Chương 11

"You fought off a griffon with a coat," Aelya summarized over the dinner table.

"And magic. We used magic too," Noah added between bites.

"Yes. She used a rare spell—one that will be difficult to replace," Ken said.

"Better than her ending up dead," Noah countered after swallowing.

"Or any of us, for that matter. You should have seen her. Face to face with a monster, and she held her nerve." He grinned proudly. That seemed to mollify Aelya somewhat.

"Interesting. Perhaps there's a warrior in you yet, daughter of mine."

"It just took a man to bring it out of her," Thala teased with a grin.

"It's only natural. A woman protects her man," Vela said with a firm nod.

"Mother," Ciri hissed.

"We are friends."

"Friends," Thala echoed with a knowing smile. Fortunately for her, Ken chose that moment to change the subject.

"This is concerning. First a traveller, then Corrupted, then a griffon—all within the span of a few days."

"You think my coming here is related to the other two?" Noah asked.

"I believe we cannot discount the possibility. We've had peace for many years. That is no longer the case."

"Shit. If I'm at fault—""No one is at fault," Thala assured him, her pink hair swishing as she shook her head.

"We took you in as the laws of hospitality demand."

"Some things don't need to be anyone's fault. Some things simply are," Vela agreed.

"Assuming these events are related, I believe you would not have willingly brought trouble here. You had no choice in the matter."

"Moreover, it's only a theory right now," Ken added.

"We should check with the others in the tribe, especially those who live farther out. They may have seen something that helps us determine the root cause."

"I'll go," Noah volunteered.

"If I'm potentially causing a problem, I should be the one to fix it."

"Slow down," Aelya advised.

"Your willingness to take accountability is commendable, but you can't even speak our language without a spell. This task is better suited to others."

"I agree," Ken said with a nod.

"That being said, you have proven… resourceful, in your own way. If you're looking for ways to assuage your guilt, perhaps you could suggest some ways to help protect the town?"

"I already talked to Bryn on the way back. We worked out a design for the crossbows. If everything goes the way I think it will, we should have a prototype in about a week. After that, making more should be straightforward."

"Interesting." Ken stroked his chin.

"And you believe these weapons will help?"

"I do," Noah said.

"Having a ranged, non‑magical option could mean the difference between life and death. I wish I'd had one when we faced the griffon."

"I thought you were a scholar in your realm," Vela said, tilting her head.

"Do most scholars know how to build weapons?"

"It's… complicated," Noah said, scratching the back of his head.

"The best way to put it is that I'm an applied scholar. I used my knowledge of the natural world to build things people use every day."

"What sorts of things?" Vela pressed.

"Mostly mechanical things. Like…" He glanced around and grabbed the first object he saw.

"This. A fork."

"You made forks?" Thala asked, baffled.

"Not exactly. This fork is metal, which means someone had to forge it, right?"

"Yes. Bryn made our cutlery," Vela said.

"Okay, but what if you needed thousands of forks? Or millions? Or a fork that was extra strong? Or made of a different material so it lasted longer? Or one designed so a child could use it safely?" He paused as they tried to wrap their heads around it.

"Those are the kinds of problems I solved—not necessarily for forks, but for all sorts of objects. I'd design solutions to those sorts of problems."

"You must have great knowledge to answer such questions," Ken remarked as Ciri reached for her notebook and began scribbling, her food all but forgotten. Noah shrugged.

"I asked others when I didn't know. And I had access to the internet, which is basically the biggest library imaginable."

"Are there ways you could help the tribe other than making weaponry?" Ken asked.

"Maybe. At first glance, you seem to be doing well with basic things like sanitation, construction, and nutrition." He nodded toward his empty plate.

"That being said, I'm sure the tribe comes to you with problems and complaints."

"Every day," Vela said wearily.

"Why don't we go through those complaints together, then? I'll see if I can help with some of them."

"We'd pay you for that service," Aelya offered.

"Pay me?" Noah blinked, suddenly realizing he had no idea how their economy worked.

"We do not typically use the gold, silver, and copper coins that humans use," Ciri explained.

"We function entirely on trading goods directly. However, our traders use coins. The town has a communal store of them, which we use to purchase items from humans when required or desired. If you are to travel through human lands, you would benefit from having some."

"In that case, I accept," Noah said, his guilt easing at the thought of being useful.

"That's a fair trade to me, and I like the idea of earning my pay."

"Good. I will write a list of problems for us to review together." With that agreement made, dinner wound down. Noah cleared and washed plates while Ken and his wives tidied the house. Once they were done, Ciri took him to the basement and showed him the magically cooled freezer they used to store food.

"Amazing," Noah said, marveling at the walk‑in chamber.

"How often do you have to recast the spell to keep it cold in here?"

"Once per month, approximately. Less often in the winter. The spell maintains a set temperature, so if the ambient temperature is lower, it requires less mana."

