The Casting Stone 4
Happy 2001! Hope we all had a fun, safe holiday. New Year's Day was a dream come true – 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. solid football, being waited on hand and foot. 'Oooo, Heaven is a place on Earth…' (okay that dates me…) and it hosts a big screen TV, and a Husky win at the Rose Bowl! My apologies to any Purdue fans, but the ex-boyfriend went to Purdue. You know, that ex – the one who made you barricade the front door and wish death on their entire gender (this is an equal opportunity rant - I have it on good authority that ex-girlfriends can have the same effect). So my Scorpio soul savored vicarious revenge watching his beloved team go down! Ha ha! (Those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I sincerely hope you never do!)
And now a busy New Year – at least for me! I will not be getting this up at the same pace as 'Veritas': I had considerably more free time last quarter. Look for each new chapter of this to be up on Sunday night in the future. You stick with me, and I'll get this done. I've got it all scripted, but fleshing it out will be another matter. (I see 37 author alerts – I am flattered & I want to hear from you – I write this for you as well as for my own entertainment, you know!)
And on to what we all really care about….
Remus, Draco, Liz & Sirius determine what the clues left in the ancient spell map are, and verify that Peter has in fact been seen in the area recently (unfortunately for some).
Quick note: This means nothing now, but will make sense later. In my AU apparating licenses are the wizard world's equivalent of passports for adults. I'll worry about what children need if I ever move one across a border later on.
***
Emotions were running a little high that evening, as everyone was tense and tired from trying to make heads or tails of the mysterious spell map Liz had taken from the ruined temple. It turned out to be a very complicated collection circles, astrological symbols, and three long verses in ancient Greek that at first read seemed unrelated in that they simply retold the tale of how Hades had seduced Persephone and taken her away with him. Sirius wasn't helping by swearing loudly about 'utter rubbish' every hour on the hour. Even Liz was starting to give him looks, which, Remus was relived to note, finally shut him up.
The only positive step that had been taken after they had spent all afternoon working was that they decided that the map from the temple was in fact the map Peter had in his letter to Lucius Malfoy. The map in the letter was very crude and was missing several of the markers from the original, but it was a reasonable facsimile. Draco carefully noted which of the markings Peter had left out of his letter, which piqued Sirius' curiosity.
"Draco, why do you consider that relevant?"
"I'm not sure I do, just yet. But consider that Pettigrew wasn't as barkers as he was assumed to be by the others. He wanted to give my father just enough information to arouse his interest in this subject; but, if this were me, I'd be damned if I gave away my full hand. The items may have been deliberately left off the map because they are the more relevant points on it. If father tried to 'circumvent' him, and go looking himself, he'd be missing key pieces. Not enough to stop him starting down this trail, because we've figured it out, but enough to slow him down and wonder what else Pettigrew was leaving out." Draco gave a thin smile. "Not the best way to gain father's favor, but prudent."
I have to agree with that reasoning. Remus looked at Draco's notes "Which planets or symbols aren't listed on Peter's letter?"
"The Sun, the Moon, Scorpio and Taurus."
Remus went to the replica of the spell map and carefully made checkmarks next to those bodies and symbols. "Navigation starts with the sun, then the stars. I think Draco's right; Peter's trying to keep something hidden that we need to find; hence, the missing symbols. We need to start reading these verses in detail and see how they relate to the symbols and find clues about where they belong on this map. Draco, open up Peter's letter again, would you?"
Draco sighed and reached for his wand. He faced the book rather irritably; it jerked into the air and flipped its pages so quickly Remus feared some would rip. Not sure how the book would react if it was injured in anyway, he calmly put a hand on Draco's shoulder to get his attention. Draco jumped at the touch, then turned red and apologized to Remus.
"Sorry. I suppose this book won't take kindly to being beat up, no matter who's doing it, right?"
"If it were my journal, I would certainly have done my best to prevent its destruction or defacement. Now, what's the first bit of the letter just after the map?"
Sirius stepped up next to Draco and looked closely at the book. "Peter's writing is atrocious. But it looks like he's talking about the Minoans knowing where the Casting Stone was located."
"Minoans? That's interesting," said Liz quietly, looking back at the spell map. "Taurus is missing, right? Well, wasn't Crete the home of Minoans and didn't they worship bulls?"
Draco scribbled Minoans next to his note that Taurus was missing.
