Curselock

Chapter 137: Dinner with an Old Friend

“Is this the place?” Spencer asked, eying the black stone shop’s façade.

There was a definite lack of personnel walking around this section of the city compared to the nonblack stone districts, although that didn’t stop the Reflections from dancing around. The ghostly forms moved through walls and around roofs, mostly walking in pairs or groups, although each seemed familiar with one another. And, in a way, they were.

Each Reflection was, after all, connected to King Harlen and inversely one and the same. Which, to Leland, was quite strange. He never did finish his conversation with the Void Priest, but he didn’t need to. There were powers larger than him at work and just knowing that Harlen had eyes all over the city was relief enough.

Especially since the parents and Aunty P. seemed just a bit more cautious lately. Leland had caught his dad looking blankly in the distance a few times now, no doubt controlling hidden magics. It was understandable, however, an Inquisitor’s job is never done. Especially if a royal was involved.

Leland truly felt bad for Sybil, but also knew she’d never exchange her fate for someone else’s. Such was the way of being a princess, always boring until it suddenly wasn’t and your life was on the line. In that way, being a princess was somewhat like an adventurer. Although Leland would never exchange his life with Sybil’s.

He saw the irony in the thought. They were much more similar than he’d ever thought before, which created a bubble of embarrassment in his gut. Leland eyed his mom, glad she couldn’t read minds.

“Yes, the Bookkeeper’s,” Leland said, ushering his parents into the small shop.

Just like last time, the store was desolate other than the lone man sitting behind the counter reading. He was older, but Leland knew his elderly mask was just a mask of defense. The man had made sure that the boys knew he was a viper.

Luckily for Leland, he brought his parents this time. It truly brought a smile to his face knowing that the man—

Leland felt his smile slip.

“That is you, Franklin!” Spencer laughed, stepping past his son and trotting over to the Bookkeeper. “How long has it been?”

Franklin’s eyes went wide and he quickly threw down his book, the book drifting through the air like a feather. It landed silently, a bookmark launching from a shelf to mark the Keeper’s place. The two men then embraced, each patting the other on the back.

Franklin’s eyes drifted past Spencer to Lucia. “Oh Lucia! Quite amazing to see you!”

Leland’s mom skipped past him and gave the Keeper a squeeze. “Since when did you set up a shop here?! When’d you leave Aslack?”

“Oh about a year after you two left.” Franklin’s eyes fell a bit. “Karry passed not long before.”

“Oh Franklin,” Lucia said, pulling him back into a hug.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Spencer added. “She was a lovely woman.”

“That she was. That she was.” Franklin forced himself to brighten up. “But that was, what? A century ago? Trevor and I moved on long ago.”

“Is he?”

“Oh yes. Trevor is still going strong. Runs the Delver’s Guild here in Ruinsforth. I don’t get to see him all that often, but he brings me interesting books when he does visit, so it evens out.”

“A Guild Master?” Lucia asked. “Little Trevor? No way!”

Franklin chuckled. “Just a deputy, although from how he talks about work, it sounds like he’s the master.”

“’Just a deputy,’ he says,” Spencer said mockingly. “That’s amazing!”

“I suppose it is. I suppose it is.” Franklin gave them both a soft smile. “What about the two of you? What brings you to Ruinsforth? What brings you to my shop?”

“Work for one, and our son for two.” Lucia stepped to the side, making sure not to step on any of the books littering the floor. “Franklin, meet Leland!”

Franklin’s eyes instantly narrowed. “I remember you. Lad that thought he knew all of Ancient Script.”

Spencer laughed at that, and Leland felt himself grow hot. “I still don’t believe it’s Ancient Script,” he said with a glare at his dad.

“Oh, Leland. If Franklin says it is, then it is. Franklin’s not just any old Bookkeeper, he’s an Order Keeper.”

Leland raised an eyebrow. “I thought Order Keeper were highly reclusive. Stayed in their grand library or whatever?”

“Leland! Watch your tone!”

