《Bookwyrm》
Bookwyrm
All books start in the same predictable ways: exposition, action sequence, or even the ¡®Hello my name is-¡® lines. All these trying to get you invested in hundreds of pages worth of text about places that don''t even exist beyond the leather bound covers. Griff wanted to read every last one of them. That is, if the world would just let him.
Instead, he was currently hunting for a book on Ancient Evoking Circles. His current Master Bisset was working on creating self-repairing clothing. Not to help those too poor to afford a new tunic, heavens no; individuals granted the Divine Blessing by the Gods were to not to squander their magic in such a way. That¡¯s what the Academy drilled into all Alchemists who crossed its threshold.
Close to the French capital, there was a research facility that only went by the moniker The Academy. On the outside citizens were told children accepted into The Academy were taught to hone their Divine Blessing to help mankind as a whole. Though most parents cared little for the official story, which many suspected to be fabricated, they children up quickly enough when gold came into play. Once the children got inside is when the true nature of The Academy showed itself. Children were ushered through a series of tests to see where they would be most useful to the Masters. If a student was deemed useful enough, they would then be assigned a Master to serve; There they would be taught what the Master wished and nothing more. Students deemed too dull to be properly taught were often used as test subjects for the Masters¡¯ experiments.
Joa was Master Bisset¡¯s current victim. She always seemed to have a faraway expression on her face. Now along with her blank expression, she had a patch of tunic fused to her cheek. Not wanting to end up like Joa, Griff racked his brain trying to remember where to find the text exploring the finer points of evoking magic. Opening up the door to the library, he took a deep breath as the scent of parchment and papers filled his nose. Compared to the firelight from the basement, the sunlight was almost blinding in the library. On still days like today, he could even see little specks of dust floating in the air.
The librarian jerked awake when Griff entered only make an annoyed noise as he peered nearsightedly down his nose at the boy. He was quite familiar with Griff¡¯s presence and knew the young man did not need his help. Ignoring the old man who had instantly returned to his nap, Griff mentally went over the layout of the shelves. Since there was a lot of overlap in the different subjects, finding exactly what you were looking for tended to be an adventure in itself. Not that Griff minded. With a small smile he allowed his fingers to tap the edges of the bookshelves as he passed. His father used to do that to him when he was younger. Finding the section that seemed most relevant he grabbed a scroll that he thought might need he unfurled it to take a peek.
Clothing weaved with specially dye threads-
¡°There he is.¡± A bored voice cut through Griff¡¯s concentration on the text. Disoriented, Griff looked around to spot the Librarian pointing at him. Standing next to the old man was Master Bisset looking furious. This was not the first time his master had to go looking for him. Before Griff had a chance to form an apology, he was dragged out of the library by his arm. The entire time Master Bisset berated everything from his intellect right down to his long unkempt brown hair that reminded him of a horse¡¯s backside. Griff didn¡¯t utter a word in his defense. He recognized the route to the High Council¡¯s chamber and knew that if his master had already decided to dismiss him that fighting it would only bring more trouble. The High Council handled all issues in The Academy personally and this would Griff¡¯s third time in front of them to be reassigned. Master and apprentice did not make it that far today though, descending the stairs from the upper lab area, they ran across one of the council members. Today the man looked more irritated than usual, and that was quite the feat.
¡°Master Bisset.¡± The council member greeted completely ignoring Griff.
¡°Councilman Gerome. I have an apprentice that does not meet the standards I have for my research.¡± Master Bisset stated flatly. The older man¡¯s eyes narrowed as he recognized Griff from his previous reassigning. Every aspect of The Academy down to assigning apprentices was brought in front of the Council. What else Griff thought was a little strange was the fact that even the kitchen staff was former apprentices. A boy would was brought in at the same time as Griff was eventually sent down to tend the gardens rather than being allowed to go back to his parent¡¯s farm.
¡°You again. Seems you haven¡¯t learned from last time.¡± The council member was referring to his last Master who saw it fit to have Griff flogged before dismissing him. It wasn¡¯t Griff¡¯s fault the literature on Damascus steel was more interesting than learning to etch symbols on swords.
¡°I have no use for him. I already have one dull apprentice, I don¡¯t need another.¡± Master Bisset complained, shoving Griff away. With that statement, the man turned on his heel, leaving Griff at the council member¡¯s mercy.
¡°I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± The man grumbled looking at Griff with disdain. ¡°Just¡go work in the library for now.¡± The man gave a half-hearted wave in that general direction, his mind clearly elsewhere.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
¡°Really?¡± Griff asked sounded far too excited considering this assignment was supposed to be a punishment. The councilman waved him away before walking off down the hallway. Not questioning it further in case the man changed his mind, Griff headed back to the library, barely able to keep himself from running.
---
The old librarian should have been happy about having a young body to send up the rickety ladders. Instead the old man was treating Griff like a long lost relative he was just saddled with.
¡°So here how this is going to work, you sort what I tell you, when I tell you-¡± The old man paused to allow Griff to nod in understanding. ¡°And then you can read whatever you want. Now go on.¡± The old man motioned to a pile of scrolls on one of the many tables. For once, Griff happily performed his duty.
+++
Nicholas Flamel watched one of the High Council members herd the newest group of apprentices down to the testing area. A rather large group this time, two girls and three boys. All from poor areas, it seemed, judging off of their torn, dirty clothing. One of the girls didn¡¯t even have shoes. After a quick bath and some new clothes, they¡¯d look just like the rest though. Nick grinned to himself, maybe one of them would be his apprentice. His excited grin grew at the thought of being a Master with his own lab with an apprentice rather than just being one. It had taken him seven long years to finally get the Council to take him seriously, but finally one of his theorems was being considered.
Just like those students, he had been equal parts excited and scared when he had first set foot in The Academy. From the outside it looked like a stately manor with large well-kept gardens that stretched all around. Magical and non-magical plants grew over the grounds except for the padlock to the south. Thinking about the now empty stalls made his heart sink. No, he reminded himself, that was a lie, there were animals in those stalls, just not the one Nick wanted.
Ever since the prince had come there had been a shift at The Academy. First, the Kirin was replaced by war horses. Just thinking about the ethereal Chinese unicorn made him even angrier they replaced it with boring horses. It had a long mane that had flowers growing from it and its horn that resembled a tree branch. Griff longed to to feel the scales growing on its back to see if they were stiff like a crocodile or soft like a snake¡¯s. Now he will never know. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice further down the hall.
¡°Monsieur Flamel,¡± Came the voice of his master behind him. Looking over his, shoulder Nicholas saw Master Pelletier descending from the upper labs. In keeping with the manor-like design, The Academy boasted three spacious floors. The topmost floor was reserved for the upper laboratories. Massive windows provided abundant natural light for the Alchemists talented enough or lucky enough to secure a lab up there. That¡¯s where Nick¡¯s master worked, the bright sunlight was ideal for working with the exacting science of apothecary. It was Nick¡¯s dream to secure a lab amongst these most prestigious of Alchemists.
Assuming his master had just returned from the dining area on the main floor and hoping that a full stomach would help his Master¡¯s mood, Nick gathered up his courage and returned the greeting, determined to get the elusive man to give feedback on his proposal.
¡°Master Pelletier,¡± He greeted nodding his head as a sign of respect. Master Pelletier kept his smile as he returned the greeting. ¡°Have you had a chance to assess my theorem?¡±
Master Pelletier¡¯s smile faded, causing Nick¡¯s heart to sink.
¡°I have.¡± The master kept walking past Nick as he headed back up towards the upper labs. ¡°As much as I admire your enthusiasm, The Academy is not looking for a new theorem to place their resources into at this time.¡±
¡°But Master, if my theory is correct it would fix that very problem. See, I theorized that dragon¡¯s stomachs-¡° Nick tried to keep pace the best he could whilst keeping a respectful distance behind his master.
¡°I know, Nicholas.¡± Nick clenched his teeth at the tone, both resigned and patronizing all at once. The two walked in tense silence until Nick noticed that Master Pelletier kept going past his door. Afraid to upset his master further however, he kept his tongue.
¡°Do you enjoy working as an apothecary?¡± Master Pelletier asked suddenly, still looking forward. Fearing his Master was displeased with him for asking for a lab of his own, Nick quickly assured Master Pelletier that he loved his work.
¡°Good. Your skills will come in handy where you¡¯ll be going.¡± Master Pelletier stated bluntly. The man stopped in front of the last door giving a loud rap with his knuckles. Before Nick could as ask any questions, the door was flung open to reveal a man roughly his own age, a rarity on this floor.
¡°Master LaMonte, this is Nicholas Flamel, Your new apothecary.¡± With that brief introduction, Master Pelletier gave the two a brisk nod before walking back towards his own lab. Sometimes he hated being right, Nick thought to himself as his heart sunk to somewhere near his boot soles, he was in trouble and this was his punishment.
***
¡°We¡¯ll have to sort out your sleeping situation.¡± The librarian croaked startling Griff from his reading.
¡°What do you mean?¡± Griff asked noticing the keys in the librarian¡¯s hand.
¡°You¡¯re under my supervision as of now, so your wellbeing is my responsibility.¡± Judging by the look on the old man¡¯s face he hated every word in that sentence. ¡°That means you¡¯ll do what I say. Now move it.¡± The old man hobbled a few steps before barking, ¡°And no books in your room!¡±
Grumbling, Griff placed the book on a nearby table to come back to the next day. Griff waited for the old man to fumble with the key to lock the huge double doors to the library in silence. Feeling uncertain, he choose to walk at much slower pace than he usually would, so as to always be just behind the crotchety old man.
¡°I have few rules, but I expect you to follow them explicitly.¡± The old man began to say leading Griff towards their next destination. ¡°First of all, I am your new Master. I am as good of an alchemist as any of your former Masters. You will be taught how to transcribe books as well as repair them, in some cases from almost nothing. No matter how you were treated by your former master all acts of sabotage will be met with instant dismissal.¡± The old man stopped walking to face Griff fully. ¡°If you can¡¯t follow these simple rules the only work you can get will be in the kitchens. Do I make myself clear?¡± Griff nodded clearly not trusting his mouth. Narrowing his eyes his new ¡®Master¡¯ seemed displeased with his new charge¡¯s attitude.
¡°Do you know what the drawback of the Gallagher Principle is?¡± They didn¡¯t even know each other¡¯s names (neither man cared to ask) and the old man was already trying to trip him up. Smiling slightly, Griff answered without missing a beat,
¡°If the original author used any unknown inks, such as gold leaf, they will be removed along with the other stains.¡± The old man blinked hard at Griff before he gave a large toothy smile.
¡°This might not be so terrible after all, you got a name?¡±
Chapter 2
Nick was trying to be professional, he really was. There were a few things working against him that were making it very difficult for him. First off, taking orders from someone his own age already was a sore spot for him. Second off, Master LaMonte had him working on the strangest things. Nick had worked on animals infected with various ailments including poisons. His new master had him trying to stop the decaying processes on already dead creatures. That assignment in itself would not be so bad if the creatures hadn¡¯t already started to decay. Finding any excuse to get away from the lab Nick found his way down to the library to return one of the scrolls on preserves. Salt seemed to be the favorite for preserving flesh but Master LaMonte wanted to stop the decaying process and possibly reverse it. Complaining internally about the futility of such a feat Nick placed the scroll on the desk of the dozing librarian.
The old man gave a snort as he woke that morphed into a glare. He glared down at the shoddily wrapped scroll on his table back up to Nick.
¡°Is it ripped?¡± The man asked.
¡°No.¡± Nick sputtered surprised by the harshness of the question.
¡°Did you get anything on it?¡± The man¡¯s eyes narrowed as if to pre-maturely scold him.
¡°I don¡¯t¡I don¡¯t think so.¡± Now Nick wasn¡¯t so sure.
¡°If that¡¯s the case put it away then.¡± The old man huffed leaning back in his chair as if to go back to sleep.
¡°Actually¡¡± Nick cleared his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t know where it goes. You I wasn¡¯t the one who-¡°
¡°GRIFF!¡± The old man hollered out startling Nick.
¡°COMING!¡± Replied back a voice belonging to a younger man. Nick could hear some rustling coming from within the library before a man just a little younger than himself appeared from around a bookshelf.
¡°Yes, Master Apricot.¡± Said the young man eagerly. Nick couldn¡¯t help but stare at the younger man¡¯s state. From his rumbled dark brown hair to his bare feet Nick couldn¡¯t help but make assumptions.
¡°Help him.¡± Was all Master Apricot said before going back to his nap. Realizing he had just been passed off to the scruffy teen Nick turned his attention to this Griff person.
¡°I need to return this.¡± Nick said awkwardly holding out the scroll for Griff to take. The teen snatched the scroll to undo the poorly tied ribbon. Nick wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do next as the teen began to read the scroll in earnest.
¡°Um¡excuse me?¡± He asked getting a glare from the teen.
¡°Yeah what?¡± Barked Griff clearly annoyed he had to stop reading.
¡°I was also wondering if you could help me find research on preserving living flesh.¡± Nick inquired trying to sound more authoritative than he felt. Not looking up from the scroll Griff wandered back behind the bookshelf he emerged from. Clicking his tongue Nick followed afterwards to give the impolite imp a good earful. Just as the teen was in reaching distance he stopped suddenly almost causing Nick to run into him.
¡°Three shelf from the top, fifth books from the left. It¡¯s a short read but it might what you are looking for.¡± Griff instructed before wandering off again. Blinking in surprise Nick looked up to where the teen had said the book was to see a thin light blue bound book. He then looked to the retreating back of the teen to see him make his way to what appeared to be some sort of nest next to a fireplace. Realizing he was taking too long Nick grabbed the book to head back to the upper labs.
Spacing out Nick entered the lab without noticing anything unusual at first. The place always smelt faintly of decay and strong herbs to the point where Nick didn¡¯t notice there was a new scent in the mix. Hugging the outskirts of the main work area Nick made his way to his work station in the back. A small table coupled with a stool was placed in the very corner of the lab away from all the other bustling usually going about.
Sitting on his stool Nick relished in the quiet in the rare quiet for a moment. The silence was short lived as the door swung open with a bang. Backing into the room was a strong man holding an end of what looked to be a board with a sheet draped over the object they were carrying. Since this was an often occurrence Nick turned his back to group to focus on his book.
¡°Nicholas! There you are. Come here.¡± Master LaMonte called out sending a trickle of dread to go down his spine. Setting down the book he slipped off his chair to investigate what his master wanted. Coming closer to the object Nick was able to make out what appeared to be a human under the sheet. Praying to the Gods above he was wrong Nick tried not to look at the object to address his master.
¡°You wanted to see me Master LaMonte?¡± Nick asked his Master¡¯s back. LaMonte was shuffling around the many tables placed strategically around a large invoking circle in the middle of the room. He¡¯d only seen it used once during his month long stay in the lab and he was futilely hoping he wouldn¡¯t be around for the next time.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
At first Nick was intrigued by the various symbols painted onto the floor. There were invoking and containing elements along with several elemental ones as well. Upon closer inspection between the invoking and containing circles tiny zodiac symbols were painted instead of words. His eagerness to see the circle in action was meet not two weeks into his stay. Like earlier two strapping men carried it a board with what appeared to be a human body on it. That time however it was clay figured shaped like a person and there wasn¡¯t a sheet covering it.
The clay figure was laid in the middle of the circle before LaMonte beckoned Nick over to observe. Feeling like a child about to receive a present Nick knelt down to get closer look at what was about to happen. LaMonte and his two other apprentices (whose names Nick never bothered to learn) gather around the circle to activate it. LaMonte instructed the other two to lend their Divine Blessing to the transmutation. Together the circle lit up with a bright red light, as Nick watched the red morphed into a purple and then to bright blue. Never before has Nick ever heard of the light changing color mid-transmutation. There have only been two very distinct colors: blue for organic matter like plants/animals and red for everything else. The confusion from the shifting colors was quickly forgotten when the light faded. Whatever they were working it had to be revolutionary!
On the surface the clay figure unchanged. Disappointed Nick looked over to the exhausted men criticizing them for being so tired after doing nothing. His internal tirade was cut short by a strange squeaking sound coming from the clay figure. Looking down he saw the figure began to twitch and move all on its own. With a grating noise the head swivel to look at Nick causing the man to give a yelp and scramble backward away from it. Hitting a desk Nick was forced to stop retreating. Now living the clay figure, no, Golem reached its hand out towards him. As if pleading for help.
Getting no help from anyone the Golem tried to pull itself up only to have its arm give under the weight of the rest of it. The Golem¡¯s head shattering brought Nick out of his terror fueled stupor. Ever since that day Nick avoided even looking at the circle if he could. Until this moment that is.
¡°Yes, I wanted to know how your research is coming along.¡± Master LaMonte shuffled around the transmutation circle looking for errors.
¡°Some progress. Most literature is on preserving food than living flesh so there are some setbacks there.¡± Nick admitted. LaMonte made an unhappy noise in the back of his throat. Ever since the Golem incident Master LaMonte¡¯s attitude had been rather cold towards Nick.
¡°Well maybe seeing what we are working towards will help encourage your efforts.¡± Not liking the vague implications of that statement Nick glanced from his Master to the covered item in the circle. Calling out LaMonte summoned his other apprentices to his side for their assistance again. ¡°Behold,¡± LaMonte pulled away the sheet to reveal what was underneath. ¡°The future of war.¡±
It took everything he had not to vomit. Nick¡¯s worst fears had come true. It was the remains of a fallen soldier that had been stitched back together. From what he could tell the soldier died from a fatal wound to where the neck connected to the shoulder. Parts of the skin had begun to take on the distinct coloration of rot. While Nick was trying not to make a fool of himself his Master began to monologue.
¡°Soon we will have an army of soldiers just like this one. A perfect fighter not bogged down by the need to eat or sleep. This is why I needed you Nicholas! With your healing capabilities we might be able to build a new warrior all together. Think of all the lives we could save together.¡± Master LaMonte was smiling as his other apprentices looked on with admiration. Nick did not share in their merriment though. When Nick says he wants to end wars this was not what he meant. If LaMonte was successful how many innocents would be caught up as these abominations marched on towards their goals?
Master LaMonte got down placing his hands on the circle. His other assistance followed suit without hesitation. Blue light flared up so bright it was almost white. Praying to the Gods in the other realm for this to fail Nick could only watch on. Too soon the light was gone leaving what Nick was hoping a still dead corpse. Several seconds went by silent as a night when the entire body seized by as if struck.
What happened after that Nick never knew. In an attempt of self-preservation his entire body moved as one to leave the area as fast as possible. Maybe someone was shouting after him or maybe it was the incoherent noise of the solider. Either way Nick took a flying leap over one of the passed out apprentices to make it to the door. He only stopped running when he found himself on the steps leading to the inside of The Academy.
***
Nick did not know how long he had been sitting on the steps to The Academy watching the townsfolk go by. A bitter breeze reminded him that even though the flowers were in full bloom winter was only a few short weeks ago. Now that he was fully calmed down the gnawing pain of hunger reminded him it was around time for mid-day meal.
Plotting out all plan Nick made his way to the great ballroom packed wall to wall with circular tables. Each table was assigned to a Master from the Upper Labs. Fearing information leaks all apprentices were required to sit with their masters during each meal time. Unless an apprentice was laying deathly ill no one was exempt from joining their peers under the watchful gaze of their master. Judging by the sounds coming from the Ballroom sized dining area Nick was already late to join his group.
Pushing open the door he was greeted by a wave of noise as the various tables were chattering amongst themselves. No one paid attention as Nick made his way towards his table. Master LaMonte didn¡¯t bothering looking up from his winter stew to acknowledge Nick¡¯s presence. The other apprentices snickered under their breaths at the site of him. After moments of being ignored Nick addressed his Master.
