"The Art?" said Liam later that night. Cyrene had been reporting her new find to him over a fancy dinner of hamburgers and Pepsi. Now the volume sat between them, opened three pages in. "The art of what?"
His daughter shrugged. "Dunno. Tried ta glance it over but-" she waved her hand to indicate the shimmering words scrawled purposefully on the page.
"Arabic?" he asked only to answer himself "no. Too strange even for that. Look. The way they shine, you'd a thought they were alive wouldn't you?" he chuckled.
"Ya, " she said absently. The symbols were slowly starting to translate themselves before her, she had the feeling of remembering a language she had once known but long since been forced to forget. One word at least came through clearly to her. It was... "Wizard."
Liam looked down, seeing nothing but the strange, glittering scribbles. "You think it's some sort of magic book?"
"Dun really know Boss. If it is, why's I the first ta open it?" Her mind was suddenly filled with old stories, the sort where someone became the victim of a foul plague for unwittingly disturbing the property of a powerful being, like the stories surrounding Tutankhamun's tomb. "Ya dun think it's cursed or something?"
"No, no of course not" he insisted. After a pause, he said, in a voice that was only half joking. "I think this book was meant for you."
"Yer ki'in' me." She was nervous now, her accents making her voice almost intelligible.
"No I'm not." Liam turned back to the title page, the only page in English, and pointed down at the bottom, where the publishing date had been written. He had only seen it because he looked for it. The date was the 17th of February, over 18 years ago, on Cyrene's birthday. She didn't answer. Part of her wanted it to be a coincidence, but she knew better than to think such things existed. He turned back to the third page. Another word was making itself known to her: Entropy.
She knew the word: it meant a slow wasting away of life. Cyrene lifted her eyes to Liam. He was looking at her meaningfully, a sardonic smile on his lips that crinkled the skin around his twinkling eyes, silver as his hair was getting to be. With a bit of a shock, it occurred to Cyrene that her friend was getting old, a stab of pain came with the realization that he couldn't live forever. Entropy.
**********************************************************************
The clock in the kitchen rang out 10 o'clock that night. Cyrene rubbed her eyes. She had been sitting at the kitchen table for at least three hours, watching as the symbols translated themselves for her. Soon she had gotten caught up in reading about wizards, people whose job it was to work at preserving life in the Universe, in a way no ordinary person could do. By the sound of it, it seemed a thankless job, most people do anything to avoid seeing magic, so that any work done may go unrecognized. It also required a lot of work, discipline, and personal energy. There were rewards though; there are beings who would give credit where it is due, there was the thrill of other worlds, of communicating with other creatures, of gaining knowledge. There was a checklist of traits for a potential wizard, a surprising number of which applied to her. Cyrene's heart was now pounding furiously. It was perfect, it was what she'd been preparing and waiting for since the day she was born, the one thing that was missing from her life. It was too perfect, it couldn't possibly be true. Right?
It must be, responded a hidden part of her, it just has to be. Before her now was a page entitled the Wizard's Oath. That hidden self was like a child now, begging, pleading for her to speak the words out loud, to take the Oath. But she put it aside. If this thing was real, truly real, then she couldn't just jump right in. She was one of the few people left in the world who still believed that words had meaning, had power, and a promise of any sort was a binding contract. She closed the book and placed it on the shelf with the bone coyote, wooden lizard, clay elephant, and stone Anubis. A quick "g'night" to Liam, and she went to bed.
**********************************************************************
The drums sounded again. But she was Nowhere, it was all darkness. And she was the only one there. No. Not entirely true. Before her was The Art, continually flipping it's pages to the Oath. From the corner of her eyes she caught glimpses of Coyote and Raven.. Now and again she heard their voices.
"Do you understand the risks? And the rewards?"
"Yes."
"Why would you join?"
"Because it is who I am. It is what I am."
"You will be tested to your limits."
"I understand."
"You may lose up to a year's of your life's energy or more."
"What does a bit of my energy matter, if it gives strength to so many others?"
This seemed to satisfy the creatures. If possible, they even smiled. Then, as one they spoke.
"Then rise dear child, and use the key."
**********************************************************************
She awoke thirsty and shuffled to the kitchen for some cold water. The clock said it was around midnight. Liam was seated on the couch in the main room, checking on the condition of the 15th century crossbow. He caught her eye. A silent exchange passed between them. He understood message right away: She was ready. He stood and followed her back to her room. The book had ended up in the middle of her bed, opened to the fateful page. She sat tailor fashioned before it, sipped from her glass and placed it on the night stand beside the bed. She read over the words until she was positive she had them right. Her brown eyes turned towards her father, where he leaned against her doorjamb. He smiled encouragingly, a silent witness to what she was about to do.
The Universe quieted down to listen with rapt attention. Time itself seemed to hold it's breath and Liam looked a little younger as he watched her. She took a few deep breaths to slow her heart, then spoke aloud the words of the text, in a voice that penetrated into the consciousness of all things:
"In Life's name and for Life's sake..."
