Aliandra Your minions have defeated Cavern Crawler – Spider – level 5.

  Ali woke to the sound of her chime and slowly sat up. Yesterday had ended on a rough note and she had retired to the library to withdraw from the world, but a long discussion with Lira over tea before bed had helped settle her heart, and she looked around the library with her cautious optimism mostly recovered.

  If she sidered the day as a whole, it had been a resounding success. Twenty-one people had gained new csses, more than two-thirds of them had unlocked magical affinities, and nobody had died in the assassination attempt he end. She would o chat with Vivian Ross about that, though – she had assumed they were trying to kill her for being a dungeon, but it was abundantly clear that they had also been targeting the newly advanovices.

  Were they trying to disrupt the guild’s use of the shrine?

  She despised them for invading her home and trying to murder the novices under her care. She loathed them for thrusting their imprint on her – and hated that it had takeill m to discard it. She grimaced. It was clear her aversion was not rational – she had Goblin and Kobold imprints to prove that she would not be summoning people, and as a dungeon, she would almost certainly enter imprints like this again. It would undoubtedly be powerful, but still…

  Then there was Nathaniel Sunstrider. She still didn’t know what to make of him. An Elf from Ciradyl, the Guildmaster of the prestigious Pathfinder Guild that had joined, and a member of the Elven cil of Archmages. He was a schor of iional repute, and widely respected across the ti.

  So why does he creep me out?

  He had dohing overtly hostile unless she ted invading her domain while shrouded and spying on her activities. Likely she would have been in awe from meeting one of the most preemi schors of this age, except for the strange vision of the shadowy barbs in the eerie and silent gray world of her Are Recall.

  What the heck was that? An involuntary shiver shook her at the disturbing memory. Spying an impressively rge pile of books oable and a handwritten note, Ali made her way over and sat down, trying to decide how she was going to hahe Archmage when he iably showed up to talk.

  “Good m, dear.”

  Ali smiled and accepted the cup of a new Elveea that Lira offered. “This smells amazing!” she said.

  “Your dear friend Basil grew that,” Lira said with a gentle smile.

  “Aunt Lira, would you mind keeping me pany today when that Archmage es to talk?” While she felt a lot better today, she was certain Lira’s presence would settle her, and she really didn’t want to face him alone, irrational as that seemed.

  “Of course, dear, that young boy be a bit pompous and aloof.”

  Ali chuckled quietly over her tea at the way Lira referred to the Elf, who robably turies old and past his evolution, as a ‘young boy’. But she supposed everyone was young to Lira.

  Teically, I’m older than him too. But because she hadn’t experienced all the intervening millennia, she didn’t feel older and wiser.

  Ali enjoyed her quiet teatime chat; Lira was a great listener, and she unloaded most of her worries to her receptive ears. After they finished, she sat herself down in front of the huge pile of books and decided to do something productive while she waited for everyoo wake and the day to begin.

  “Brihat spider,” she said, using Martial Insight to send the and to her two trash-collector Kobues who had just finished dumping their haul from the night into the sewers. Ryn had suggested she work on finding a spider imprint if she wanted creatures with good perception, and she wasn’t about to let the ohat just fell into to waste.

  As usual, Ryn had collected a wide variety of iing books, but right oop of the pile was a cloth-bound book with the title: ‘Essential Tail Entments.’ Ali picked it up and paged through it, gng at the well-anized tents, expnations of teique, and magical ruhat would presumably help someoh a tail css uand how to weave them into their creations. Ryn had clearly outdone herself, there was even aire chapter oantments.

  This is perfect, she thought, quickly memorizing the entire book with her Sage skill. But then she paused for a moment – the book was written in the elegant Elvish script, which she was certain Lydia did not read. She could spend the time teag her, but a different idea popped into her head. Carefully w her way through the entire memorized book, Ali tra to on in her head and then re-memorized it. It took a while to get the hang of holding both images in her mind simultaneously, but she had ied so mu her intelligeribute at this point that it turned out to be rather easy once she got it.

  In just a few minutes of w with her Grimoire, she produced two almost identical books, both copies of the inal tail manual. But the one on the left was in the inal Elvish and, with a quick browse through, she verified that the other was a correctly transted version in on.

