Unexpected Findings
This is Part Twenty Three in The Meeting of Breccan & Finbar
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“Be careful not to spill any coffee on the books. They're spelled against dirt, dust and other damage, but I don't want you taking any chances,” Maris said.
We were in Maris' magical library in order to research the odd phenomena that had recently occurred. Something wasn't right, and both Maris and I insisted we try and figure out what might be causing the problems. A profound uneasiness had enveloped me ever since the attack by the three shadow creatures. Perhaps research would help alleviate that.
“Why do I have to be here?” Isabel grumbled. “It's not like you really need an extra person to help pull books off the shelf.”
“The more researchers, the better,” Maris said.
Isabel looked distinctly uncomfortable being in the library. Admittedly, the library itself was a strange thing that shouldn't be able to exist in the space of Maris' house. It was large, with a strange purple mosaic in the middle of the floor and rows of bookshelves, as well as a small research alcove, arranged around it. The second floor of the library was smaller, a sort of wraparound balcony you reached by spiral staircase. It featured the same dark wood as the rest of the house but felt even odder than the ordinary areas of Maris' magical residence.
Finbar stood next to Isabel. “She's right; it won't hurt to have an extra reader to look things up.”
“Right,” Isabel muttered. “I think I'll just share whatever book you're looking at, Finbar, if that's okay. I'm not - not great at research.”
He looked skeptical. “That's fine, then.”
If I didn't know any better, I would say Isabel's odd avoidance of research meant she didn't know how to read. In mage training, when Master Harrison had had other students, some of them would display the same reluctance to go near a book because they couldn't read it. Whatever faults my family had, they at least had decided that that much education would be worth it for me. Lacking now in magical prowess, I at least knew how to read.
“It's okay if you don't know how to read, Isabel. Some of my fellow mage students didn't know, either,” I murmured before I could stop myself.
In less than a moment, I found myself smashed against a bookshelf. A rope of shadow pinned me to it by my neck. Isabel had caught me, her glare foretelling true death. I struggled to breathe, my vision going dim, until a blast of white light knocked Isabel out of the way. Nico had saved me.
“Don't fight in my fucking library!” Maris yelled. She had trapped Isabel beneath her, a knife to the shadow woman's throat.
“Use a single shadow on me, and I'll slash you throat,” Maris growled. “Now tell me what in all the hells was that about.”
Isabel muttered, “I don't like condescension.”
“Do explain what you mean by that,” Maris said.
Despite the knife to her throat, Isabel glared at Maris. “Just because I can't read, doesn't mean I'm fucking stupid.”
“I never said you were stupid,” I protested.
“Shut up,” Isabel growled.
Finbar said, “You can't read? But you seem so intelligent.”
“Where I grew up didn't have much respect for the 'intellectual arts,'” Isabel answered. “Having a working mind meant shit when you were too damn poor to afford food because your crops wouldn't grow during a drought year.”
“I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that,” Finbar murmured. “Maris, can you get off her now?”
“Only if she promises not to try and murder Breccan for acting like himself,” she answered.
Nico looked offended. “Hey, there isn't anything wrong with Breccan.”
“I beg to differ,” Isabel growled, “but I won't kill him. Right now.”
“I guess that's all I can ask,” Maris muttered.
She released Isabel, who stood up and brushed off her clothes.
“So, can I go now?” Isabel asked.
“If you want, I suppose you can,” she said.
Finbar muttered, “I'll go with Isabel, if that's alright. It's a bit - tense in here.”
Maris shook her head. “Fine, if you insist. A distracted researcher won't help, anyway.”
After Finbar and Isabel left, we entered a section of the library dedicated to books about monsters and other similar things. We all pulled out several likely leather-bound volumes and headed to the table in the research alcove. I took a seat next to Nico, who put an arm around my shoulders. I had to admit it made me feel better, as Isabel's attack had shaken me.
While Nico's presence did feel good, it also distracted me because he couldn't help producing that particular lightning-like sensation characteristic of godly seduction. Though Nico had his arm around me, he had started reading, so he almost certainly didn't have seduction on his conscious mind.