¡°Master LaMonte, I would like to be taken off the project.¡± Nick said. The other apprentices snorted loudly as if he just said a joke. Master LaMonte set down his spoon with an audible sigh.
¡°If this is about your childish reaction to the experiment I have decided to forgive you.¡± Master LaMonte tore off a piece of the coarse bread being served. More laughter erupted from the table causing other nearby groups to give them glaring looks.
¡°What? NO!¡± Fueled by a combination of anger and embarrassment Nick forgot all decorum. ¡°I¡¯m asking to be taken off this ungodly experiment. Who is this supposed to be helping?¡±
All around them the room went silent. Realizing this Nick looked around to see he had drawn attention to himself. His annoyance faded to panic as all members of the council were eyeing him with contempt. Master LaMonte abandoned his meal to grab Nick¡¯s arm to drag him away from the room. Barking over his shoulder he called out to his other apprentices to follow suite.
Soon as the last person was through the lab door it was locked. Master LaMonte released Nick¡¯s arm to pace around the room for a moment. He ran his fingers through his hair a few time taking deep breaths to calm himself. Fearing the wrath of Master Nick rubbed the part of his arm where he had been grabbed by. Seeing everyone standing around awkwardly Master LaMonte ordered the other apprentices to find something to clean.
¡°You.¡± LaMonte pointed at Nick in accusation. Even from half-way across the room Nick could see a vein throb in the other young man¡¯s neck. ¡°Do you have any idea what you just did?¡± Nick didn¡¯t answer, not sure how this fanatic man would do next. A few deep breathes later LaMonte noticed that the other apprentices were only pretending to tidy up around the lab.
¡°The rest of you turn in for the night.¡± LaMonte order motioning towards the door.
¡°It¡¯s only mid-day.¡± Protested the skinniest apprentice.
¡°I said out! I can have you all be stable hands for the rest of your miserable lives. Now GET OUT!¡± The others left leaving Nick still standing in the middle of the room.
¡°I know you are uncomfortable with my work. But that is no excuse to undermine me in front of the entire Academy like that!¡± Deflating a little LaMonte leaned over a nearby table. Seeing him in this state reminded Nick that they were the same age. ¡°It was hard enough to convince the Council I should be the one to head this experiment over someone older. Your little stunt just now just now is all the evidence they need to replace me.¡± LaMonte straightened up to really pick up around the lab.
¡°That was not my intention. I¡just¡wanted.¡± Nick managed to spit out. There was a knock on the lab door. Both men knew who was on the other side.
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. Looks like neither one of us are getting what we want. Let¡¯s just get this over with. Open the door.¡±
Chapter 3
True enough when LaMonte opened the lab door the High Council entered. Surprisingly none of them looked particularly disgruntled. In fact two member were hanging back to snicker among themselves. A joke, the council was treating them like a joke.
¡°Master LaMonte,¡± The Head of the Council nodded acknowledging the young man¡¯s presence. ¡°Monsieur Flamel.¡± Nick flinched internally at the amount of emphasis the man place on the ¡®Monsieur¡¯.
¡°We could not help overhearing a small disturbance coming from your group. Is there a problem?¡± The man always reminded Nick of a serpent eyeing its prey.
¡°No sir. Nicholas and I were merely having a debate on certain aspects of the experiment. It¡¯s certainly not a problem worthy enough of your time.¡± LaMonte assured his superiors. The old man gave a smirk before turning his attention to Nick.
¡°And what sort of problem would that be?¡± For the second time in less than an hour all eyes were on him again. Swallowing hard several times Nick knew there was no way of talking his way out of this. He had always been a terrible liar.
¡°I don¡¯t agree using human remains for war is helping anyone.¡± He admitted realizing how much he sounded like a child. ¡°We should be looking for ways to stop people from dying, not cause more deaths!¡± There a few seconds of silence as everyone looked at Nick like he was mad.
¡°Ever the idealist.¡± The man¡¯s smirk widened revealing several missing teeth. ¡°As admirable as a trait that may be, the reality is there are some people in this world who refuse to get along. Tell me Nicholas,¡± The man took several steps closer to Nick. He folded his leathery hands behind his back. If he was trying to look more intimidating it worked. Nick had seen that exact look in the eyes of scavenger birds waiting their turn. ¡°If not on this experiment, where would you like to be? I¡¯m sure we could get you your old position back if you like.¡±
¡°No!¡± Nick exclaimed louder than he wanted to. ¡°I mean, no, I don¡¯t want to go back to Master Pelletier.¡± He stopped himself from talking, fearing he would keep going and say too much.
¡°Of course not. After all, why work on someone else¡¯s experiment when you can work on your own?¡± The man looked at Nick¡¯s horrified expression before wandering back towards the other council members.
¡°That¡¯s not. What I mean is.¡± Nick kept stumbling over his own words trying to figure exactly how to answer that accusation. Seeing this as an opportunity Nick took a steading breath before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s true I would rather work on my own project than Master LaMonte¡¯s. Yet I don¡¯t want to do anything to sabotage his research in favor of my own. I just¡I just really really don¡¯t want to work in this lab anymore.¡± Seeing the blank stares he sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll see myself to the stables.¡±
Nick made his way towards the door to gather his things from the main floor room the lab had been assigned to. Like with the meal time tables everyone is to sleep in the same room as a unit. Even the girls. He got three steps before the Head of the Council spoke out.
¡°Bit of an overreaction.¡± Said the old man. Nick stopped short at the man¡¯s light hearted chuckle. ¡°I have an idea, if the rest of the Council is willing.¡± He glanced over at the other members who nodded in approval. ¡°Recently our royal highness called your former Master to help with an exploration of the Dark Continent. I propose we give your idea some attention-¡°
¡°YES!¡± Nick shouted earning him a group glare. Clearing his throat in embarrassment he gave a small apology.
¡°As I was saying, we have enough funding left over to fund your experiment for one year. However, we can only provide you with one apprentice.¡± Nick felt his smile fade a little.
¡°Thank you sir! I wouldn¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Nick declared. The Head of the Council held up his bony weathered hand to catch Nick¡¯s attention.
¡°I have but one condition.¡± The old man paused to make sure he had Nick¡¯s full attention. ¡°As I stated we only have a year¡¯s worth of funding. If you go past that year without any substantial findings your experiment will be declared a failure. If your experiment is declared a failure you are to return to Master LaMonte lab without a further word of protest. Do we have an understanding?¡±
Nick looked around the room for some sort of moral support on whether or not this was, in fact, a good deal. When he was met with stony looks of indifference he decided it was now or never.
¡°Yes, High Councilman we do.¡±
Nick was beginning to realize how terrible of a deal he had agreed to. His one assistant had a reputation that was turning into a running joke around The Academy. His name a Griff and he had been passed around from several labs already. Upon one speaking to one of the other members of the staff he discovered that the man who helped him in the library before would be his new assistant. From there initial meeting Nick had no idea that the Griff from the rumor was now, in fact, his Griff.
Now Griff wasn¡¯t stupid by any means. He was quite useful as a resource having read more books in the library than most of the higher ranking Masters. Beyond that however he was as useful as a broken broom. Determined to make the best of his situation he made his way towards the library where his new assistant is. Everyone has ¡®something¡¯ that drives them. Money, power, even on the occasion, food remembering how this one boy acted when he and Nick were brought to The Academy.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Judging by the glare he received from the old man sitting at the front most in the library he was told of Nick¡¯s arrival. Nick continued to make his way further into where he was assuming his new assistant would be shelving books. Listening for the sounds of someone moving around he was perturbed at the pressing silence surrounding him. No walking or the sounds of shuffling papers, just silence. Spotting a pile of bedding and assorted books he felt his stomach sink. Getting closer he noticed that in the middle of the pile closest to the fire was Griff.
¡°Found you.¡± He barked taking slight satisfaction in how startled this ¡®Griff¡¯ was. When the man rubbed the sleep from his eyes Nick started talking. ¡°My name is Nicolas Flamel, from this day forward I am you¡¯re new Master. To start, I need a book about rocks. Specifically gem stones if you know of one.¡±
Blinking the man gave a sleepy ¡®What?¡¯ as if he was still processing what was said to him.
"If I didn''t need that brain of yours I would have replaced you with a monkey by now," Nick spoke through gritted teeth down at his supposed colleague. Griff didn''t have enough energy to respond, it took everything he had to extract himself from his nest next to the fire. Covering his eyes while taking a few calming breaths Nick counted to ten in his head before asking,
"Tell me you at least found something relevant to the project."
"Um." Griff hummed trying to buy himself some time. Piled around him were books of all different topics, none of which seemed like something Nick would find useful.
"Rocks, Griff, rocks!" Nick barked his patient finally leaving him. "I needed you to research various ores and minerals so we can design a way to synthesize rare metals in the lab."
"Oh. Yeah. Right." Remembering now Griff located the book mixed in with the others he had pulled off the shelf. Nick snatched the book without a word of thanks. With furrowed brow the Alchemist flipped through the pages skimming over each passage searching for answers. "Doesn''t tell me how gemstones are made just where they are found. Griff, a bestiary, specifically one with dragons."
Griff managed to stand up to hobble over to the animal section of the library. He could tell Nick exactly what the book was going to say but Griff knew Nick wanted to read it for himself. Hoping that this was the end of it Griff lowered himself back into his nest to finish the book he started last night.
"Alright, this should do for now," Nick announced closing the book with a loud thud. "Come along Griff there is much to be done." Griff faltered for a second causing him to lose his balance to land hard on his tailbone.
"What? Why?" Griff managed to protest. Nick huffed as if to express how frustrating Griff was before explaining himself. Pulling off his shoulder bag Nick unbuckled it to place both books inside.
"You''re the only Mage the High Mages were going to let me have. My project didn''t warrant enough merit to deserve one of the other Mages in the guild so you''ll have to do." Griff had to give it to Nick; he didn''t like to mince words for anyone. "So come along now. We have a lot of work to cover." Nick ordered pulling Griff up by his arm. Griff knew he couldn''t fight it. Up until this point, none of the other Mages had pull rank like this ever before. Most wanted him as far away as possible.
¡°I already have a Master. Master Apricot.¡±
¡°Well now I¡¯m your master. You got that. And if you don¡¯t like it I can have you sent down to the stables or even the kitchens peeling potatoes for the rest of your miserable life.¡± Threatened the other teen staring down at him like a deranged man. Griff nodded not trusting his voice. ¡°Good. Grab your things, we¡¯re leaving.¡± Griff could only stare after the strange man claiming to be his master now. Not wanting to risk it Griff grabbed the issued bag filled with his Academy issued clothes he started to keep in the library. It¡¯s started out as a joke from Master Apricot about how much time Griff stayed in the spot he carved out for himself. Not looking back he followed after his new Master.
Passing by the front desk he tried to catch eyes with Master Apricot on his way out. The man¡¯s eyes were closed but Griff could tell he wasn¡¯t sleeping. Feeling put out Griff lowered his eyes he wished Master Apricot a silent good day.
Apprentices followed after their masters not sparing the two a glance. Amazing how years have gone by yet nothing really changed except the faces. Too soon the two of them were down below in the lower lab areas. Nick opened the door to the lab to see someone was already in there. The other man didn''t look like much, average build with dark black hair. He had a strange glint in his eye as if he was sizing up the world around him. When he saw Nick walk in with Griff in tow the man chuckled.
¡°I still can¡¯t believe you convinced the council to go along with your Theorem.¡± The man shook his head throwing more objects into a small crate.
¡°What¡¯s all this? You have a lab on the upper floor already.¡± Griff¡¯s master approached the other man as Griff looked around the room. Two beds stationed near the fireplace. On the opposite side of the fireplace was a work station shoved up against the wall. Bare bones basic but it is functional. Needed more books in Griff¡¯s opinion. The conversation going on turned louder as the two masters started talking louder.
"Ugh. Not this again. I swear all you and the elite care about is bloodshed." Accused Nick with a sneer. The darker haired man face turned dark.
"While you tinker away in your labs trying to figure out how Dragon stomachs work the real world is knocking at our door." The man knocked twice on the door while saying,
"Knock knock. Who''s there? Genocide!" Griff looked away. He knew there was a group out there systematically slaughtering villages making their way north, but he had no idea it was that bad. He did want to think about it, it was simply too much to think about. Choosing the left bed Griff dropped onto it with a ¡®wump''. He noticed there was a lump under the covers he had not spotted before. He stood back up to pull away the noticeable thin covers to see what it was. Nick and stranger''s bickering was interrupted by Griff screaming. Lying in the bed was the stuffed pelt of a beaver/duck looking creature. The stranger walked over to see what the big deal was to only start laughing.
"Aw did my little friend frighten you?" The stranger teased.
"Alright, as you can see we still have a lot of prep work to do and we don''t need your insults to nature cluttering our workspace." Nick walked past everyone to grab the stuffed creature. With a harder than necessary shove, Nick handed the creature to the strange also pushing him towards the door.
"Actually this creature is naturally found in the newly discovered lands near-" The last words from the stranger were cut off by Nick slamming the door.
"How can anyone be so annoying?" Nick laughed trying to lighten the mood. When Griff didn''t as much as smile back Nick walked over to the bed. "I can take this bed if you like." When Griff still refused to talk from embarrassment Nick took a deep breath through his nose.
"Look, I know this isn''t ideal for either of us. However, if you help me prove my theorem I will make you my permanent assistant and-"Nick made sure Griff was making full eye contact now. "You will never have to leave the library ever again." With a puzzled look, Griff asked, "Can you do that?"
"When you are top tier working in the upper labs you can do whatever you want," Nick assured Griff with a smile. Griff searched Nick''s face for any sign of lying but not having too much experience dealing with other people he chose to trust the man.
¡°Fine,¡± He sighed. When it came down to it, he really didn¡¯t have much choice.
¡°Excellent. I¡¯ll make up the list of supplies I need from storage and you¡¯ll go get them. Meanwhile, I will go down to market to pick up our supplies.¡± Nick was jotting down a list for Griff on a scrap piece of paper. ¡°If we are quick we can all this done before dinner tonight.¡± Griff gave a hum of acknowledgment that Nick didn¡¯t hear.
Chapter 4
Griff couldn¡¯t sleep. He was so exhausted from moving all that equipment from storage all the way to the lab he should have just passed out. Instead, Griff felt restless, like something key was missing that would allow his brain to rest. In the bed that had the stuffed creature previously in it was Nick, dead to the world. Turning to where his back was to his boss Griff was now trying to make out the objects on the workstation. Still unable to get comfortable Griff got out of bed to walk around for a second.
Normally the library closing for the night would not have bothered Griff since he was locked inside with all his books. Looking for the various supplies Nick had brought in Griff tried to remember when was the last time he slept outside the library.
The table was worn with various burns and scratches all alone the surface. Picking through the sealed jars of herbs it was difficult to identify them in the low light. Picking at the thinner portion of sealing wax on a jar containing what looked like dried beans he noticed some of the deeper scratches on the table. With his free hand he ran three fingers along a set of deep parallel scratches running off the edge of the table. Trying not to remember the creature from earlier he moved further alone the table. Sitting in the middle of the table pushed near the back wall was a leather wrapped parcel. The leather was well-oiled but the fluid inside still oozed out between the stitches. Several hours ago he stopped smelling whatever it was but the sight of the foul liquid still made his lip curl.
Quills, ink wells, and rolls of vellum where piled ready for use. Reaching the end of the table were the books they picked up earlier that day. Grumbling he already read these particular ones already, he wanted something new. There was a much thinner unmarked one leaning up against the stack. Thrilled for something to read he grabbed it without a second thought. Padding back quietly to his bed Griff made himself comfortable.
In the gently burning flames from the enchanted fire created a warm soft orange light to read by. When he saw the carefully penned words neatly written Griff knew the writer wanted the reader to clearly understand what was written. Messy handwriting should be punishable by flogging in Griff¡¯s opinion.
A few pages in he realized this was not a book like he originally thought, it was Nick¡¯s research notes. Flipping through several more pages without really reading them he grew a little annoyed. There was no coherency what so ever. Nick¡¯s drawings could only be described as ¡®sad¡¯. Just when he was about to put the journal back he found something interesting.
The words, ¡®The Hall of Records¡¯ where written in bigger letters than the rest of the text. Thrilled to finally find something of substance he began to read about a library hidden in the vast desert.
¡°Glad to see you are taking the work seriously,¡± Nick said causing Griff to jerk awake. Trying to remember why he was in the cold lower labs Griff looked up at Nick.
¡°What?¡±
Nick pointed to the book Griff had slept with stating, ¡°Those are my notes. If I knew you were that interested I would have let you read them sooner.¡± Not looking into Nick¡¯s eyes I handed back the journal to Nick.
¡°Right,¡± Griff muttered. Nick was already across the room flipping to the pages he wanted. A heavy silence fell over them. Feel like he didn¡¯t really needed to be here Griff wandered over to where Nick was to see if there was anything he could help with.
¡°What was all that stuff about a library where everything ever was written was kept?¡± Griff shuffled over to the workstation where Nick had actually brought food to eat. Grabbing both their food Nick indicated for Griff to follow him to sit back down on their beds to eat.
¡°Don¡¯t want to get your food mixed up in the experiment do you?¡± Nick asked rhetorically before taking a big bite out of some oatmeal.
¡°I guess no. But what about the library?¡± When Nick gave him a blank look he added, ¡°You know the one you wrote about in your journal.¡±
¡°Oh, you mean the Hall of Records. According to the locals near the great pyramids down south, there is a roaming sphinx in the desert that guards the entrance.¡± Nick waved his left hand trying to act mysterious. Griff gave a genuine chuckle that Nick took as a sign to keep talking. ¡°The locals say you have to solve a riddle to prove your worthiness and if you fail the beast will gobble you up in one bite.¡± Nick gnashed his teeth to emphasize the word ¡®bite¡¯. When Griff laughed Nick positively beamed.
¡°That¡¯s incredible. More books and scrolls to last a hundred life times. That sounds just like heaven.¡± Griff drifted off for a second to imagine what a library that big would even look like on the inside.
¡°Alright let¡¯s get to work on that Dragon¡¯s stomach.¡± Nick clapped his hands together eager to get started. Breaking out of his daydream Griff wondered if he heard his Master correctly.
¡°Dragon stomach?¡± He thought he remembered the Alchemist from yesterday mention dragon¡¯s stomachs.
¡°Right. I guess I never did tell you what we are doing did I?¡± Nick slipped on some gloves indicating for Griff to put on a pair himself. Untying the leaking bag Griff was hit with a much stronger smell than what was leaking before. While Griff tried to keep down breakfast Nick was already pulling the organ from the wrapping.
¡°Eugh. What could you possibly want to do with one of these? I thought you said you¡¯re not interested in making weapons.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. I have no intentions of making weapons. No I¡¯m trying to make something that will actually get results without the pointless bloodshed.¡± Nick gave a big smile. Griff glanced over to the dragon¡¯s stomach now dropping on the floor.
¡°How?¡±
Nick¡¯s smile slid off his face at Griff¡¯s tone. Not breaking eye contact Nick reached over into his bag to pull out a sheathed knife. All Griff could do is stare as the blade was unsheathed. Nick broke eye contact to pull the dragon stomach closer so he could cut a rough hole in the top portion.
Even though Nick was wearing the thick gloves that stretched hallway up to his elbow Griff gagged a little when his master plunged his arm into the opening. Then a new smell hit him: hot, rotting meat mixed with cow dung.
Next thing Griff knew is that he was waking up in his bed. Looking around he was trying to remember why his back was hurting so bad. At Griff groaning Nick stopped writing to look over at him.
¡°For some reason I thought you¡¯d be tougher this.¡± Nick commented drily.