  A ctter and a thump pulled her attention from the books, and she fouwues standing beside the corpse of the Cavern Crawler. “Good work,” she said. “Bring it here.” When they did, she destructed it and then switched back to the books oable, practig her newly discovered ability by transting them each to random nguages she knew in addition to copying the inal.

  An hour or so ter, she gnced up from her work, notig for the first time the g of pots, the crackle of a fire, and the aroma of Mato’s cooking. Malika was meditating quietly beside her at the table waiting patiently for her to finish her work.

  “M, Malika,” she said, greeting her friend. She and Mato had both beeremely supportive yesterday, helping to ehe safety of the novices and even helping some of them make good css choices.

  “Hi Ali,” she said, opening her eyes. “ I ask a favor?”

  “Of course.” Ali’s eyes caught her toug a new bronze ring.

  “I picked this up off the corpse of the assassierday,” Malika said, answering her gnce. “I hope you don’t mind if I use it? I took the value out of my share.”

  It was a moment of surprise as she realized Malika was still dividing all their loot fairly among the four of them, something she had actually fotten. And that’s why we picked her to ma.

  Seal of the Quartermaster – level 40A sturdy pin bronze ring+3th+12 VitalityMana: Store or retrieve an item. Capacity: 0 / 1000 kgRequirements: Dexterity 140, Strength 37Ring

  “I think you’re the only one of us who use it,” Ali said, studying the requirements closely. It was a rather nice ring of unon grade – particurly useful for Malika, who was always the one carrying whatever they found to Weldin Thriftpenny’s store for sale.

  “I think could equip it too,” Malika said, twisting it around her finger in thought. “He might have the strength for it now.”

  “I still think it works better for you,” Ali said. “That vitality will e in handy in the mines.”

  “There was also a picture of you, and a map to the shrine i,” Malika said. “We should probably talk to Mieriel about gathering some information.” As she spoke, Malika retrieved a stack of niher-bound books from her new ring, pg them with utmost care upoable beside the library books she had just duplicated.

  “The hs?” Ali asked, reizing the drake-leather bound a books instantly.

  “Elder Rezan offered to lend them to you while he is here in Myrin’s Keep. He says you have permission from the elders to copy it for yourself,” Malika answered. “Ali… would you teach me to read them? I want to study the forms and teiques – and I think there might be something ihat could help me against the fire elementals.”

  “I trahem into on if you’d like,” Ali said, staring at the books, feeling a little guilty at the acquisitive instinct that bubbled up withihe hs of Ahn Khen represented aire system of a knowledge, simply waiting within the pages for her to study. If Malika and were right, she should be able to teach the teiques to her minions using Martial Insight. Having already examihe books, she also khere was a wealth of Ahn Khen magiscribed within those aomes.

  “That would be very ve, and probably quicker,” Malika answered. “But I think I would like to learn the nguage of my aors.”

  Malika sounded a little uain, and Ali could guess why. For at least half her life she had believed the aors of her people had forsaken her, and she had actively ighem ever since. But now, she seemed to be reag out and seeking to reect with her culture aage. First with the Elder as her mentor, and then by making friends with his students. This would be a step further, a substantial iment in learning the nguage and advang her teiques acc to the a path.

  “Ok, let me copy them quickly and then we start,” Ali didn’t believe the aors uidance or wisdom, but she wao support Malika’s search. “Do you think he’d like a couple extra copies to take back?”

  “I think you’d make his decade,” Malika said with a wry smile.

  Nathaniel Sunstrider

  Nathaniel had accepted a room at the Adventurers Guild for the night – pin lodgings, to be sure – but he had been way too busy to sleep. Even from outside the domain, he could still sehe mana. Study it. Test it.

  He had so many questions, and all of which hinged on who exactly Aliandra was, and why her dungeon was created in that precise fashion. He had seen the name ‘Aliandra Amariel’ on the shrine, but he had not ected it to the book until she had asked him t it with him.

  Elowynn Amariel’s daughter. Not her desdant – she had cimed Elowynn was her mother. The premier mind in magical research of the entire age. They were lucky – he was lucky – to possess her book. Somehow, the tome had survived The Breaking intact, and even after all his turies of study, there were still chapters he barely uood.

