Chapter Text
“Uncle, you know that stuffy library is just an excuse for him to show off his museum pieces. Why do I have to go?”
“Because, Corian, you can learn a thing or two from those stuffy museum pieces,” his uncle scolded him. “I have business with Feriblan and you desperately need more study time.”
Corian and his caretaker uncle argued whenever they were to visit the city’s most esteemed library of Feriblan the Mad.
“He’s so absent of mind that he can’t even find something sat in plain sight ahead of him,” Corian argued.
His uncle continued, “Corian, you are so skilled innately, yet you cannot let that be a crutch to ignore the rightful study of wizardly magic. Spend time amongst the library. Study both its books and artifacts. You can improve your magic a hundred fold with what you can find there.” There was a pause, then under his breath, “Hopefully even learn to rein that innate magic in…”
There it is, Corian thought.
His uncle continued, “I took you in after the fire that killed your parents… After your tantrum that set the house alight…”
Corian knew this story and still felt the guilt. He couldn’t have known, he couldn’t have realized. No one had prepared him to need to control such power at such a young age, but his uncle was right, he had caused the fire.
“I put you on this path to wizardry to give you a place to focus that innate talent. Now that you’re so close to the end of your apprenticeship…” his uncle sighed. “Please, in these last three months I insist that you stick to your duties as my apprentice and continue studying. Maybe we can still coax some of that raw power into a less dangerous form. When your apprenticeship is officially over, I suppose I can have no say in what you do. But if you can’t learn to control this magic inside you… well…”
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Corian changed the subject. He still didn’t want to go and it wasn’t all about studying, “What of the elf Vortigern? Somehow as old as he is, he’s still only an apprentice. Doesn’t strike you as odd?”
“Odd? Posh! Vortigern is a good apprentice. In many ways he keeps that library together under Feriblan’s tutelage. Even if you do not like him, how will you ever climb the academic rungs of Reme if you refuse to engage in spirited academia within our social circles?”
“But, Uncle!”
“Hush now, boy. For today, I’ll have no more back talk from you. Let us be on our way to Feriblan’s Library.”
“Studying hard or hardly studying?” asked Vortigern in condescending amusement.
“Ha ha ha, Vortigern,” Corian flatly replied.
Vortigern held his arm out as a raven dropped down from a high bookcase. It was almost unnatural how such a large bird could land so softly with such minor flaps of its wings. It clicked its beak at Corian and he could feel the red eyes meeting his gaze.
“And has your Uncle still not found you a familiar for your wizarding?” Vortigern asked as he stroked the raven’s plumage. “A proper wizard needs every advantage they can take and Talon here has become indispensable. He allows me to see so much more than I could with just my eyes.”
“For those of us whose grasp of the Weave is intuitive, they aren’t necessary,” Corian argued back through gritted teeth.
Vortigern laughed to Talon, “Ah, now we see, Corian is but a simple sorcerer. Forever limited. Such a waste… but isn’t that just the way of some people?”
Talon clicked his beak seemingly to laugh in agreement.
“Come Talon, we have better things to do than to lower ourselves to the level of the masses.”
Hopping down onto the ground, Talon followed Vortigern down the hall and away from the room.
In his wake, Corian sank into a plush sofa in one of the library’s many sitting rooms. He couldn’t understand how such passive vitriol could exude so easily from someone.
“Well, at least with my uncle distracted for the next few hours talking to Feriblan, I can wait for him now in peace,” Corian muttered to himself.
Sigh. Maybe his uncle was right. Maybe he should be using this time to study, even if only to keep from being bored.
With that, Corian sat upright and examined the books on the side table next to him as his hands idly fiddled with the drawer’s clasp while he read the titles.
History of Mighty Giants at the End of Times
Magical Might in Literature
Stirges and Other Pests for the Unbeliever
Click. Suddenly, there was a quiet unlatching sound from the side of the end table. Corian lightly fumbled with the side panel as it opened to show a letter and package wrapped in silk.
“Something hidden in a secret compartment? It couldn’t be officially cataloged with the library…” he said quietly under his breath. Looking around to make sure no one was around, he took a moment to read the letter.
Just skimming the surface: My friend, I have discovered it. The secrets to eternal life– lichdom.
That was all he needed to read. He quickly folded the letter and pocketed it with the package between the layers of his cloak. Fighting the horrified look on his face, he couldn't let Vortigern notice. He quietly put the side table back as he found it and grabbed a book for cover. As he sat back down, he opened the book and forced his face into something passive. He needed to get home and examine in detail what he had uncovered. This seemed like exactly the kind of thing that his rival could never have access to.
As he looked over the top of the book, he saw a dark black raven waddle past the doorway, crowing lightly, seemingly checking in again on the visitor. Corian was sure the bird hadn’t been there a moment ago, so surely Talon hadn’t been the wiser of his deed and indeed the raven continued to waddle past.