¡°Reading about something and actually seeing it are completely different.¡± Griff grumbled. ¡°Not to mention, no book can really prepare you for the smell.¡± He made a noise as his stomach remembered the stench.
¡°The only way you¡¯ll ever get over this is if you keep exposing yourself to things that make you uncomfortable.¡± Nick held out Griff¡¯s gloves for him to take. Knowing he was right he took the gloves to put on.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°As I was saying before you fainted, using this stomach as my starting point I plan on ending several pointless wars.¡± At Griff¡¯s blank look he continued speaking. ¡°We both know that dragons will eat anything they can get down their throat. How they are able to do so is the acid in their stomachs is so powerful it can melt hooves and bones.¡±
¡°Wait, if dragon¡¯s stomach acid so powerful it can digest bones and hooves why does it need to eat rocks like a bird?¡± Griff asked pressing the cloth wrapped around his face to block out smells. He read about dragons doing that before but never really questioned why. Come to think of it, he never wondered why after reading something.
¡°Plants don¡¯t like to be eaten no more than a goat or any other animal but since plants can¡¯t run away they¡¯ve developed methods to deter animals. Spines on a cactus, or this,¡± Nick pulled out an oval object dripping with stomach acid. Griff tried not vomit as his boss rinsed off the oval in a nearby bucket on the ground.
¡°What is that?¡± Griff managed to choke out. Maybe his handkerchief would help block the smell.
¡°This is a seed.¡± Nick showed the pod to Griff. ¡°When a dragon eats seeds,¡± Nick pulled another rounded object from the stomach. ¡°These smash the pod, like so.¡± Nick used the still mucus covered object to break open the pod.
¡°Interesting,¡± Griff commented poking at the broken open seed pod.
¡°Not as interesting as this.¡± Nick washed the object off properly to reveal a lovely looking ruby. Ignoring the fact that until two seconds ago the gem was covered in dragon stomach acid Griff took the ruby.
¡°Amazing, ¡°Griff looked over the ruby for imperfection. ¡°How is this even possible?¡±
¡°Something about a dragon¡¯s stomach can change everyday stone into precious gems. Whatever it is, I plan on figuring out how to recreate it.¡± Nick swirled his fingers in the stomach content of the dragon causing Griff to make a face. Burrowing through his pockets he eventually found his handkerchief. He went to wrap it around his face when Nick grabbed the end of it to get a better look.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He asked stretching it out to get a better look at it.
¡°A handkerchief. Don¡¯t worry, there isn¡¯t anything on it.¡± Griff was referring to using the item to remove phlegm from his nose.
¡°I meant, what is this design?¡± Nick traced his hands over the stitched in Alchemic Circle.
¡°Oh that. See you use it like this,¡± Griff took back the handkerchief to lay it flat on the work bench. He opened Nick¡¯s journal to a random page to then set on the left side of the circle. Then he placed an inkwell at the top, with a blank set of vellum on the right. With a small nod of satisfaction Griff placed his hands on bottom edge of the cloth to activate it. There was a spark of magic flowing from Griff¡¯s hand crackling to the left lighting up the book before going to the ink well. Finally it went to the blank vellum in the time it would take for lightening to strike.
When the light faded Nick was able to see the open page in his journal copied perfectly on the previously blank vellum. Picking up his journal and the copy he glanced between the two looking for any differences.
¡°You even copied the smudge stain.¡± Nick exclaimed looking back at Griff as if seeing him for the first time. ¡°This is amazing. How did you even come up with something like this?¡± Setting the items down Nick picked up the stitched circle to better appreciate the craftsmanship.
¡°Most scribes can¡¯t read so when they found out I was reading instead of just copying I kept getting into trouble. So I snuck into a few places, stole some supplies and sewed this to save time.¡±
¡°Seems like a lot of work instead of just drawing on some spare vellum.¡± Nick noticed some parts of the cloth where stained with ink.
¡°Yes, but cloth makes less noise when you have to put it away quickly. Also, no one really pays attention when you put a handkerchief in your pocket as opposed to some folded up parchment.¡± Griff pointed out taking the cloth back from Nick.
All Nick could really do is mull over Griff¡¯s logic. Griff was supposed to be unambitious as he was unremarkable. He felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth, seems the Gods weren¡¯t punishing him after all.
It took overhearing several apprentices discussing winter celebrations for Griff to realize how much time has passed. While Griff would be in charge of going to the library and running other errands (laundry easily was the worst), Nick was responsible for all the supplies sold outside the Academy. It had been almost three seasons since he last left in his spot in the library. Making a mental note to go check on his nest next time he visited the library he picked up their breakfast to head back to the lab.
Thinking about it Griff never felt so at ease with another person before. Sure he had his family but it felt they more tolerated him than was interested in his life. Nick would send him off to go retrieve a book only to have Griff bring back several non-related texts come with him as well. The first time this happened he froze when his master shuffled through the pile to spot a book on cobbler. With the same blank expression as ever he placed the relevant books aside to hold up the stowaway for Griff to see.
¡°It looked interesting,¡± Griff offered as an excuse. Nick gave a small smile tapped him on the head with the book.
¡°Just put it back when you¡¯re done. Don¡¯t want to clutter the lab with your light reading.¡± Nick gave back the book and that¡¯s all he ever said about the subject.
If Griff was being honest, even though he couldn¡¯t read as much as he wanted to, he was still happy. He found himself enjoying talking about the research as well as the books he read. Nick even hinted if things went well he would try to remember all he knew about the Hall of Records and write it all down for Griff. It would be the first book Griff would ever have personally owned. Not that Nick would know that. It was a quiet existence right up until one night while Griff was drifting off while reading about aqueducts.
¡°I did it.¡± Nick sounded surprised before yelling in full confidence, ¡°I DID IT!¡± In a flurry, Nick was kneeling next to Griff to thrust a solid bar of gold under the man¡¯s nose.
¡°Is that?¡± Griff sounded skeptical hoping what he was seeing was legitimate- ¡°Gold. Pure, one hundred percent gold.¡± Nick finished Griff¡¯s sentence.
¡°How is that even possible?¡± Griff tried to scratch the surface of the bar to see if he could flake off any of the metal.
¡°With this.¡± Nick held out a small blood red stone for Griff to see.
¡°What happened to your hand?¡± Griff noticed the strip of clothe wrapped around Nick¡¯s left hand.
¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re focusing on?¡± Nick chided hiding the limb behind him. ¡°I need you to look at this!¡±
¡°What is ¡®this¡¯?¡± Griff peered at the stone lying in his friend¡¯s palm. The sheen looked like nothing Griff had ever seen before.
¡°I call it, The Dragon¡¯s Bezoar.¡± Nick proudly held the tiny gem-looking object. Griff made a face that caused Nick to ask in an offended tone, ¡°What?¡±
¡°That name sounds vile. Like a kidney stone.¡±
¡°I least I¡¯m not as vain as to name the stone after myself.¡± Nick huffed crossing his arms. Griff could not contain his chortle, ¡®The Flamel Stone. ¡®
¡°Wait, I got it!¡± Nick paused to be dramatic. ¡°The Great Philosophic Alchemist Nicholas Flamel Stone.¡± At that point, Griff could not contain his laughter anymore. Even Nick started to laugh at the utter ridiculousness of it all. They agreed to give it a better name before presenting it to the council.
Two days since the initial discovery did Nick already start drawing up plans to improve his creation. Griff was making his way back from getting breakfast when he heard voices coming from their lab. Noting was unusual about that; a member of the upper labs would come down regularly to check on their progress. What struck Griff as odd was that one of the elites actually entered the room with the strong smell rather than have their usual talk outside in the corridor.
Using his foot Griff nudged open door to see a tall woman standing over the work table as Nick pointed to various part of his research. She was wearing all the symbols adorned by the upper-level laboratory mages showing everyone that she was to be respected. Fearing his assistant would say something stupid Nick was quick to place himself between Griff and the woman could end his career in an instant.
¡°Griff, this is Madam De Maupartruys, she sits on the High Council and is very interested in our work.¡± Nick was smiling so hard Griff wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the man¡¯s teeth broke.
¡°Yes. Well, I¡¯ve seen enough here.¡± Madame De Maupartruys looked unimpressed at the room around her. ¡°Report to the High Council immediately.¡±
¡°What?¡± Nick stammered. The woman stopped walked out of the room to give Nick a withering look.
¡°Immediately, means now. You are to report your research to the High Council now.¡± At Nick¡¯s horrified look she faced the man fully. ¡°Unless, of course, you are falsifying your results in a desperate attempt to curry more funding for your lackluster research.¡±
Nick managed to untie his tongue to sputter, ¡°No Madam.¡±
¡°Good. Do not keep us waiting.¡± A few sharp steps later the woman was gone.
Nick bounced on the balls of his feet for a minute before motioning his hands about. Frantically he looked around the room in a panic. Spotting Griff Nick pointed both index fingers directly at his assistant.
¡°Griff,¡± Nick addressed his eyes wide with hysteria. ¡°I need you to gather some objects to change while I get all the notes.¡±
¡°Right,¡± Griff agreed. He sat the cooling oatmeal on one of the only clear spots on the table. Reaching over to the bag Nick uses for shopping Griff felt a jolt of pain. Instinctively he drew back his hand to survey his wound. Sticking out of the side of his hand was a piece of broken glass. Too much in a hurry to ask why there was broken glass on the table in the first place, he picked across the table to find a strip of cloth as a bandage. Picking off the shard Griff used his teeth to help secure the cloth around his bleeding hand.
¡°Got everything?¡± Nick asked fumbling to organize his notes into a neat pile. Noticing the bag Griff was loading up Nick snatched the bag to shove his notes in. ¡°Good idea, makes us look more organized.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s see, notes, things to transmute,¡± Nick patted the pocket on his breast where normal people kept their money, "and the Philosopher¡¯s Stone.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t believe we kept that name,¡± Griff muttered trying not to crumple the pages of their research. Nick gave a small chuckle despite himself.
¡°Ready?¡± The Alchemist asked. Griff nodded mustering up a small smile to help encourage his boss.
Chapter 5
Thankfully Nick knew where the meeting was taking place because Griff never been up this many floors before. Everything seemed to be fancier in the higher levels, even the door knobs! Nick led Griff into a room where the High Council was waiting. It appeared that the room was just for the Council to loom over whoever was presented before them. One older woman and four old men stared down their wrinkled noses, their eyes already picking over their person for any flaws.
Seated a little higher than his colleagues was the oldest looking man with the sourest expression of the lot. Nick took his place directly in front of the group like a prisoner at trial. Griff folded his hand trying to look like he was professional in the background.
¡°Ah, Nicholas Flamel,¡± The man in the middle spoke with more authority than his small frame leads Griff to believe. ¡°Seven months ago we granted funding to your research on the application of Dragon stomachs in Alchemy. ¡°
¡°Yes.¡± Nick agreed quickly. The old man gave a look before chiding him for interrupting.
¡°According to my associate you have created a transmutation stone instead. Now Mr. Flamel, explain to the Council why we shouldn¡¯t terminate your research and dismiss you from the premises for violating the terms you had initially agreed upon.¡±
Griff saw Nick take a steadying breath before speaking.
¡°As we know Dragons use precious metals and stones to line their nests. For centuries soldiers have slain dragons to bring back these supposed stolen treasures for their kingdoms. I theorized that rather than stealing these items from human the Dragons naturally produce them. Using a combination of sigils, and dragon elements I was able to create this.¡± Nick pulled out the little blood red stone from his breast pocket. Even with five cold hard stares he continued as energetic as always.
¡°I call it the Philosopher¡¯s Stone.¡± Griff grimaced, that awful name would stick forever now. The old man motioned Nick to bring the stone closer greed glinting in the eyes of Council under their outwardly cool exterior. The old man picked up one of the pens on the desk to instruct Nick to turn the tip of one gold. Nick touched the Stone to the ink-stained metal causing a flash of red light that faded to reveal a now bright gold pen tip.
In a lapse of dignity, several members of the Council gasped in delight at what they were seeing. The old man examined the changed pen tip looking rather unimpressed.
¡°Gold plating is a trick you could find behind any tavern here in the village. Unless we can verify the true purity of the metal please forgive my skepticism.¡± The man sure didn¡¯t sound too sincere in his apology Griff viciously thought. Griff watched with increasing boredom as the man kept making requests so they could have more examples to test late. Judging by the look in the Council¡¯s eyes he was sure some of those gold coins were going to ¡®go missing¡¯ before they could properly be tested. When the fourth diamonds was created the Council seemed content enough, for now, they made a much different request.
¡°What is it organic applications? It has shown to be able to at the very least superficially manipulate inorganic matter but can the same be said for organic matter?¡± The older man postulated rolling one of the diamonds around in his leathery hands. Nick sputtered for a moment trying to think.
¡°I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t even attempted to do anything with the living yet.¡± Nick admitted. The old man looked away from Nick to meet eyes with Griff still standing in the background. Griff tried not to blink as the old man seemed to be looking through him rather than at him. Like he did to all the diamonds and gold he was looking over earlier.
¡°No time like the present. Come closer boy.¡± Too nervous to feel offended Griff stepped slowly closer to the Council. ¡°I see you¡¯ve injured your hand recently.¡±
Griff covered his injury with his good hand subconsciously.
¡°Uh, yes. I was so excited to be in the Council¡¯s presence I nicked myself.¡± Griff explained not sure who exactly to address so he ended up looking at each member erratically.
¡°Mr. Flamel would you attempt to heal your assistant with your stone for the Council?¡± Even though it was worded as a question Nick knew he really did not have a choice in the matter. Griff saw Nick¡¯s fingers turn white from gripping the stone too tight.
¡°I can take the notes if you want.¡± Nick offered to hold out his free hand. Wordless Griff took off the bag for Nick to shoulder for a minute. Biting the inside of his lip Griff held out his hand for Nick to take off the makeshift bandage. It was a rather tiny red cut that had stopped bleeding a while ago. Nick pressed the warm stone to the cut willing it to heal.
The light was a soft blue that tingled for a second leaving the area unblemished. Both men gave a relieved chuckle as Griff clenched and unclenched his hand to test the skin. Looking at the area closely Griff was pleased to see the area completely unblemished as if the wound never happened. As the man tried to find even a line from the previous injury he noticed there were crackling orange sparks starting to extend from where the wound was.
Shouting in panic Griff tried to sniff out the sparking that began to work its way up his arm leaving an unpleasant burning sensation in its wake. Nick shoved the Stone into his pocket to free up a hand to grasp his friend¡¯s shoulder as the man fell to his knees. The burning was now turning to a numbing ice cold like when he fell into a pond during the winter when he was young. His breath was ragged as he shut his eyes against the continuing pain.
Nick could only watch as the smaller man¡¯s appearance began to change. Soft skin began to crack and harden into scales. Hands lengthened into gnarled talons leaving scratches in the flooring. Throwing his arms around his friend to give him some sort of comfort he felt Griff¡¯s back give a ripple as spines broke through the skin all the way down to his apprentices back. Mesmerized he didn¡¯t notice the growing a pair of wings that caught him under his legs hoisting him fully onto Griff¡¯s back. The very walls began to shake as humans wails of pain morphed into a dragon¡¯s roar.
After what seemed like hours, everything went quiet. Still trying to make sense of what happened Nick realized he was lying right on top of a dragon¡¯s neck. Spotting a pile of shredded clothes below them he realized the dragon¡¯s neck he was draped across was in fact Griff¡¯s neck.
Now that Griff wasn¡¯t screaming in pain Nick could hear the other humans in the room were screaming in panic. Still holding onto Griff in hopes that maybe his presence would help calm the situation Nick realized how futile that was when the doors burst open to reveal several spear-wielding men. Griff must have noticed them too as he stood up in an effort to get away from the men in an attempt at self-preservation. Taking this as a malicious intent the boldest of the guards thrust towards the well-known soft underbelly of Griff.
At that point Griff did the only action that made sense at this point, he ran. Glass shards bounced as the panicked Mage turned dragon burst out the window. Nick ducked his own head in an attempt to not only avoid getting glass in his face but to also not be forced to look down. The cold winter air immediately assaulted his hands but Nick held fast to Griff¡¯s neck.
Over the terrified screams of the people below Nick could hear the crunch of roofs not being able to bear the weight of a two-story dragon crawling over them. Having never even ridden a horse before all he could do was flatten himself down as much as possible. He could feel every time they switched to a new building as he was tilted in all directions. When Griff stopped moving for a moment Nick plucked up the courage to look around. Trying not to look directly down Nick realized that they were already at the edge of the city just inside the wall.
The wall was several feet taller than the building that Griff was precariously perched on. Several of the guards were reading bows to kill. Underneath his grip, Nick felt Griff flexed his whole body giving Griff just enough time to brace for the jump. For a brief moment there he thought that they would clear the wall. Nick¡¯s teeth rattled as Griff collided with the wall. Panicking Griff flailed around in an effort to dislodge himself from the rampart. The front of the dragon was dangling over the edge of the wall while his back end was stuck.
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In a panic, Griff gouged at the ground with his massive claws trying to gain some momentum to break free. The wall did start to break a little bit at the top but the masonry held true no matter how hard Griff pulled. Nick watched as some of the braver soldiers rushed to attack. Fortunate for the both of them Griff he remembered he had wings and started to use them. Caught in the sudden rush of wind the guards were thrown back as the dragon got just enough to lift to free him from the rampart.
Tail still dragging slightly Griff¡¯s wings gave out after only a minute. Collapsing on the ground he panted hard to get his breath back. Shouts behind them reminded Griff they were still in danger urging him to get up again. People traveling the road abandoned their carts to avoid being trampled by the dragon fleeing the city.
Griff ran as far as he could, even past when his lungs started to burn. The villages seemed to be further and further apart right up until he almost collapsed outside a lone farm with only a few animals milling around outside. Realizing how out in the open he was he spotted a sheer cliff looming over the road. Craining his neck he saw it was surrounded by thick forest except for a patch right before the drop off.
It was a relatively small climb for a dragon, especially since the cold weather made the earth hard enough for Griff to sink his claw into. It was a nice snowy clearing just beyond the view of the farm. With a huff Griff finally let himself rest. Closing his eyes Griff was ready to doze off for a while when he heard a thud from right next to him. With a snort of annoyance, Griff opened one of his eyes to see what was going on. The black figure clumsily brushed off all the snow finally turning to reveal it was Nick.
¡®When did you get on?¡¯ Griff tried to ask but all that came out was guttural sound. Nick stopped clearing off the snow to stare at Griff in fear.
¡°Hey, buddy.¡± Nick shakily greeted. He had both his hands up palms out to show the towering beast he meant no harm.
¡°Do you remember me?¡±
Instead of a nice, ¡®Yes I remember you.¡¯ Griff gave an angry sounding deep-throated growl. Nick attempted to backpedal away from Griff clearly terrified. Not wanting any misunderstanding Griff wanted Nick to stay for a bit longer to clarify some things. Using his tail Griff curled the appendage around the back of Nick to block his exit.
¡°Oh God.¡± Nick shuttered dreaded slumping through his body. Hoping this idea would work Griff lowered his head so that it rested on the ground directly in front of Nick. It was an attempt to look docile that ended up causing Nick to go into a full-blown panic.
From Nick''s perspective, a dragon was now breathing on him with its hot breath right within biting distance. Griff had one final idea hoping beyond hope that it would work. He released the most pathetic whine a two-story armored fire-breathing lizard could make.
At that point, Nick had closed his eyes ready to accept death. When after a few quiet minutes he felt brave enough to take a look again. Griff was still just staring at him. They were close enough Nick could see his reflection in the dragon¡¯s unblinking eyes.