“No, no, the lad is right,” Franklin interjected. “I was an Order Keeper, and they are very secretive and do not leave the library much. But that was a past life at this point. I am a humble shopkeeper at this point.”

Leland suddenly felt a weight in his heart. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s alright. I’ve gotten the same suspicions hundreds of times before from a thousand different people.”

Spencer let out a low sigh. “Well, we were planning to ask the owner of this shop a few questions for Leland, but since it's you, how about we do it over dinner?”

“I’d love that,” Franklin said.

Together everyone moved over a street to a hole-in-the wall eatery that Franklin spoke highly of. Which Leland thought probably meant the food was actually quite good. If the viper had good things to say, then, well, they must be cooking up gold.

After ordering, Lucia spoke up, “Now I know it's impolite to say, but Spencer and I do have to get back to work rather soon. So we can’t drink like we used to.”

Leland coughed. “How’d you both meet Franklin?”

Spencer answered, “Orders from the Queen to investigate a strange man moving throughout the lands. Pretty standard for entry-level Inquisitors if you’d believe it. Luckily for us, it was Franklin looking for a lost book from the grand library, Alivest.”

“Alivest?” Leland questioned.

“One of the smaller grand libraries,” Franklin admitted. “But the one housing the most knowledge of rune-script.”

“Ancient Scrip…”

“Precisely. Now then, give me your hand.” Franklin held out his, scrunching it back and forth in anticipation.

Leland did as asked, pulling up his long sleeve to better showcase the tattoo. It hardly shifted at this point anymore, encasing the crow of his Legacy ink in a circle of runic lettering.

Franklin gave the art a cursory look before reaching his hand out to the side. A Legacy ability activated and the Bookkeeper suddenly conjured a bookshelf. He rifled through it, finding a small monocle-like lens. He peered through it at the back of Leland’s hand.

“Most definitely Ancient Script,” Franklin said, a crease appearing above his eyebrows. “But a subset I am unfamiliar with. I recognize the general pieces, the framework I should say, but even those are slightly morphed. How interesting.”

“Interesting enough to translate?” Lucia asked, batting her eyelashes like a schoolgirl

Franklin chuckled to himself. “Oh Lucia, you haven’t changed.”

She reddened at that. “I’ve changed plenty. Just look at Leland, there was a time I didn’t want kids.”

Spencer coughed out a string of words, “It only took our four best friends to get pregnant for you to change your mind…”

Lucia hit him on the shoulder. “That’s not true!”

“Then why is Leland the youngest— Ow! Stop hitting me!”

The bickering went on, much to Leland’s displeasure, until the food arrived. They ate while Franklin grumbled and checked and rechecked the tattoo. He ate and transcribed, not seemingly bothered by multitasking, even keeping up with the table’s conversation as well.

Leland didn’t know much about Order Keepers other than what was common information. And while Franklin still bothered him from his past experience with the man, seeing him in his element reminded Leland of years past. Specifically when his parents were teaching him the basics of magic. It was a nice time, a comforting time, back when the job of Inquisitor was put on hold and they were together.

Having long come to terms with the fact that his parents wouldn’t be around for some key parts of his life, Leland had thought seeing them after all this time would be easier. But it really wasn’t. Leaving home, Leland knew he didn’t want to live in their shadows. He wanted on his own to scale the world and reach the platform on which they stood – or rather, with Jude and Glenny.

But sitting there, in that shabby small restaurant listening to his parents talk to an old friend, Leland was glad they could guide him. That they were around. That they still treated him like a kid. Because as much as he’d be hard pressed to admit it, he was a kid and with everything that had happened so far, he was scared.

His life wasn’t supposed to be as complicated as it was. It was supposed to be a simple shot to the top, not one filled with Lords and Harbingers, Witches and cults. Despite not being drunk, the realization sobered Leland to the point he realized he was an idiot.

He didn’t have to live in his parents’ shadows. In fact, they weren’t even shadows to begin with. He was the shadow, and they were two stars creating enough light so that he could see on his own.

Franklin abruptly went still. He was holding Leland’s hand inspecting the lettering of the circle tattoo when the other one started moving.