  He spent most of the night studying Elowynn’s book, searg for insight into the things he had witnessed, but the deext and abstract cepts yielded far more questions than answers. His first, and foremost question was what had caused the remnants of the magical disaster at the shrihe sed question was to uand the glowing golden are magic – what made it golden rather than purple or violet like his own and that of every other are mage? Other questions could wait – like why a level fifty dungeon possessed such dense mana, and why she radiated the presence of an a being, a was so clearly just starting out.

  By the time dawn broke, his patience had long vanished. He had agreed to e back ‘tomorrow’, and it was tomorrow. He grabbed the heavy tome and teleported directly bato the dungeon, appearing just as he had the day before. He burned ane of his spellbook shrouding himself so that the denizens of the dungeon would not see him, and he flew down to the shrine and began to study the flow of mana.

  Glos were ushrooms, present in huge varieties across the ti and often used in many simple and low-level tinctures and potions. But, down here, even the mushrooms emitted the golden are mana, spilling it into the domain, binding it, and structuring it into a delicate ttice that filled the entire space. Elowynn spoke at length about domains, but so much seemed to rely on long-lost knowledge that he struggled to piece it together. The fragments of golden shards seemed to predate the dungeon, but that was just about all he was able to determine.

  Enough waiting, I must speak with the dungeon at ohat he ighe shrine just demonstrated the magnitude of his frustratiourned, sending his senses roaming through the area, and quickly homed in on the vast pilr of deure mana bursting upward in a geyser the likes of which he had only ever seen iro evolved dungeons.

  He took off, flying in the dire of the mana-gusher, surveying the wide variety of pnts and trees as he went. As soon as he passed beyond the cavern aered a sed forested cavern, he sensed something had ged. This area was mostly filled with the enormous nature-affinity oaks, but the mana had ged. The inal ttid structure of the sparkling are and nature mana was still visible to his perception, but yered on top of it, was the heavy dark green nature mana of an even more a and powerful being.

  What is down here?

  For the first time on this trip, he readied his escape spell, a hair-trigger teleport desigo be impossible to disrupt, and headed deeper into the forest. Moments ter, he froze in surprise. Before him, t up through the ter of a ruined building, was the opy of an oak that was surpassed only by the magical trees of Ciradyl itself.

  Lirasian Oak – Elder Tree – level 173 (Nature)

  Speechless, he studied the impossible tree. It was an evolved tree, whi the absence of something like the Well of Souls was almost unheard of. There was no way a level fifty dungeon had made a level hundred ay-three tree, a her domain mana poured from it like a never-ending waterfall.

  Keeping his defe the ready, he flew into the ruins, following the enormous tree trunk downward, scattering nature wisps as he went.

  You have ehe Grand Library Ara. All Learning and Knowledge magic is enhanced by 10%

  Dal’mohra? The Grand Library? Lyeneru had mentio, a he had not believed her. Yet here he was, in the hallowed halls of the greatest library in recorded history. Perhaps she’s savvier than I gave her credit for. He was certain that if Lyeneru had mentiohe legendary city of Dal’mohra to anyone else, it was unthinkable that he would be the first person iing this dungeon.

  I’ll o be careful with the cil. cils. Both the Shadow cil and the cil of Archmages would bee unmanageable if knowledge of this got out.

  “Wele, child.”

  Nathaniel jerked to a flustered halt as an ageless green face emerged from the trunk of the enormous tree right in front of him, staring at him directly despite the magic of his Greater Shroud. Her voice was melodid resonant, filling the entire space with soft ale echoes, sounds that vibrated along the strings of her mana.

  Dryad [Great Mother of the Deep Woods] – Sylvan, Tree Spirit – level ??? (Nature)

  Lirasia? What is she doing here?

  “Great Mother of the Deep Woods,” he said, instantly dropping his shroud spell and bowing to the Dryad. For a spell desigo cloak him from all senses, it had been uwiow in as many days. He would most certainly o go back to the drawing board.

  “Why don’t you join us in the library for tea?” Lirasia said, drawing herself out of the trunk and dang barefoot along one of the giant branches. “Aliandra awaits you there.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” he answered, following her downward to where several tables and couches had been arranged around a cooking fire.

  So Lirasia survived the sc of her forest. The fact that she was here expihe unonly deure mana, but how it coexisted with the domain of Aliandra’s dungeon he could not say. It was a feat that defied everything he had ever learned about domains. Just one more unanswered question to which I will divine an answer. Yet these familial ties demand caution, yes, and a different approach. His lip curled. I must allow this duo live, it seems – for a time bounded by venience.