"Griff?" Nick tried to get through his friend feeling boldly enough to reach out to touch his friend''s snout. Griff gave a much quieter whine.
"If you can understand me, blink twice."
Very slowly Griff blinked both eyes twice. Watching the dragon¡¯s strange transparent eyelid swipe across his eye mesmerized Nick as he count two very clear blinks. Slumping to the cold ground as all the energy and adrenaline seemed to evaporate. "You had me going there for a minute." Nick held his hand over his heart feeling the pitter patter underneath his fingers. With his hand still over his heart, Nick was finally able to look at Griff''s new form properly.
"I have no idea would have caused this extreme of a transformation." Knowing he wasn¡¯t going to be eaten he got back on his feet to really look over Griff. Staring at its dinner plate sized eyes Nick could count the light brown flecks in the dragon''s soft green eyes. He could not remember what Griff''s human eye color was but the intelligence was still there. Running his hand over where he initially placed the stone there was no mark magic was used. Backing up he was finally able to get a proper look at Griff¡¯s new form.
He was mostly tan with dark brown stripes running length wise down his body. Large scales gradually turned small and softer looking towards his stomach. The brown and tan pattern continued onto his wings. Questions about exactly why Griff turned into this specific began popping into his head. Realizing he was getting ahead of himself he gave a shack of his head to refocus on their situation.
"Alright, what do we know? Ok, first there is the sigil." Nick made the symbol in the palm of his hand. "No, that would only be the start of a conversion. I mean there is dragon blood and...Ahem my blood." Nick coughed looking sheepish. Griff gave a snort so forceful it knocked Nick over.
"Ok, so maybe I might have broken a flask of dragon blood over one of the sigils and maybe I got cut in the process." He admitted still lying on the cold ground. Griff gave another huff. "Look, we can figure this out using our notes. We just need a lab and some-" Nick stopped talking as he realized exactly what he was saying. The two of them were stranded out in the middle of the French countryside with nowhere else to go.
This project was Nick''s last chance. He had no backup plan if this were to have failed. Even if he did have a backup plan there would be no way he could have placed a human turned dragon into the equation.
So here the two of them stood. Homeless, with only the clothes on their back with no money. A pang in his stomach added that their breakfasts were back in the lab they could never return to. Right now it was probably overturned as the guards brutishly overturned everything searching for the notes in Nick''s pack.
A sharp breeze tickled Nick''s neck causing the man to shiver. Happy for once that the labs were so cold you needed to dress in layers he pulled his cloak around himself tighter. If they did not want to freeze they needed shelter. Where was the last time the saw a village? What about Griff? Can''t leave him out here. Can''t take him into town either. Even if they could find a place how could they even pay to stay the night? Most places don''t accept lumps of gold and gemstones as payment. While Nick was wearing a path in snow from his pacing Griff began to curl his long body around his friend.
"What are you doing?" Nick asked out of habit rather than expecting a real answer. The dragon kept on curling up to the point where Nick was forced to sit one of Grif''s back feet. The massive scaly head was within arm''s reach. Above him a ruffle from Griff''s bat-like wing caused Nick to look up to the sky become blocked out completely. Without the wind, Nick was already starting to feel much warmer. Smiling at his friend''s cleverness he made himself comfortable.
"Will ever cease to amaze me? Did you discover that trick in a book?" Griff made a noise that was impossible to decipher. Though the dragon scales took a minute to get comfortable on Nick thought that maybe the two of them might be able to survive the ordeal. Closing his eyes he tried to think of a plan to get them out of this mess.
Griff woke up with a start. He was covered in freshly fallen snow in the middle of the wilderness with his only companion sleeping on his leg. Nick went tumbling into the snow as Griff tried to figure out where he was and what happened the day previous. From his much higher view, Griff was able to see exact they had stumbled to.
The only sign of civilization was the wide worn road just beyond their cliff. For the first time, Griff noticed that his new dragon eyes were keener than his human ones. Even the little flags being carried by soldiers way down the road were perfectly clear. Realizing what he was looking at Griff ducked his head behind the treeline.
"You''re not even listening are you?" Nick accused dusting off much snow as he could. "You need to be more careful next time." Griff made an unclear noise that Nick took that at least he was listening.
"Now that I have your attention. First of all, we need to figure out a few pressing matters. Our biggest priority right now is food. You''re probably so hungry you could eat a cow." Nick laughed at his own joke but stopped when Griff just gave him a sideways stare. Figuring it was best not to annoy someone could literally bite your head off Nick cleared his throat.
Nick shuffled his way through the snow the direction Griff was looking hoping to get a better sense of where they were. He only got a few steps in before Griff made unhappy noise while placing his massive tail between Nick and the treeline.
"Whats wrong?" Nick asked trying not to sound scared. In one motion the dragon lifted him off the ground using his massive snout. It would much easier to show what exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, the poor man was facing towards Griff with his back to the view gripping on for dear life.
"Wait. Just let me get a better grip." Feeling more like he was climbing up a mountain rather than on the face of a living creature Nick felt around for a decent foothold. Sure there was fresh powdered snow but why risk it? It took a fair amount of energy that left Nick gasping for air but in the end, he found a spot on Griff''s forehead where he could comfortably hold onto one of the horns there.
Steading himself Nick was able to see exactly what his friend wanted to show him. Sprinkled over every surface lay a fine layer of snow glittering in the morning light. As splendid as it was there was still a breeze that breathed from time to time. "I don''t see what the problem is." Just as the words left his mouth he saw it. Just beyond his barely visible down the road, Nick was able to a group of coming towards their direction.
"They''re ours," Nick announced not taking any comfort from that fact. "We need to figure out where are going." Another gust of wind buffed the two of them. There was nothing for them in this country now. Somewhere where they could lay low while the tried to figure out how to reverse this whole mess. Preferably somewhere warm. Then it hit him!
"Warm. That''s it!" Nick spoke aloud before saying much louder, "bring us down we need to talk." He ended up smacking Griff harder than intended to grab the dragon''s attention. When they were close enough to the ground Nick slid off to look Griff in the eye.
"So need a place to stay and perform research at correct?" Griff made a noise.
"How about the Library of Alexandria?" Nick threw up his hands trying to simultaneously show excitement as well as get some more blood flowing to his freezing limbs. In turn, Griff made an unhappy noise turning his head away so he wouldn''t have to look at Griff.
"Look, unless you can think of a better solution this all we really have. There is a wonderful library, the biggest in the world, I might add. There is even a tamed dragon there for research." That statement caught Griff''s attention. Already knowing the answer to his friend''s unasked question Nick spoke again. "They keep her alive to study her habits. How do you think we discovered where dragons get their treasure from?" Griff rested his head on the ground much like he did when he was human. He would roll his head side to side using his chin. It was interesting to see dragon Griff perform the same unconscious trait. Griff stopped rolling his head to look directly at Griff again; he gave a single clear nod.
"I''ll take that as a yes. Let''s go," Nick decided approaching Griff''s side to climb onto his back. Remembering how unstable he was sitting right on the wing joints. Worrying his lower lip he ended up choosing to place himself on Griff''s head. Squinting from all the light shining off the snow Nick spoke aloud the two of them should follow the road for a while.
"Great looks like they''re taking a break for a while." He commented as the soldiers laid down their flags on the road below them. "Too bad you can''t fly over them or anything." Nick did not mean for that statement to sound as passive-aggressive as it came out. He just did not feel Griff had quite a handle on all the extreme changes he recently went through. ¡°Bring us down, this is going to take a while.¡±
Griff gave a nod but when Nick almost went tumbling to the ground he stopped. Getting settled Griff half curled around Nick so that his warm breath would help his friend not freeze. Taking out his notes Nick wanted to see if he could get some work done. That idea fizzled out when the light was reflecting off the snow and pages making reading impossible. Snapping the journal shut he gave a yell of frustration.
¡°Well now what?¡± He asked. Looking up he watched the clouds slowly drift by. Neither one of them was tired so taking a nap was out. Looking back to the cover of his currently useless journal he remembered something he told Griff months ago. ¡°Do you remember when we first started working together?¡±
The dragon made a noise.
¡°Now that we have some time,¡± Nick took a breath trying to remember all the details about the story he was about to tell.
Chapter 6
There was once was a time when humans roamed the earth like the animals. Over time the humans began to change the world they live in. Sowing seeds of their choice rather than wandering through the wilds. Soon they began to tame the animals to work side by side instead of against them. With the new flourishing life the natural need for a leader birthed the king Gilgamesh. Though Gilgamesh was almost as powerful as a God he used his power selfishly. Instead of lifting his people up he ground them under his foot like dirt.
Hearing the pained cries of the people the Gods created Endiku to end Gilgamesh¡¯s tyranny. Even though Endiku was born of the wilds Gilgamesh was too strong. Instead of ending Endiku¡¯s life he befriended the kindred spirit thus ending Gilgamesh¡¯s reign of terror.
Griff gave a noise of annoyance.
¡°Look this is important. Without this story there would be no other stories.¡± Snapped Nick annoyed that he was interrupted. ¡°The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the first written stories known to man. According to the legends once the tablets were completed there was a great assembly of the Gods. When the other Gods of world saw the tablets they became jealous. Instead of smashing the tablets they wanted some for themselves.¡±
A terrified yell reminded both men they were technically not alone. Turning to the sound of the panicked scream they saw a man had wandered up to where they were. Frozen by fear he couldn¡¯t move from where he stood. Other men¡¯s voice called after the man standing on the edge of clearing. Seconds later three burly soldiers burst through the tree line weapons drawn. Nick scrambled to get on top of Griff¡¯s head between his horns. The two of them furiously looked around for a place to run. To the left and right the trees were too old and study to force their way past. Griff could plow his way forward but the soldiers where brandishing their weapons thinking they got the best of him.
There was no other real choice. They spun around to face the cliff, Nick watched as the soldiers were knocked to the ground by Griff¡¯s massive tail. In one motion Griff had bent his knees to launch himself into the air. For the second time in two days, Nick was hanging onto the back a dragon for dear life. The wind stung at his eyes forcing him to hide his face into the spike he was holding onto for dear life. Neither man heard the shouts of the soldiers below over the wind. Bracing for impact Nick waited for the inevitable hard landing. When it didn¡¯t come he opened his eyes as far as he could to see that they were airborne! Their excitement didn¡¯t last as they began to slowly fall out of the sky. Panicking Griff tried to regain flight by flapping his wings but that only made them fall faster.
The impact of them hitting the ground threw Nick onto the hard ground. Getting back up they checked over themselves for injures not sure how far behind the troops were. Pride hurt worst than his body Griff bowed his head in shame.
¡°I guess it is a little too soon to start flying.¡± Griff made a noise. Chuckling Nick walked over to pat the dragon on one of his massive claws, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. We just need to build up some muscles before we try again. For now, let¡¯s just get as much road between us and that army as we can ok?¡± Nodding he lowered his head to allow Nick to get back up.
The sun was much closer to the west when they did eventually stop. There was much less snow where they finally stopped time. Sprawling out Griff''s body almost took up almost every inch of the new clearing. Nick peeled his cold hands off the spike allowing himself to slid off onto the ground. Even though there was less snow this far south Nick still managed to fall face first into a patch of it. Body refusing to respond he just laid there doing his best to ignore the biting snow poking his eyes.
Thankfully Griff took pity on his friend and rolled Nick onto his back using his snout. "We need a new plan." Nick found enough energy to lift of his to point to the sky. " I mean, clearly we cannot walk all the way across the Mediterrain, cross the sands and jungles of Africa all the way to the Library in one afternoon." His head gave a protest pulse of pain reminding him he hadn''t eaten or drank anything for over a day. Moving his head a little he noticed that the dragon''s eyes are closed.
"Hey, Griff?" He called out hoping he was just napping. Not opening his eyes the dragon gave a grunt of acknowledgment. "Did you so happen to see a village or a farm before we stopped?"
A quick grunt followed by Griff pointing just to Nick''s left using his long talon to point. Sitting up he motioned to the direction he thought his friend was indicating. Griff didn''t answer.
"Is it far?" Nick asked still not getting an answer. Huffing in frustration Nick took a breath ready to yell to get Griff''s attention when the dragon turned onto his side. He didn''t hear it last night but right now Griff was snoring. "Right, I''ll just get going then." Hoping he wasn''t going to get too lost Nick found a path created by several animals walking through this spot. The path was wider than he expected maybe cows used this area to graze. He kicked a few rocks wondering it would be a good idea to turn them into gemstones for trade. He weighed out the pros of walking around with that much wealth on his person out in the woods. Money tends to be a motivator for most people to help out. On the other hand what is to stop those same people from robbing him?
When the treeline broke revealing an overturned two-wheeled cart. If going by the vegetation intertwining around the broken parts it had been there a while. Rust was overtaking the edges of the metal parts. Getting an idea he knelt down to examine the forgotten cart. Using his fingernail he scratched off a few flecks of rust seeing how bad it truly was. Even though no one appeared to be around he tried to casually look around to see if anyone was watching. He reached into his breast pocket of his cloak to pull out the Philosopher''s Stone.
He pressed it against the metal thinking about gold coins instead of just gold bars like he did in the lab. He thought of the design how heavy each one felt in his hand. While he focused he felt the stone grow pleasantly warm for a moment. There was the same red light that accompanied all the other transmutations before. He was not including the horrible one two days ago with Griff. That was an incident that he will be happy to just be done with as soon as possible. Opening his eyes he saw not just the small section he was touching turned to coins but the other metal parts changed as well. He quickly gathered the cooling coins before standing up straight again.
He appeared to be just outside a singular farmhouse all alone. The barn was more of a wall-less shelter where a single horse was eating. There were several cows behind the poorly made stick fence surrounding their pasture. A gaggle of chickens where resting in the sun near the door of the only house. When Nick approached the chickens protested being disturbed. Knocking on the door he hoped someone pleasant would greet him.
"No food or water to be found here, lad." A glaring eye was just peeking out the door. Even though time had ravaged the owner of eye''s voice Nick could tell that he was dealing with a woman none the less. Expecting that sort of welcome he merely revealed a single coin for her gaze upon. In the time it took for him to blink the woman managed to open the door just enough to snatch the coin away in her talon-like fingers. She inspected the quality of the coin using her few remaining teeth.
"It is real I assure you." Nick felt the need to defend his work. "There is also more where that came from if you are willing to trade." Satisfied with her coin the old woman looked a little kinder to Nick.
"Don''t have much to give stranger but name your trade." Still wondering how using your teeth to help legitimize the purity of metal Nick failed to realize she asked him a question.
"Yes. Well, ahem," he cleared his throat hoping to get him more time to collect his thoughts. "I require food. A whole cow to be specific."
"A whole cow?" She asked wiping the saliva off her coin before pocketing it as if it always belonged to her.
"It¡¯s for me and my colleagues. We did not wish to alarm you with our numbers so they sent me by myself." The woman eyed Nick for a second before allowing him into her house.
"You are a liar. But as long as the rest of your coin as as honest as this one you may have your cow." She waved at him retreating further into the house. "Roch¨¨, fetch the man a cow." Thinking about the odd turn of phrase that money could be honest he failed to notice the burly young man sharpening an ax just inside the door.
"I''ll leave you to my grandson here." Roch¨¨ forced Nick to walk backward so he wouldn''t be knocked over by the large young man. Making sure not to walk too closely to Roch¨¨ Nick followed the man into the animal pen. The cows seemed uninterested in the two men as they ate the little vegetation they could find. Even when the young man tied a length of rope around the nearest one it continued to eat.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
"Is twenty gold coins ok?" Nick asked gathering all the loose coins in his hands. Judging by the slightly surprised look in the man''s eyes it was more than ok. Pretending like he didn''t realize he was being robbed blind Nick handed over the coins for the cow. Maybe the young man would rush back to his grandmother and not follow Nick back to where Griff was resting.
Nick spent the night trying to forget what he witnessed the second he back to the clearing. The fate of the cow was inevitable but he was not prepared for what he saw. All Nick wanted anyone to remember is that he had a wonderful hind leg to eat for dinner and that was it.
It took three more instances that he would also like to forget before they reached the outskirts of one of the major cities on the coast. Griff was getting stronger with each passing day with his flying though he still needed long periods of rest between flights. Getting used to his wings they began to climb so high they startled birds as they passed. Midday on the fourth day Griff slipped between two mountains to reveal the sea. Even Griff managed to sound impressed at the sapphire colored water stretched out below. Nick was so enthralled by the view that when Griff turned hard to the left he almost fell off. Still rather clumsy the two of them landed on the abandoned property of what looked like olive farmers. When Nick dismounted the dragon flopped on his side.
¡°Good eye, Griff.¡± Nick said stretching out his own back. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even see this place from up there.¡± The trees where overgrown with ripe olives weighing heavily on the branches. The reddish-brown colored fruit looked tempting but everyone knew that uncured these would taste bitter as vinegar. The sound of snapping branches drew his attention back the dragon just in time to see the great beast bite off part of an olive tree. It was like with the cows all over again. Olives rained down as Griff swallowed down the tree top. He gave huge gulp swallowing the whole thing down. Satisfied with his meal he gave a stretch before lying on his side in the warm sun.
He seemed comfortable. Too comfortable for Nick¡¯s liking.
¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about for the last few days.¡± Nick started to pace as he spoke. ¡°With your current strength there is no way we could fly across that sea. So that idea is out. We could have you swim across the sea, but who knows how long that would take. Our only real option is to buy a bunch of junk metal and turn it into more coins. With those coins will purchase a ship large enough to house you in the cargo bay. We will then purchase a crew to take us south where I would unload you under the cover of darkness.¡± Nick had a crazed smile on his face when he finished speaking. In response the dragon looked away with a huff. Jilted Nick snapped, ¡°Yeah like you have a better idea?¡± Griff gave another huff sending loose dirt flying.
¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Now I will be getting more supplies this time since we''re going across the sea. Think you can eat two cows this time and it last you?" Nick inquired straightening the straps to his bag. Griff made a noise he classified as a firm, ''Maybe.'' Chuckling Nick said his good-bye as the dragon began to doze off in the afternoon sun. Hoping he could remember how to get back he headed for the town.
The sea town was more loud and bustling than he could have imagined. Vendors shouted loudly their wares over one another. The town smelled faintly of fish and sea salt lingering on the wind. Admiring the freer city lay out a new smell caught his attention. It was the warm scent of freshly baked bread. Griff had his snack why couldn¡¯t Nick have one too?
Hoping to find the source of the scent he discovered someone peddling maps along with other supplies, ''no seafaring man worth his salt'' would be caught without. For his smarts, Nick forgot about fresh water. There was an expansive variety of canteens made out of tanned leather in various shapes and sizes. Interested Nick picked up one with a particularly wide opened mouthed canteen.
"Could fit an entire scroll through here." Nick ran his finger around the lip of the canteen thinking aloud. Curiosity bubbling he held it up higher seriously questioning the concept.
"For three more coin, I can fill it for you." Offered the man. Nick didn''t bother to look at the man as he shoved a fist full of coins into the man''s waiting hand. "That won''t be necessary."
People were giving Nick questioning looks as he bit into one of the rolls he purchased. Moaning loudly through a mouthful of roll he forgot how much he loved bread. He would go so far as to pluck the larger crumbs off his outfit to savor as much as he could.
Now fully satisfied he pulled out the large empty canteen and research papers. Hoping this idea would protect their research from sea water Nick rolled each page one by one to slip inside the canteen. Deciding to keep the Stone where it was Nick felt he had everything he needed to cross the sea. In much higher spirits Nick had a smile on his face as he went to collect their ship.
