The Sorcerer, Part 28 - Language

I wade through a total of five different books that address Geltoech and his history. Having read The History of Sorcery and The Great Battle I already knew of his role as the face of the resistance, but I managed to find older texts as well, predating his claiming as a symbolic figure for the general sorcerer community, originating from all the way back in the West. He's always been considered a kind deity, bringing good fortune to people who deserve it by helping them chose the right paths with his futurevision. Given his background and character, it's no wonder he was so popular amongst sorcerers, who probably liked to think they were helping people out similarly with their own magical abilities.

It wasn't until the unrest 30 years ago that the non-magical populace started to view Geltoech in a negative light, although it is only in our Kingdom. Back west he still is a very popular figure and even among our other neighbours where he isn't so well known, he has maintained a neutral position within the religions.

I close the book in front of me and sigh. Sometimes I hate that I was born in this stupid backwards thinking country... Although I suppose I wouldn't be me if I hadn't. I let out another sigh.

Gil slides his hand to me instinctively, his eyes not leaving the sketch pad propped against a pile of books in front of him. I take the hand with a soft smile playing on my face and a warm contented feeling bubbling inside my chest. I bring it up to my mouth and kiss it, on the back, the palm, along the wrist.

"Oz, we're in public," he hisses at me, and I look up at him from under my lashes just to enjoy the red that tints his cheeks. "What is someone sees?"

"Don't worry about it," I say. "The only people here are the three of us and Percy, and he's seen us in much more compromising positions."

Gil gives me a mock glare, but doesn't withdraw his hand. "Still," he protests, but it's weak at best and he knows it. There's a moment of silence as he continues on the drawing before putting his coal down and speaking up again: "You find anything interesting?"

"Pretty basic stuff, mostly," I say, bringing our hands down to the table but not letting go of him just yet. "The brief history Percy gave us was pretty accurate, covering all the basic points, and I've mostly just gotten into detail about his creation myth and the really early lore. Nothing much to help us with, though, because Viper is probably using his most recent adaptation which is as the symbol of a united sorcerer resistance, or in his case an uprising. But it's so much harder to get accurate info about him 30 years ago, because something that new is hardly mentioned in the lore books and the history books are all a bunch of hateful garbage with no real insight on what exactly Geltoech stands for!"

"So you're at a dead end?" asks Alica, twiddling with the end of her quill before dipping it in the inkwell and continuing her essay.

"More like, there isn't any additional data in the books we have at our disposal here...  It's really unfair though, because Geltoech has been a pleasant deity from the beginning and now he's being used by some loony as the face for his crazy murder project! It's terribly disrespectful, not only to Geltoech himself, but also to the people who believe in him," I say, tapping my forefinger against Gil's palm. He calmly places his thumb on top of it to stop it. I take a deep breath. "I'm really worried... Who knows what this Viper guy will get up to."

"Hopefully nothing before we catch him," says Gil. "I mean, we just have to figure out who it is, and then we can tell the teachers, right? Let them handle the rest?"

"Let's just hope it's going to be that easy," I say. "I do get the feeling that things are going to escalate somewhat before we can bring justice to this madness. But let's just concentrate on one thing at a - "

"Shhh," shushes Alica suddenly. Both of us turn to look at her. "Do you hear that?"

There's a soft sound coming from somewhere, a tinkling of sorts. It's very faint, growing and fading as if it's moving around, closer and farther away from us.

"D'you think it's coming from the library?" Gil whispers. Just as he's finished a small glowing dot appears from behind the bookshelf. We stare at it as it approaches, floating in midair.

"The window was open, it must've flown it," I say.

"What is it?" Gil asks.

"A faerie of some kind, I think," Alica says. "Though I don't know what the heck it's doing here."

"Uhh, hi?" I say to the faerie. It's floating too far for me to discern exactly what it's shaped like under the glowing light, but I do notice a double pair of wings that flap with an amazing speed to keep the creature in the air.

it says.

It sounds very weird, soft and chiming and almost magical, and definitely not like any language I've ever heard.

"Does it... understand us?" Alica says, hesitant.

says the faerie.

"I think it does," say I.

"What does it want though?" says Gil, who's furiously sketching in his pad again.

the faerie says.

We all stop, because that most definitely was my name. I look over to my friends and they clearly heard it too, so I'm not hallucinating. How does a faerie know my name? Why would it know my name? I don't... understand.

"Holy shit," says Percy, who has come to see what is going on in the back. "Why is there a faerie in the library?"

"That's what we'd like to know," says Alica and then whispers: "It knew Oz's name."

"What," says Percy. The faerie flies a bit closer to him.

"Uhhh," says Percy and glances at us.


"Umm, I can, uh, I can understand her," says Percy, not looking at us. "The faerie."

"What, how?" I ask.

"I recognize the language, it's the same one that the posters were written in," he says. The faerie is floating around looking impatient, or as much as one can look that way when one is a glowing ball of light.

"She wants me to translate. She has a message for you. From the, uh..." He looks at the faerie.

she says.

"The Grand Sorceress?" Percy repeats

"Who's that?" I ask, frowning. I can't quite recall ever reading of anyone like that... Is she some kind of leader? A priestess? Or is she just so powerful that's what they call her? The faerie ignores my question though, explaining something in detail to Percy.

The faerie stops talking and Percy looks very focused for a while. Then he blows out a breath and turns to us.

"Well, basically, the Grand Sorceress is telling you that there will be a chance to change the future of magic in our Kingdom and she needs you to be ready and to not hesitate because it all rests on your shoulders. And your friends' shoulders. Also, she will be visiting? To help and to.... answer questions that you probably have. And she also told the faerie to tell you, uh, 'don't fuck it up'."

We're all quiet for a moment after Percy stops talking. The faerie seems to be bored of just flying around and lands into Percy's curly hair, making it look like his whole head is on fire.

"That's kinda... heavy," I finally break the silence. Alica snaps her fingers.

"Now I know where I'd seen the eye before!" she says, triumphant. "It was the fortune teller's eye! What the faerie just told us sounds just like the fortune she read you!"

"Could the fortune teller have been the Grand Sorceress?" Gil asks.

"Unlikely. If she were, she'd already given me her message and there'd be no need to send the faerie," I say.

"So, what are we gonna do about this?" Alica asks, leaning back in her chair and lifting her feet onto the table. Percy glares murderously at the soles of her shoes until she rolls her eyes and puts her feet back down. She does lift them back up though, but not before toeing off her shoes.

I rub my face with my hands. We're going to have to spend the rest of the day, and probably the whole night too, in here, aren't we? Alica and Gil know the answer before I open my mouth.

"Research."
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 Oh look, I'm not terribly late with this! I mean, a few hours, but still. Better than last time.

I don't know how well the font works, and if it doesn't I'll probably have to figure something else out... Although the point is that you don't understand what the faerie is saying. Also, will the faerie ever leave Percy's voluptuous curls, or will she stay there forever??? Who knows! Find out next time, on "Let's get Percy a friend!" Because that boy needs a friend.

Your topic is.... (I had one before but I forgot it, damnit....)

"Gossip" (please be gentle) 

Pie out. 

P.S. Sorry about the whole mishap with the text thing, ugh. You weren't really meant to understand what the faerie said. Now it's in images, which means that it might look super dumb unless you're reading this with your browser (cause that's what it's adjusted for). So yeah, sorry for the accidental spoilers, I had quite forgotten all the things the faerie said. And if you didn't read this before I fixed the magicspeak that's cool, all will be revealed eventually. ;d