Holly's mind was so painfully open that Minerva felt embarrassed for her. Still, she had effectively confused the elf's simple thought process, and it was finally time to move on to stage two of the plan. It was so atrociously late. Minerva hated being late. And this time, it wasn't her fault.

She wasn't the one who would have to pay.

Chapter 10

Artemis had taken Minerva's advice and was doing what he did best – think.

Calm. Objective. Logical. Think.

Firstly, Holly's appearance and interference. Was that premeditated? Probably not. Holly seemed no more than an unexpected variable in this equation. Minerva didn't plan for her arrival, and neither did Artemis. What about the LEP? Since all contact had been cut off from the outside world, the fairy police was not an immediate factor. And though Holly's actions have caused some dramatic consequences, they didn't really affect the situation at large. Always keep the greater circumstances in mind. It was all too easy to be distracted by a diversion – Artemis had used to technique himself many times, successfully. At the moment, his main focus was on Minerva, with Holly after and Butler on the side. Artemis checked the status in the infirmary. Butler was still unconscious, but his vitals were strong. Minerva's doing, most likely. He could only trust that Butler would be fine on his own for now.

Artemis massaged his temples. He halfheartedly tapped at the keyboard, wondering how much Foaly and the LEP knew about the situation. For all he knew, the Manor could be at siege at this very moment. It was so very frustrating to lose control of the system that had taken him years to establish and refine.

For a moment, his mind flickered to Minerva's offer. It was tempting, yes. It was most certainly tempting.

Foaly didn't think that his head could take much more. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that the room that he had been yet again mysteriously transported to was an impossible work of art. Constructed of something clear and refractive, the whole place looked like something out of a fairy tale, some place of snow and ice, or a glass palace. Despite the place's transparency, however, it was impossible to look outside. There was some powerful light source ceaselessly bearing down upon the splendor through the enormous domed roof. And along the perfect circle of wall there was some sort of engraving, rendering it nearly opaque. The floor was etched with swirls and patterns, which seemed to shift with every step. The whole room seemed fluid and moving on a dimensional level, so that Foaly was certain of its progress but unable to point to any specific detail as proof. There was no stable point of comparison to determine depth or height. It would be all too easy to lose track of time and space.

The bizarre slide had been sealed off by the glass – the only section without engraving – and he could see the darkness beyond, though the adorned walls were more likely to give him information. He wobbled himself upright and investigated.

Foaly quickly noticed that these weren't simple decorations. There were no words or pictures, but instead an intricate weave of patterns and runes. They mirrored the movement of the floor, but not exactly, as if they were reacting rather than copying. As if the designs were dancing. Before he could think about, it Foaly ran his fingers over the wall.

Flash. Black. Screams. Blood. An elf falls off of his horse.

Flash. A couple kisses under a flowered arch. The audience applauds

Flash. An owl is shot. She shrieks once.

Flash. A burning book.

Foaly's eyes flew open to find himself standing, staring at the wall, four fingertips pressed onto different icons. He jerked his hand away, but his naturally curious character drew him back. He reached out a finger tentatively, resting it on a single rune.

Flash. Black. A sprite, dressed in coarse wool, is in a forest, brushing away the dirt to reveal a clay tablet. She writes something, and then replaces it. She stands, and suddenly an arrow slices through her heart. The archer drops from the trees, takes the tablet, and runs off.

It was a moment before Foaly realized that he was back. And that scene was oddly familiar. He racked his mind. Of course! It was the assassination of Grentir's best spy during the Dasnian Wars. Codenamed Myrtle, the sprite had nearly singe-handedly brought down the Japa Empire before being shot by a spy from the Usa state. At least, that was what the istorians deciphered from the clay tablets in the tomb of the 15000-year-old spymaster.

But why was this triggered by touching the engraving? Foaly noticed a carved strand running through this pictogram and connecting it to others. He followed this line and touched another rune on it.

Flash. Black. A pendant shaped like a sword is draped on the soldiers of an elf in armor. He puts his arm across his chest, ending in a fist. "I do solemnly swear," he intones, "to protect and prosper my country and lord King to the very utmost of my ability, to the point of death. May the thunders of heaven strike me to hell should I fail to uphold any point of this oath taken in most righteous circumstance." Before he could be anointed with the royal leaf and oil, however, he snaps the pendant off of the necklace and, with a flick of his wrist, sends it through his lord King's throat. He seizes his lady Queen unceremoniously around the waist and runs off. The stunned court takes a moment to digest that, and then there are guards running after the kidnapper and murderer while medics tend to the King.