"Anything else?" Remus asked Sirius. But Sirius shook his head. "The next bit is about Egypt."
Remus sat back down and joined Liz in staring at the map. Specifically, at the Greek verses scribbled in impossibly tiny writing around the circumference of the circle holding the markers they were assuming was a map. A lot of assumptions, and only two who read Greek. Long night.
"Liz, you and I get this next piece, as we are the Greek readers in the group. Sirius, you can actually make yourself useful by making a larger version of the map so we can have some room to start properly making notes that only we can read. Understood?"
Sirius chuckled and nodded. "Map technology terms you implied are understood. But I need a few things I'm not sure we have."
Draco looked at Remus with a curious expression, but Remus just returned his gaze evenly, and went on. "Draco, I need you to really pour over that letter in detail now. Look for any mention or implication of stars or astrological markers anywhere. But after," he said, standing up, "we get something to eat, and I get the items Sirius needs from the wizard community over the hills. Draco, let's you and I apparate over to the hill above the wizard village and go find the bookshop. It's a particularly good one, as I remember. We'll get a chart book, then we'll go to the magical supplies shop to pick up a few things for Sirius. Liz, can you run over and get us something to eat?"
"Absolutely. Draco, you were rather underwealmed by the eggplant last night. How about that seafood stew?"
"Yes, thank you. Here." Draco handed Liz a wad of muggle money. "That should cover dinner and provide a nice tip for the cook with my thanks."
"Draco…."
Draco smiled rather darkly and held up a hand to stop Liz. "Father's precious money feeding a traitor, the Werewolf, and 'Sirius Bloody Black'. I find that oddly comforting." Draco turned and walked out, Remus following after grinning at Sirius, who stared after Draco with an odd expression.
Draco stood waiting for Remus at the top of the thin staircase. He gave Remus a dry look as they started down to the lobby.
"Are we making ourselves scarce, Professor?"
Remus had to smile back. "I hadn't thought of that, actually, but it can't hurt them to get what little time they can to themselves. I just thought you and I can move about more easily than they can, and Sirius can stay as he is, safely in this hotel."
"Yes, it makes me nervous to have him running loose too."
Remus shook his head as Draco stepped ahead of him and walked gracefully across the small lobby and out into the dark street.
***
Remus and Draco quietly apparated onto the top of the hill and looked through the darkness to the faint lights of the wizard village below them. Despite the heat of the day, the night air was cold, and a breeze was coming off the bay below them, chilling them further. The stars seemed almost on top of them, unimpeded by any light of the Earth. And the moon; a sliver in its first waxing, hung low in the sky directly across from them. Remus felt a surge at the sight of the moon, something unnamable and unmistakable rising to his throat. He tore his eyes away, glancing back over his shoulder, trying to ground himself. He saw the electric lights of the old Venetian fort in the middle of the harbor glowing brazenly and unnaturally against the pitch-black waters of the Mediterranean, before forcing himself to start down the hill towards the softer enchanted lights coming from the wizard homes. They had only taken a few steps forward when they found themselves suddenly at the top of the street leading through the community. As they moved forwards, the wards parted for them and they saw the houses seem to shimmer and grow as they quietly became visible in the night.
The street was much like one they might find in muggle Nafplion. The houses were only two or three stories tall, built one right next to the other of white walls and tiled roofs. But the details on them were far more complex than the quaint patterns around the doors of the other village. Remus noted any number of charms and, he was interested to see, rather dark old world hexes that promised painful things indeed to anyone who violated the sanctity of the home they guarded. Draco, as usual, said nothing, but watched everything closely. Suddenly, he stopped and pointed at something on a wall next to them. Remus just caught a quick movement as some animal disappeared before he got a good look at it. Draco looked surprised.
"Professor, there was a cat. Right there…."
A guardian, it would seem. Question is, are we friend or foe?
"Draco, do you know what a guardian is?"
"No."
"An enchanted cat. It protects their owner. Very, very intelligent creatures. Remember Mrs. Norris?"
Draco rolled his eyes and started back up the street. "Disgusting animal."
"Well, she had a way of showing up in odd places, did she not?"
"Yes."
"She's a guardian, that's why."
Draco had to smile. "So guardians work for good and evil, it would seem."