He had gotten further than a few shops when a man¡¯s hand fell on his shoulder. Nick turned around to see a rather dashing man in a crisp naval uniform standing right behind him. An English leather-wrapped naval uniform to be precise. Instinctively Nick placed his hand over the Philosopher''s Stone which, thankfully, looked just like someone trying to calm themselves after a fright.
"Did not mean to startle you, Sir Nicolas." The man''s voice sounded like he gargled sand every morning.
"I''m sorry I was not expecting anyone to recognize me is all." Nick managed to give a half smile. The man''s leering expression did not change at all.
"Sir Nicolas I have been asked by the crown to deliver you to the shored of the South to where the Prince is commanding." While the man spoke Nick could see two men on their side of him shuffling in a little closer. If he ran they''d catch him with breaking a sweat. Even if he could somehow manage to break away there was always a chance they could follow him back to Griff!
"Seems like a lot of work for a lowly Alchemist such as myself." Nick said trying to sound ignorant. He was hoping he could weasel how much they actually knew out of them.
"Nonsense. The Kingdom would not be wasting our time during a war for a lowly Alchemist. Now let''s get you into a nice cabin, shall we? Let''s not to keep the prince waiting." The Captain reached a large callused hand out to place on Nick back. Figuring it was better to go quietly rather than potentially knocked out Nick allowed the man to guide him to the ship. "Best not dawdle too much, or else your food will get cold."
The man was treating Nick like he was an honored guest rather than a prisoner. Nick thought for a minute before realizing, he just might be an honored guest. Technically Nick was carried off by a dragon and not fleeing from anyone. This thought calmed him just a little bit. A glimmer of hope that no one was looking for Griff and that now Nick had been found his friend would be left alone. Nick was steered all the way to the deck of the ship where the men were waiting. A man with muddy pants scurried over to the two them with a bright smile.
The captain made a motion to shoo away the Seamen before he got too close. With a confused look, the Seamen nodded before turning right back in the direction he came from. Nick wondered briefly what that was all about as the captain started to talk about how happy he was to find Nick.
"Imagine my shock when we all found out a man was taken by one of those scaly monstrosities. Vile creatures those dragons. If they''re not setting fire to the countryside they''re stealing gold and women." The Captain complained. Nick bit his tongue. He knew that dragon has no need to steal from men, they simply made their own gold! As for stealing women, that was a new one. Sounds like a charming tale to cover up a woman running away from home.
"Should be wiped off the face of the earth those ungodly creatures. Demons straight from the darkest corners of Hell." The captain kept on with this trait.
"Now that''s being a bit, harsh Captain." Nick''s mouth said before he could contain it. The captain gave a snort.
"Don''t tell me you''ve caught a touch of the Maiden Fever." The captain inquired looking mildly concerned.
"Beg your pardon?"
¡°You know of the stories! Virgin girls so pure they could tame even a unicorn. That na?ve sweet nature is what the demons of this world wish to steal. That why we men must protect women from themselves. Lest they be swept away right under our noses. Don¡¯t tell me you see good in this devil?¡± The question came off a joke but judging by the man¡¯s eyes Nick knew his answer would seal his fate.
Not looking up Nick muttered to the ground, ¡°Of course not.¡± The captain gave a roaring belly laugh of approval before smacking Nick on the back.
¡°Good on yah lad. Can¡¯t have some weak kneed ninny lose on my ship can we?¡±
Nick was guided by the captain¡¯s hand firmly on his back through the bustling market. People were started to move alongside them chatting excitedly about something near the bay. He didn¡¯t have to wait long to see what everyone was so excited about.
To his horror, Nick saw Griff strapped down to a wooden wheeled platform. Cold terror caught Nick¡¯s breath in his throat at the thought of Griff being killed. Was he really gone that long? Nick felt more comfortable this far south but was the Crown¡¯s reach truly that far? The captain smacked Nick in the back to snap him out his stupor.
¡°Easy there it can¡¯t hurt you. He¡¯s tied down with some of the finest chains the kingdom has to offer.¡± The captain bragged as the two of them got closer. Each link was made of thick iron, too strong for Griff to just flex out them.
"Does that mean?" Nick began to ask but was afraid to finish asking the question.
"Don''t worry, one of the High Council members brewed the sleeping drought themselves. He said it could knock out an entire army." Assured the man.
''Or one dragon.'' Nick thought relieved his friend was just sleeping and not dead.
"So wait, what are you going to go to him?" Nick tried to sound calmer than he felt. The captain gave Nick a look ?before answering.
"Not my place to say. We need to keep moving, can''t leave the prince waiting." The captain increased the pressure on Nick''s back. Too worried about the multiple horrible fates that could befall Griff he could pay attention to anything else. All too soon Nick was sitting on the upper deck looking down at his muddy shoes.
It could be the simplest thing, just bow his head and get swept away. Getting up Nick walked over to the side of the boat facing the sea where Nick knew that his future was set from here on out. He got what he wanted, to be acknowledged for his greatness. All that was left to do was just sit back and let the waves carry him to his future. Griff gave a sneeze behind him.
Almost against his will Nick''s feet carried him to get a better look at Griff. Several guards were shooing the townsfolk away when they got too close. A figure in a robe similar to the one Nick was wearing was poking around the softer part of the dragon''s body. When the figure did something Griff gave a noise of pain as he attempted to break free of the chains in his sleep.
"Oi, what are you doing?" Nick cried out. The figure turned to see where the shouting was coming from allowing Nick to the Head of the Council himself was here. The man walked away from the bleeding dragon towards the ship as if stabbing an animal in its sleep was commonplace. Nick glared at the man as he walked up the gangplank to talk to him. For a man who should have turned to turned to dust years ago he moved rather swiftly.
"Ah, Sir Nicholas Flamel." The man put an unusual emphasis on the Sir part. "It¡¯s been far too long. I say imagine my delight to discover you were not consumed by the monstrosity that is the late Griff Sparrow."
"Griff is not dead. You should know you just thrust your knife into his side." Nick snapped no longer afraid of what the old man could do to him.
"Though we may not be in the laboratories anymore without my generosity, you wouldn''t be given a sniff of a chance elsewhere. So mind your tongue. If you do as I say I can make this worth your while." The old man gave a smile as crooked as his soul.
"The prince wishes to see my research and my research alone. This has nothing to do with you." Nick gripped the strap of his bag out comfort more than anything. The old man''s eyes flickered to the bag assuming all of Nick''s research was squirreled safely inside.
"As ungrateful as ever. There is an Inn not too far from here; you will meet me there later tonight. I expect to see there later tonight, we have much to discuss." The old man walked away leaving Nick feeling like he had been scolded like a child.
Nick gripped the side of the railing. Several dark thoughts rattled through his head as he stared at Griff''s sleeping form. The bright red blood was still visible from where he was. Whatever the old man or the council was planning Griff may not survive.
They have to escape tonight, but how?
Chapter 7
Everything about this plan could easily go horribly wrong. Sitting on the deck with a clear view of the gangplank Nick calmly ate his dinner. He didn¡¯t taste anything as he watched the crew depart in groups. Eager to spend some time ashore for a hot meal for once no one paid much attention to the thin alchemist. As the moon rose the sounds around the port became quieter. All around the people were going to sleep on way or the other. Night guards and Nick were the only ones awake as midnight approached. The two guards manning the gangplank paid Nick no attention when he slid off his crate to head into the ship.
He saw no one else as he made his way to the artillery. It was time to fight one insane experiment with another; what would happen if you fired a solid gold ball out of a cannon?
It took over an hour to change every single ball from iron to solid gold. Between the fact that gold was heavier than iron plus had a lower melting point Nick was hoping for canon malfunction. Either the ball would be too heavy to leave the canon rending the weapon useless. Or it could explode. Trying not to think too hard about what would happen if the canons exploded Nick looked around for the next piece of his plan. He felt energized. Usually performing any sort of magic or alchemy the user would feel drained after only three or four casts. Rolling the stone in his palm he wondered if it was thanks to the dragon¡¯s blood that he wasn¡¯t passed out on the floor.
Smiling he spotted wooden barrels chained to the walls. Pocketing his stone back in its spot next to his heart he went to see what was inside. Prying the lid off the closest one Nick was met with sawdust. Undeterred he plunged his arm into the pine shavings to pull out a cloth wrapped imperfect ball.
Nick equal parts intrigued and terrified, he¡¯d never held a fireball before. It was large enough to require two hands to properly hold it Nick held out the innocent looking object. Just under the cloth wrapper was a hollowed out coconut filled with Dragon Spit. As the name suggested the fluid was the exact same as a real dragon uses to produce its famous flame. Oh, how he wished he could have studied what triggered this benign liquid to turn into liquid fire. Carefully he slipped the dangerous object into his satchel if he needed to make a getaway. Nick replaced the lid on the barrel as if thing happened at all. Confident that everyone was either in a natural or drunken state of sleep at this hour Nick walked out of the artillery as if he belonged there all along.
The guards gave him a hard look when he went to disembark. Neither of them made to stop him though. Both guards went back to talking allowing him to approach Griff without any curious eyes. Hoping the potion had mostly worn off Nick approached Griff. The wound from the old council member had stopped bleeding but there was stilled dried blood caked onto Griff''s scales. A reminder that if they didn''t escape tonight this would only be the start of the horrors Griff would have to face. Taking the opportunity to get a better look at the setup Nick found the heavy solid metal lock the side of his head. It was far too difficult to pick for even a master lock pick, let alone Nick. Not really seeing an alternative Nick tried to run what he was going to say through his head several times to try and make the plan sound just a little less crazy than it actually was.
"Griff! Nick called out normally. He was still leery someone might overhear them even at this hour. When the dragon didn''t move Nick called out louder touching Griff''s snout. When shouting and more forceful shaking proved to be unsuccessful Nick interlocked his hands together. He lifted both arms way over his head to swing on onto the softest portion just inside Griff''s snout.
The flesh gave a twitch that escalated to a loud powerful sneeze that knocked Nick to the ground.
"Oh good, you''re awake." Nick tried to sound casual and not at all like he was knocked over by a sneeze. Griff looked around in a bit of a panic causing the chains surrounding him to groan and clink.
"Hang on Griff, don''t worry I have a plan to get you out of there." Nick tried to pet his friend''s snout in an attempt to calm him down. Still half asleep Griff stopped struggling to give his friend his full attention. "Now bear with me, this might sound a little crazy."
Pulling out the Dragon Spit bomb Nick waited for Griff to react. Griff gave a small noise out of curiosity. He was actually surprised by the fact that in his reading Griff hadn''t seen a Dragon Spit bomb before. Then again the bombs were designed to look innocent enough. He was hoping that he wasn''t going to have to explain exactly what the bomb did.
"So my idea is..." Nick trailed off feigning a cough. "Is to set the platform on fire using this Dragon Spit bomb." As Nick gauged the dragon''s eyes for any sign of emotion he witnessed the half-lidded sleepy look of wide-eyed terror. Griff shook his head as far as he could either direction in a clear ''no'' gesture.
"Hear me out. Set we''ll use the bomb to set the whole platform on fire and then when the wood is charred and weak you can break free." Nick tried to smile which looked more like a grimace. Griff just shook his head more violently. Logically speaking Griff would be fine but no one truly liked the aspect of being chained down being surrounded by fire. Nick tried to think of an argument but none came.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"You''re right." Nick placed the bomb back into his bag. "This is dumb. I don''t know what I was thinking." Nick slumped against the platform forcefully enough to knock the wind out of his lungs slightly. Looking up the sky he could see stars peeking out behind the cloud cover. There was a faint squeak right before the platform Nick was leaning on began to move away. Pain erupted from Nick¡¯s spine as he hit the ground with a thud.
¡°What the?¡± Nick cried out looking around to see what had just happened. So apparently no one bothered to put blocks under the wheel of the platform. Griff¡¯s thrashing caused just enough momentum to send Griff barreling down the sheet headed straight for the sea. Nick could only watch as the wheels began to jump on every imperfection in the road. When one of the wheels caught a particularly large pothole Griff went tumbling sending splintered wood and chain links every direction. When Griff finally came to a stop Nick came back to his senses.
The sky was lightening signaling dawn which could only mean if people haven¡¯t woke up already the horrendous clatter just now surely would have. Nick ignored the throbbing of his lower spine to rush towards Griff¡¯s side. The dragon was shaking off the remaining chains with a mighty shake like a wet dog. Already Nick could hear people moving around to see what the commotion was about.
"That''s right buddy, shake it off." Nick inspected Griff to get the debris off of him. "You think you can fly?" Griff turned to give a clear nod. Deftly climbing on the scaly back Nick got a better view of just how many people they had awoken. Soldiers were leading the charge as sailors were racing to get the battleship. Griff turned to run down the nearby dock to get some momentum for taking off. Still sluggish from the sleeping potion Griff wasn''t going to outrun the soldiers at this rate. Nick patted himself down for some way to slow down their pursuers when he remembered the Dragon Spit bomb.
In an almost instinctual action, Nick held onto Griff scaly neck to pull out the weapon with one hand. He tucked the heavy orb under his chin to steady it, he picked a spot just behind them and lobbed it as hard as he could. The coconut casing broke apart sending yellow oily liquid in every direction. A second later the liquid ignited into a hot flame that stopped the soldiers dead in their tracks. A few of the wiser ones had sense enough to turn around as the fire spread.
A few wing beats later Griff was airborne with half the city watching their escape. In the distance, a cannon went off but nothing seemed to come of it. Hoping no one was injured he looked away from the sea side town. Not wanting to come this far just to be knocked off by a particularly strong gust he leaned closer to Griff. Heading South Nick was torn between feeling happy they escaped and worried that they were only delaying the inevitable.
Hours slid by, and they were nowhere near land. Griff had used the wind to keep them aloft, but it was fading along with the sunlight. Choosing to land in the water on his own instead crash landing he flew closer to the water trying to slow down. In the west, the sun was quickly disappearing allowing the stars to come out.
As Griff watched, the stars started to reflect onto the still sea below. When Griff''s claws began to touch the sea, Nick scrambled higher up not accidentally to fall in the water. When he submerged his underbelly under the water it was at that moment Griff remembered as a human he could not swim. His new dragon body seemed to know what it was doing though. Without realizing it, he had tucked his appendages to his side as his tail swished side to side like a fish''s. All while he was taking in this new development Nick had stood up to lean against on the horns on Griff''s head.
"So if that constellation is there. Then that means that the constellation we want is there." Nick muttered aloud. Looking up all Griff would see is flickering dots in an endless expansion of darkness. He''d read all about the various lore about each constellation, but without a line to connect them, everything seemed so random. When Nick found his heading, he gingerly walked into Griff''s line of sight.
"Alright, we want to follow that star." Nick stretched his arm out as far as it could go pointing to a stretch of the sky just to the left of the direction they were facing. "Hopefully we can reach shore before it passes by Earth." Correcting his path Griff began to swim towards the direction Nick was pointing in.
There was a long silence that stretched between them broken up by the sound of Griff cutting through the water. Atop his head Griff could felt Nick getting comfortable.
¡°Hey Griff?¡± The dragon gave a noise he was listening. ¡°Still interested in hearing about the Hall of Records?¡± He already knew the answer but watching a two story dragon get excited. ¡°Alright where were we? Hmmm. Gilgamesh, the assembly, oh right. Athena placed forward the idea of a great assembly of knowledge in one place to properly catalogue each of humanity¡¯s achievements. So even if the humans don¡¯t outright thank or acknowledge the God or Goddess that God would still know it was thanks to them that human succeeded.¡±
¡°Delighted by idea of being of humans expanding on their worship through stories and songs the Gods began to dote on their followers more than ever. With each new legend the interference from the divine kept causing more problems in the human world.¡±
¡°The head of each Pantheon began to notice demi-gods and blessed humans alike were starting to encroach on each other¡¯s lands. A second assembly was called to order. Every God and Goddess, no matter how strong, was called to join. If the Gods wanted to have a world to proceed over they needed less their influence on the humans. There was a great uproar as the rest of the Gods still wanted to be enshrined in songs and stories. Through the cries of war from the many war gods it was the Goddess Eirene who stepped forward.¡±
¡°¡¯My fellow Deities I beg for you to lay down your arms.¡± She called out.
¡°We already know what you are going to suggest Peace Goddess.¡± Great Gish interrupted. ¡°I speak for all when I say; we refuse to draw out of the competition.¡±
¡°That is not what I want to suggest at all. This competition also benefits me after all. No, what I am suggesting is adding one rule so that less human blood is spilled. Without the humans we would not have anyone writing our songs and stories.¡±
Through the arguing whispers Athena urged Eirene to continue with her idea. ¡°My rule is a simple one: No more direct interference with the human world. This includes demi-gods and weapon that can¡¯t be made in the human realm.¡±
The uproar was so terrible the human realm shook. Prepared for this reaction she said her final parting word, ¡°Unless you¡¯re afraid your worshipers are not as devout as you think they are.¡±
No Divine Being spoke. Too worried about appearing weak the new rule was added unopposed. Not to be out done by the others the God retreated back to the Divine Realm relying on a lighter touch to guide their humans. It was by no means perfect but the world of humans became just a little bit more peaceful as a result. With the Gods no longer walking among humans it was harder for them to keep track of who and more literature than each other.
That¡¯s when the Hall of Records was created.¡±
At first he thought Nick had merely paused for dramatic affect. It took a minute for Griff to realize Nick had fallen asleep. More than likely the alchemist fell asleep curled up against one of spikes utterly exhausted. Now alone Griff swam trying to fight off exhaustion himself.
Chapter 8
Boom.
Griff''s eyes fluttered behind their lids. He was still in that half-awake state when you are trying to decide if the thing that woke up is worth your attention. The decision was made for him when a wave of water washed over him. Growling Griff shook his head to get the water off. Nick was thrown into the sea treading water trying to get back onto Griff''s head.
"What happened?" he cried, but his voice was drowned out by another boom. Searching the horizon, Griff was able to make out a shape of a ship in the East backed by the rising sun. Bringing himself upright the cannonball whistled past the two of them right where his head was a moment ago.
"We need to get out of here!" Nick cried as another ball splashed closer to them. As obvious as that sounded there were a few factors against them. They were up to their shoulders in water with a set of wings not strong enough to propel them into the air. Not to mention if Griff was healthy enough to haul his massive body from a standstill in the water there was no guarantee that Nick would not go flying off in the process.
He was nothing more than an overgrown crocodile at this point.
Crocodile.
He was thinking too much like a human! Griff opened his jaws wide to scoop Nick out of the sea. The man instinctually started to scream inside Griff''s toothy dragon mouth. When enough water had drained out leaving Nick plenty of air he closed his lips before diving headfirst into the water. He swam downwards to get some distance between him and the surface. Overhead he could still hear the ships cannonballs hit the water. Underneath the waves, the world became muffled. Schools of fish flashed silver before disappearing into the darkness. Following suit Griff barely knew which way was up as he swam further down.
Already he was starting to feel his lungs begin to burn for air. Trying to ignore the need to mull Nick around like a tasty morsel Griff turned back towards the surface. Time seemed slower under the water as several more cannonballs violently splashed into the water. Sinking to the sea floor they seemed harmless as the drifted lazily past them. He flattened his limbs to his body as a crocodile does. There was a second of calm free of cannon fire or movement before there was a burst of motion. Every muscle moved as a unit to propel Griff out of the water into the air.
Griff shot of the water right into the morning sky. Completely clear of the water he unfurled his wings sending the water still clinging to them in every direction. Not waiting for the sailors to get their wits back Griff headed for the shore. With a strong wind beneath his wings and a surprisingly good night¡¯s rest, he felt so energized they might make it to the middle of the desert midday!
