Luin had accepted the handshake with Lord Adrien, determined to make a good impression on Thea’s boss. A familiar feeling, like a spark of mana recognizing its like, began to spread from where their hands touched. Catching Luin off guard for a moment before he steeled his expression, the man had leaned down as if to whisper in Luin’s ear. Luin expected perhaps some word of caution or warning if the head librarian didn’t much care for him, or some teasing remark perhaps, but what he didn’t expect was for no words to reach his ears at all. They formed inside his mind instead.

:Here I’ve been searching the city for you and you walk right into my library like a gift.:

Time seemed to slow as the words began. Luin could see dust motes in the sunlight come to a stop mid-float. Alarm bells were ringing in Luin’s head. Luin’s heart couldn’t race in this distorted space, but a feeling of panic rose in him all the same. If this man was searching for him and considered him a “gift” to have walked in and met him like this, then was he the master of those beasts that had torn apart the space where he had slumbered and Thea’s home?

:Searching?: he asked tentatively, ready to try his best to sever the connection and get himself and Thea away from here if needed.

A feeling like a chuckle crawled across Luin’s mind. :You’re guarded. Good. But you’ll learn in time that you needn’t be so guarded with me, young one. You emerging prematurely has been quite the bother, but at least I’ve found you before that one did. You can be thankful for that. There’d be nothing left of you but a shell if he had.:

:Are…are you…like me?: Luin couldn’t think of a word for what he was. Some sort of spirit perhaps? He’d pondered the question since he’d become conscious of himself and the world around him, but he had yet to find a definitive answer.

:How simple! I have an answer for you, but that can be left for another day. For now, just know that I’m invested in keeping you out of the hands of the one who’s after you. I’d suggest you coming to reside with me, but it seems you’ve found yourself quite a nice arrangement. Not ideal, but nice.: Though Luin couldn’t see it from this close range, he knew Lord Adrien’s eyes had cut over to Thea. :I’ve had my eye on this one to have as an acolyte for a while, but it looks like you’ve beat me to it. Perhaps taking the form of a boy would have been better…but no matter. We’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted after you start attending the academy. For now, you’ll accept some direction for your searching, yes?:

Luin hesitated only a moment. His instincts were telling him he shouldn’t refuse even though logic told him that it was incredibly naïve to go along with this. Something about Lord Adrien, or whoever he really was, resonated with the most basic element of his being. The man—or whatever—wasn’t lying, and if his comments were to be pieced together, he had knowledge of who had been after him and confirmed that his attacker intended to destroy him, or something far worse. He couldn’t keep pulling Thea into harm's way with no allies. The commander was strong, but he was clueless. And even though the commander would come to learn more, there was no telling if there would be time for that. The man gripping Luin’s hand now might not look strong as strength was normally measured, but he seemed to have all the clues and information that Luin desperately needed.

Luin nodded and the strange pause in time lifted, the dust motes resuming their falling at a normal speed.

“Adrien….” Thea’s voice was filled with concern and a touch of warning, as if she thought her boss was up to something unkind. Luin felt warm at her worry. However, she seemed completely unaware of the conversation and the time distortion he’d just experienced.

Though Lord Adrien and Thea seemed to fuss with each other, it was clear to Luin that Lord Adrien respected Thea quite a bit. He didn’t know what the term “acolyte” had to do with her or himself, but the fact that the two of them seemed to work well together cemented his thoughts. If he treats her well, then I guess I have no complaints about taking him as an ally.

Luin accepted the offered help to meet the headmaster the next day, and he retrieved the recommended book without question. Now, as he half listened to Lord Adrien and Thea’s conversation about day-to-day library business, it felt as though his previous unnatural conversation with Lord Adrien might have been a figment of his imagination—if he didn’t know better. He quickly read through the forward and the first few chapters of the book, and questioned everything.

Why a book on theology?

He’d read some books on the subject already, but they focused more on teachings and philosophies more than the origins and overall practices of the temple. He flipped through the pages, having come to understand after a few minutes that the temple had been founded when the original thirteen gods removed themselves from direct connection with the physical plane, moving on to the celestial plane as the writer called it. The temple supposedly passed down knowledge that still allowed for information to be sent back and forth between the gods and humans, as well as ceremonies that supposedly renewed what tenuous connection they had to the gods via the gifts those gods bestowed or the matters they influenced. But direct involvement had ceased.

There wasn’t much to say why the gods left humans to fend for themselves with little interference, but the clergyman who wrote the book seemed to believe that it was simply time for them to stop holding the humans’ hands like children. But of course—and Luin checked the date the book was written—the author was looking at ancient events through a fairly recent lens with barely any crumbs of evidence to go on.

