s up again?”

“Yes. Everything passed a little while ago as if there is no issue except for tiredness so far.”

Joining up with Melanie at the side of the bed.

“Best we should give the two of them a bit of time to acclimate to each other, as this is probably your first real meeting without anything hectic going on. Cara, dear, I’m going to go check up on our other patient, if you feel any issues just call.” Melanie says to Cara as she drags me away from the duo.

Cara is still sitting in her bed, though she is now very alert and just staring at the boy with her jaw-dropping down almost to the floor.

We approach the other patient’s bed as we still observe the two of them interact.

I am a bit curious if he would be able to actually communicate properly with his master or if there was going to be a communication barrier between the two. We watch as he goes and passes by her bed and leans against the wall by her. He slumps down to the floor with the book that he had brought and sat there quietly, looking up at his master, like a lost puppy.

Cara’s face reddens as she blushes and is clearly not doing so well as she keeps looking towards Melanie and myself, or perhaps she’s simply embarrassed with us watching from afar.

Cara attempts to break the awkward silence that has ensued for a while, in order to start a conversation with her familiar.

“Um... excuse me... Hi... My name is Cara Foregess, I’m happy to make your acquaintance properly this time... what is your name?” She asked in an unsure voice.

I find the concept of asking for his name a strange item that had not occurred to me. Most mages would end up naming their familiars, where it was never really possible to know if they had a name. Then again he was a person or a beast in human form and could possibly have a name I supposed.

He looks over at Cara before letting out a small sigh and beginning to talk.

“Ver’tesh may leek nom atamashi.”

I try to smother the soft chuckle before I let it escape, however, Malanie is not as successful and snorts as she turns away to cover it up.

It would seem that they are not going to have an easy time with the communication barriers between them.

Cara tries repeatedly, motioning towards herself and mentioning her name and offering him an opportunity to respond in kind, though he responds with various garbled sentences in his foreign tongue.

Melanie had given up watching the two and had gone to go perform some of her rounds and other duties. However, I think it is highly amusing watching the two try to communicate and have no success. Cara finally changes the topic from trying to obtain his name and motions to the book.

“What book is it that you have there?” Pointing and mimicking opening the book with her hands.

He perks up at this and stands up to hand her the book. I do my best to cover another laugh at the odd face she tries to cover after noting that it was a dry history book from four hundred cycles ago about mages guild and their interactions over a ten-cycle.

She offers him a weak smile, as she tries to hand the book back to him, though he insists that she open it.

Cautiously following his insistence, she opens the thick volume to the very beginning, where he motioned for her to look at the first page.

“Um... do you want me to read this?” she asks with dread written all over her face and all she gets as a response from him is his head tilting to the side.

He motions once again, his finger moving through the sentences and Cara looks like she’s about to cry as she caves and begins to read at his insistence. Though he stops her and I finally understand what he was trying to convey with his current signs around his mouth.

“Cara, I do not mean to intrude, though I had mentioned previously that he had wandered off. Well, we found him in the library flipping through a lot of books... a lot of books.” I chuckled at the gravity of my understatement.

“I believe he’s not asking you to read it, but rather to read it to him,” I explain, curious as to whether I have managed to understand what he was trying to insist.

Cara, trying what I pointed out, begins to read aloud from the history book, where he stops her again and motions that she points at what she is reading on the page. Trying again, Cara tries to read from the book again, though this time, following what she was reading with her finger.

With this, he finally begins to show a contented smile at possibly finally being understood and nods his head and would point at various words in the text to have her re-read them.

There was little else going on, besides Cara reading a few hundred cycles worth of old history about the guild from an archaic tome to her familiar. I take this as my cue to leave, as I have no time to relearn the history of the guilds when I have current guild affairs to attend to.

I left the healers hall, once again at a loss for many of the new developments of the day, though happy that things were improving and hopefully we’d be able to start this season on a better note, despite the two close fatalities.

Whatever was to come in the days ahead, those two would definitely be an interesting pair to watch, though they face a steep learning curve. At least they will have each other to rely on in the coming days. Or perhaps going back to do some remedial schooling! Ha ha ha! I bark out a laugh as I return back to my office in order to play catch up with my paperwork.