Foaly could not recall learning this one, but he thought, by the clothing and behavior, that it ad probably happened some 12000 years ago. Interesting. What if he strayed off of the strand that had connected the two icons as well as many others in between? He selected a complex carving and touched it.

Flash. Black. A whale is grounded on a beach. It groans and spasms, breathing labrioousy and twists in agony –

Foaly forced his eyes open. He did not want to watch any longer. He got the gist of the organization of the runes: they were pieces of history, and the individual liens seemed to represent the different species.

After some trial and error, he managed to locate the strand of human history. It was surprisingly close to the one of fairies. In fact, after following the two around the room for a while, he noticed intersections - human history and fairy history meeting. He was treated to the story of a certain sprite in Ho Mingh City who had managed to find a way of summoning short spurts of magic at a time. A few steps forward, and the strands of Mud and People crossed again. This must be Artemis. Foaly was about to dive in when he lighted on an idea. He trotted over to the last place where the strands meet, vaguely registering the fact that he no longer knew where he had landed and begun experiencing history. He braced himself and touched the symbol at the intersection.

Nothing happened. There was no flash, no sudden journey into the back story of Minerva's transformation. Instead, there was a faint tinkling from the center of the room behind Foaly. He had avoided looking in the center due to the blinding light. But now that had dimmed to a glow, and Foaly saw something so spectacular that he was incredulous he hadn't noticed it earlier.

A fountain. A vast clear pool gave rise to a single, exquisite stream of liquid that blossomed into crystalline particles before flying back down. The base seemed to melt into the ground, and at its nexus the fountain made shapes sometimes, as if it were musing to itself. Foaly moved toward it, slowly and erratically, not quite believing what he was seeing. As he walked closer, he realized that the fountain was not one of water, but something more alive and seemingly sentient. The cascading needle of soaring liquid seemed to acknowledge him. Now more wary about what he touched, Foaly leaned over to watch the liquid inside the fountain, trying to decide what it was. A droplet of it landed on his shoulder, drawing his attention to his right. The fountain was telling him to watch what happened next.

At first it was a small fleck from a low spot on the wall. It floated lazily, much like a snowflake carried on an errant breeze. As it twirled by, Foaly noticed that it was in fact a rune from the engraving. It lighted onto the surface of the pool, and stayed there, floating. Another rune came by, then two, then ten, then more, as the torrent of arrivals increased in both quantity and speed. A whirling helix of runes peeled off of the wall and wound themselves neatly around the jet of still-flowing fountain in the center. They formed a sheet of opaque white over the pool, much like ice on a frozen pond, though purer and smoother.

When the pool was completely blanketed by white, the fountain paused and for a moment everything was still. Then a bubble of liquid appeared at the heart, slowly drawing in the white expanse into itself. Miraculously, the bubble did not expand though it pulled in far more than it seemed to be able to hold. Once again the pool was clear, and the bubble was completely opaque.

Foaly leaned forward in curiosity. What could possibly happen next?

A terrible crack resonated from deep within the fountain, throwing him back. The stream of propelled liquid broke through the bubble and soared, higher than ever. Once the initial surge was finished, the fountain calmed and Foaly could make out a small sliver floating on top of the flow that seemed a bit stiff, out of place.

As if sensing his notice, the shard dropped out of the gush, swimming towards Foaly. As it bobbed to a halt on the edge of the fountain where Foaly was standing, he realized that it was actually a translucent computer chip. Intrigued, he fished it out. It was cold as ice, but never melting.

Somehow Foaly managed to collect himself enough to realize that this was the condensed product of everything that had been extracted from the runes. Trotting over to the walls, he noticed that everything was intact. Copying, he thought. This chip holds a copy of the history of – of…

He realized that he didn't really know what exactly this was a history of. Of the world? Of civilization? It was certainly more ancient than fairy history. Why was this bestowed upon him?

He looked back at the fountain, looking for answers. In place of the vertical jet of liquid there was a hole. He walked to the side of the fountain. It was as if the liquid were being boiled – there was mist swirling around the center of the pool, which appeared to be dry. As the hole expanded, however, Foaly realized that there was a portal-like exit expanding in the pool. It was similar to the crystal slide that had brought him here in the first place. Speaking of which, that exit was nowhere to be found.

This whole day has been like a dream, he thought. And if it's a dream, well, I've got nothing to lose.

Bracing himself, Foaly jumped into the fountain.

A/N: I'm a bit in between plotlines right now ... so it'd be very helpful if you could say A) what you would logically expect next and B) the gist of what you understand (you know when you have something that makes sense in your head?). Thanks for bearing with me.