“Are you even going to be able to concentrate, sitting like that?” Maris asked.
I mumbled, “I'll be fine.”
“I didn't ask if you would be fine, I asked if you would be able to concentrate,” she said.
“I can concentrate,” I muttered, despite not quite knowing if I could.
Maris flipped a page in her book, sighing. “If you say so.”
We scanned through book after book, finding all sorts of information on all sorts of monsters. None of it had anything to do with what we were looking for. None of it indicated anything at all about the strange and unprecedented shadow monster attacks. The most information we discovered simply indicated recent events should be impossible. Unfortunately, the impossible had decided to defy reality and come true.
Truth be told, I didn't contribute as much to the research as I might have, being too distracted by Nico. Despite my distraction, something did try to tug at the back of my mind. I couldn't figure out what it was, though. Shifting in my seat, I attempted to get the mental irritation to go away, but it wouldn't budge.
“Are you alright?” Nico asked.
I said, “I seem to remember something, but I don't know what.”
“That's not very helpful,” Maris muttered.
No, it wasn't, but that was all I could contribute at the time. I felt like I had read about something relevant before, but it wasn't anything from this library, as far as I could tell. What was I recalling? I wished my mind would figure it out.
Finally, I figured it out. “The book!”
Maris raised an eyebrow. “There are a lot of books in here.”
“Not a book in here, a book you kept outside the library, probably because it was too silly to keep in the library,” I said.
“If it was so silly, why are you thinking of it now?” she asked.
I murmured, “Just trust me on this. Let me go get it, alright?”
Maris sighed. “Fine, it's not like we're getting anything useful done.”
Nico said, “I'll come with you.”
“I guess I am the only truly useful one here,” Maris muttered under her breath.
I got up from my chair. Nico followed, releasing the arm around me but taking my hand. We exited the magical library, feeling a strange shifting in the air as we went from there to the sitting room. My breath stopped.
Isabel and Finbar were on the couch, naked and making love to one another.
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written for 500themes prompt #282 - "Darkness Becomes You"
next chapter
previous chapter
---------
“Be careful not to spill any coffee on the books. They're spelled against dirt, dust and other damage, but I don't want you taking any chances,” Maris said.
We were in Maris' magical library in order to research the odd phenomena that had recently occurred. Something wasn't right, and both Maris and I insisted we try and figure out what might be causing the problems. A profound uneasiness had enveloped me ever since the attack by the three shadow creatures. Perhaps research would help alleviate that.
“Why do I have to be here?” Isabel grumbled. “It's not like you really need an extra person to help pull books off the shelf.”
“The more researchers, the better,” Maris said.
Isabel looked distinctly uncomfortable being in the library. Admittedly, the library itself was a strange thing that shouldn't be able to exist in the space of Maris' house. It was large, with a strange purple mosaic in the middle of the floor and rows of bookshelves, as well as a small research alcove, arranged around it. The second floor of the library was smaller, a sort of wraparound balcony you reached by spiral staircase. It featured the same dark wood as the rest of the house but felt even odder than the ordinary areas of Maris' magical residence.
Finbar stood next to Isabel. “She's right; it won't hurt to have an extra reader to look things up.”
“Right,” Isabel muttered. “I think I'll just share whatever book you're looking at, Finbar, if that's okay. I'm not - not great at research.”
He looked skeptical. “That's fine, then.”
If I didn't know any better, I would say Isabel's odd avoidance of research meant she didn't know how to read. In mage training, when Master Harrison had had other students, some of them would display the same reluctance to go near a book because they couldn't read it. Whatever faults my family had, they at least had decided that that much education would be worth it for me. Lacking now in magical prowess, I at least knew how to read.
“It's okay if you don't know how to read, Isabel. Some of my fellow mage students didn't know, either,” I murmured before I could stop myself.
In less than a moment, I found myself smashed against a bookshelf. A rope of shadow pinned me to it by my neck. Isabel had caught me, her glare foretelling true death. I struggled to breathe, my vision going dim, until a blast of white light knocked Isabel out of the way. Nico had saved me.