  He flew down and alighted by a surprisingly ordinary-looking couch. Beside the couch was a small teapot emitting wisps of steam and an aroma of high-quality brewed Elven tea. “It seems you have excellent taste,” Nathaniel observed.

  “Thank you,” Lirasia said.

  Off to the side, a dark-skinned monk girl sat reading a book in the ter of a poison cloud runic circle, her body periodically flickering with healing magic. His eyes narrowed slightly. One of Elder Rezan Jin’s disciples who had fought the dungeon boss yesterday.

  And sitting at the table surrounded by dozens of books sat the Fae herself. “Hello Aliandra,” he greeted her equably, accepting an offered chair at the table where she sat o a dark-haired librarian, unloading an enormous pile of books.

  About to unto his first question, he suddenly noticed the strange blend of violet divination and are dissipating from the Librarian – are mana that glittered just as golden as the Fae. His words y fotten upon his tongue.

  Aliandra

  “Thanks for rescheduling,” Ali said. Nathaniel Sunstrider appeared to be a touch rattled – perhaps at the sight of Lira – and it took a few moments for him to collect himself.

  “It was nothing,” he said, looking around, his pierg blue eyes taking ihing. “So, this is the Grand Library Ara?”

  “Yes,” Ali answered. She was still not quite sure she trusted him, but she felt safer because Lira, Mato, and Malika had decided to stay, lending her some mueeded moral support.

  “Are you truly her daughter?”

  “I am. And this is my aunt Lira.”

  “How is that even possible?”

  “My mother bound me in a barrier spell of are magid I survived the destru of Dal’mohra, waking up here when it finally expired.” She didn’t go into detail, but she was well aware that the Archmage had the power to wipe her out or order people like Lyeo do it. He seemed to be more ied in asking questions for now, so she would oblige.

  “That must have been quite a spell,” he prompted.

  “Legendary grade,” Ali admitted, taking more than a little pride at her mother’s final achievement.

  “So that’s how it happened. I would have given much to see it,” Nathaniel said.

  “Perhaps not,” Ali demurred. “The Blind Lich resent, and in the process of unleashing The Breaking upon the world.” The st was a dedu on her part, but everything Ryn had been able to dig up on the subject so far had poio her personal tragedy g with the grand-scale catastrophe that had been unleashed upon the world.

  “Aah, of course,” Nathaniel murmured, stroking his ihought. “I wonder… you tell me why your mana is golden? It’s a highly unusual maion.”

  “I don’t know. It’s always been that way.” The answer was clearly not what he wao hear, but it was the truth. She had always been happy that her magic looked like her mother’s, ever since she had been old enough to wield her first trip, but even back then, her mother’s mana had been unique.

  He proceeded to bombard her with an uing assault of questions, and Ali tinued answering as best she could without giving away too mas. With the Town cil trial, she had at least been prepared in advance – here she was entirely at the mercy of his intense scrutiny and t intellect. Although Nathaniel appeared at ease, his manner remained aloof. Ali was exquisitely aware of the unstated threat his presence presented. She had been worried about advertising her css to the town of Myrin’s Keep – but here was a member of the Elven cil of Archmages – who knew how far his influence reached?

  However, every time Ali began to flouo feel overwhelmed, Lira would interrupt with a seemingly innocuous question for the Suhat knocked him disproportionally off his stride. A moment of respite Ali used to recover her posure while the Archmage grappled with Lira’s unshakeable poise.

  Suddenly he gasped, leaping to his feet mid-sentence. “What is this?” Before Ali could react, he reached for her bookshelf and snatched up the ominous bd-silver tome. Nevyn Eld’s book.

  “This is aremely dangerous book,” Nathaniel said, staring at it, purple mana formations flickering rapidly in his eyes. Potent wards snapped into pce about him, leaving Ali’s skin prig from mere proximity to the Archmage’s spells. “Where did you find it?”

  “It survived in a secure preservation entment in the library,” Ali said. “Ryn found it.”

  “I’m afraid I will have to take this with me, it is too dangerous to leave here.”

  “I don’t think so,” Ali said, standing up from her chair. “I am the sole survivor of Dal’mohra, and that book is the property of this library. I’d thank you for not engaging iy thievery.”

