Spirit Speaker

The School wasn't much to look at. It was a small campus, squarely built, with a large courtyard in the centre. 

It was surrounded by an iron fence, making it look and feel more like a prison than a centre of learning. The gate had been left open, swaying gently in the early afternoon breeze. 

A stone path led from the pavement to a flight of wide, weathered steps, which must have been a nightmare to climb when wet. 

Before I even got to them, the double doors, large, brown, wooden, with two brass handles set at about chest height swung inward, and a young woman, hurried, holding a stack of papers against her chest dashed past me. 

She nodded as she passed, acknowledging my presence, if nothing else, turned left, and ran up the street. 

Curious. Well, at least the doors are open now. 

I climbed the steps and walked into a wide passageway, wooden offices that ended about halfway into the room on either side, signs written above them. 

Reception, Student Affairs, Complaints, Applications, Mail.

Beyond the offices was a staircase, about half as wide as the room, leading to the second floor. 

It was deserted. 

Two men sat on the stairs at the back end of the passage, staring morosely at me, or rather, at the door behind me.

They didn't get up. 

I raised my hand in greeting. 

"Hey!" I called out. "Where is everyone?"

"Gone!" The younger of the two called out. "City Council shut us down months ago. That young lady was the last of our students!"

"Shut down? Why didn't anyone report this to the Academy?" I asked, making my way down the passage to the two depressed men on the stairs. 

"We sent a missive to the Academy back in November, didn't hear anything back."

November…that was about the time the Board of Directors had been taken by the Abyss.

I reached the step below where they sat and extended a hand.

The older man was human, of average height, and dressed in good quality, casual clothing. 

The younger man was an elf, with long grey hair and silver eyes.

"You might want to send another one," I said, as the older one reached out to shake it. "I assure you, the Board has no idea about this."

"Yes, well, nothing we can do about it now. Sit down, man, and tell us what brings you to these hallowed, if empty, halls." The old man smiled, shook my hand warmly, and patted the step next to him. 

"Don't mind if I do," I said, the man's smile infectious. 

"So who are you?" The younger man asked, leaning forward so he could see past the old man between us.

"Master Mage Lukas, though I hate that title. Lukas is perfectly fine."

"Pleased to meet you," the younger-looking elf said, reaching out to shake my hand, which I did.

"I am, or was at least, the Headmaster of this place. Elias, of Clan Greywind." He pulled his arm back. "And this is the School Chronicler, Master Theodore."

"So, Lukas, what brings you here?" the Chronicler asked.

"If I said the words, inky black book, would that mean anything to either of you?"

"Not me." The headmaster replied. "What about you, Ted?"

"Probably a careless student messing up his notes." 

"That sounds about right." The elf grinned. "Sorry, Lukas, can't help you there. Why do you ask?"

"There's been reports of these strange, black books popping up all over the place, I'm trying to figure out what they are, and where they're coming from."

"They shut down spirits, you can't even do the smallest amount of magic near…" I cut off, their expression said everything. 

"So you have found one."

"We found something, but it wasn't a book. We found it in one of the slums. The weird bloody thing pulled me out of the air." The headmaster patted his pockets. "Ted, do you know where we put the vault key?"

The Chronicler closed his eyes for a moment, listening to an unheard voice. "It's dropped behind the desk in your office, sir."

"Blasted thing. Give me a moment Lukas, I'll be right back." The headmaster stood up and made his way up the staircase to the second floor."

"You said it wasn't a book?" I asked, turning to the Chronicler. 

"It was a bottle. Just that, a black, glass bottle, filled with some sort of water? Liquid? Gods, I don't know, but it shocked the feeling out of my arm when I picked it up, I can tell you that."

"You picked it up?" I asked, my stomach sinking. "And you're okay?" 

The Chronicler shrugged. "Okay…is a relative term, I'm old, and I'm hurting in new and exciting places every morning, but the bottle didn't do anything to me, other than make it difficult to eat for a while."

I studied him for a moment. "Sir, do you mind if I took a look at your weave? If that bottle is what I think it is, then it may have affected your soul."

"Stare away lad, it's been a while since someone had a look." 

He turned to me, his rheumy, pale blue eyes staring into my own. I looked past his pupil to his weave, which shone brightly and regularly. 

"You're…okay? Your weave is perfectly fine."

