Surely I could claim ignorance, I was pretty sure the entire clan thought I was an imbecile.
Maybe I would just see how close I could get…
And then I was there, standing in front of the council building and walking in. I began to attempt stealth. It was a poor endeavor but no one ever seemed to pay much attention to me anyway. I casually leaned around a doorway to see into the next room I needed. There was a small group of villagers talking in low voices, I was trying to figure a way past without being noticed when I overheard something that caught my attention.
“Evelyn has been a model citizen… doesn’t seem right…”
They were talking about Evelyn? My stomach pulled as the worry from that day returned. I strained to hear but could only pick out parts of the conversation.
“Well on her way to becoming a council member… if anyone should leave…”
“Yes, but who can trust him…”
“Why can’t we simply banish… who knows if the spells will even hold… dark magic can’t be trusted…”
I was furiously trying to hear them, fully irritated they were talking so low, and the harder I listened, the more I perceived a dull, buzzing hum. And then, at once, the group began to scratch at themselves feverishly; a forearm, a stomach, and a face. Each wore an uncomfortable, even frightened, expression as they hurried out of the room in a tight formation into an inner council chamber.
I was considering how strange they'd acted as I made my way through the now vacant room, but quickly switched to concern when I spotted the library door, unsure if there would be a protection spell on the entry. I walked right through without any obvious repercussions and assumed that, with so many council members around, they must not have thought it necessary.
The council library was overwhelming. It housed copies of all the books in the village library as well as hundreds more that were too delicate or important for public use. And if you believed Fannie’s theories, they held secret documents here as well, things they didn’t want commonly known.
It was empty apart from me but I found a shelf to hide behind, just in case, as I laid out the documents on the floor and worked to decipher the letters and numbers. I noticed each of the pages included the letters C and A. I examined the shelves in front of me. The sections seemed to be arranged by groups and each shelf divided by categories within that group, so I walked the library searching for a section marked for either of those characters. I was about to give up, they didn’t seem to be on any wall, when I noticed some encased shelves in the center of the room. I checked the small section, found it was C, and had no problem locating shelf A.
I was thinking how easy it had been as I slid my fingers across the books on that shelf. I felt a tingle as I crossed a thin section of pages bound together. I slid them out just as I became aware of some sort of commotion... that sounded like it was getting closer. No, not a tingle indicating what I was looking for, it was a protection spell. I ran.
As I shot through the rooms, all I could think of was not getting caught. I shoved the pages under my shirt before I made it through the last door. The village was crowded with dancing elves, oblivious to my horror. The protection spell must have only alerted council. I ran from town and pushed through the brush at the edge of the village, taking the shortest direction out of the boundaries. I kept running until I became winded and then hastily searched for some kind of shelter. I burrowed deep in a briar patch and struggled to catch my breath. I wrenched the wad of papers from under my shirt, buried them in the soil beside me, and then waited silently for my punishment.
No one was coming. I was na?ve to think they would chase me like hounds on a fox, they had magic, they were High Council, for Elvin’s sake. I stayed in the patch for most of the day, cowering despite myself, but as the sun lowered in the sky, I crawled out on my belly and started the long walk toward home.
It was late by the time I reached the tree and I was tired enough I didn’t care much about being caught. I didn’t even know if they knew who broke the seal, if they knew I was guilty. But I was still quiet as I entered the house, then my room, and slid into bed.
The next morning I slipped out early to call on Junnie. When I reached her door, it was cracked open again. I pushed it aside and scanned the front room – no Junnie. I walked through to check the back, still nothing. Junnie was always extraordinarily clean and organized so I couldn’t tell if she’d even been home. I wandered back to the front door and was surprised by a tall figure there. The elaborate robe and tassels of a decorated council member blocked my way and the fear returned instantaneously.
“Elfreda.”
I cautiously dipped my head in respect.
“Juniper Fountain has received the calling.”