  He leveled a hard stare at her, but she met his gaze with unfling resolve. She was not about to give up her book – even if it was the Lich’s magnum opus. “I watched my mother holding off his dark neantic bolts. I saw his Death Knights, raised from the cil of Kings. I watched while he tore the city down around me. And I was forced to watch helplessly when my mave all her life energy to save me from his grasp. You may not take that book. It is mine, and I io use the knowledge it tains to defend myself and my friends.”

  She held his gaze, their wills at an impasse. He could certainly take it by force, but she would not back down even in the face of his arrogand obvious power. Besides, he would have to demonstrate he was going to steal it in front of Lira, someone he appeared to hold in high regard.

  “In the wrong hands, this book be used to –”

  “Make dungeons stronger?” Ali finished. “I’m well aware of that. In fact, I’m ting on it. The only way I’m letting that book go is if you offer my mother’s book in trade.”

  He sighed, breaking the stare, and sat back down, ying the be oable before him. Then he produced the heavy, worn tome she had seen in his hands the first time she saw him, retrieving it from inside his robe instead of from a ste entment. He id it beside the first o was scuffed and scratched from ages of use, but she could not fail t.

  “I ot let you have –” he grimaced, at least realizing what he was saying “– your mother’s book. It tains far too muowledge and magic crucial to the survival and defense of the realm. It is for this very purpose that the Pathfinders were founded so many thousands of years ago. We stand against the timeless tides of evil first unleashed by the Blind Lich – it is why we exist. Without this book, I ot be certain to hold the encroag darkness at bay. Death Knights assemble in the far south uhe and of the undead general, Haverron, The Devastator. The Dracolich, Kryostria, raids the northern kingdoms. I wish I could give you what you want, but I ot.”

  So, Kryostria was turhen. Ali shivered. Lira had mentio – and Ali could scarcely believe it – but the fall of the great blue frost dragon known as The Frozen Sce had to have shaken the world. This was the true terror of the Blind Lich – his bony fingers had reached out and grasped the hearts of the world’s greatest heroes and twisted them, corrupting and turning them into undead servants, sves to his dark will. “Perhaps a different trade then?” Ali suggested, deliberately moderatione as she stared at her mother’s fi work with a strange ache in the depths of her heart. “I will copy Nevyn Eld’s work for you if you let me make a copy of my mother’s book for myself.”

  “No scribe has been able to copy this book, it is too steeped in magiathaniel scoffed.

  “I bet no scribe you ever met had Runic Script and a dungeon’s creation magic,” Ali tered.

  Lira murmured, “Intriguing.” That was all she said, but it seemed her words rippled across the teillness of the room, soothing and even inviting.

  For a long moment, the Elf steepled his fingers, trating on a future perhaps only he could perceive. Then he sighed. “Very well, if you succeed in copying it, I will agree to your trade.” His tone indicated skepticism, but she didn’t miss the eager, covetous g the be of the Blind Lich, but it was far too fleeting for her to be certain.

  “Interrupt me if he does anything weird.” She sent the mental and as a set of iions, impressions, to her Kobolds, earning several nods and the impression of alertness echoed back along her e.

  Then, she activated her study trand got to work. It rocess she had practiced tless times, growing the small colle of books every time Ryurned from the various libraries. They had started from nothing, and although it was still tiny, the several bookshelves that now made up her library were a source of great pride to her. She rapidly itted Nevyn Eld’s book to her memory using Sage of Learning, Are Insight, and Runic Script to ensure her recolle of every word, every inscription, and every rune erfect.

  Then she reversed the process, using Grimoire of Summoning, recreating the book in all its dark malevoleil her spell was pleted and the book appeared oable in front of her. She was most certainly gettier at this – the book was almost indistinguishable from the inal.

  She pushed it over to the surprised Archmage, watg him struggle to keep his excitement from leaking past his mask of posure. But he reciprocated, pg her mother’s book in front of her.

  The Nature of Magic. Elowynn Amariel.

  Ali’s hands trembled as she reached for the cover. It was bound in a simir bck leather to Nevyn Eld’s book, but instead of the cold silver runes and a dark foreboding aura, this book shoh the golden glow of hundreds of tiny runes inscribed into the cover and along the spi was worn and scratched, sp several dents, but otherwise seemed fully intact – and as beautiful as the first day her mother had shown it to her.