Griff did not hear the cannon over the whistling of the wind. He only felt the solid iron ball strike his left wing. Groaning through gritted teeth he fell out of the sky. With Nick still rolling around in his mouth, Griff was feeling his human side being overrun by his animalistic side as his vision began to blur a little. People screamed in terror as Griff landed hard on the streets of the seaside town. Breathing hard he lowered his head enough to allow Nick to roll safely onto the ground. Not waiting for his friend to recover he looked around for a place to hide. The pain in his shoulder was causing his vision to go a little hazy. Spotting the vast desert beyond the town he headed in that direction. Going off pure instinct at this point he knew he had to go somewhere the sailors could not follow.
Nick knew something was wrong the second he was spat out. Too focused on Griff to realize the spit he was covered in wasn¡¯t igniting. All around people were falling over themselves to not be trampled by the lumbering beast. Staggering down the street the dragon didn¡¯t flinch when he stepped on one of the abandoned carts. Following the trail of destruction, Nick tried to catch back up to Griff.
When the human side of his brain kicked back in he was waking up to soft blue light. When the sun faded, Griff saw that it was Nick using the Philosopher''s Stone. Noticing his friend was awake Nick explained, "Since you are already a dragon I figured it would be ok to heal your shoulder." Rotating his shoulder, Griff noted that he was feeling much better than before he passed out. Speaking of which, where were they anyway?
Stretching his neck up there was no sight of civilization to speak up. The two of them were in a small oasis with two palm trees provided them little shade. With great effort Griff was able to claw his way towards the water, the stone healed his injuries but not his fatigue. Using his long tongue, he was able to sedate his thirst a little bit. Nick took a swig of his drink leaning up against Griff''s side under one of his wings. Partially satisfied Griff flopped his head back onto the sand still tired. He was just going to rest his eyes for a few more minutes.
When he opened his eyes again, the sun was setting over a dune. Nearby Nick had drawn symbols in the sand, with a glass vessel filled with crystal clear water that seemed to shimmer. Picking up the vessel he swirled the water around squinting at it in the dimming light. He even went so far as to sniff it.
"You''re awake." Nick smiled setting down the vessel. Griff tilted his head a little then jutted his chin at the vessel. "Oh, this? I was experimenting with the sand to see if the Stone could create glass instead of just gemstones. Just making a list of what the stone is capable of like we supposed to be doing before the council." Nick trailed off to take a deep calming breath. "No use fretting over missed opportunities. For now, all we can do is keep moving forward with our research. Speaking of which," He picked up the chalice again to stare intensely at the contents. "What do you think we should do with this? I thought of pure water, but I ended up with this."
The obvious answer was: toss the liquid as far away from the pool of water as far as possible. That would make sense to Griff and most normal thinking people at least. Apparently, Nick didn''t rationally think as he wandered over to a nearby bush to pour the substance over the drying plant. In an instant, the bush turned just as green and vibrant as any in the many forests in the North. Right in front of their eyes several purple flowers began to bloom.
"When you use the stone on water it creates a sort of healing tonic instead. Very interesting, got to have to write this down." Nick had teased some of the papers from the waterskin only to remember he did not pack anything to write with. With a chuckle at his lapse in thinking he set the bag down again. Frowning he realized that had been happening a lot lately. ¡°Griff, I¡¯ve been thinking.¡± Nick was not looking at him as the alchemist put away the parchment again. In response, he made a noise to signal he was listening. ¡°I think¡maybe.¡± The man took a deep breath before turning to face Griff fully. ¡°I think we should travel separately for a while.¡±
All the dragon could do was stare blankly. So the truth was finally out. Nick didn¡¯t want Griff around in the first place, but they were forced together due to their circumstance. Now that they were out of Europe he didn¡¯t need Griff around anymore. He knew it. All that talk about becoming Nick¡¯s permanent assistant and working in the library was just lies! He really was as useless as everyone said. This was the torrent of ideas whipping around him Griff¡¯s head anyway. Over the din of his thoughts, he could barely make out Nick suggesting maybe he¡¯d be safer away from humans and meeting up during the full moons. Nick¡¯s explained how the last two days proved just how terrifying humans could be even to even the most powerful creature. Griff on the other claw rose to his feet in a bit of a stupor. Behind him, he could hear Nick calling out to him asking where he was going. Thrown to the ground by the kicked up sand from Griff¡¯s wings Nick tried to call out. The last thing he could make out was Nick pleading to meet back up at the library by the next full moon just before Griff took off towards the desert.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Without any landmarks to speak of Griff had no idea how long or far he had been flying. Looking down he was searching for maybe a camel or some goats to feast upon. What he really wanted was to find the Hall of Record. Still searching the ground below for food he began to fantasize. He never did hear why the Hall was so important to the Gods. He had theorized and ideas sure, but since Nick abandoned him he will never find out the truth. Glancing up from looking at the ground he was met with the sight of a fast approaching wall of sand. Wondering how on Earth he missed that coming at him he descended to the ground to take cover.
Just like with the cold weather Griff curled around himself to brace against the storm. Not having to worry about Nick compounded just how alone he truly was out here. Trying to focus on the storm raging outside his wing shield proved to be in vain as his thoughts began to wander. He started to pick apart every conversation he had with Nick trying to pick up the signs he hated him. Maybe it was when Griff read through Nick¡¯s notes perhaps.
The alchemist didn¡¯t seem too cross with him though. They even had conversations about some of the topics Nick had written about. Oh, how Griff would have loved to go to the Hall of Records. He had daydreams about it while trying to sleep. It would have shelves as high as the sky, built from the strongest of wood or even, sandstone if he was feeling silly. The lighting would be as gentle as the sunlight through a cloud, not so bright nor too dim. He could solve the Sphinx¡¯s riddle no issue, he hoped. While Griff was lost in thought, the storm had stopped. Tentatively Griff pulled his back wing to get a good look around. He was met face to face with a woman¡¯s face much larger than Griff¡¯s.
She had a manic smile on her face like a cat who was about to eat a trapped mouse. She bent her front legs to become face to face with Griff. All Griff could do was stare up at the woman''s face as she stared at him with her unblinking yellow gem eyes. When Griff didn''t move she extended her right paw to bat at him a little.
"Are you the one who summoned me little dragon?¡± The woman inquired her paw still resting on Griff''s side. The push knocked some sense into him as his brain finally realized what exactly he was looking at. Against all logic and reason, he was under the paw of the Sphinx from legend. Looking at the paw Griff could tell she was made from limestone rather than the flesh and fur he originally imagined.
"Your thoughts are French, so I assumed you''d be human. How fascinating." When she said ''fascinating,'' she rolled Griff a little closer to her face. More out of a sense of self-preservation he got to his claws in hopes she would stop treating him like a toy. He made a noise as he did with Nick showing her he could not communicate normally.
"Well, that does make things more difficult doesn''t it? No matter. If you want to enter the library you must answer my riddle. This one I picked just for you," she smiled before straightening her back to stare down at him. Her eyes turned from the yellow to orange.
"Everyone wants more of it to feel special, yet the more you have of it, the less special you feel. What am I?" Her voice resonated through his entire head. Like the riddle was spoken to his very soul leaving no room for misinterpretation. Griff could only stare again. Even if he did know the answer how was he supposed to say it?
"I can read your thoughts. Well," she giggled "the loud ones at least. By the way, there is no time limit." She rolled onto her back scratching it on the desert sand. "I have all the time in the world."
''Right. Special. What do I know about being special? Not once in his life had he ever felt special. He had no money or power. Mother passed on after she was afflicted with Devil''s Fire when he young. The only time he had ever felt special is when Father taught him the ways of a Scribe. From a young age, he was taught to carefully copy the symbols like they were drawn in the scrolls. He learned about the letters and how they made words. The looks and sound of the letters that turned into words that soon became ideas. Ideas from people Griff were sure possessed by the Gods themselves doing their work on the moral realm.
That''s when Griff felt common again. With each new scroll, he''d copy ten seemed to take their place. He wanted to read each one, but whipped for taking too long. Many a night he would stare at the fire as his sister treated his back trying to figure out a solution. One such night he noticed the sewing supplies she had set aside to treat him.
¡°What are you working on?¡± He asked out of boredom.
¡°Embroidering circles. Master says if I want to earn my keep I need to improve on them. Soon I will be working people.¡± She explained gently rubbing the salve over the many cuts on his back.
¡°Why would anyone want to embroider a person? People wearing clothes with other people on them. Ridiculous.¡±
¡°Some tapestries tell a story. Like the ones you are supposed to be copying.¡± Stressing he was shirking his duties as a scribe she pressed on one of the wounds. Completely at her mercy, he gritted his teeth to ride out the pain. When the pain subsided he went back to staring blankly at nothing. The only circle he was interested in was the ones he kept seeing in his work. Magic circles designed to change the world around them. Closing his eyes he could see them. The various symbols and what they meant. One of his person favorites was the one used in seer mirrors.
¡®What if you could use part of that circle to copy scrolls as well?¡¯ Like a bolt of lightning, he had his idea. Fully recharged he drew the symbol in the soot in front of him.
¡°M¨¦lodie, go get me a scroll.¡± Griff tried to sit up. He ripped the scroll making two pieces to place them around the circle. His hands moved seemingly on their own as he picked up a piece of the sparked off charcoal. He drew a star on the left scrap, placed the remaining bit of charcoal on the top of the circle, and set the remaining blank scrap to the right. Griff had never attempted magic for but he had a good feeling about this. The light was brighter than their pathetic fire causing both to go blind for a second. Blinking the bright spots away get gave a laugh when he saw the second perfectly copied star.
¡°What did you do?¡± M¨¦lodie gasped picking up both scraps to compare the two. In doing so she smudged the magic circle. That wasn¡¯t good; if he was planning on using this symbol he needed something more stable. He could carve it into his desk. Looking around he tried to see what he could do that with. His eyes fell on his sister sewing supplies again. Sure he could use her needle but then what would she use to practice her circles with?
¡°Hey. Can you sew this?¡± He asked tapped the ground next to the design. M¨¦lodie looked between the circle and her sewing supplies.
¡°If it will help with your work I suppose I could spare some cloth for you. But that doesn¡¯t mean you get to slack off.¡± She pressed on the tender spot again causing Griff to cry out. ¡°Papa going to be so proud when he hears you can do magic.¡± Griff was too excited about the prospect of all the time he just freed up for himself. He had no idea that Papa would send him off to the academy the second M¨¦lodie told him about Griff¡¯s new found ability. Papa said it was to help him have a better life. M¨¦lodie stuffed the nicest handkerchief bearing his circle into his hands as she hugged him for the last time. Thinking back Griff could not remember when the last time he saw them was. Had it been twelve years?
"As interesting as your story is there is still the matter of my riddle. Or do you not want to enter the library?" Still, on her back, the Sphinx stretched her lion''s paws to the sky before letting them flop back to her side. Griff quickly closed his eyes trying to avoid the burning sand to strike his eyes. Right he was trying to think about what makes people special.
All he wants out of life is to read. Nothing more, nothing special.
Griff eyes flew open as a thought occurred to him.
Knowledge.
When he was younger he felt so special he could read and understand the scrolls but the more he read, the less special he felt. Sensing the flurry of excited thoughts, the Sphinx righted herself to sit properly to receive Griff''s answer.
Looking at the stone woman who would kill him in an instant is he answered wrong right in her eye Griff spoke the words clearly in his mind, ''Knowledge. My answer is knowledge.''
The Sphinx raised her right paw as high as she could skyward leaving it there for a brief second. If his blood could go any colder, it would have. She brought the massive stone paw down so hard it shook the sands. The very sands they were standing on shifted under Griff''s claws. Instinctually he flattened himself as much as he could hoping to ride out the shaking. The shifting sand gave way to solid stone, and the shaking stopped. Stretched before he was stone steps large enough for Griff to descent into a dark tunnel below where the Sphinx stood.
"A word of caution before you leave me," the Sphinx said in light before still deadly serious tone. "You would be wise to leave all texts in the library below. Failure to do so could prove to be-" Her eyes shimmered blood red for a moment as she stressed her final word, "fatal." Fearful he would anger her if he took too long Griff made his way quickly down the stone steps he realized she created especially for him.
Chapter 9
Down he descended until he reached the bottom of the stairs. Once he set claw on the floor the entrance leading to the outside world closed leaving Griff in the dark. The panic of being thrust into complete darkness was short lived as symbols on the floor began to glow. Having mixed feeling about glowing objects, Griff walked entirely off the stairs towards the center of the room. His distrust was proven correct as the room filled with blinding light as a force latched around his throat cutting off his airway. It lasted only a few second leaving him gasping for air on the floor.
"No more glowing stones," Griff complained trying to soothe his aching throat. He groaned a little more before realizing he spoke rather than grunting. "I can speak?" He cried in his restored voice.
"As wonderful as that is can you plus quiet it down?" Drew a voice from the ground. Looking down Griff saw a large fluffy cat slink from around a nearby bookcase. Stopping short the cat looked up at the dragon with its bottle green eyes. "What sort of twisted joke is this?" The cat approached Griff to get a better look at him. Griff was too distracted by the new change in scenery to properly process what was happening. Somehow he went from cold stone room to what looked like a warm library. How¡¯d he get here? Did he die?
"I must say this is the most impressive illusion I have seen." The cat reached out a paw to touch one of Griff''s claws. Even though it felt like as light as feather he could still feel the cat¡¯s paw. He was awake and alive alright.
"I''m not an illusion; I''m a human...I mean dragon. Look, I can explain." Griff tried to explain. ¡°Can you at least tell where we are?¡±
¡°The Hall of Records of course. You summoned the Sphinx! How could you not know?¡± The cat asked but was drowned out by Griff shouting, ¡°I made it!"
He carefully stepping over the cat to get a better look around. "Oh if only Nick could see this." The shelves were so tall he had to stretch his long neck to peer over them. There was a soft light that Griff did not even care where it was coming from.
"I don''t know what sort of joke she is playing, but you need to leave." The cat appeared on top of the bookcase just in front of Griff.
"What? Why?"
"Are you asking me that? I mean look at you!" Shouted the cat, his tail bristled out. "This is the final resting place for all of the human knowledge; there is no place for a clumsy, flame breathed lizard who can''t even hold a scroll without tearing right through it with his claws."
"I summoned the Sphinx and solved her riddle! I have just as much right to be here as you." Griff drew himself to full height subconsciously spreading his wings to make himself look bigger. Unfortunately, his wings pushed against the bookcases nearby causing them to lean a little bit.
"Watch it!" The cat shouted. A force pushed back against Griff''s wings setting the case upright again. Folding his wings close to him, Griff apologized profusely lowering his head to survey the damage he had caused. The cat landed right in front of Griff obscuring his vision.
"Stop! You''re just made a huge mess for me to clean up. You''ve done enough damage without trying to ''help.''" In response, Griff snorted through his nose ruffling the cat''s long fur.
"You''re in the boat as me! You don''t have hands either." The cat fixed Griff with a hard stare for a few seconds when the stone hanging from his collar began to glow a faint purple. All the scrolls and books that had fallen lifted up floating in the air before flying back onto the shelf where, Griff assumed, was were supposed to go. "The exit will form on the wall behind you." Stated the cat smugly before leaping straight up to land on the top of the bookcase he just fixed. Faintly he could hear the rustling of the other side of the case being put back together again.
Then there was quiet. It was an almost impossible quiet like after a snowfall. Bending his neck, Griff saw the wall behind him morph into a dragon-sized double door. It even opened its left door slightly as if beckoning Griff to just walk through. Giving another snort he turned his back to the door to wake away. When heard the door give a faint click he just kept walking. He can¡¯t leave. Not after everything he¡¯d been through just to get here. Besides, not like he has anywhere else he could go now.
The library was more amazing than Griff''s wildest daydream. The shelving was still made of wood but looked like nothing he''d seen before. At first, he tried making his way through to see exactly how much the Hall contained. Countless scrolls with an occasional book nestled in where everywhere he looked. Griff found himself wondering how far back into history did the library started to collect. Turning a corner he got his answer, he seemed to have wandered into an area made of stone walls painted with crude symbols.
The stone appeared to have been cut cleanly from where it was originally painted inside of a cave or even on the surface of a large boulder. Having never seen anything like it Griff stared at the drawing trying to make out what each splash of color was supposed to represent. While looking over an extensive mural of a tribe hunting an animal the overhead light began to fade.
High above the ceiling''s gentle light had changed into lines and twinkling lights. The lines where a subtle color matching a small unblinking orb in the middle of them. Neck craned Griff walked along the red line to see where it ended.
''Wow. I wonder if that cat knows anything about those.'' Two steps later Griff ran into something. Slightly dazed Griff looked around to see what he had run into. It was a raised up platform bordered by railings reminding Griff of a fenced courtyard. Scrolls with beige ribbons stacked neatly next to a black circle etched into the wood floor. The cat was sitting on the outside of the circle holding a scroll using his charm.
The cat looked away from the scroll to say in a bored tone, "You''re still here?" Not waiting for an answer the cat went back to looking at the scroll.
"Where did you come from?" Asked Griff confused as to how he got to what appeared to be the cat''s personal living space.
"I am assuming you mean my workspace rather than me personally." The cat rolled back up the scroll using a beige ribbon. "Medical. Song Dynasty." The ribbon turned blue before the scroll zipped away in the library.
"Whoa, that''s amazing! How are you doing all this? Is your charm really that powerful?" Griff asked leaning in too close to the cat''s space. The cat''s claws raked across his face but his scales were too thick to actually feel anything.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"Back off." The cat had his paw up ready to strike again, his tail hair standing on end. "Shouldn''t you terrorize a town or something? Some of us have work to do."
"I''m a human! Well, I was before I got turned into this." Griff sighed resting his head on the platform with the rest of his body lying on the floor below.
¡°What is it that you want? A way to turn yourself back? A cure for the plague ravaging your village? Better yet, are you looking for a weapon to crush your enemies?" The cat asked with his ear flat on his head.
"What? No. I don''t want any of that. I just want to read." Griff pulled away fearing the cat would strike again.
"What?" The cat asked flatly anger briefly leaving his body before flaring back up again. "YOU''RE LYING!"
"I''m not. Look, before I was turned into this I was a normal boring Mage whos only interest was reading. And now I can even do that." Realizing he may never so much as hold a book again Griff flopped his head down. Nick would have loved to learn that dragons cannot cry.
"Listen,''" Instructed the cat pressing his paw right against Griff''s snout. Griff opened an eye to not have to look cross-eyed down at the feline. "If what you are saying is true and all you want to do is read I have a proposal.¡± Griff held his breath in anticipation. "You read what I tell you can read. The second you request anything else I know you are lying and will forcefully be ejected from the Hall."
For a second Griff couldn''t breathe. With a quick motion, Griff scooped the cat onto his snout in his version of a hug.
"Oh thank you. Thank you, Cat." The cat, in turn, made an unhappy noise.
"My name is Melvin!" Corrected the cat jumped off his snout. "Here." A scroll smacked Griff in the eye.
"Ouch. I''m Griff by the way."
Melvin went back to plush purple pillow without another word. Smiling inside Griff settled in to read for the first time in what felt like a century.
Nick shuffled in his seat a little curling into himself even more. He was sitting a ferry with one other person and what appeared to be his servants. Out of all the places, the other could have sat he chooses the spot right next to Nick.
¡°Could you believe the nerve of that man back there?¡± The young man asked stretching himself out. ¡°Not my fault his wife decided to give birth right before we were supposed to depart.¡± Peeking out a little from his cloak Nick assessed the man. Obviously from wealth judging by how he sneers at everyone as if their mere presence offends him. When Nick didn¡¯t answer the young man took that as a sign to just keep talking.
"I mean I headed to Alexandria to make my mark in the world. I don¡¯t have time for some peasant to create yet another mouth to feed.¡± The young man was using a knife to remove some dirt from underneath his nails.