Remus didn't say anything. Evil isn't quite fair for poor Mr. Filch, I think. Best not mention to him that Crookshanks kept close tabs on him during his school days. Remus had to wonder whom the cat belonged to, though, and where it had gone. He watched the wizards and witches who had started to appear as they came into the town center carefully, though. Nobody seemed to give them any notice; most of them seemed to be at the taberna, anyway, watching a Quiddich match and cheering loudly. Greece is winning or Turkey is losing.
The road through town was starting to get steep. Remus pointed up the hill at the sign that showed the magical supplies shop.
"The bookstore is next door. We may find that the owners are right here, though, and have to come back down to ask them to please open up for us. Let's go see, shall we?"
They were about halfway up the hill before they heard someone following them, calling out for them to wait. Remus hoped that maybe it was one of the shop owners, happy to see customers, but when he looked back at the wizard, he had the distinct impression that this was an empty wish.
"Gentlemen! Please stop."
Remus put a hand out to stop Draco and they both turned to see a wizard hurrying up the hill after them. Remus felt Draco tense a bit, but his face remained as calm and nearly expressionless as ever. Remus also put on the most neutral expression he could imagine (Why no, Professor Macmillan, I've no idea really why Snape and Avery are turning purple and foaming at the mouth.) and waited for the man to reach them.
A short, fat and very unpleasant looking wizard finally stopped in front of Remus and Draco. He wore violent green robes with red key patterns lining the neck and edges. He also had two large gold earrings hanging from each heavy earlobe, giving him an oddly rakish look. His hair, which looked as it had once been even darker than Sirius', was streaked heavily with white and pulled back in three long thick braids that fell down his thick back to his waist. Remus noted that two tall, thin celts made a stark contrast, even in the dim light of the street, to this intense little man. He was scowling at them with a rather disheartening intensity, panting a little as he had obviously just run up the steep street after them, and was unaccustomed to such movement.
"Welcome," he said, in guarded tones. "I am Alessandros Kiernados, and I am the authority in this town. I have not met you before? Please, come and join me for a drink." He gestured back down the hill towards the taberna. His tone suggested that this was not a request, but a demand. Remus nodded at Draco and they followed the wheezing man back down the hill. He sat heavily at a table on the edge of the taberna, and waved at the waiter. He ran over, set down a bottle of ouzo and some glasses, then disappeared again.
Alessandros Kiernados smiled weakly at them, pouring drinks and shoving them at Remus and Draco.
"We are such a small settlement, you see. We get so many tourists here, of course, because all of you Northerners seem to feel a need to burn yourselves in the sun." Remus saw him glance rather sharply at his and Draco's pink cheeks. "I did not see you on our beach today, and still you are burned. May I ask where you have been?"
Draco straightened himself and looked down at the man, who was a good head shorter than Draco and Remus. He sipped at his drink.
"We have been, up until this moment, enjoying the hospitality of your country."
The wizard narrowed his eyes at that. "We've been having trouble with you English. Lot of you showed up here. And I know why. Is that why you are here? Hiding, are you? Is that it?"
"Certainly not," said Remus, trying to sound calm and polite, as he noticed both Draco's and their companion's temper start to rise. But the other wizard cut him off.
"We require all visitors to report in when they arrive, and let us know where they will be staying. You would have done this, had you arrived here appropriately."
Draco finally looked incensed. "We will do no such thing."
"Why, what are you hiding?"
"Nothing."
"Why are you wearing muggle clothes, then? Perhaps you are staying over there to keep out of our way? Why would you do that?"
"Mr. Kiernados…."
"I have a right to ask your names and see your apparating licenses. I am asking to do this nicely."
Remus reached into his pocket and took out his license and indicated Draco should do the same. The wizard took their licenses and held them up in the light of the street lamp to read. Kiernados looked darkly at Draco when he read his license.
"Well, well. Malfoy. Even we know that name."
"I'm flattered."
"Don't be. I told you we're having trouble with you lot…."
"What," said Draco very low and very angry, " does that mean?"
Kiernados smiled thickly and returned Draco's look with equal malevolence. "A muggle was killed by a wizard two weeks ago; practically in broad daylight, and in front of a number of witnesses."
"Why?"
Kiernados shrugged and gave Draco and Remus back their licenses. "We have no idea. But a lot of Europeans have been through our community, fleeing to areas that do not ask so many questions. I am not letting them stay here; we are a respectable town, and we will not host edestes thanatos as you call them."
