BoldItalic
First Post
Tickle swam slowly along the bottom of the loch, accompanied by Inannyunot who had cast Water Breathing on himself. He felt a little better now, and showed an interest in a passing shoal of twinklefish. But he wasn't hungry. Perhaps later. He was so tired.
The wizard touched him on one tentacle and pointed to a place where an arch of rock had made a small underwater cave. Half-buried in the mud inside the cave was a stone statue that radiated magic; it seemed to be a statue of a fish-god but without his books Inannyunot had no idea who the fish-god was or what he represented. Tickle didn't know either but touched the statue curiously. He felt warmth. It was a good kind of warmth. A voice spoke inside his brain. It spoke in the language of sea-creatures and Tickle understood, though he had never heard it before. "In Seven Days." said the voice. Just that. "In Seven Days."
"In seven days what?" wondered Tickle, but the voice said no more. He led his wizard friend up to the surface so that they could talk. Archie was paddling about nearby, amusing some tourists who were waving from the far bank of the loch, and they had a brief three-way discussion. Archie pointed out that the full moon was in seven day's time, but that didn't seem to be terribly momentous so they were a bit stumped.
Archie had some other news, though. The Macfeece (the real one, as Archie pointedly remarked) had agreed to allow Archie's 'wuzzarrrd frand' unlimited access to the Castle Feece library, which was housed in the north tower so that the books didn't get too much sunshine through the windows. If he wanted to work at night he would have to use magical light because naked flames from candles and so on were forbidden in the library, but that wouldn't be a problem, would it?
"Off you go," said Tickle. "I'll be okay. Thanks for getting me here, it's a nice loch and there are plenty of fish for when I get hungry. Archie will keep me company, won't you, Archie?"
"Oh, aye. Ye can help me frrrighten the taurrrists," he replied with a grin.
The castle library was large and Inannyunot soon lost himself in all the shelves of books. There was a sort of order to them but it took a bit of getting used to. They were organised by the length of the title, so ones with titles like "Xa!" or "She" were at the east end and ones with titles that were so long that they covered not just the spines but the front and back covers as well, in the tinest writing possible, were shelved far down at the west end.
One book caught his eye because it was clearly in the wrong place - it was called "The Sons of the Kings and Their Royal Titles" and it was the very last book on the very last shelf. Then he realised with a laugh why it was there - it was because all the titles listed for all the personages inside it - and as he flicked idly through the pages he saw many hundreds - counted as titles of the book. Someone had a sense of humour.
He was about to re-shelve the book when he paused because something he had seen for a brief moment as he turned the pages jogged his memory. He shuffled backwards and forwards trying to find it, and eventually spotted it near the bottom of a left-hand page. It was his own name. His true name, that he kept secret. A co-incidence, surely, but still intriguing for it was not a commonplace name. He read more closely.
"He must be the same age as me," mused Inannyunot, whose true name was also ₼₼₼₼₼₼₼₼. "We should get together ..."
"Or ..."
₼₼₼₼₼₼₼₼ began searching for other books. Especially ones that were on the wrong shelves ...
The wizard touched him on one tentacle and pointed to a place where an arch of rock had made a small underwater cave. Half-buried in the mud inside the cave was a stone statue that radiated magic; it seemed to be a statue of a fish-god but without his books Inannyunot had no idea who the fish-god was or what he represented. Tickle didn't know either but touched the statue curiously. He felt warmth. It was a good kind of warmth. A voice spoke inside his brain. It spoke in the language of sea-creatures and Tickle understood, though he had never heard it before. "In Seven Days." said the voice. Just that. "In Seven Days."
"In seven days what?" wondered Tickle, but the voice said no more. He led his wizard friend up to the surface so that they could talk. Archie was paddling about nearby, amusing some tourists who were waving from the far bank of the loch, and they had a brief three-way discussion. Archie pointed out that the full moon was in seven day's time, but that didn't seem to be terribly momentous so they were a bit stumped.
Archie had some other news, though. The Macfeece (the real one, as Archie pointedly remarked) had agreed to allow Archie's 'wuzzarrrd frand' unlimited access to the Castle Feece library, which was housed in the north tower so that the books didn't get too much sunshine through the windows. If he wanted to work at night he would have to use magical light because naked flames from candles and so on were forbidden in the library, but that wouldn't be a problem, would it?
"Off you go," said Tickle. "I'll be okay. Thanks for getting me here, it's a nice loch and there are plenty of fish for when I get hungry. Archie will keep me company, won't you, Archie?"
"Oh, aye. Ye can help me frrrighten the taurrrists," he replied with a grin.
The castle library was large and Inannyunot soon lost himself in all the shelves of books. There was a sort of order to them but it took a bit of getting used to. They were organised by the length of the title, so ones with titles like "Xa!" or "She" were at the east end and ones with titles that were so long that they covered not just the spines but the front and back covers as well, in the tinest writing possible, were shelved far down at the west end.
One book caught his eye because it was clearly in the wrong place - it was called "The Sons of the Kings and Their Royal Titles" and it was the very last book on the very last shelf. Then he realised with a laugh why it was there - it was because all the titles listed for all the personages inside it - and as he flicked idly through the pages he saw many hundreds - counted as titles of the book. Someone had a sense of humour.
He was about to re-shelve the book when he paused because something he had seen for a brief moment as he turned the pages jogged his memory. He shuffled backwards and forwards trying to find it, and eventually spotted it near the bottom of a left-hand page. It was his own name. His true name, that he kept secret. A co-incidence, surely, but still intriguing for it was not a commonplace name. He read more closely.
In the tenth year of his reign, King Donald BlackHair married the raven-haired daughter of Argly Stonebeard, Thane of North Gruce. But on the eve of their wedding a foul hag cursed the couple and uttered a doom upon them: they would both die instantly the moment their first-born son drew breath. They warded themselves with many wards but the curse could not be broken. A boy was born, for whom they had already chosen the name ₼₼₼₼₼₼₼₼ but alas, with his first cry he sealed his own fate and made himself an orphan. Fearing that the king's brother Nonal would murder the infant and claim the throne, loyal courtiers smuggled him away and gave him new names. What became of the black-haired child is not recorded here but it is said that he will return to claim his kingship at the time of the first full moon after his thirty-third birthday.
"He must be the same age as me," mused Inannyunot, whose true name was also ₼₼₼₼₼₼₼₼. "We should get together ..."
"Or ..."
₼₼₼₼₼₼₼₼ began searching for other books. Especially ones that were on the wrong shelves ...
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