¡°Those peasants till the fields to fill your table.¡± Nick reminded the Nobleman. He was not quite able to hold his tongue in situations like this. On more than just one occasion, his tongue got him into trouble. The man gave a huff that reminded Nick of a fussy horse before answering.
¡°Must they breed like vermin to do so?¡± Nick was able to hold this tongue that time. There was no use talking to someone whose worldviews were so small. He turned towards the water hoping the man would stop trying to talk to him. Not taking the hint the young Noble kept airing out his opinion.
¡°Enough about that. We just need to keep focusing on what is really important,¡± the young man gave a pause to put away his knife.
¡°Knowledge?¡± Nick supplied still not looking at the man.
¡°Prestige.¡± Corrected the man. ¡°With prestige and money, power is sure to follow.¡± Thankful he was wearing a hood, Nick could not hold back rolling his eyes. Of course, that¡¯s what he thought was important, from birth that was all he was conditioned to believe. Not that any of that mattered to Nick. After this ferry ride, he would never have to see this man again.
After a few days on the ferry the phrase, ¡®After this I¡¯ll never see him again.¡¯ became a mantra. It became sort of a game for the young man trying to get Nick to admit more personal details about his life. Even during meal time, the man kept talking trying to Nick to react to anything. After what seemed like an eternity the ferry had finally arrived at the port leading to the Library of Alexandria. When the man finally left his side to change into his finest vestments Nick took the opportunity to take his leave. No one paid any mind to him as he scurried off down the road putting as much distance between him and the annoying Nobleman. There was a fair bit of distance between the dock and library so Nick had to be quick to make it before nightfall.
Puffing slightly he was not prepared for the heat of Africa. The whole experience seems more surreal when not even a week ago he almost froze to death. Feeling more comfortable he removed his hood to cool down a little. The second he let go of the hood Nick hear the sound of horse hooves pulling a cart. He quickly moved to the side of the road as to avoid being run over. In a quick burst of hooves and dust, the cart breezed past Nick. Comfortable enough Nick got back on the road when the cart stopped suddenly. Nick was fearful of what was happening, he¡¯d been in Africa for less than an hour and it looked like he was about be mugged already when the Nobleman from before poked his head out of the cart. Approaching the cart Nick looked up at the smiling man wearily.
¡°Are you following me?¡± The man inquired when Nick got close enough.
¡°What? I left before you did!¡± Nick protested angrily. ¡°Besides that, I thought you wanted to get the Library and away from us ¡®peasant folk¡¯.¡±
¡°Just as I thought, you are a peasant.¡± The man¡¯s smile still plastered on his face. ¡°Excellent I am in need of a new servant.¡± Nick made a noise of disgust before walking away towards the Library again.
¡°They¡¯ll never let you in you know.¡± The man taunted jauntily. Nick stopped in his tracks. With a smile Nick could hear, the man explained, ¡°See I know are headed the Library for whatever reason but I know for certain you do not have a recommend.¡± At the word ¡®recommend¡¯ Nick frowned. This was the first time he¡¯d ever heard of needed some formal invitation.
¡°You don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± Nick accused taking the bait and turning back to yell at the man. Even at this distance, Nick could see the man¡¯s smile grow wider. The man went so far as to hold a scroll tied with a red ribbon to taunt him further. Swallowing hard Nick was afraid to see if the scroll was authentic or just a cruel trick. Choosing to call the man¡¯s bluff he turned to continue walking with his heart in his throat. A noise behind him signaled that the horse was urged to walk again. Unfortunately, the Nobleman was not quite done with him.
¡°You peasants and your pride.¡± The man commented with a condescending chuckle. ¡°Learn to read and write a little and you become full of yourselves.¡±
¡°What do you want?¡± Nick spoke through his teeth.
¡°You are daft; I already told you I need a servant. Preferably one who can read and write, such as yourself.¡±
¡°There are plenty of people at the Library who can do just that.¡± Nick left out the ¡®probably¡¯ he wanted to add to the end of that statement.
¡°As true as that maybe I cannot take them with me when I finally take my place as Count.¡± The man complained ¡°That¡¯s where you come in. A servant who purely my own, one without any prior Masters to whom they still might be loyal to.¡±
As much as he hated to admit it was a good idea. Nick nibbled his lower lip thinking. There were two options he was faced with, either he reveals his ties to the Alchemist Council in Europe or become a servant to this entitled rich kid. There was the third option of just sneaking in at night. The problem with sneaking in is that there was no guarantee that he¡¯d be alone at night. Nick himself spent plenty a night working even after Griff had fallen asleep. He conveniently forgot to mention he had a key to the library.
The incident with the navy was still fresh in his mind Nick gave a hard gulp both literally as well as figuratively to swallow his pride. Trying to make it look like he wasn¡¯t too desperate he gave a half turn at his waist to shout back, ¡°What¡¯s the pay like?¡±
¡°Better than the begging you¡¯d be doing that¡¯s for certain.¡± Nick groaned the pay was going to be as terrible as the work. Not that the money really mattered to Nick. Never the less he found himself approaching the horse-drawn carriage. ¡°We can sort of the details later; you can ride with the coachmen.¡± The man gave a wave towards the driver before disappearing. Nick made himself comfortable next to the driver who gave a nod to signal they were going to start driving again.
Nick¡¯s backside was becoming numb from the jostling and sitting on the hard driver¡¯s bench when he finally caught sight of the Library. It was clear there was a mixture of culture in the design. The part he noticed first was the dome in the very center which everything seemed to be built leading to. Long rectangle buildings stretched on either side of the dome towards Nick. Green shrubbery stood stark from the mostly tan landscape surround the area. At the entrance, etched from solid stone stood the ancient Egyptian God of Knowledge, Thoth was stationed to welcome all curious minds. Thoth was depicted as a man with a thin beaked bird¡¯s head in place of a man¡¯s.
As impressive as it was the Library seemed rather out of place when compared to the older and dirtier looking town surrounding it. Was the Library rebuilt recently? If so, why? Fearing the worst Nick turned to the driver hoping the man spoke French or English. Deciding on French he tried his luck.
¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to speak any French would you?¡± He tried looking to see if the man reacted any. When the man did not respond he switched to English. ¡°Perhaps English?¡± The man gave Nick a glare but answering.
¡°What? If it is about the Duke I can¡¯t tell you anything. I was hired to take his lordship to the Library and that¡¯s all.¡± The driver admitted.
"I wasn''t going to ask about that. I was going to ask if you knew anything about the Library itself."
"Not much to tell, they''re always working on it though. No matter how much work they do it never seems to be enough." The man commented casually. "Not that any of that should matter to you. You''ll be too busy tending to your new master to notice."
Nick remained quiet the rest of the ride there. Worrying his lower lip he was deep in thought trying to figure out how to spend as much time as he could in the library.
Chapter 10
The driver was true his word that he was only hired to take the Duke to the library and nothing more. Leaving Nick to drag the heavy luggage to where they were staying. There was a man waiting for them to arrive to show the Duke around the area.
"Only one servant for your Dukeship?" The man eyed Nick''s appearance. The man was accessing the Duke''s monetary worth based on his servant''s state of being.
"My father wanted to send a few of his but this one is my own." The duke gave a grin. Nick paused in trying to move the luggage to question why the young sounded so smug. Then he realized, the Duke was using Nick to show off how wealthy he was as an individual rather than how wealthy his family was. Cursing everything from the Duke''s pride to the wealthy class in general Nick went back to tugging on the trunk he was supposed to be moving.
"Very good, Duke Laurent. Come, there is much to see." The man led Laurent away but not before snapping for two nearby servants to help Nick take the luggage where it needed to go. Wordless the servants took most the luggage before leading Nick where it needed to go.
The servants seemed nice enough. They quickly talked Nick through the schedule for him and showed him where everything was. Apparently, it was lunch time as Nick was given a tray with two plates on it, to serve to his master. Remembering the route back Nick managed to navigate back to their sleeping quarters without spilling anything.
Duke Laurent was already in the room looking cross. All his possessions were strung about the room. When Nick entered the Duke barely gave him a glance.
"Finally, while you were off lazing about I was forced to unpack my own things!" The Duke complained about pulling more items out of the trunk to string about the room. Holding back his annoyance Nick just set the food on the workbench shoved up against the wall furthest from the only bed.
"Is your Dukeship hungry?" Nick asked hoping to change the subject. The young Duke grumbled but sat down to eat while Nick began to tidy. All while Nick put clothing away the Dukeship kept whining about how tired he was from his long journey. The room seemed nice enough; it had a bed, a small burning area (against the harsh desert night perhaps) and a clearly European wardrobe. Once the dishes were clear and the room was presentable the Duke announced they were turning in for the night. Not going to argue with his new ¡®Master¡¯ Nick didn¡¯t say anything.
Nick was graciously provided a woven reed matt to sleep on. The matt smelled musty and loose pieces poked uncomfortably at his sides. Taking off his cloak he used it as a barrier between him and the matt. Slight more comfortable he tried to relax. Though the pitch black a small bar of light managed to peak under the door. Straining his ears he waited for the Duke''s breathing to become heavier with sleep. Waiting for his change he laid in the dark timing the space between breathes to make sure he wasn¡¯t heard sneaking out.
"Sleeping in while your Master rouses is a sign of a poor Servant." Cut the voice of the Duke through Nick''s dream. With a start, Nick tried to get to his feet as fast as he could. The Duke was sitting on the edge of his bed with arms crossed glaring at Nick. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before the Duke cleared his throat again. "This is what I get for hiring someone off the street." He muttered to himself before speaking loudly and condescendingly. "Servants are supposed to dress their masters."
Nick gave a jolt before hurrying over to where he had put the Duke''s clothes away yesterday. He pulled out a shirt and a nice looking pair of trousers when the Duke spoke out again. "You are not serious."
Blinking Nick looked at the Duke getting up from his spot on the bed. The Duke elbowed his way to pick out his clothes himself. "Make yourself useful and go get some breakfast instead. You think you can handle that?" Slightly embarrassed the Alchemist set down the clothes to exit the room quickly.
The rest of the day did not get better. Forced to follow his master like a dog Nick could feel his soul crying in boredom. After eating the Duke went to the library to learn about ancient political issues forcing his servant to standby. As he was forced to stand in one place he was able to observe the people around them as they went about their business. There were a few people reading on their own but they all looked much older. There were teachers bent over their students walking in hushed tones not to disturb the other people around them. Even watching the dust particles was more interesting than watching his master read. The Library was nothing like had originally thought it would be. For starters, he found out that the dragon they were supposed to be kept for research was nothing more than a blasted mural. When he went to pick up their breakfast all students attending where required to pay a hefty fee just to be allowed inside the walls.
Thick dust collected on the shelves reflecting how Nick felt at the moment: full of knowledge yet forced to stand and rot in place. Back home no matter what walk of life you came from as long as you had the gift of magic they wanted you. Seeing the stark difference in priorities between the two establishments made him appreciate the Academy just a little bit more. At that moment he remembered how the High Councilman was pocketing gold pens and trying to steal all of Griff¡¯s research.
Money.
It was always about money. Money was nice but hiding all away like a dragon was foolish. Speaking dragon he hoped Griff was ok. Maybe he found a nice cool place to stay safe. A sneeze nearby jerked Nick out of his daydream.
There were other servants also standing patiently waiting for their masters to need them. None of them looked as fidgety as Nick though. Trying not to scream he choose to look around the room to see if get a sense of the layout. If he was going to sneak in here he should at least have an idea what it looked like during the day.
Scrolls appeared to stacked haphazardly on shelves. A proper bound book could be spotted at random standing out stark against the rolled up parchments. Squinting he could almost make out the wording on the bindings. While he was trying to read a person in plain but nice clothing stepped in front of his line of sight. His annoyance was short lived when the person started to climb the shelves using handholds built into the bookcase itself. With the grace of a monkey, the person easily climbed to almost the top. With one hand the person grabbed a scroll to then slip it into a side bag draped over his shoulder. The person did this two times before climbing back down just as graceful as before.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The Duke gave a scream of frustration causing everyone in earshot to jump. Forgetting proper decorum Nick glared down at his master, "What¡¯s wrong with you?"
"What is wrong is that I can''t concentrate. The seats are too hard and there is TOO MUCH NOISE!" Those last three words where shouted so loud it echoed slightly through the library. A nearby group glared in their direction before grabbing their materials to move elsewhere. A middle-aged man appeared to have materialized from around a nearby book self his hands clasped in front of him wearing the same outfit as the person getting the scrolls from before.
"Is something the matter," was what the man had asked but his tone stated, ''Either be quiet or leave.'' Utterly oblivious to the threat the Duke had the nerve to stand up and face the man head-on. Not one for confrontation Nick held his breath hoping the whole incident would pass quickly. If the Duke got himself kicked out after only one day he too would be expelled out of the facility.
"Nothing is the matter. Just my Master was so engrossed in his text he simply forgot where he was. My apologies." There was a brief silence when Nick realized that he was the one to speak out first. Under both men''s stares, Nick felt his whole body shutter cold.
"My servant," spoke the Duke first, "is right. I forgot where I was now if you excuse me I need something to eat before I keep working. You," the duke was now pointing to Nick,¡± will continue to copy this text while I''m away."
The man, with his hands still clasped in front of him, followed after talking to the Duke very quickly. Trying to see if the Duke''s family would donate more money or even literature to expand the library no doubt. Making sure he was indeed alone Nick took his master''s still warm spot to pull the text closer. Shaking his head he realized his master had only written three lines the whole time they had been there. What was copied looked so messy it was mostly illegible. With a scoff, Nick pushed aside the poorly written notes to pull a clean piece of papyrus to start over. Since he did not have a change in clothes he still had the Philosopher''s Stone and the copying circle still tucked into the same pocket.
Smoothing out the embroidered handkerchief Nick''s smile faded a little. The scroll was written on parchment while all he had was blank papyrus. Nibbling on his lower lip he decided to take a chance anyway. He placed the blank papyrus to his right and the scroll he was copying off of to his left like he''d seen Griff do before. The inkwell was placed at the top edge of the handkerchief. The gently placed his hand on the lower edge of the circle to activate it.
''See in your mind what you want your magic to do.''
Controlling his breath he thought of the ink in the well forming the words on the scroll to the left. Words from the past flow into the present ink to the future where the finished copy lie. The whole processed happened in a flash of blue light like before. When Nick''s eyes adjusted he was left with a perfect copy of the text on the papyrus. Positively beaming he knew this was going to make his life a lot easier.
Griff and Mel had fallen into a steady pattern over the last few weeks. For the most part, the two of them kept to themselves. True his word Griff only read what Mel placed in front of him. Ever curious Mel did allow Griff to ask questions about the library especially from time to time. Like the first time, he felt hunger pains. He asked if was possible to leave and come back for food when there was a clattering behind him. On a platter as large as soldier¡¯s shield was a finely roasted pig.
¡°Thank you, Mel!¡± With one swipe he had the whole pig in his mouth.
¡°You should be thanking Artemis for that one. Probably thought it appealed to your European tastes I¡¯m sure.¡±
¡°Artemis? I thought the Gods where no longer allowed to influence the human world.¡± Mel paused in his work to look over at Griff. ¡°My friend Nick was telling me about the Gilgamesh and the competition between the Gods.¡±
¡°Did he tell you why the Hall was created then?¡± Mel asked jumping on the railing outlining his area. Griff shook his head no.
¡°I guess there is no harm in telling.¡± Mel seemed to be speaking to himself rather than Griff. ¡°Centuries, after the new rule was instated there, was a flurry of song and stories dedicated to the Gods. It started with a single house fire. A poet who was too lax in his cleaning when his entire studio went up in flames destroying all his work. Seeing this Hestia gathered the ashes to remake the works. Unable to take items from the human into the Divine Realm The Hall of Records was created just to house the destroyed manuscripts. This entire collection lies in the space between not quite in the Divine nor the human realm.¡±
¡°That¡¯s amazing. So are you a God then?¡± Griff asked peering at Mel.
¡°No. I am no. All my magic comes from this charm on my collar.¡± Explained Mel craning his neck up in an attempt to show Griff how run-of-the-mill the charm was.
"So how are you talking then? I thought it all the charm''s doing."
"No this was made by my human, Maeve. She made it since her husband lost his arm in an accident. She ended up making one for herself after she became too broken to mix her potions as well as she used to." Mel looked pleased as if he was the one to have invented new magic.
"That doesn''t explain why you have it or why you can talk." Griff brought up again. Mel looked away for a second.
"I...don''t want to talk about." Was all he said going back to his cushion.
"I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to upset you. I''ve just never met someone nearly as interesting as you before." Pleaded Griff causing the cat to stop short.
"You really are interested, aren''t you?" Asked Mel out loud more to himself than Griff. "You know what? I will tell you." With a swish of his tail, he levitated to the top of Griff head, right between his horns. Griff felt the kneading of claws before the cat settled in.
Its hard for Melvin to talk about his life before he changed. Before he was just as ordinary as any cat you would find anywhere. He knew his name, where he lived, and the names of the humans who loved him. Art would leave the house and return smelling like the earth. Maeve would stay in and work over the ever-burning fire.
It was Art who named the strange vagabond cat Melvin. The seasons came and went until one cold white season Art went to sleep forever. Still, the season went on. It was a damp night when everything changed. Mel woke to the sounds of a flaming object crashing through their window. To his horror, the fireball quickly caught everything in its path aflame turning the inside of their home into an inferno. Mel tried to call out in distress but the damp wood created too much smoke causing every breath to burn. Coughing and gasping Mel felt his world fade to black.
When he woke up again he was in the Between Plane. Mel had no idea why he knew that exactly. Looking around he noticed he was on a bank on a river mostly shrouded in mist. Maeva was arguing with a man on the shore as a hooded figure sat patiently near the water.
"Do you know what you are throwing away?" The man shouted to Maeva. "Eternal life. You could spend eons perfecting your spells. The countless people who could benefit from just that trinket on your wrist alone. You could change the world!"
Maeva stood quietly allowing the man to run out of energy. Even though they needed to breathe the man was panting as if he ran a mile. Silently she carefully removed her bracelet to hold it out to the man. When he didn''t take it she let the trinket fall to the ground.
"If it means so much to you, here, take it. I spent too long as it is alone in this world." At that moment she noticed Mel. "I see you didn''t make it either." She knelt down with the grace of a much younger woman. Mel approached her looking for comfort. She stroked his face for a second smiling kindly. Her kind smile faded before lifted him up over her shoulder. "Let''s go see Art now."
"Wait. Please." Begged the man outreaching his hand to grab her arm. "If not for yourself do it for the good of humanity."
"Humanity?" She asked. "The same humanity that felt it necessary to burn me alive? No, I think not." Maeva approached the hooded figure sitting on the bank. "I''m ready." The figure stood up to take her hand when the man let out a frustrated sound.
"This is why you humans don''t deserve a choice, you don''t have the capacity to appreciate it." Behind her, the man''s hand began to glow a gold color as he reached out to touch her. Mel hissed to strike the hand before it could touch his friend. The second his claws contact with the glowing force the scenery changed again.
Chapter 11
"When I woke up again I was here. The messenger told me I had inherited the gem and was appointed a librarian in Maeva''s place."
"I don''t see why they just could not have found another human who wanted the position." Griff pointed out.
"That would be admitting you made a mistake though. The powers that be tend to be less than forgiving from what I noticed." Mel got up to go back to work. Griff, on the other hand, looked up at the ceiling watching the day morph into the night. Right in the middle of the ceiling, the moon was becoming brighter in the fading light.
"Oh, it''s a full moon tonight." Commented Griff trying to remember why that fact seemed so important.
"NICK!" Yelled out Griff suddenly causing Mel to let out a speech. "Its the full moon. I need to go."