So what value is such a book then? He glanced up at Lord Adrien as he wondered. Sure, the book had value as a book, but as a true understanding of the subject, not so much. But it could perhaps be considered a start.

He read on with the feeling that each page took him closer to the answer. He’d gotten through half the book, when there was a soft tap on his shoulder.

Thea had bent down to tap him on the shoulder, her smile apologetic. “We’ve finished our business. I hope you weren’t too bored.”

Luin closed the book and shook his head. “The book passed the time.”

Lord Adrien held out his hand for the book, and Luin passed it to him. “Passed the time indeed. Thea wasn’t lying when she said you were quite gifted, that is if you truly understood the nearly half a book you read. What did you think about it?”

“Adrien, you shouldn’t quiz him on something he was only reading to keep from being bored,” Thea admonished. “He hasn’t even gotten enrolled in classes yet.”

Lord Adrien waved his long fingers dismissively. “I’d like to hear the lad’s answer nonetheless, but so you’re satisfied, there’s no pressure for him to answer with any level of context. I’m simply curious.”

Luin met the head librarian’s eyes straight on. “It’s okay. I have no issue answering his question. I thought the writer to be quite biased, though I’m sure he presented the information he had to the best of his ability. He is simply a modern man looking at pieces of information without proper context. His conclusions can’t possibly be correct, yet that is all there seems to be to go on. I’m unsure why you recommended this book. If your recommendations are truly reliable, then that would mean this is the best book on the subject that the library currently offers, and I would hope new findings might be published soon.”

Lord Adrien’s cold expression brightened with a slow grin. “Oho, quite the review! And quite accurate I might add. There are several scholars working on just that problem currently, but nothing further has been published to date.” He moved and replaced the book back on its shelf.

Thea looked between them. “Should I be worried that you two seem to strangely get along?” she asked before putting a hand to her mouth as if she hadn’t truly wanted to say that out loud. “Never mind. I think we’ll be going. We may save the tour of the academy until tomorrow.”

Lord Adrien nodded. “True. It has become somewhat late, and you should return to your family’s manor. Please be careful on your return trip, and be sure to get in before nightfall.”

A chill went up Luin’s spine.

Thea looked at Luin. “Did you want to look around a bit? We can visit a few places if you like and see the rest tomorrow?” It seemed she felt bad at delaying the promised tour.

Luin shook his head. “Tomorrow is fine. Let’s get back. We can get a bit of a snack from the kitchen early enough that it won’t disturb our supper.” Luin nearly sighed as he saw Thea’s face brighten at the thought of a snack. They’d both missed lunch, and though breakfast had been hearty, something to tide them over before supper would be welcome. Thea’s expressions hadn’t looked as bright as before lately, and something about that bothered Luin.

Luin spared a quick glance at Lord Adrien to find the man was looking at him with a slightly raised brow. He turned away, feeling like Lord Adrien saw through him way too well. It was uncomfortable.

“Well, then,” Lord Adrien said. “It will be a pleasure to see you back to work tomorrow, Thea, even if it will only be for a partial day. And Luin, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow as well.”

“I look forward to it as well,” Luin said. He was beginning to dislike the slight smirk on the man’s face that appeared again. Though, it was perhaps better than his expression of cold indifference.

Thea said her farewells also, cutting off Lord Adrien’s attempt at another long-winded goodbye. Luin decided the man must either like teasing them on purpose or was genuinely lonely from being surrounded by those he didn’t deem worthy of his attention. Luin wasn’t sure if he liked being counted among those Lord Adrien did deem worthy.

On the way back, Thea filled the silence of the carriage ride with chatter about her own experiences at the academy, how her parents were so proud that their children had gotten to attend due to the emperor recognizing their work. Luin nodded and smiled, more pleased that she seemed to be in a good mood than about attending the academy. The academy was more a means to an end really, but it sounded like it would be interesting, especially when she began recounting some of her parents’ stories of being sponsored children there. Even Ulla, in her invisible flight above the carriage seemed to be listening intently through her connection with Luin.

The carriage had been moving steadily, though sometimes stalling for traffic, for fifteen minutes or so, about half the time it would take to get back to the Chronwright manor, when it lurched sideways. The carriage bounced hard forward and through Thea and Luin to the side as it nearly tipped over. Luin put some of his power into his legs and pushed off against the bench in time to land between Thea and the side wall of the carriage. He managed to keep her shoulder and head from hitting the wall, but his back and ribs compressed under the impact, knocking the breath from his lungs.

After a moment of stomach clenching disorientation, where the carriage balanced on its side wheels, it finally fell back flat with another crash. The carriage fell lower than it had been originally, tilting them until they nearly were tossed the other direction, as the sound of wood splintering echoed around them.