"Yours, on the other hand, Lukas, is not." The Chronicler blinked, pushing me out. "How did you get it twisted, lad?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, sir," I said, looking up as the headmaster returned. 

"Hey, headmaster, come show Lukas your weave." The Chronicler called as the headmaster appeared at the top of the stairs. "He says the bottle might have damaged it in some way."

"Oh? You think you know what it is, Lukas?" The headmaster asked, sitting beside me, his head facing in my direction.

"I hope I'm wrong sir." I replied. "Do you mind?"

The elf shook his head. "Not at all, Lukas! I've already lost my School, what else do I have to lose?"

I looked deeply into his silver eyes, past his pupil, to where his weave glowed and pulsed regularly. 

He was fine. 

"What have you done to yourself, Lukas?" He asked, peering deeper into my eyes. "You're…double? There are two of you. One, an old man, facing backwards, the other you, facing forwards."

I blinked, surprised. "You saw that, headmaster?

"Wasn't I supposed to? It's not something you can hide." The headmaster smiled. "What an odd fellow you are, you have a story, and if the flashes I caught on your weave are anything to go by, it's one for the ages."

"Sir, the key?" The Chronicler interrupted, standing up, hand out. 

"Oh, yes. Here you go." The headmaster stood up and handed the Chronicler a dark, dull gold, key. "So I take it Ted here has brought you up to speed?"

"It's a black bottle, and it knocked you out of the sky in the slums?"

"I was flying at quite the speed too." The elf shook his head. "Next thing I know, the ground is coming at me at a rapid pace."

"If it's any consolation sir, one of the books fizzled a fireball I cast until it was little more than a spark."

"What did you do with yours?" the Chronicler asked, leading us down a passageway. 

"A spirit prison works okay for me," I said. 

The elf snapped his fingers. "A spirit prison! We didn't think of that!" He chuckled. "We just put it in the vault, and locked the door behind us."

"You know, in hindsight, given what it does to the other spirits, that might have been a little cruel of us." He chuckled. "Just, be careful when you touch it, lad, it gives you a powerful thirst."

"Sir?"

"Oh yes, damn thing will try to make you drink it. If I wasn't a mage, I might have done it too."

"You didn't mention that, Master Chronicler."

"Didn't happen to me, Lukas. Just to the headmaster. Though I suspect that might be a family history of alcoholism making itself known."

"Anyways…" The headmaster said pointedly, "Just be on your guard. I have no idea what this thing is capable of, and it terrifies me."

"If it's what I think it is, sir, then you're not the only one."

We stopped in front of a thick steel door, and the Chronicler produced the dull gold key, he put it in the lock and closed his eyes, brows knit with concentration. 

I heard a dull thunk from behind the door, and it opened towards us. 

The hair pricked up on the back of my neck. 

And my heart sank. 

Another one.

It wasn't hard to locate the thing, my heart pounded harder and harder the closer I got to it until I thought it was going to explode. 

There, behind a loose pile of scrolls, lay the bottle. 

"It wasn't there when I dropped it off here." The headmaster replied, his voice low. "It's been moving."

I shrugged the bag off my shoulder and removed a spirit prison. "Headmaster? If you wouldn't mind putting that bottle in this box."

The headmaster swallowed. "Good idea, lad. Is it what you think it is?"

I nodded. "Yes sir, unfortunately, it's exactly what I thought it was." I pulled my shirt over my head and handed it to him. "Just in case, sir."

The elf took my shirt and covered it over his hand, he slowly picked up the bottle and brought it over to me. 

I opened the box, revealing the inky black book. "Quickly sir, these things call out."

The headmaster lifted his arm and held the bottle over the spirit prison. He tapped his wrist, forcing his hand to let go. 

The bottle clinked as the glass struck the spirit prison. 

I closed the box quickly, and it was as though the whole room exhaled. 

The air was lighter, the oppressive darkness banished.

"Well done, lad!" The headmaster said, patting my back. "Works perfectly."

"For now sir. The books are slowly eating their way out of the prison."

The headmaster stepped back quickly. 

"No, sir, it'll take a few decades at least, but this is only a temporary solution."

I put the box back in my bag and then looked at the shirt the headmaster held in his hands.

"Burn it, sir." I suggested. "We can't do anything about the darkness on the objects, but the stuff it leaves behind hates fire."