  The book shivered as she id a hand on the cover, or more accurately, her hand still trembled. Beside her, Nathaniel was already engrossed in reading his copy, so she began.

  Ali activated all her skills, for this was no ordinary muext. The pages exuded mana like an endless geyser of golden dust and the dense script glowed with the light of hundreds of runic markings outlining the cepts and principles within.

  Her awareness of the room and the arrogant Elven Archmage faded until there was nothing but her existend the book itself. Time passed unnoticed as she struggled to it the book to memory, to read every line, and to recall every rune. She had to reread many pages and spells to ensure she had gotten it just right before she was able to move on.

  Finally, she closed the book and looked up to find Nathaudying her with an inscrutable expression on his face, his reading presumably long pleted. It didn’t show, but Nathaniel had to be old. Either that, or the manner and fashion of the elves had not ged mu three thousand years. If it were not for the arrogant cast to his eyes, and the harsh lio his mouth, Ali might have sidered him handsome for an elf – especially dressed in his almal ented robes. Nothing like the creature of mist she had seen bound and hooked by tendrils of ominously dark barbed mana. That had been a disturbing sight, and one which had vahe moment her Are Recall ceased. She wasn’t quite certain how her spell worked, but she decided she was curious enough to try it again. If he knows about me, I o know more about him.

  She stopped time. The library dimmed, and everything froze in the familiar silent stasis of gray. Nathaniel Sunstrider sat before her, unshrouded this time and also frozen. The dark tendrils of strange mana writhed and twisted about him; their barbed hooks still embedded into the image of his body. She studied the discerting phenomenon for a while, but she could find no expnation. All she could guess was that it was something unique about him – and that magic was the only thing that moved in this strange world. And that it creeped her out like nothing she had ever experienced before.

  Well, besides that terrifying mo the logging vilge. She shuddered at that memory.

  She ignored Nathaniel and summoned her Grimoire, beginning to work before the giant image of her mother’s book began to fray in her mind. She poured her mana into the stru, eling her Runic Script to reproduce the magical runes, and studying the entire formation with her Are Insight. But her magic slowed, almost resisting her efforts as if something important was missing.

  It wants…

  The inal book y upoable – even the sparkles of are mana hanging in the air frozen and gray. The same mana her mother had used to create the barrier that had saved her. The same as her own barrier magic. Trusting her intuition, she fed her barrier magito the stru, hoping that the struct was detailed enough to repurpose the spell as it needed. Something ected right then, and her mana drained rapidly as the stru of the book neared pletion.

  The snapping of a whip caught her attention. One of the barbed tendrils of mana had e loose from Nathaniel, recoiling bad then flig fain. It paused, and to Ali’s horror it seemed to search around – like a monster, sniffing the air – and then sinuously began to weave its way toward her, as if seeking out the mana of her spell.

  She struggled instinctively, but there was no way for her to move a muscle, or even feel her body. Her Are Recall spell would not end until her creation was pleted – if that would even be any prote against whatever dark magic this thing was. She grappled with the unruly plexity of her creation, barely hanging on tic while the dark tentacle rushed in from the er of her eye.

  Right as the dark barbed serpentine magic was about to reach her, her mother’s book fred with an intense golden light – a sudden fsh of brilliant cainst the stark backdrop. Spontaneously activated runes burned with furious golden energy, flowing out to cover the book with an intricately formed barrier. The cover popped open halfway, and the barrier grew across the opening of the book in sharp, jagged protrusions that looked shogly like fangs. Then the book leapt, snapping shut oendril of dark mana like the jaws of a crocodile crushing bones.

  What the – Ali would have screamed, but she could not.

  The dark mana ruptured into a cloud of magic dust, and the remainder of the tendril recoiled away into the distaing a wail that faded rapidly. Like something far beyond ordinary sight snatg back a wounded limb. The book dropped back to the table and simply bounced up and down for a bit, as if proud of itself, a broad crimson silk bookmark hanging out from between its pages and its rather vicious-looking jagged golden fangs. Its insout manner made her want to smile slightly despite the nausea g at her gut.

  Before Ali could form another coherent thought, her spell finished, and the duplicate book appeared oable. But Are Recall failed to end. She remained frozen in the gray world, the only source of color being the bizarre creature her mother’s book had turned into, and her floating Grimoire.