"Ah." Noah stepped out and closed the door to keep the cold in.

"I'm still amazed spells can last so long. Do you have to travel higher up to write this spell too?"

"No. By placing the room in the basement and installing proper insulation in the door and walls, the ancient Fae ensured that a less powerful version of the spell would suffice."

"So it's not just about the power of the spell. It's about the context—how and where it's used."

"Exactly. As you learn more of the Fae language, a less powerful version of the language spell may be enough to fill in the gaps in your knowledge." She nodded, smiling without meeting his eyes. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, feeling several days' worth of stubble.

"I can work with that." He paused.

"Though that brings up another question."

"Yes?"

"Why wasn't the town built around the tower instead of an hour's walk away?"

"The ancient Fae built around the tower. There is still some evidence of buildings there, but most of it has been swept away by time."

"Okay, why not rebuild those buildings then?"

"This location is closer to both the mine and the port, both of which are essential. Also, the presence of the archives here made it an attractive location."

"Alright, fine – why not build a big tower here then, so you don't have to go trekking through the forest every time?"

"Large towers draw attention from hostile forces. They can be seen from far away, making them attractive targets. The watchtowers around our tribe barely reach above the treetops, so they are less conspicuous."

"But I thought your wards protected you against non‑sapient creatures?"

"I was not talking about creatures." Ciri shook her head.

"Humans of this realm and Fae have not always lived in peace. While our knowledge of magic greatly outstrips that of the local lord, his forces are large enough that victory would not be certain for either side."

"Ah." Noah nodded.

"A stalemate."

"Precisely. In other places, Fae and humans have warred over towers and elevated positions. If one side seems certain of success, the other will knock down their towers before retreating, making the victory hollow. This is why it is better to live away from the tower."

"It also lets both sides use it," Noah noted.

"Decreases the incentive to attack."

"You understand," she said. A long silence passed before Noah shook his head.

"That just brings up more questions about politics in this realm, but let's save them for another day. There's a more pressing matter we need to attend to."

"There… is?" she asked. He took her hands.

"Back at the tower, we were interrupted during a very important conversation." Her blush returned instantly.

"Yes. We were." There was an awkward silence as Noah thought about how to pick up where they'd left off.

"You mentioned there might be a way to communicate over long distances while we're apart. Can you tell me more?" Her eyes lit up as she finally met his gaze.

"Yes! We need to go to the archives!" Laughing, Noah let himself be dragged upstairs. He hurriedly explained to Ciri's parents as she pulled on her boots and grabbed her satchel. After promising not to be out too late, she tugged him out the door and down the steps. Only once they reached the street did he manage to slow her, savoring the way they walked hand‑in‑hand through the village in the golden glow of sunset.

Fae around them whispered to themselves as they walked by, but based on the look on her face Ciri either didn't notice or didn't care. At the archives, Ciri wasted no time leading him through the building and up the stairs. She opened a door to reveal a room filled with artifacts—weapons and armor, but also mundane items like furniture and household goods. Each piece had a tag tied to it, clearly part of a cataloging system.

"You brought back all of these from ancient Fae ruins?" Noah asked, incredulous as he took in the neatly organized room.

"Not personally, no. Many were retrieved by previous scholars. I only added to the collection." She stopped in front of a palm‑sized circular locket.

"This is it." Knowing better than to assume anything in this world, Noah tilted his head.

"What is it?" She pressed a hidden clasp, opening it to reveal what looked like a picture of a mostly dark, dusty room with a quickly fading sun in the background.

"Truthfully, I am unsure. However, I believe it is a twin mirror."

"And what's a twin mirror?"

"Using a complex spell, two mirrors are linked. Someone holding one can see and hear what is on the other side, and vice versa." Magical video calling. Noah grinned.

"Ciri, that's… that's perfect. That's exactly what we need."

"There is a problem, though," she cautioned, looking down.

"I was only able to acquire one mirror. I do not have the twin." The gears turned in Noah's mind as he studied the image.

"Oh. So what we're seeing now…"

"Is what is on the other side, yes." He frowned.

"It's a… room. Not a lot to go on."

"Unfortunately you are correct," she agreed.

"During the day though, you would be able to see more of it. If this is what I believe it to be, the linked mirror appears to be inside an undisturbed ancient Fae ruin."

"I don't suppose you know the spell to create more of these?"

"No. It was lost during the schism. These artifacts are incredibly rare. First‑hand accounts from Queen Aethrava's reign indicate there were many during her reign, but their production fell out of favor after the waypoint system was created. There are no modern accounts of them surviving."

"Except for the one you're holding."

"Yes." She's either very lucky, or very good then. And I'm betting on the latter.

"So, Queen Aethrava?"

