Two Weeks Later

Two weeks later.

Parvil sat in a small room. Surrounded by books stacked in haphazard piles, next to them on a separate table sat yet more stacks of books in orderly towers. He closed the one in his hands, placing it at an obtuse angle. Threatening to topple the pile but after a moment of looking like it might crash to the floor it stayed put, and Parvil reached for another one on the tidy stack.

–

Aspen rushed down the hall, to meet with Parvil, unaware of his new fixation on reading. Having been away for nearly a week, she wanted an update on his health progress, but after arriving was told he’d been moved but was still under observation. Which confused her given that he was healthy, or so she’d been told, and the only people watching him were mages and not the doctors.

“Excuse me.” A voice came from behind her, and Aspen barely turned in time to see someone carrying a stack of books balanced precariously, blocking the speaker's view. Aspen recognized the voice, it was Kadi. The book keeper in the library. She moved out of the way and let them bustle by, but raised an eyebrow. “Where were they going with all those books? And why here, there no research rooms here?”

Aspen watched as they stopped at a door for one of the dorms for wizards staying for a short time between missions. They lightly tapped the bottom of the door with a foot, to knock, then a second later used their elbow to push the door handle down and nudge it open with their hip. Aspen was too far away to make out the voice aside from knowing the second voice was of a man speaking to Kadi. After a moment, and nearly closing the space to the open door, Aspen watched Kadi come back out carrying a different stack of books, this one thankfully smaller than the first. “Excuse me Kadi.” Aspen said the person seemed reluctant to stop.

“Miss Alamoore.” they said. “What can I help you with? If you stopped me for a simple chat perhaps another time. I’m busy at the moment and these books are fairly heavy.”

“I don’t take more of your time. Have you seen Parvil?” She asked,

Kadi tilted their head back towards the room that they’d come from. “He’s in that room I just came from. He’s been doing a lot of reading. Have a good day.” they said taking off, cutting the conversation short but it didn’t offend Aspen. She could tell the stack of books wasn’t light, but as Kadi passed she noted some of the book's titles. All of which books of magical study or spellcraft both rudimentary and on levels only experts deal in. This confused her even more.

Though the door was open she still knocked and Parvil looked up from his book. “Oh, Aspen, come in,” he said. “How was the research mission?” He asked as he closed the book he was holding, then flinched and put a pinky in his ear like he was trying to stop a ringing.

“Are you okay?” Aspen asked worried.

“Just a headache.” he said.

Aspen frowned and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t lie to me.” she said sternly. “I can’t help you if you lie to me.”

“That voice I told you about doesn’t like it when I don’t listen to it.” Parvil said.

Aspen frowned again looking more worried, but knew she couldn’t say much to help with the voices, the moment. “What’s with all the books?” she asked, gesturing to them all.

“Oh.” Parvil said, “Just research, giving myself more to work with.”

Aspen’s look of concern changes to confusion. “What? You are a warlock.”

“Yes?” Parvil said, “What does that have to do with learning magic?”

“Parvil…warlocks don’t learn like wizards and mages do.” Aspen said. “Can you even read the languages in these books?” She asked him, taking a book from the stack, and turing to a page and pointing out a random passage. Which Parvil read flawlessly, even hitting the vowels and continents with the accent required. She blinked eyes wide and pointed out another, and he did the same again. “So that’s why they want to study you.” she said, sitting on the edge of the table. “This is…”

“Unprecedented.” Parvil finished.

Aspen only nodded. “What have you learned so far?”

“Most of it I can’t show you inside.” he said, “But.” he waved a hand and a ball of light flared in his hand, then he snuffed it out. “Oh and this.” he said, cupping his hands together and whispering so softly Aspen couldn’t hear it, then he threw some invisible to the opposite side of the room. “Over here Aspen.” Parvil’s voice came from the place he ‘threw’ the energy, Aspen turned to look at the spot in the corner. “Not sure how useful that will be but just getting used to controlling how much mana I throw into spells,” he said.

Aspen let out a long breath, her cheeks even puffing a bit. “Even with help…this is…” she couldn’t find the right word, not wanting to repeat ‘unprecedented’. “Whatever attached itself to you is powerful.” she said, “The fact you aren’t dead yet from pushing yourself to use that much mana in such a short time…”

“I’m just built differently.” Parvil said jokingly.

Aspen slugged Parvil in the shoulder. “Stop making jokes.” she laughed. “You’re not built different you just got lucky.” she stopped and reached over and took a lock of his hair in her fingers. “You need a haircut.” she said, when she moved it it revealed his ear, Aspen jumped back, nearly knocked the books off the table. “Your…your ears.” she whispered.

“Yeah…” Parvil said, “I figured you’d freak out. I think that’s the real reason they want to study me. They think the ‘god’ in the necklace is trying to form me into the perfect vessel.”

“An elf?” she said, still not gaining her full voice back. “Why?”

“I don’t think it's an elf.” Parvil said.

“Then what is it?” Aspen asked.

“Elf-like?” Parvil shrugged.

“And that’s different how?” Aspen asked furrowing her brows in thought.

Parvil shrugged. “It’s all off. Like it's close, but…” he gestured to his face and showed her the ears again, “They are right, at the first glance, but if you look at them long enough they’re off.” he thought for a moment. “I can’t tell you how exactly but they just stop looking right.” he added. “Even my face, if you look at it for too long you notice little things, that scratch at the back of your head that something is off but you can’t place it.”

“You still look like Parvil just…sort of waifish.” she said.

“Much as I like learning the new tools of the trade, I’ve got to get out of here soon and do some real exercise. Not just my brain.” He said, “Plus…Reinhold.” he whispered.

“I know I know.” she said, “I’ll see what I can do to get you out of here, maybe I can convince them to let me study you.”

At the mention of ‘study you.’ Parvil smirked and waggled his eyebrows, prompting another punch in the arm from Aspen. She wasn’t particularly strong but she had good aim, and hit him in the same spot twice. “Thanks.” he said.

“Don’t thank me yet…” she paused “I still have to talk to Enanth.”

“Fair Lady, help you.” Parvil said, shaking his head.

Aspen nodded and stood. “I’ll come back once I know something. Don’t learn any dangerous or forbidden spells while I’m gone.”

“No promises.” Parvil said.

Aspen narrowed her eyes, “Parvil.” she chided.

“What if purely theoretical, I already knew a few?” he asked.

“Then keep that under your hat.” Aspen said.

“But I’m not wearing a hat.” Parvil teased.

“Well, buy one and keep it under it.” Aspen said, stepping out the door. She paused a few feet outside the door. A thought slid into her head, if he’s an elf now…she shook it away. That kind of thinking wouldn’t do.