  What? How is this possible?

  She didn’t know how to end it. The binding of this pce had always faded immediately. Movement caught her attention once again as the strangely animated book shuffled across the surface of the table to the gray duplicate she had just pleted. It snuffled around for a moment, looking for all the world like it was sniffing her copy. A pulse of magic, almost too fast for her tister, enveloped the new book and suddenly the copy exhibited identical scuff marks, dings, and scratches, making it indistinguishable from the inal.

  Her jaw would have hit the table if that were possible.

  Then to her absolute astonishment, the book scooted around and shoved the copy across the table, trading pces with it, and theled down by turning around ond plopping itself onto the wooden surfa front of her. The barrier magic slowly receded, and the fangs faded, leaving the book as it was before she had started. Thes can to leech away until it too appeared gray and lifeless.

  Her spell ended.

  Immediately, notifications appeared before her.

  Are Recall has reached level 9.Barrier has reached level 38.Grimoire of Summoning has reached level 31.Runic Script has reached level 26.Sage of Learning has reached level 22.

  Reading has reached level 13.

  What… the heck was that? I had no idea my mother was so full of mischief!

  ***

  Nathaayed fes, unleashing a formidable curiosity and a deluge of questions about her past, Dal’mohra, her mother, and her magic. Ali answered all of it as best she could, but lurking below all her polite civility was a burning curiosity and fusion directed at the now deceptively i book resting oable.

  The book’s surprising animation, viagical teeth, and its power to manipute her spells were quite terrifying – and she would have blurted out the ehing, demanding answers, save for ohing. The book had undoubtedly saved her from the even more ominous dark magic that seemed to ihe Elven Archmage. Or perhaps it inated from him, she had no way to tell. All through Nathaniel’s barrage of questions, Ali carefully avoided looking at the book. Every now and then, her guilt worked its way to the surface of her mind, and she would agaiempted to tell him about the switch. But she always came back to the fact that the book had chosen her and had in fact goo quite some lengths to make the switdetectable even to the powerful scrutiny of a three-mark Archmage.

  His copy isn’t missing any information, she told herself. But it oor sotion because she was quite certain she hadn’t duplicated whatever it was that had caused the book to wake up. Cautiously, she identified it.

  The Nature of Magic – Book – level 47

  Both books identified as exactly the same. She knew every single word and rune was copied exactly – Nathaniel would have what he needed, even if he didn’t go home with the inal, a…

  “I’m not sure you uand the significe of your shrine, Aliandra,” Nathaniel said, colleg the copy of the book she had just made and tucked it into his robe. “The only reat Shrine on the tihat isn’t buried deep inside a hostile dungeon resides iroll city of Aman Rak, and they’re notoriously aloof and desding toward other races. It was exceptionally difficult to gain even limited access to study it and they alrioritize spending their precious shrine mana on Troll adva – even their adversaries – over all other races. As you know, I’m also the Guildmaster for the Pathfinders Guild in Ciradyl. Would you be open to allowio study your shri some point iure? Would you sider taking a few Elven novices to join your css adva ceremonies? I offer a substantial remuion per magical css unlocked.”

  “That would be fine,” Ali answered. She knew her shrine ecial, but she hadn’t realized it was quite so rare. “Please coordihe novices with Vivian Ross – she’s responsible for setting up the groups. But I’m a dungeon, I have no need of gold.” She pulsed some magic through her Grimoire, creating a Dal’mold and dropping it oable in front of him.

  “What I offer, then?”

  Behind the carefully trolled fa?ade of his calm, schooled expression, she could tell he was eager to gain access to her shrine services.

  She was about to repeat her itment to keeping her shrine free, but she g Ryn busy s books and a different idea popped into her head. “I would like Ryn to be able to borrow books from the restricted se of the Ciradyl Grand Library,” she suggested, gaining a suddeed gasp from Ryn and a shocked expression from Nathaniel.

  “You know those books are irrepceable?” he said, after reposing himself.

  “Not after I’ve borrowed them for a day or two,” she answered, gesturing to the pair of books oable in front of her. “I’ve already duplicated the previously lost hs of Ahn Khen several times for Elder Rezan. sider it security for your most valuable knowledge – a backup copy, if you will.”