The crow, uncaring of the table of eyes all staring at it, shifted over Leland’s skin unencumbered by measly ink. It almost shimmered as it moved, an eternal smugness held on its little face. The bird went edge to edge of its circular tattoo cage, chomping down on runes and symbols, moving them to other locations like building blocks.

It fluttered its wings as it went, dancing, until all of the circular tattoo was rearranged. It was still circular, still made of ink, but now it was something far more. Complex didn’t even come close to describing its intricacies and woven patterns, nor did the fact that it was created by another tattoo.

“What in the name of the libraries?…” Franklin muttered, his eye twitching. There was no asking, no discussion, the former Order Keeper just put his head down and got to transcribing.

“Leland?” Spencer asked for himself and his wife.

“Yeah…?”

“Just what was that?”

Leland saw a few ways to answer. He chose the one he figured would ease the tension. “What? Your tattoos don’t do that?”

“No,” Lucia said flatly. “And you know that.”

Franklin muttered, “’Guiding Ward?’” scribbled something, then said, “no, no, that’s not right. ‘Guiding… Map?’” He scratched his head.

“Leland,” Lucia then said. “Just what—”

“Ah ha!” Franklin yelped, circling the latest word written in his notes. “’Lodestone!’ It’s called ‘Lodestone!’”

Lucia patted Franklin’s arm softly. She then spoke in an incredibly calm voice. “Franklin, that’s great work. And I – we – thank you. But Leland’s Legacy tattoo just moved and I think that’s a bit more pressing.”

Franklin wasn’t bothered by the statement, he only continued to transcribe. “Moving tattoos are nothing new.”

Leland echoed the sentiment of his parents. “They’re not?”

“No, but rare, yes.”

Spencer sighed. “Don’t leave us hanging, what does a moving tattoo mean?”

Franklin looked up at the question. “Oh. That your son is his Lord’s Champion.” He looked at Leland. “I figured you’d have known that being the Champion and all.”

Leland most definitely did not know.

“Or,” Franklin continued, “I guess it’s possible you could be your Lord’s only Legacy. Then you’d be defaulted as Champion. That would be quite unusual, though.”

A beat in Leland’s mind suddenly became clear and he figured there was a bit more merit in Franklin’s words than the Keeper believed. But that was for future Leland to deal with. Right now, he had two parents who looked quite peeved.

“I didn’t know,” he said to them, their statue-like faces unflinching.

Lucia was first to crack. “M-my little baby, a Champion…”

Spencer followed suit a second later. “What a strange world… I mean, Leland? Seriously?”

“Hey! I resent that!” Leland said with a laugh.

They conversed a bit longer but the revelation was still too fresh to properly discuss. They hopped around the edge of the whole thing, making jokes and sarcastic comments. To each of them, it was oddly pleasant.

“So Franklin, what’ve you got for us?” Spencer finally said once all of the jokes had been made.

Franklin gathered up his notes, looking over them one last time. “It is called ‘Lodestar,’ like I said. Still a summoned weapon, same as before. I still don’t recognize what form it's going to take, but I do recognize it is going to be a staff of some kind… Cane? Stave? Not a wand… Perhaps a scepter?”

“H-how do I summon it?” Leland asked.

“That’s the strange part.” Franklin reversed his notes so the others could see. “I don’t know what the combination of these three parts create. That will be the summoning fuel.”

The Silvers knew quite a bit about magic, even Leland despite being significantly less experienced. On the notes, they each recognized runes for “willpower,” “death,” and “life.”

“I’ve already started a list of possibilities,” Franklin continued, “so far my best guess is a strongly-willed magical beast with aspects in life and death. Maybe a Blight or an Eternal Spring Treant? I’m not fully sure, I’ll have to do more res—”

“No need. I know what it requires,” Leland interrupted. “It requires a soul.”

Franklin blinked a few times. “Now that certainly is a possibility. Although unlikely. I’m not a betting man, but my money is on a Blight’s wing or claw. Summoning circles always seem to require a wing or claw, don’t ask me why.”