"Go? Go where? You''re not making any sense."
"The reason I was in the desert in the first place is my friend who turned me into a dragon wanted to split up for a while. I was to hide in nature until the full moon while he studied at the Library of Alexandria." Explained Griff trying to find an exit.
"You''re leaving me?" Mel''s voice sounded disappointed.
"What? No. I mean...yes sort of. Only for a little while. As soon as Nick knows I am ok I''ll be right back." Griff tried to explain. Peeking around the nearest bookshelf he spotted a door was forming in a wall.
"Isn''t he the one who turned you into a dragon in the first place?" Asked Mel.
"Well yes. But it was an accident."
"Pft. We both know alchemy of that caliber doesn''t happen by accident." Griff looked down at the floor choosing his next words carefully.
"It''s not like that. He was forced to use the stone by the council." He said evenly.
"He could have said, ''no''." Shot back, Mel.
"He didn''t have a choice!"
"You always have a choice. He chose to sacrifice your wellbeing to further his career." Mel accused of taking a step forward.
"No. It''s not. He didn''t." Griff tried to explain but he kept tripping over his own thoughts. Mel looked smug witnessing Griff becoming more flustered by the minute.
"Can this door lead me to anywhere I choose?" Griff asked changing the subject. Mel scratched a patch under his chin. "As long as it''s in the desert. The Sphinx can only form from sand."
"Perfect," Griff exclaimed before opening his mouth to scoop the unsuspecting Mel up. With Mel secured he took off our the double doors that flung open when he got close. Once he was fully out into the night he spat Mel on the sand.
"You are full of surprises." Said The Sphinx. "I''ve never seen Melvin outside before. Didn''t know he could come outside."
"I can but there is no reason I should be dragged out here in the first place. Why did you bring me out here anyway?" Mel tried to flick off the dragon saliva instead licking it off.
"You were saying cruel things about my friend and I thought if you were to actually meet him it would change your mind." The statement sounded better in his head.
"Well, that is not going to happen. Sphnix, I would like to be let back in please." Mel managed to lift the rest of the saliva off using his charm. Tail hoisted high the cat made his way to the entrance before Minerva placed her paw over the entrance.
"Actually, I''d like to see that too." She smiled showing off her inhumanely sharp teeth. Not willing to argue with her Mel sauntered back to Griff.
"You have until midnight for him to show up. If he doesn''t we go back to the Hall and give up on this Nicholas Flamel forever." Declared Mel using his trinket to place himself on top of Griff''s head. "Watch, he''ll show."
Anxiety made it easy for Nick to stay awake until his ''Master'' fell asleep. For the past few days, all Nick could think about was if Griff was going to show up tonight. Terrible thoughts plagued his mind every night. Did Griff find a safe place to hide? Did he get recaptured by another army? Was he dead? Maybe he was safe but never wanted to see him again?
Concentrating he shuffled in the dark towards the door. He slipped out into the courtyard without so much as a sound. Feeling confident he stood up to walk towards the front entrance to see if he could slip out the front gate. In the bright moonlight, he didn''t need to have a lantern to see where he was going. Halfway towards the gate, a bright flame caught his attention it was heading towards the gate like he was.
Worried that somehow they knew he was sulking about Nick ducked down behind one of the many bushes surrounding the courtyard. The person approached the gate stood there for a second before quickly backtracking towards the domed library. Nick crouched there for a minute trying to figure out exactly what the man just accomplished. He unlocked the door but did not go through it. Like he was leaving it open for someone else to come inside. But that did not make sense.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Furthermore, why rush back into the library? Racking his brain he realized that the flame was actually a torch and not in a lantern like they were instructed to use. An open flame would be disastrous in a library! Nick felt all the blood leave his face cold as he realized, maybe that was the plan all along. His meeting would Griff would have to wait!
Following his ears, he rounded a bookcase to see a man fully covered in desert apparel tossing books into a pile. When he was satisfied with the height he lowered the torch down. The man''s face was warped with a sadistic smile as the light of the fire danced in his eyes.
¡°What are you doing?¡± Nick shouted worried his suspicions might be true. The figure looked up from his work to yell at Nick threateningly. Backing up Nick held up his hands to show he was unarmed. Undaunted the figure reached for his sword hanging at his waist to draw it with a bone-chilling ¡®shink¡¯. Nick backed away only to be stopped by a table. Nick scrambled onto the table in an attempt to get away. The attacker was as cowardly as he was incompetent with a sword. He thrust the too long sword at Nick overbalanced him. The sword grazed Nick¡¯s side to stick to the table. Without any other way to defend himself Nick rocked on his back to solidly plant both feet into his attacker¡¯s solar plexus. Coughing and sputtering trying to catch his breath the attack stumbled backward. One of the many books he was trying to burn caught under his feet causing him to fall back into the roaring fire.
"Did you hear that?" Questioned Mel sitting straight. It was close to midnight with no sign of Nicholas anywhere. A small part wanted Griff to be right and for the Nicholas to be as upstanding as he was told.
"No," Griff grumbled laying his head down. "Let''s just go. He''s not coming." With a flick of the tip of his tail, Mel made up his mind. Landing softly on the sand Mel stalked off to find this Nick fellow. Sure he was a talking cat but if anyone questioned him all he''d have to do is claim he was a messenger of Bastet. If worse came to worse the trinket would be strong enough to knock down a human if he had to.
Landing on the other side of the gate Mel looked around trying to orient himself. Directly across from where he was standing there was domed building lit up with the light of a fire. Assuming someone inside would be able to help him he headed inside.
Griff walked the cat''s tail tip swish back and forth as he walked away. So much attitude for a creature so small. Behind him he heard The Sphinx state, ''Someone is coming''. Confused Griff turned around to see that she had disappeared. The night desert air drifted with it a scent that made his instincts rise up. It was blood, human blood, and it was fresh.
Nick assessed his wound to see how bad he was damaged. As sizeable as the gash was it did not appear to have hit any of his organs. Pressing the wound Nick looked around for something to help stop the bleeding. Ripping his already destroyed shirt he tore off a strip to press to the wound. Smoke was starting to fill the library with furniture and other books began to catch fire. Stumbling around the flames Nick tried to call out for help.
Near the door standing right in the middle of the room was a long-haired cat. it stood transfixed on the fire burning all around. Not questioning why or even how a cat of all things was doing here he approached the animal.
¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Nick protested picking up the cat. His head felt like it was spinning as he staggered to his feet. There was now a thick smoke billowing from the now roaring library fire. Close by one of the bookcases fell sending embers and ash flying in every direction.
Nick had no idea where any doors were now and he was losing blood. The windows behind him looked to be his only exit but they were too high to climb out of. Praying for a miracle Nick grabbed one of the only non-burning books to throw as hard as he could at a window. The second it shattered Nick yelled as loud as he could for anyone to hear.
Griff followed the scent to a twenty man group hiding near the library. In the torchlight, Griff could not make out any distinct features of each person. Did know one thing, they were looking for trouble. One of the men alerted the rest to Griff¡¯s presences. Like the castle guards, they launched themselves at him trying to kill him. Instead of fleeing Griff swatted away the ones who got too close. Their swords glanced off his claws as he batted them away.
There was an off chance that the men would realize they were outmatched and run away. That entire plan evaporated when Griff heart the sound of breaking glass and Nick screaming his name. Griff turned to see orange flames through the glass windows. Realization of exactly what the men were here for settling in.
This is war.
Griff had always heard about it throughout his life but it always seemed a distant concept. Somewhere in the very back of his mind, he remembered a person saying, "Knock knock. Who''s there? Genocide!" That¡¯s when the dragon instincts began to push Griff¡¯s human logic out of the way. The animalistic rage boiled from his gut making its way up his throat.
¡°So you like fire do you? Let see how you like this fire!¡± Griff dropped him as he let out a streaming fire towards his enemies. Within seconds the murders were reduced to smoldering ash leaving Griff equal parts disturbed and satisfied with what he just did. Shattering glass behind Griff reminded him why he was so angry.
¡°Nick.¡± Griff rushed over to where the smoke was billowing desperately looking for Mel or Nick.
¡°Nick where are you?¡± Griff called into the building.
¡°We¡¯re.¡± Nick coughed against the hot ash and air. ¡°We¡¯re over here.¡± With no other real choice, Griff thrust his head inside the inferno. Lying in the center of the flames is where Griff found Nick curled around Mel passed out. Griff swooped to gather both Nick and Mel safely in his mouth in one motion. Knowing he didn¡¯t have much time he pushed off the building flying into the desert away from the fleeing inhabitants of the library.
Far from the commotion, Griff felt comfortable enough to set his friends down. Mel was already awake covered in his fair share of salvia.
¡°Disgusting but effective,¡± commented Mel shaking off his back leg.
¡°What about Nick?¡± Griff pressed nudging his friend fearing the worst. Mel stopped preening to jump on Nick''s chest.
¡°He¡¯s alive but barely.¡± Mel assessed.
¡°He doesn¡¯t look burned so why- ¡± Griff trailed off not liking the idea of his friend dying.
¡°It¡¯s the smoke. Living beings are not meant to breathe it in." Mel refused to look at Griff as if there was something he wasn''t telling.
"There is a cure, right?" Griff stopped nudging Nick to try and catch Mel''s eye. "Some plant or incantation." Much to Griff''s dismay, Mel shook his head.
"I have read every book that has graced that library and not one contained anything helpful to our situation." Mel bowed his head already beginning to mourn Nick eventual passing.
"You''re lying! There is no possible way could have read everything! There has to be a potion or a sigil or chant or even a tincture! Something!" The cat bowed his head.
"The best thing is to make him as comfortable as possible." Mel walked off allowing Griff to rest his head next to his friend. The Sphinx resurfaced from the sand watching over the duo in silence.
"Help me set him upright." Instructed Mel. He had resurfaced from the Hall with a goblet of water. Careful not to scratch his friend with his scales Griff sat Nick upright the best he could using his head. Silently he prayed for the water to help ease the pain as he felt Nick weakly drink a small amount of water.
"What the?" Mel cried out. Before Griff could ask Nick started to cough violently pushing off Griff snout. Eventually, he coughed up a thick tar-like mass onto the sand.
"That was terrible." Nick managed to complain.
"Don''t push yourself," Griff warned.
"He''s right. We have no idea how much damaged you''ve suffered." Mel added sternly.
"I think it would be best to retire to the Hall until everyone fully recovers." The Sphinx chimed in.
Nick blinked for a second realizing when he realized Griff had spoken. He looked from the dragon''s face to the talking cat. Then all the way up to the face of the living statue of the Sphinx.
"Did I die?"
"Don''t be stupid. Only the living feel pain." Mel pointed out before making his way towards the staircase.
"Yeah. I do feel that." Nick groaned massaging his chest.
"Take some more drink then. Come along I don''t want to be stuck out here all night." Mel huffed before descending the stairs.
The Sphinx placed her paw over the opening looking down at Nick. "It can¡¯t only be given, not taken nor bought, what the sinner desire but the saint does not."
"Forgiveness," answered Nick without hesitation.
"That''s not fair. How''d you get that so quickly?" Griff complained.
"My riddles are tailored to the individual. Each person wants something different from the Hall. I use them as a way of informing potential knowledge seekers I know their intentions. People with cruel intentions tend not to make much farther than here." Minerva removed her paw to allow the two of them to descend without delay.
Epilogue
"Hold still," Nick instructed wedging a chisel under one of the many scales on Griff''s forehead. Striking as hard as he could he managed to pop off the scale halfway. Using his hand he pried it the rest of the way off leaving a bright pink spot.
"How can something so small sting so badly?" Griff asked.
"No talking. It''ll be over in a minute. ¡°Barked Nick after regaining his balance. Every ounce of his focus was on making sure the gem he was replacing the scale with was snug.
"And now for the finishing touch." Nick placed the Philosopher''s Stone on top the recently synthesized ''Maeva Stone'' (no one could come up with a better name). There was a new purple light that everyone hoped was harmless. When it faded the Stone fused to Griff''s forehead.
"Ok. Give it a try." Urged Nick climbing down. Griff shook his head a little to try and get used to the new weight on his forehead. "Maybe this piece of paper." He pointed to a paper on the table. The gem glowed purple as Griff concentrated on the page. A corner of the paper flittered a little before the entire table went flying.
"Ok. That''s enough. I''ll take over from here." Mel stopped sorting books to come over.
"What about the sorting?" Griff noticed the pile of unsorted scrolls and books growing larger by the minute. The fire from the library of Alexandria created a flood of new additions. The piles were starting to reach the tops of the bookcases with no sign of stopping.
"At this rate, there won''t be a library left." Shot back Mel sitting down near Griff''s front claws. "Alright first off you need to change how you are thinking. We do not go through life just shoving recklessly about to get what we want."
Realizing he was no longer needed Nick started to pick up the scattered papers around the room. In the mess, he found his Stone among the pages. So much was still unknown about it despite being the one to invent it. Maybe he would spend the rest of his life trying to unlock its secrets.
"I did it!" announced Griff that dropping the book was levitating.
"Ok, let''s work on not dropping it now." Mel picked the book back up for Griff to take. Looking back at what he was doing a new thought started to form. It was a travesty that life-saving research was lost to the world for all eternity. Too bad he was forbidden to take these pages outside.
"Hey, Mel?" Nick called out still picking up papers.
"What do you want? We''re busy."
"Is it possible to take copies of what is in here out without breaking the rules?" Nick asked stopping to gauge Mel''s reaction. The cat looked over at Nick.
"As long as you don''t take anything out of the Hall The Sphinx has no reason hurt you. The reason the rules are so strict is that if anything is taken from the Hall and destroyed, it is lost forever." Mel explained turning back to training Griff.
Clicking his tongue Nick turned back to his own work. Or at least figure out what was going to be his work from now on. He no longer needed to appease any council or government for funds anymore. Griff was happy as a dragon now that he could read again. Picking up the Philosopher¡¯s Stone he rolled it around in his hands thinking. Without the burden of money, he could go anywhere. Where would he go through? And more importantly, what would he do when he got there? Closing his eyes he leaned back in his chair crying, ¡°WHAT SHOULD I DO?¡±
While he was looking up at the ceiling there was a flutter of movement around him. Curious he looked back around him to see he was now surrounded by a neat stack of books and scrolls. Shuffling through them he noticed it was a collection of stories and maps. There was more noise behind him as the library provided plain rolls of vellum and full inkwells.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"I don''t understand," Nick admitted. Fluttering from the ceiling was the handkerchief embroidered with the copying circle. Growling he was still at a loss about what to do. What do lost tales and maps have to do with copying magic?
"You want me to spread the legends of old in hopes to rekindle mankind''s fascination with the Gods," Nick stated aloud. Materializing out of thin air a new bag with a note on it. Setting down the stone he detached the note from the bag. In inhumanly neat writing the note read:
''Give our tales without monetary gain or by drawing attention to yourself all the Gods have agreed to give you safe passage wherever you may go. As long as you carry our works this bag will never grow heavy.''
The note was signed with an array of symbols Nick assumed belonged to various Gods.
From the bottom of his heart, he knew this wasn¡¯t a request. If he were to turn away the Gods from this task there would be consequences. From the looks of the unrelated symbols, there would be nowhere on for him to escape to. Remembering the last time he failed to properly think something like this through he set the letter in front of him. Rolling the Stone on the table he thought about what kind of life he was going to be agreeing to. When asked what he should be doing it was more geared to his research. Looks like figuring out the mystery of magic will remain just that.
¡°Look good. Now open it.¡± Mel instructed causing Griff to balk. Nick looked up from his brooding to watch the two. It was amusing to see such a large creature hunched over an object no bigger than one its back scales. The front cover of the book shook for second before being completely ripped off.
¡°Uh oh.¡±
¡°It''s fine,¡± Mel said as the cover shot back to connect to the rest of the book like nothing happened. ¡°Good as new. As long as it¡¯s in here no harm can come to it. Now try again. Imagine using the same amount of energy as if it was your own hand.
¡°Right,¡± said Griff focusing back on his task. This time the cover flipped open gently.
¡°Finally,¡± complained Mel. He meant to sound annoyed but Nick could hear a note of pride in the old cat¡¯s tone. ¡°Now hold the book front of you while turning the page.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°You can do it. Just remember all you need is a light touch.¡±
Levitating the book at the end of his snout Griff¡¯s eyes went cross trying to focus on the book.
¡°Stop that!¡± Mel barked using his own stone to snatch the book away. ¡°You¡¯re not a human anymore. If you keep reading like that you¡¯ll hurt your eyes. Try holding the text up a little higher up.¡± Mel suggested showing where exactly would be the best place to keep the text steady. Nick couldn¡¯t suppress his smile. It was heartwarming to see two creatures making the best of their situations. Thinking on it Nick began to wonder if there was a way he could make the best of this whole spread-the-tales-of-the-Gods situation.
¡°If I were to say ¡®yes¡¯, could I still work on my own research?¡± Nick asked quietly.
Before you leave for your next venture leave as many tales as nights you slept.
Did the Gods always speak in this manner or did they do it to mess with human¡¯s heads? Nick knew what they were asking though, one book or scroll for every night he stayed somewhere. Gave him greater incentive to keep moving, leaving a year¡¯s worth of book would be a little hard to explain. Thinking on it he tried to see where he would somehow be tricked into a terrible deal. It would be wise to leave books and stories about Gods from the region he was traveling through.
¡°When you¡¯re finished with that text state the genre aloud so it can be sorted properly,¡± Mel instructed before getting back to his own work.
A trip around the world protected by the heavens themselves? Setting back down the note it was an easy decision to make. Using his Stone as a paperweight Nick went to work copying, there were some lost stories that needed to be ''found''.
¡°I accept your gracious offer,¡± Nick announced towards the ceiling. A clatter in front of him made him jump in his chair a little. It was a bronze shield on a chain. Picking it up he noticed the symbols on it shifted from Hermes to others he did not recognize.
¡°What are you doing over here?¡± Mel complained before jumping on the table in front of Nick. ¡°Is your research always this noisy?¡±
¡°Well no, see I got this call from the Gods and they gave me this thing.¡± Nick held up the changing shield for Mel to see.
¡°A protection charm. Looks like every travel God has blessed it.¡± Mel commented before washing his face.
¡°The Gods sure do love their trinkets,¡± Nick grumbled aloud.
¡°If you like I¡¯m sure they would not mind branding you instead,¡± Mel said as he continued to wash his face. ¡°Of course each God would have to have their own specific insignia-¡°
¡°I will take the charm as is.¡± Nick insisted going so far as to hang the charm around his neck.
¡°Good. Now try to keep it down, the sooner Griff learns to use his stone the sooner he can help me sort through this pile.¡± With that statement, the cat went back to work.
Figuring no time like the present Nick pulled the closest map closer. Instantly he noticed it was completely different than the other maps he¡¯d seen. It appeared to be a trade route map through several provinces with names he was having a hard time reading. There was what appeared to be a detour around an area that had an elongated lizard drawn on it.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Nick asked out loud. When no answer came he leaned in to get a better look at the picture. If he didn¡¯t know any better he could have sworn it was a dragon. Looking up from the picture he compared the drawing to Griff. Long bodies with long tails, both even had two jutting horns on their head. Except the drawing had what looked to be flowing whiskers and no wings. Is that even possible? A dragon with no wings?
That flicker he felt years ago began to bloom in his chest. The same feeling he felt what seemed like a lifetime ago when he learned about the riches dragons hoarded. Back when he asked what would a dragon want with bits of metal and shiny rocks. That burning desire began to build into a roaring flame as he began planning his trip to the Far East.
With a new, a land comes new mysteries. Besides, he has divine protection on his side. What could possibly go wrong?