Remus gave Draco a small look, then smiled at the obviously aggravated Mr. Kiernados. "Mr. Kiernados, forgive us. We did not mean to offend you, or blatantly ignore the good laws you enforce to keep your citizens safe." Kiernados looked utterly impressed at this statement, but only scowled deeper at Remus and said nothing.
Remus continued in the same light and slightly distant tone, sipping at his drink. "But you will find that if you contact our Ministry, that in fact I work for the enforcement arm. We have heard of the incident with the muggle, and suspect that the wizard involved is another of the edestes thanatos we are still trying to bring to justice for other crimes they have proven against them. I only arrived here a short time ago, and yes, I was trying to remain discrete as I looked for traces of this man. Mr. Malfoy is a private citizen; it is by chance that I met up with him. We are old acquaintances."
Kiernados looked a little more relaxed once Remus had finished. Better not check with the Ministry too quick; not until I file a report saying one of our death eaters has killed a…
"Sir, a question. The muggle in question; was he Greek?"
"No," said Kiernados, with a little suspicion returning to his voice. "He was an American. He was a scholar who had been in this area for a number of years. He used to bring students with him to work; but he lost one one year and after that, well, he was not the same."
"What happened?"
"He says the young man was dragged off by a monster. He only came back after that to try and find the animal that had done it. This was three years ago."
Remus suddenly had an image of the sphinxes from the temple pop into his head. They could easily have done it; but to take a muggle from a group? That doesn't seem right.
"I see. May I ask one more question? I am correct in assuming this man who was killed read and spoke ancient Greek?"
Kiernados nodded. He threw back the rest of his drink and set his glass on the table heavily. "I will of course check with the English about this. Are you staying long?"
Remus smiled. "No, we are due elsewhere. Again, please forgive our lack of manners in not coming to see you immediately. I wished to avoid the town, as you can imagine."
The old wizard just grunted and stood up. Remus stood as well. "Please, we need to get a few things. Can you tell us if the owner of the magical supplies shop is here?"
Kiernados pointed at a young witch at the bar, glued to the Quiddich match. "You may have to wait. Her brother is playing for Greece. A great hero. Good evening."
Draco looked after the man. "It would seem we have the bill," he noted, as the waiter approached them, looking slightly nervous. Draco waved the man off and poured himself another drink.
"We need to send an owl immediately," said Remus quietly.
"Yes, I thought we might. Did you hear of this?"
"No, but I hardly would have paid attention to it before this if I had; these sorts of things generally go through muggle affairs first, then get over to the enforcement arm. And I can promise that they won't be sending me into the muggle world if they can help it."
Draco thought about this before asking quietly, "Can muggles sense you?"
Remus shrugged and finished his drink. "I make some of them nervous just like I make some wizards feel nervous. I think it's more like they would consider it, um, 'bad manners' to send me. Not the pride of the community, as it were. But I've lived quite a bit among muggles and as a rule I find them much less uptight about things like that, you know. Besides, I could tell a muggle I was …different… and they'd just think I was eccentric or insane." Remus smiled quietly, and played with his empty glass absently. He checked to see that they were alone at the edge the bar and leaned closer to Draco.
"Actually," he said very quietly, " in my younger days, I did do that once. I told these rather colourful young men I was sitting next to in a horrid bar on one of the islands around here what I was. They were very drunk and very impressed. I got free drinks all night. Until I sobered up the next day I considered that I might have a profitable career as a muggle-baiter."
Draco laughed. "Professor, forgive me, but I find it very hard to picture you sitting in a seedy bar getting smashed with a couple of foolish muggles. Sounds more like Black."
"Thank you, Draco. But I was young once. I might surprise you."
***
After Draco gave the both the magical supplies shopkeeper and the bookseller 10 galleons each, a staggering sum, they were only too happy to leave the taberna and open up. Remus and Draco collected what they needed quickly and left, anxious not to run into Kiernados again.
"Draco, I think it was Peter who killed that muggle. He never studied Greek; he'd need someone to translate for him, and he'd need to cover his tracks." Remus couldn't help sounding sad at this, despite everything. Draco just nodded, and walked back up the stairs at the inn to their rooms. Liz had collected a large dinner for them, and it was spread out over the table near the window. She and Sirius had started a while ago, and Sirius wanted to know what had taken them so long. Remus told them about Kiernados, and Sirius started to look nervous.
"Were you followed?"
"I don't think so, but whether we solve this or not, we need to leave tomorrow I suspect. Best not push it. We're pretty obvious here if anyone is looking for us."
