“What is it?” I asked, pulling another random journal from the shelf in front of me. Based on the name and entry number on the title page, I was able to puzzle out the labeling system that organized the series: a start date, the author’s initials, the number of journals that author had filled at the time of writing, a letter to indicate a multi-journal study, and a final number representing the journal’s place in the entire series. This collection has been consistently updated for centuries.
“More than one person has written in here,” she answered, tugging on one of the ribbons. “The first page is dated from over five hundred years ago!” She tabbed through the book, examining the entry dates of each section. “Okay, here’s the start of the most recent owner’s section.” She cleared her throat and began to narrate the passage, speaking loud enough for Val to hear in the next room.
“‘Today begins the most exciting adventure of my life. I, Horace Odwell, have been named the next Shadebinder of the Yorian Circle by none other than…’” she trailed off, her eyes quickly flicking up to mine with a flash of worry. “‘...The new king, Virram Yorrell himself. It is the greatest of honors to once again bring the wisdom of the Shadebinders into the service of the Golden Throne after being rebuffed so long. The young king is truly wise beyond his years.” The sound of Val’s boots against the marble halted abruptly in the adjacent room, but started again after a moment’s pause. “It may be weeks before I begin my own official studies in these hallowed halls; the sum knowledge of every Kaldanic Shadebinder is stored within the journals only a few feet from where I sit, and I will not rest until I have consumed every bit of it. Someday, perhaps, my successor will read my own writings with the same fervor.’”
I poked my head into the next room. “Val, what were you planning to do with the evidence of Virram’s involvement in all of this?”
“Bring it to the Unity Cathedral. Working with such heretics would be grounds enough for removal from the throne, but should we find direct evidence of his involvement with the Serathid plot, it would be enough to try him for grand treason.” Her hand ran across a small placard on the case next to her. “Lux, what do you make of this?”
Lia followed me into the trophy room as I moved to Val’s side. The case in question held a small bronze coin coated in green patina, its etchings too worn to make out. A familiar series of numbers and letters marked the metal nameplate on the side of the glass case. “I think this label corresponds to a journal on that set of shelves,” I said, pointing over my shoulder. “This must be a collection of artifacts important to their experiments.”
“A single coin, though? What importance could this have?” she mused. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked out over the sea of display cases. “None of these hold power similar to what caused the Serathid invasion, correct?”
I rescanned the room with a quick pulse of mana, then nodded. “Right. None of these things look particularly special to me.”
“Good.” Val continued to pace through the rows of glass cases, peering into each one as she passed by, and I moved in the opposite direction doing the same. The array of objects I passed was baffling: a rusted half-helm, a collection of pages covered in a foreign language, a broken segment of discolored bone, and a perfectly preserved apple. None of the artifacts looked out of the ordinary or seemed to relate in any way aside from their physical proximity within the trophy room.
“Guys, listen to this!” Lia called out from her spot halfway across the room, having meandered about the cases as she read. “‘King Yorrell has provided me with a most curious artifact: an ornate skull, expertly crafted from some sort of dyed glass. While it is beautiful to behold, I am more intrigued by what I sense within it. My fingers tingle as I handle it even now; could it truly be a conduit for Shade essence?’”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Shade essence...the void between worlds. That means these Shadebinders are just...people like me? I swallowed hard against an uncomfortable lump in my throat. Lia paused in her dictation and looked at me in concern as she felt my discomfort, but I nodded for her to continue. Read it. We need to know.
“‘Further tests will be required to fully understand this gift. The King has been less than forthcoming in his explanation for where he acquired the piece, simply saying it was “found.” Truly a mystery, my young master.’” She looked up from the page. “This was written four months ago.”
“It is true, then,” Val said through clenched teeth. “Virram was the catalyst for this invasion. He was the cause of the innocent lives we lost.”
“There’s more in the next entry, from a month later,” Lia added. “‘King Yorrell has bestowed upon me another gift, though this time, it is no mere bauble or curious artifact. This gift came in the form of a simple message: “You shall soon find proof that a fresh acolyte walks among us.” Such an intriguing riddle! I had hardly spent the time to consider what my King could mean when the promised proof arrived at my doorstep, right alongside my usual supply of rations and testing materials. It was the cadaver of a Yorian city guard, apparently killed—’”
Lia cut herself off with a hand clamped over her mouth, but I had already read the words through her eyes.