“Don't fight in my fucking library!” Maris yelled. She had trapped Isabel beneath her, a knife to the shadow woman's throat.
“Use a single shadow on me, and I'll slash you throat,” Maris growled. “Now tell me what in all the hells was that about.”
Isabel muttered, “I don't like condescension.”
“Do explain what you mean by that,” Maris said.
Despite the knife to her throat, Isabel glared at Maris. “Just because I can't read, doesn't mean I'm fucking stupid.”
“I never said you were stupid,” I protested.
“Shut up,” Isabel growled.
Finbar said, “You can't read? But you seem so intelligent.”
“Where I grew up didn't have much respect for the 'intellectual arts,'” Isabel answered. “Having a working mind meant shit when you were too damn poor to afford food because your crops wouldn't grow during a drought year.”
“I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that,” Finbar murmured. “Maris, can you get off her now?”
“Only if she promises not to try and murder Breccan for acting like himself,” she answered.
Nico looked offended. “Hey, there isn't anything wrong with Breccan.”
“I beg to differ,” Isabel growled, “but I won't kill him. Right now.”
“I guess that's all I can ask,” Maris muttered.
She released Isabel, who stood up and brushed off her clothes.
“So, can I go now?” Isabel asked.
“If you want, I suppose you can,” she said.
Finbar muttered, “I'll go with Isabel, if that's alright. It's a bit - tense in here.”
Maris shook her head. “Fine, if you insist. A distracted researcher won't help, anyway.”
After Finbar and Isabel left, we entered a section of the library dedicated to books about monsters and other similar things. We all pulled out several likely leather-bound volumes and headed to the table in the research alcove. I took a seat next to Nico, who put an arm around my shoulders. I had to admit it made me feel better, as Isabel's attack had shaken me.
While Nico's presence did feel good, it also distracted me because he couldn't help producing that particular lightning-like sensation characteristic of godly seduction. Though Nico had his arm around me, he had started reading, so he almost certainly didn't have seduction on his conscious mind.
“Are you even going to be able to concentrate, sitting like that?” Maris asked.
I mumbled, “I'll be fine.”
“I didn't ask if you would be fine, I asked if you would be able to concentrate,” she said.
“I can concentrate,” I muttered, despite not quite knowing if I could.
Maris flipped a page in her book, sighing. “If you say so.”
We scanned through book after book, finding all sorts of information on all sorts of monsters. None of it had anything to do with what we were looking for. None of it indicated anything at all about the strange and unprecedented shadow monster attacks. The most information we discovered simply indicated recent events should be impossible. Unfortunately, the impossible had decided to defy reality and come true.
Truth be told, I didn't contribute as much to the research as I might have, being too distracted by Nico. Despite my distraction, something did try to tug at the back of my mind. I couldn't figure out what it was, though. Shifting in my seat, I attempted to get the mental irritation to go away, but it wouldn't budge.
“Are you alright?” Nico asked.
I said, “I seem to remember something, but I don't know what.”
“That's not very helpful,” Maris muttered.
No, it wasn't, but that was all I could contribute at the time. I felt like I had read about something relevant before, but it wasn't anything from this library, as far as I could tell. What was I recalling? I wished my mind would figure it out.
Finally, I figured it out. “The book!”
Maris raised an eyebrow. “There are a lot of books in here.”
“Not a book in here, a book you kept outside the library, probably because it was too silly to keep in the library,” I said.
“If it was so silly, why are you thinking of it now?” she asked.
I murmured, “Just trust me on this. Let me go get it, alright?”
Maris sighed. “Fine, it's not like we're getting anything useful done.”
Nico said, “I'll come with you.”
“I guess I am the only truly useful one here,” Maris muttered under her breath.
I got up from my chair. Nico followed, releasing the arm around me but taking my hand. We exited the magical library, feeling a strange shifting in the air as we went from there to the sitting room. My breath stopped.
Isabel and Finbar were on the couch, naked and making love to one another.
---------
written for 500themes prompt #282 - "Darkness Becomes You"
next chapter