**********************************************************************
A/N: I could have written out the whole Oath but if you're reading this fic you probably know the whole thing by heart yourself anyway. (I first read the stories when I was about nine and took the actually took the Oath when I was thirteen :::bit of an embarrassed grin:::)
His daughter shrugged. "Dunno. Tried ta glance it over but-" she waved her hand to indicate the shimmering words scrawled purposefully on the page.
"Arabic?" he asked only to answer himself "no. Too strange even for that. Look. The way they shine, you'd a thought they were alive wouldn't you?" he chuckled.
"Ya, " she said absently. The symbols were slowly starting to translate themselves before her, she had the feeling of remembering a language she had once known but long since been forced to forget. One word at least came through clearly to her. It was... "Wizard."
Liam looked down, seeing nothing but the strange, glittering scribbles. "You think it's some sort of magic book?"
"Dun really know Boss. If it is, why's I the first ta open it?" Her mind was suddenly filled with old stories, the sort where someone became the victim of a foul plague for unwittingly disturbing the property of a powerful being, like the stories surrounding Tutankhamun's tomb. "Ya dun think it's cursed or something?"
"No, no of course not" he insisted. After a pause, he said, in a voice that was only half joking. "I think this book was meant for you."
"Yer ki'in' me." She was nervous now, her accents making her voice almost intelligible.
"No I'm not." Liam turned back to the title page, the only page in English, and pointed down at the bottom, where the publishing date had been written. He had only seen it because he looked for it. The date was the 17th of February, over 18 years ago, on Cyrene's birthday. She didn't answer. Part of her wanted it to be a coincidence, but she knew better than to think such things existed. He turned back to the third page. Another word was making itself known to her: Entropy.
She knew the word: it meant a slow wasting away of life. Cyrene lifted her eyes to Liam. He was looking at her meaningfully, a sardonic smile on his lips that crinkled the skin around his twinkling eyes, silver as his hair was getting to be. With a bit of a shock, it occurred to Cyrene that her friend was getting old, a stab of pain came with the realization that he couldn't live forever. Entropy.
**********************************************************************
The clock in the kitchen rang out 10 o'clock that night. Cyrene rubbed her eyes. She had been sitting at the kitchen table for at least three hours, watching as the symbols translated themselves for her. Soon she had gotten caught up in reading about wizards, people whose job it was to work at preserving life in the Universe, in a way no ordinary person could do. By the sound of it, it seemed a thankless job, most people do anything to avoid seeing magic, so that any work done may go unrecognized. It also required a lot of work, discipline, and personal energy. There were rewards though; there are beings who would give credit where it is due, there was the thrill of other worlds, of communicating with other creatures, of gaining knowledge. There was a checklist of traits for a potential wizard, a surprising number of which applied to her. Cyrene's heart was now pounding furiously. It was perfect, it was what she'd been preparing and waiting for since the day she was born, the one thing that was missing from her life. It was too perfect, it couldn't possibly be true. Right?
It must be, responded a hidden part of her, it just has to be. Before her now was a page entitled the Wizard's Oath. That hidden self was like a child now, begging, pleading for her to speak the words out loud, to take the Oath. But she put it aside. If this thing was real, truly real, then she couldn't just jump right in. She was one of the few people left in the world who still believed that words had meaning, had power, and a promise of any sort was a binding contract. She closed the book and placed it on the shelf with the bone coyote, wooden lizard, clay elephant, and stone Anubis. A quick "g'night" to Liam, and she went to bed.
**********************************************************************
The drums sounded again. But she was Nowhere, it was all darkness. And she was the only one there. No. Not entirely true. Before her was The Art, continually flipping it's pages to the Oath. From the corner of her eyes she caught glimpses of Coyote and Raven.. Now and again she heard their voices.
"Do you understand the risks? And the rewards?"
"Yes."
"Why would you join?"
"Because it is who I am. It is what I am."
"You will be tested to your limits."
"I understand."
"You may lose up to a year's of your life's energy or more."
"What does a bit of my energy matter, if it gives strength to so many others?"
This seemed to satisfy the creatures. If possible, they even smiled. Then, as one they spoke.
"Then rise dear child, and use the key."
**********************************************************************
She awoke thirsty and shuffled to the kitchen for some cold water. The clock said it was around midnight. Liam was seated on the couch in the main room, checking on the condition of the 15th century crossbow. He caught her eye. A silent exchange passed between them. He understood message right away: She was ready. He stood and followed her back to her room. The book had ended up in the middle of her bed, opened to the fateful page. She sat tailor fashioned before it, sipped from her glass and placed it on the night stand beside the bed. She read over the words until she was positive she had them right. Her brown eyes turned towards her father, where he leaned against her doorjamb. He smiled encouragingly, a silent witness to what she was about to do.
The Universe quieted down to listen with rapt attention. Time itself seemed to hold it's breath and Liam looked a little younger as he watched her. She took a few deep breaths to slow her heart, then spoke aloud the words of the text, in a voice that penetrated into the consciousness of all things:
"In Life's name and for Life's sake..."
**********************************************************************
A/N: I could have written out the whole Oath but if you're reading this fic you probably know the whole thing by heart yourself anyway. (I first read the stories when I was about nine and took the actually took the Oath when I was thirteen :::bit of an embarrassed grin:::)