Seekers of the Stone Maker
Hounds

“I just don’t understand what happened.”

Lyla stood with Elysium, Leaf, and Torra near the front of the main tent.

“I’m not too sure, myself, Lyla. You said the pages just filled?” Elysium asked her.

“Yeah. It was fine, but the scale was glowing after the fight with the dragon, and then these appeared when we looked at it later that night.”

“We were able to read the various parts, but each section is in different languages, and apparently, most of them were unreadable before that night,” Leaf added.

“Yeah. The first chapter was all I knew before leaving the monastery.”

Elysium leaned against the exterior wall, holding his cane tightly as he relieved the pressure from his leg.

“Wanna tell us what that’s about?” Lyla asked him, gesturing to the cane.

“Well…”

“He decided running into Ramona’s cabin alone would be a good idea,” Torra’s voice rolled with disapproval. “He should have asked one of us to accompany him.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

“How bad is it, Master Elysium?” Leaf asked.

Elysium reached down and lifted his pant leg, showing thick black lines that ran up like veins from his ankle to past his knee.

“Elysium!” Lyla shouted.

“Okay, maybe it’s a little worse than I assumed… But I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t handle in time.”

Elysium pushed away from the wall, putting most of his weight on his cane.

“Either way, it’s getting late, and rest is needed. It seems like you have a real mystery in front of you. To answer your earlier question, I don’t know much about those names, but one does stick out to me.”

“Yeah?” Leaf looked away from Elysium’s leg as his attention was brought back.

“Well, it seems like you have figured out Dubh Catha. The Hag Countess does sound like a name for the mother of hags, and the Corrupted Steelforge isn’t one I know, but if Ana says that it’s there, maybe asking Kohl about it later would be useful. He’s from the Novularond Plains so he might know more. The one that sounds familiar is Kadra the Enchanting.”

“What do you know about that name?” Lyla asked.

“With its placement on the map near Westford, I think it might have been the name I had heard years ago. There were rumors for a long time that the council didn’t run Westford Academy, but actually, another force that lived deep under the Academy grounds. Many people, including the Queen and Orin, had sent people to investigate, but nothing was found. But, we all know that just because it wasn’t found, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

“That’s very helpful, Master Elysium. We appreciate the help.”

“Of course, Leaf. Anything we can do to help the Archmage is worth doing. Orin and I worked together a lot in the past. It would be unkind of me not to help his successor.”

Lyla watched as Torra helped Elysium make their way over to their cabin, her thoughts racing.

What is going on here?

What is this book?

Where is the Curator now?

What are we doing?

In her wondering, she looked over to see Myla and Shaynth talking. They were on the other side of the fire pit, where people sat and drank.

“I’m gonna go check on Myla. I’ll see you later?” She asked him.

“Of course.”

She watched him for a minute, his eyes glazed over and in deep thought. With a small pat on his shoulder, she made her way through. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be seen, but she made her way around the cabins, circling the fire and keeping a distance. As she got closer, she could hear their conversation.

“The static has been the worst part. I’m unsure of why it’s happening,” Myla stated.

“It could be a list of things, but we can try and replace out tonight,” Shaynth answered.

“Static?” Lyla asked as she walked up to them.

“Yeah. When I’m linked with others the past few days, it seems like static overtakes my thoughts, making it hard to hear. Have you been having any issues?”

“No, everything’s been clear. Why didn’t you mention this before, Myla?”

“We’ve just been too busy to bring it up. I figured it was just exhaustion, but Shaynth wants to look further into it, just in case.”

“That’s good! Thank you, Shaynth, for always taking care of Myla with this. Our parents were great, but Myla’s abilities have always been a little more…”

“Unique would be a great word,” Shaynth answered.

“Yeah.”

“I’m surprised it hasn’t affected you either, which brings more questions. Your telepathy is quite useful, but watch for anything strange.”

“Can do!”

She watched as they walked to Shaynth’s cabin. She could feel the wind picking up, and its chill pushed through her clothes. Lyla rubbed her hands over her arms, then walked towards her cabin. As she made it closer, she could see Nix and Meg’s cabin, just twenty feet away from her own with her sister. She stopped, then instinctually made her way over.

The door was unlocked, so she opened it. It creaked inward, the light of the fire moving the shadows away from the doorframe and dimly lighting the area within. It was a small space with only a bed, desk, chair, and dresser. She walked inside and sat on the bed. Once full of laughter and love, the room felt dark and cold. Lyla leaned back, and her hand touched something. She grabbed it and brought it out in front of her.

In her hand was Meg’s doll, made by Torra when she was still a baby. It was stained, dirty, and missing a tiny bit of hair on the top, which was lost when Meg tried to comb the knotted threads. Lyla held it to her chest, trying to imagine her with Markus, miles away from everything that happened, and she prayed that she was safe and happy.

Lyla looked up and out the window across the room. In her view, she could see the cabin behind hers, roughly twenty feet away from both cottages. It was dark as well, but instead of sorrow, she only felt anger. Carefully, she placed the doll back on the bed, closed the door behind her, and walked to Ramona’s home.