  “Would you accept keeping it to a single book at a time?” Nathaniel asked, his face paler than normal.

  “Perfect,” Ali answered. In response, he retrieved a sheet of paper and an expensive-looking pen. He wrote a note and then imbued the entire page with his mana signature before passing it to her. “Thank you,” she told him.

  He seems strangely eager about all this. I still don’t trust him. When the Archmage looked away for a moment, she flicked her gaze to her Aunt. Lira nodded almost imperceptibly. Huh. Well done, be warned, keep going? Thanks.

  “I will have Lyeneru create a quest for when we have some didates for the shrihe Archmage said. “Have him keep an eye on his ring, it will notify him when the quest is avaible.” He finally rose to his feet. “I must take my leave aurn to Ciradyl. This has been a very productive meeting, thank you, Aliandra. I will be in touch.” And with that, he vanished, leaving the remnants of his Greater Teleportation spell slowly dissipating into the library.

  Ali immediately tried to store the book in her ring, but for some reason, that failed. She let out a big sigh and flopped bato her chair. It had indeed been productive, but the uing tension had turned her knees into jelly.

  “Are you ok?” Ryn asked, reag to her sudden dispy of pent-up emotion.

  “Yes, that was just very stressful.” She hadn’t quite realized how much she had been holding bottled up until the pressure tly removed and she was once again aloh her friends. She retrieved Nathaniel’s permission note and ha to Ryn.

  “At least you got a copy of your mom’s boht? I got a level when he read the book you made for him.” Ryn said, examining the note excitedly before making it vanish.

  “Yes, about that…” Ali gnced over to the big table where she had left the suspicious book, but that spot oable was suddey. What?

  “On the coffee table, dear,” Lira said mildly. “Another cup of tea with a drop of honey?”

  There! Ali paused mid-leap to the coffee table, arrested by the almost pyful offer – much like her mother’s apparent shenanigans with the book – and the fact that the tome was quietly resting on the coffee table right in front of her couch, like nothing had happened. Ali hadn’t even sensed any magic. Clearly, she had beeure in bming the Archmage. Oops. And she had even stood up to him – where had that suddenly e from? Could the book have… surely not?

  “What are you?” she asked it, and then squeaked a backward onto the couch when it wiggled slightly. “Aunt Lira! It – it just –”

  “Yes, dear?”

  Ali tried to wave away the teacup with a shaking hand, but her aunt had other ideas. A deft touch found her gripping the saucer and she took a desperate unsteady sip of the brew, inhaling its fresh herbaceous st as she stared through the swirling steam at the book. She identified it again.

  The Nature of Magic – Eldrite – level ? (Are)

  “What is an Eldrite?” she asked, embarrassed to hear the quaver in her own voice. And… why the heck ’t I Identify… a one-mark book? The impossibility of it was unnerving. It had just been level forty-seven and easy for her to i, and now it inexplicably registered as less than level ten but obscured to her Identify skill. This makes no se all!

  “It’s a monster, why? … Oh!” Ryn excimed as she saw the book ing its way closer to Ali.

  Suddenly, the cover of the book burst open, and the pages riffled past, too fast to track, until it fell open and propped itself up as if invitio read.

  Cautiously, Ali leaned forward, her barrier ready in case the sharp magical teeth made a reappearance, but what she found age she knew for certain hadn’t been there when she copied the book.

  Dear Ali,

  gratutions on earning your Css. It is a milestone I know I have been anxiously anticipating, and with it, you have passed the final step from youth to adulthood. I do not know which Css you will choose, but I am certain it will reflect your love of magid study. Whatever you choose, I want you to have this book in the hopes that it may help you with your chosen path. Remember that your father and I will always love you ahere to help if you ever need us.

  Love beyoernity,

  Mom.

  It was a note and a thoughtful gift, intended for a future that her mother had missed by a week, and she had missed by three thousand years. ing on top of the stress of talking at such length with the Archmage, barely surviving an unknown and scary magic atta the middle of her spell, and the bizarrely terrifying book that had saved her, Ali broke down and cried.

  After a few minutes of tears with Lira and her friends trying to fort her, a sudden presence of weight drew her attention downward, and there, led in her p, was the book, as if it too wished to sole her.

  She id her hand upon the cover. Mom, if only…

  ----------

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