"Is that so?" The headmaster focused and my shirt erupted in flames. "So we can fight back at least?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

We left the vault, and the Chronicler pushed it shut, locking it securely behind him. 

"What are you going to do now, Lukas?" The headmaster asked, "I'd like to thank you somehow."

"I'm not in town for long sir." I said with genuine regret. I liked the two of them,

"Tonight then." The headmaster said quickly. "My place, Ted here makes a killer duck." 

I opened my mouth to object. "I won't take no for an answer Lukas." The headmaster warned.

I gave up. "Sure thing, sir. I'd love to join you two. Do you mind if I bring my apprentice along? I'd like for her to meet you, she's spent too much time with stuffy Academy mages."

"Aren't you one of those stuffy Academy mages, Lukas?" The Chronicler pointed out.

We passed the staircase and headed past the offices that flanked either side of the entrance hall. 

"It's not nice to point it out, sir." I grinned. "Send a spirit a little later with the directions." 

"Alright, lad-" He stopped at the door, eyes wide. 

I followed his gaze. 

And smiled, and any residual fear or doubt just melted away. 

She stood there, tapping her foot impatiently, glaring at me with clear, golden eyes. 

I tapped his shoulder, "I'll see you later sir."

"Uhm uh…" was the response. 

I turned to the Chronicler who was looking at the headmaster quizzically. "Headmaster?"

"Uh…" 

"Best take him inside. He just saw something he isn't quite ready to accept just yet."

And with that, I practically skipped down the steps to the Weaver, who, as soon as I arrived, punched me in the stomach. Hard. 

"Good to see you too." I wheezed, doubled over. 

"You vanished from the weave, Lukas. Again." Her tone was severe.

I stood up, and saw something in her eyes, behind the anger. Relief.

"Found something in the School vault." I said, tapping my bag. 

"Another book?"

"No…a bottle this time. I didn't get a good look at it before dropping it in the spirit prison, but it was filled with something."

She paused, studying my satchel. "The Seeker has a theory, and I think this just confirmed it."

She fell into step beside me, and together we made our way back to the inn. I was surprised. 

Barely anyone noticed her. And the ones that did were just confused, rather than shocked at her presence. 

"A theory?" I asked, I could see the sadness in her eyes. It's a hard thing, having your very existence denied, right in front of you. I reached out and took her hand. 

Her eyes widened, in surprise, and she graced me with a dazzling smile. 

"I'll be okay, Lukas. You still see me."

"And I always will." 

She squeezed my hand in hers, and then let it go.

"You mentioned something about a theory?" I asked, turning onto the street the inn was on. 

"He says that it isn't an accident that these things are appearing in libraries. Only the wealthy or powerful can afford access to one." She stopped me in front of the inn. "Every day people don't get much time for books, which is probably why the object you found was a bottle. Everyone can get a drink."

"Makes sense." I said, thinking about it. "Which means these things are just…what? Bait? Waiting for someone to stumble across them?"

"That's what the Seeker thinks at least."

"Hmm." I stepped into the inn, hesitated, stepped back outside and put my hand on her shoulder. "Do. Not. Vanish." I said firmly. 

She chuckled. "I'll think about it."

"You're a cruel woman, ma'am." I said, smiling. 

"Only when I want to be."

I dropped the satchel off in my room. 

It was only when I was in front of the mirror that I remembered that the headmaster had reduced my shirt to ashes. 

Which means I just walked half-naked through another city. 

I dug in my pack, found the white shirt that the Weaver had given me, put it on quickly, and headed downstairs. 

She was still there.

"I recognise that shirt." She said. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to realise that, while they weren't looking at me, you certainly caught their attention."

"You could have said something you know." I replied.

"You're right, I could have." She grinned. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

The goddess led me through the city, ignoring the occasional confused look as she passed. 

I didn't. There were far too few of them. 

She looked back at me, her smile faltering just a little bit.

Do you want to convert the world, Master Mage?

Her voice was clear in my mind, a gentle rebuke.

"Only if you asked me to." I responded. I knew her well enough to know that that was the last thing she wanted.

Oh? And if I wanted the world for my own?

"It might take a few months but I'll figure it out."

She stopped and looked at me very seriously. 

"You're not joking." 

I shook my head. "Goddess." And I took her hand. And I looked into her eyes. 

Do you know how much power you have over me?

And her smile was like the clear dawn after a storm.