110 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
110 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
More than a few yaks waited outside the Hall of Skies theatre; more than Sarla would have expected.
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Ennearch Simeon stood, with a few younger yaks wearing his Office robes.
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Master Yury was there as well, and he chatted softly with a yak Sarla didn't recognise.
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The newcomer had white fur, thin in patches, showing pink skin underneath.
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He carried a parasol, closed, and wore unfamiliar robes.
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―There's our guest, Auroklos said, stopping Sarla from approaching.
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We can talk more afterwards, but I received a request from Miriam earlier in the day.
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Your help with his research.
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―My help? Sarla asked.
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I have no expertise in Birdsong.
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―Ah, well.
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It would be assistance of a different character.
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Not quite as intellectual.
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Miriam can explain more, but there are some challenges to working with very old books that require your skills.
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Sarla nodded slowly.
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―My skills?
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―Specifically, large quantities of magic.
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For restoring damage to old books as it occurs while they're being read.
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There really aren't any others who could handle it like you.
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―Would this help me improve my abilities?
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Practice controlling magic?
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―Most likely not, but Miriam would know more about what it takes.
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She suggested that they have ways of funneling raw power into devices.
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It's quite elegant, very old Dwarf-magic.
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Must be quite early post-Imperial.
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Or even late Imperial.
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I suppose they have records, I hadn't really thought about it.
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Sarla began to feel her face flush.
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―Master, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I would rather continue research.
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Or practice using more powerful magic―
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―Absolutely not, not at this stage.
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It's far too dangerous for you at this stage.
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You haven't been trying again, have you?
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His eyes probed and he sharpened his attention on her.
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Sarla shook her head, and Auroklos continued, relaxing.
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―No, this is a good fit.
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Miriam has asked it of me as a favour anyway.
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Anyway, let us meet him, hear about his translation.
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---
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Mijesi stood on the dais at the far end of the hall, under the sounding board, with Miriam beside.
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As soon as she began to speak, the room grew quiet, and her quiet voice rang out.
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―Our guest, honoured Mijesi, has come from the Dwarf Threding to tell us of his work.
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He has recently worked on translating a Birdsong account of the creation of the Hidden Lands, which he will be reading for us.
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The Council is in support of this.
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She paused, and Sarla glanced at Master Yury, who nodded quietly.
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―Mijesi is a Templar of the Rock.
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The Hierarch herself studied at the Temple.
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Moreover, it is well known to us that the Birds have a different picture of the world, corrupted by their own arrogance.
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Their beliefs are of purely scholarly interest, and our understanding of their myths is important if we wish to understand them.
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The Council agrees that there is no harm in hearing the heresies they believe.
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She paused.
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―Please, honoured Mijesi, she said, gesturing for him to come to the stage.
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The mottled yak walked slowly to the front of the dais, shuffling a stack of paper.
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His accented voice was deep and low as he read.
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―The Lord of the Mountain, pursued by enemies, gathered his power and tore into space, creating a pocket from the Outer Land.
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His very body filled this new space, and he let the whole of his power flow out.
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His skin became the firmament of this new place;
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his muscles became the earth;
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his blood became the rivers and seas.
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Piece by piece he let his voice ring out through his body, in his act of Creation.
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The echoes of his memories became the new past of his Work, while his hopes became the future.
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Life sprang up, and he began to hear their voices in what was once his ears.
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Their voices blended into his, and his power began to divide.
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The Dwarves, echoes of the Fourth Race, received part of his power.
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Those cousins of the Fifth Race, the Beasts, received part of his power.
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But the division of power was incomplete, as it was fated to be.
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Mijesi stopped reading.
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―This is not easy to describe.
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Bird legend, they have many myths about division.
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He resumed reading.
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―The Birds saw that his power was beginning to slip away.
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As the Lord's body finally disappeared, his eyes remained, unbroken and unbreakable.
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The Bird who would become the First Sky-Lord saw the Lord's Will was tied to his Work, and as long as his Work persisted, his Will and Body could not be destroyed.
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But his Will was spread across the Hidden Lands, along with his Power.
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His Eyes, Os and Od, did not have the Lord's wisdom, nor his control, and they burned indiscriminately through the land they saw.
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The First Sky-Lord took one of the Eyes in his claws, and flew it far from the other, for they were less destructive while apart.
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---
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The Cedar Library stood close to the Palace of Skies, hiding in its shadow.
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The curator, Miriam, waited inside with Mijesi as Sarla and her teacher entered.
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# todo if Mijesi
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She held a relatively large wooden box.
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