"The third Fae queen. Much older than Queen Nyraelyth, whose statue is downstairs."

"I would think the spell would have worn out after that long," Noah said refocusing on the object in front of him.

"The ancient Fae were masters of magic," Ciri reminded him.

"There are stories that some ancient Fae devices—especially those in the Summer and Winter Fae empires—are still active. It is not outside the realm of possibility that this one is too."

"Like the freezer room in your basement." Noah realized.

"They may have found more efficient ways to manage power."

"Exactly."

"Where did you find it?"

"Come. I will show you," she said. She snapped the mirror shut with one hand and took his with the other. Together, they walked back downstairs to the main foyer of the tower. His curiosity piqued when she led him toward the table with the map he'd seen earlier.

"This is Tenebrae. Here is the Kingdom of Therondale," she began, releasing his hand and pointing at a continent‑sized island in the center of the map.

"I found this mirror here." She indicated a mountain roughly in the middle of the continent, along the southern shore.

"Okay, and we are…?" He trailed off.

"Here," she said, pointing west. Noah studied the map, absorbing her explanation. To the west of the spot she'd indicated was one of several stylized towers spread across the map; to the right, a hammer and pickaxe. He leaned in, squinting.

"Ciri, there's… no marking for the town we're in right now."

"That is correct. We are too small to appear on most maps." He scratched his chin.

"Can I see the mirror again?"

"Of course." She opened it and set it on the map. Above them, the magical lights brightened on their own. He glanced up, grateful for the extra illumination as the sky outside darkened. When he looked back at the mirror, a thought struck him.

"Is communication with these mirrors instant? Or is there some kind of delay?"

"It should be instant. The ancient records were clear."

"And the sun rises in the east and sets in the west here, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"The other mirror has to be east of us."

"That is very likely. There are no recorded ruins west of the tower, and there is far more land to the east besides."

"It's not just that. Look at the sun." Noah pointed to a window.

"It's still setting here, but it's almost fully set there." She tilted her head at the mirror, then nodded.

"Ah. A wise deduction. Yes, that makes sense. Unfortunately, it does not help us."

"It actually helps more than you'd think." Noah grinned.

"Got some paper and a pencil?"

"Of course." She pulled them from her satchel. He took them and quickly sketched a triangle matching the angle of the sun in the mirror. Then he turned to the nearby window and repeated the process, drawing the second triangle over the first. When he finished, he carefully drew a circle passing through both before setting the pencil down and squinting.

"I'd say that's about a ten percent difference in angle, wouldn't you?"

"I… yes? I do not understand, though." Using the paper as a rough ruler, Noah traced his finger ten percent of the way across the map, then flipped it vertically.

"I think the other mirror is somewhere along this line."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"There was this ancient human scholar named Eratosthenes. He figured out you could measure the distance between two points by comparing the angle of the sun. Roughly speaking, the difference in angle equals the proportion of the world's circumference between them. So if there's a ten percent difference, the two points are ten percent of the world apart." He paused.

"That's… assuming your world is round. It is round, right?"

"Yes. It is." Her voice had gone distant, her eyes wide. A geeky grin spread across his face as the full story from his university textbooks came back to him.

"He actually used it to estimate the size of my world long before we went to space, and he was amazingly accurate. Anyway, we can take another reading tomorrow to be sure — maybe find a protractor or something — but this at least narrows it down." He frowned at the map.

"Though this line cuts through more than one continent, so we'll still have a lot of ground to cover." He turned back to her and found her mouth hanging open.

"You… okay there, Ciri?" It took her a full ten seconds to respond.

"I know where it is," she said at last, her voice small.

"Yeah, along this line somewhere," Noah said, nodding.

"Assuming I'm remembering my physics classes correctly." She met his eyes.

"No. I know exactly where it is." The stale air of the archives seemed went quiet in the moments following her declaration.

"How?"

"Queen Aethrava's reign was notable for several reasons. One was that she was the only Fae queen to settle permanently in this region of Therondale — specifically here." She pointed to the place where she had found the first mirror.

"Okay… so what does that mean?"

"It means that while the artifact could have traveled north to the Winter Fae empire or south toward Crownspire, it is far more likely that it remained near us." Now Noah was impressed.

"Good deduction. So that means it's probably about…"

"Here." She pointed to the stylized forest east of the mountain.

"I mean, it could be a little south of there," Noah countered.

"No. There is a human village here." She pointed to the small house icon to the south.

"A ruin near a village would likely be discovered. It would also be discovered if it were too close to the regional capital, Rookhaven." She indicated the slightly larger house icon to the northeast.

"How far of a journey is that?"

"A day's walk in good weather, each way."

"Great! We can confirm the readings tomorrow, pack up some supplies, and be on our way the next day then!"

"There is a problem," she said quietly.

"Griffons — like the one we encountered earlier — make their nests there."