In Between The Lines

"Miss Von Eule." Baxter, the aged butler how had been serving the house for decades softly called out into the study. Politely opening the door, he set a platter laden with a porcelain tea pot steaming with a wonderful floral scent, down between the two Sages.
"You don't need to be so formal, Baxter. Please, Emily is fine." She adjusted her glasses, revealing the heavy bags under her eyes. "Atrimir has known me most of my life, relax aright?"
"You have a visitor waiting for you in the foyer, Miss Emily." He bowed low, while Emily rolled her eyes.
"Who is it? Usually people don't call on the personal residence of the Sage." Atrimir wheeled himself over to the side of the table Emily was attempting to restack the mountain of notes on, the oaken wheels of his wheelchair creaked from the movement. Quickly restacking them for her.
"His Grace, Gjorn Fourth king of Dwarves has come calling, he said he has some information you might be interested in."
The two looked at each other, puzzled faces evident. What would one of the Great Mages of the Age want with the Sages of Huron? Emily rose from her seat, candle lantern scoped up from it's side of the table. They had drawn the curtains of the house, they usually had more than one onlooker trying to figure out what research they were conducting. More than one a week trying to seek an audience attempting to pry their hard earned information from them. But, Gjorn of all people, he wasn't someone they could ignore without looking rude to the Citizens of Huron.
Baxter opened the heavy dark wood door to the main chamber. The lanterns hanging from the walls casting a welcoming amber glow to the room. A fire burning softly in the hearth, the same floral smell of the tea filled the room. But, what caught their attention was the subtle strumming of a lute from one of the richly patterned chairs. No one was playing it, just strumming itself. The Dwarven king paging through a thick tome from the bookshelves.
"Majestet" Emily bowed to the Dwarf, forgoing the traditional curtsy, she had met Gjorn a few times. He never seemed to be one for the traditions of humans, seemed to take a certain amount of delight in the defiance. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"How have you been? You look tired, Sage."
Brushing the mess of her hair from her face, she had been standing in the shadows of the doorway, a little surprised he had been able to see the fatigue on her face. But, then again, he was an odd one. "Neck deep in tomes brought back from one of the ruins in the Valley of Mists."
"Well, I would like to know what you are doing here, Gjorn." Atrimir said, the hot cup of black coffee held between his hands, steaming in an unnatural way as the Old Sage grew easily irritated in his age.
"Master! Don't be so rude." Emily spun on him, a chastising finger wagging in his face.
Gjorn chuckled from across the room, "Very well! Let's cut to the chase then."
He snapped his fingers, a sound like a thunder bolt echoed out through the house. It took Emily a moment to realize that the dust in the air stopped moving, the flames in the lanterns halting in their chaos. Even Baxter had gone still as stone, the tea halfway poured from the pot caught in a stasis.
"What is the meaning of this!" Atrimir roared, "Why did you Silence the house?"
"There are things among the Branches of the Tree that have no right to this conversation. Forces that you do not understand, mechanisms that you and your student remain ignorant to." Gjorn said folding his arms across his chest. "Emily, tell me what you understand of the resonance of magic?"
"You mean that theory that the Wayfares made? Or are you talking about the Song's Afterglow? I'm sorry but, I'm not as versed in that branch of magic as I would like to be." She responded, sitting down in the chair across from the Dwarf.
"But, you have undergone something rather unique recently. Shown something few ever get the chance to see. What did her song sing to you?" He said, the ghost of a smile on his face.
She cocked her head, suspicion plain in her eyes. "Song. How did you know it was a her? Well, I don't know what you are talking about."
"Like a force of nature, she spoke as if humming every word. Appearing before you as you thought of your family. As you thought of Atrimir as your father. As she gave you an unparalleled gift that slaughtered an entire army." The words he spoke, like pins in her mind, like he knew her mind without having to speak. She grew pale with each word.
"You know who that woman is?" She managed to rasp out, Atrimir said he saw her too when he used the Stones. Who is she?" She was the one on the offensive now, getting in Gjorn's face. A pleading look in her eyes, she needed to know. She needed to know why, how, what that thing was. Why was she inside the stone, why was she so omnipotent with magic?
"I do. Though, it is not my place to speak of her. Not here, not now." He said, easing her back into her chair.
"I recall that you said something similar about how you came to be the only Dwarf to possess of Domain of Air. Is this related to when you vanished from your company on Mhuzelt?" Atrimir's anger vanished as Gjorn spoke. Something clicking inside his mind, a strange light in his eyes.
"In a way, yes. I am not allowed to speak of her on the Branches of the Tree. There are... risks involved."
"What do you mean?" Emily asked. "And why bring up wayfare magic? Why would you think it is related to my research into the Stones?"
"They are all related. The answers you seek, the magic of the Wayfares, it's the same source." He answered without elaborating.
"Why give us cryptic clues that we cannot follow up on. I want to know who has such power over a King of the Dwarves." It wasn't a question from the Old Sage, more of a demand.
"Well, you want information. I happen to know much of the source you want to know. My... Queen, is interested in both of you. Quite a few other notable figures as well, you have knocked on a door you didn't know was there. You have gained an insight that makes you both a potential target as well as immense ally. Let me ask you a different question. What do you think magic is, this force that seems to be everywhere yet so intangible for all but true masters?" Gjorn ran his fingers through his beard, the lute having gone quiet.
"A question of philosophy. Magic is, at least to us, a force that exists in this world that needs to be respected as you use it. A living breathing thing, a push and pull on the world." Emily answered slowly.
"And when you reach out to this force, what does it do? Do you ask it to obey, do you demand it's submission?" Gjorn paused in his motions.
The Sages looked at each other, seemingly coming to a conclusion at the same time. "Emily had been telling me not to long ago, that it feels more like a prayer. A request made from the soul, we simply guide it's power through out intent for it to make a physical manifestation." Atrimir said cautiously.
"A prayer, ah now you speak of a truth you do not even know." He smiled a wide grin that reached his eyes. "You're getting closer."
"Are you saying, that what is in the stones is some kind of god?" Emily asked. "Why would one be trapped inside the stones? Why does it not have a presence in the world like The Eight Divines do?"
Gjorn winced at the name of the faith. "The fragments of one, yes. You should be looking at the sky, delving deeper into the the teachings of the Wayfares. Should you discover the Eye's of God's, and their place in this world, you will be another step closer to gaining our confidence. But, I should warn you. This is why I silenced the house, the gods are a lie. The gods you worship are not what they appear, trust not the words of the Shadows. When I snap my fingers, all will be normal. But they will be watching now, ignore the eyes without bodies. Do not acknowledge them, they will know you know if you look at them for but a moment."
"What do you mean? What do you mean the gods are a lie?" Emily asked, looking ashen again. A certain fear in her eyes.
"Stolen power, the blood of The Great Mother to crystalize and fall to this earth from heavens shattered. Power incarnate, usurpers of a throne they own no right to." Gjorn snapped his fingers, the world catching back up with them. The soft burbling of tea being poured, the feint flickering of candle light.
Gjorn shook his head imperceptibly, as Baxter set the cups down before them. The Sages quickly finding their tea awfully interesting, trying to not look at the eight sets of shadowy eyes behind Gjorn. A wave of malevolence filling the room. "I'd be delighted to teach you a bit more about the theories of the Wayfares! Though I'll have to convince the local chapter to allow us access to their archive." Gjorn sounded jovial, almost delighted in the fact that the eye's hadn't been able to catch what they spoke about.
"That would be wonderful, Majestet. I look forward to receiving your letter when you do!" Emily responded without missing a beat.