Sirius just nodded and moved past Remus to sit at the window, looking up at the stars and absently picking at the remainder of his meal.
Liz was busy with the translation. "Remus, check this for me. I think, I think, We've found a marker. Something to start with, at least. Draco, spread out the map of the islands please."
Draco unfolded a large map of the Aegean and stood to one side as Liz brought over the small map parchment and handed it to Remus. She stood close and pointed at one of the sections of verse.
"To quote the sphinx 'v-hery draaamatic'. Listen;
Not under but away and O!
Blind to other men, though the Great Sun
Gazed from above.
The sorcher set the bear aflame as it tried
To answer her cries.
Afeared, it fled across the water to quench its body
Safe in the eternity; it sat beside its consort and
Was still.
Sirius set his plate on the windowsill and came over to stand next to Liz. "Very dramatic indeed. But Remus, 'the great sun' is the key. Working from the idea that 'the sun is above', and that Taurus is meant to be Crete, then the sun needs to go above it. Crete is the largest island, right?"
"Yes."
"Then if Crete is the largest island, we can assign the largest circle to it, right here," Sirius pointed at the map. "If this is Crete, then the sun is here," he pointed at a smaller circle, then turned and held up the map of the Aegean.
"Remus, this right here, above Crete, is Delos; the main center for the worship of Apollo."
Draco sounded uncharacteristically impressed. "The Sun God."
"Exactly," smiled Liz. "But still not so simple. 'Blind to other men' implies that something is hidden, and not just poor Persephone. 'Not under but away'; when Hades took Persephone, he didn't take her to the Underworld, like the muggle legend says. He took her somewhere hidden."
Remus nodded. "Behind wards. Okay, let's assume that this is more than a stylistic map. This is, based on the references to the constellations, a star map of sorts. Draco, what's the brightest star in Taurus? The largest star?"
Draco ran through the star book they had bought. "Aldebarran."
"Draco, what does 'Aldebarran' mean?"
"From 'dabar'; which means 'to follow'. Believed to have been named this because it 'follows' the Pleiades."
Sirius smiled. "The Seven Sisters. Everyone is big on them, even the muggles."
"Yes," said Remus, bending over the map again. "Okay, Crete is the largest island, so it represents Aldebarran, the largest star in Taurus. So that's," he looked at the star book, "the eye of the bull; and the Pleiades would be in this area…" he circled the small cluster of islands under Naxos and Paros. "Directly under Delos," he finished with a smile. "Amazing."
"Six!" said Liz, suddenly.
Remus, Sirius and Draco all looked at her, surprised.
"What?"
"Six! Mr. Black, you called them the seven sisters. For a long time people only saw six stars, and believed that they hid a seventh! The smallest sister, as it were. There is a seventh hidden."
Remus counted the islands under Paros. "Five, damn it!"
Draco pointed at the main island. "You didn't count Paros itself. Besides, reflecting on your previous admonitions not to take things too literally, perhaps we're not meant to take the number of the Pleiades to heart, just the idea of something being hidden. So, we can project that there is in fact a hidden island somewhere in that region. Who knows how to sail?"
"Not Sirius," said Remus, smiling quietly remembering being dunked by Sirius nearly 20 years before. Sirius smiled back and looked at Liz.
"Well, adventure-girl, do you sail? Surely you must!"
"Not a chance. I'm a land-lubber. But Draco is right; if there are wards hiding an island, the only way in will be on the water, if we can somehow manage to find out bearings. We may get out there and find nothing but open water. For a long, long time."
Any further conversation was stopped by a shrill squeak from the window. Everyone turned quickly to see that the little griffins from the temple were making a quick and easy meal from the remains of Sirius' dinner.
"Sirius! We'll never get rid of the things now!"
"Miss Harker, that's a rather brusque tone from a woman who considers 'griffin' and acceptable name for a child, you know."
"My liking the name has nothing to do with the reality of the beast. Remus? It's my understanding that we are now stuck with them unless they find a home they like better?"
Remus had to laugh, and he patted one of the little animals on the head. It seemed to purr at him. "True. But they may not be such a liability, you know. We'll just have to see."
Shameless & non-compensated plug: This was written entirely under the influence of Nina Gordon's 'Tonight and the Rest of my Life'…what an album! Even Sting was put back on the shelf & that is almost never done around here.