Faelni had been modest about the monastery’s knowledge of the High Elven language. Fully half of their library, the largest building on the compound, was dedicated to notes and research on the subject, along with samples taken from various ruins over the course of centuries. The monks spent a lot of time restoring or maintaining such documents, and those that lead the effort were as excited by the addition of Anna’s new notes on the subject as they were by the stone from Selasem, though they were quick to point out that none of her personal observations were quite original.
Still, she’d copied lines from the ruins that weren’t on the stone, and she was happy to pass it on to the monks for them to examine. In the morning after their arrival, the Wisp Seekers woke up to a group of enthusiastic monks and nones praising their discovery. “Woah, what’s going on?” Peter asked.
“The ruins you found were exactly what we’ve ben looking for,” Faelni explained. “There’s just enough on the stone to confirm your notes. It has writing in both ancient Selasi and the High Elven Script.”
“The same as the others?” Anna asked.
“Our librarians are working on establishing that right now,” Faelni replied.
Anna glanced over at Andrew and Peter. She knew both brothers were as frustrated as she was that there didn’t seem to be any way they could help. They were welcome to access the library and speak with the philologists translating the documents, but without a knowledge of historical languages themselves, they wouldn’t be much use during the process.
“What should we do in the meantime,” Andrew asked.
“You are welcome to go anywhere in the compound, save the women’s quarters,” Faelni said, then added for Anna, “As are you, save to the men’s. You are also welcome to explore outside the grounds. If you hunt, there is game to be found on the mountainside, and we would welcome the addition of rabbit in the stew tonight. And of course, the library is open to you.”
“I think I’ll go see how Jarn is doing, then,” Peter said, rising from the table.
Andrew looked between him and Anna, then rose himself. “I suppose I’ll just go for a walk, since there’s not much more I can do.”
Anna nodded. “I’ll go to the library. If I can’t help with the translation, then I’ll see if they have any records that might tell us about the Wisps’ city.”
“The Wisps’ city?” Faelni asked. “What do you mean?”
The brothers left while Anna took a moment to gather her thoughts. She explained about her vision in the Green Vale, and how it had lead them to the ruins where they’d found the book. “But I don’t think that’s the city they were trying to show me,” she said. “It occurred to me that after the Catastrophe, the land may have shifted, so the ruins in the north might not have been there at the time.”
“You expect the city they’re seeking to be a High Elven one?”
“That’s our best guess,” Anna said.
“We have some records of their cities, but not much. Nothing from before the Catastrophe.”
“I didn’t think so,” Anna said, which was true, even though a pang of disappointment still ran through her. “Still, it’s worth looking into.”
Faelni nodded and lead her to the back to the library. There were a few desks for study, most of which were free. Anna picked one while Faelni gathered a few books for her to start with. Looking at them, Anna was sure that this ‘start’ would last the next two days.
She spent the next few hours flipping through the pages. She scanned through a lot of the familiar information looking for tidbits about the High Elves. The first book told the story she was most familiar with. The world had been churned up, so that people and places became mixed up and confused. A group known as the High Elves lead the others in rebuilding for a thousand years before fading from history. The book only said they had incredible magical powers that no one else could achieve, and that after their initial rise, they secluded themselves in their cities. There were a few descriptions of the cities, but nothing with the kind of detail Anna was looking for.
The second book was far more descriptive. Their cities were all modeled off the same structure. The citadel they’d found by frost lake was always a central feature, along with a plaza that was said to contain fountains and gardens. Anna made a note of this, guessing that these were the fountains the Wisps gathered around. The book noted that each of the cities started out small. If the buildings hadn’t been so magnificent, they might have been called villages. Then Humans, Elves, and sometimes even the Dwarves would come seeking information from the High Elves and build settlements so close they eventually joined into great metropolises.
“Were they trying to build a city of their own?” Anna wondered aloud. She looked at her bracelet. “Is that what you’re looking for? The High Elve’s own city?” She tried to press the question into the other Wisps. Halcyon seemed to realize she was trying to communicate. She could feel his attention. But he didn’t seem to understand her question. After a few moments, she stopped trying to question them and just continued reading.
The book mentioned that their cities were more advanced than those built by anyone else. It described various facilities that Anna could barely dream of, yet she was sure they would improve daily life. Water of any temperature flowing through homes, light produced without fire or crystals. The ability to send objects through the air wherever they pleased, and to communicate with anyone around the world at a moments notice. From the sounds of it, they didn’t even need crystals to cast spells.
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“It was the result of their magics,” the book read. “They could make and sustain spells that no others could by using techniques lost to us. This is why their disappearance is referred to as The Catastrophe, for without their knowledge and power, all declined.”
Anna paused. She looked from the page to the cover of the first book she’d examined. She’d heard of the competing theories before, though this was the first source she found that openly endorsed the theory that High Elves disappeared during the Catastrophe instead of some time later. She decided to ask the monks their thoughts on the different theories later.
She turned to the third and final book Faelni had picked out for her and began skimming through it. While it mentioned the High Elves, there was nothing in it pertaining to her own search. When it was late afternoon, she gave up on it and went to scan the shelves for other books that may have been able to help.
She found one of the nuns searching over the shelves as well. She was a middle aged woman, almost short enough to be a dwarf herself. Her bun seemed to be loose, as if she had slept on it tied up a few days in a row. And she wore thick glasses which caught the light, hiding her eyes behind the glare.
She muttered to herself as she scanned the books, then shook her head and turned around before Anna could say anything. “Oh my!” she gasped, seeing Anna. “You startled me. You should speak up if you need something.”
“I’m sorry,” Anna said. “I just came over to look for more books on the High Elf cities.”
“We don’t have to many of those, I’m afraid,” the nun said. “Not many still exist.”
“They would be here if they did, wouldn’t they?” Anna asked. The nun nodded. Anna scanned the shelves. “Your library is very impressive. I don’t think even the Archmage has as many books as you.”
The woman smiled. “That Sol Eogain is only interested in books on magic. We collect all kinds of knowledge.”
“You know Sol?” Anna asked.
“Oh, yes. He came here once to study when he was young, and he’s kept up correspondence with us ever since if he had questions that needed answers.”
“You trained him?” Anna asked, astonished.
“Not personally,” the nun said. “I was still in training as a philologist myself, and magic hardly ever overlaps with that.”
“Wait,” Anna said. “Are you one of the one’s working on the High Elven book?”
The woman’s eyes lit up behind her glasses. “Yes, I am! And that stone you brought has been miracle work, let me tell you! I think by the end of the week I’ll be able to start some transcription.”
“That’s amazing!” Anna said. “I wasn’t sure anyone would be able to help us translating the document before the meeting. We may be able to report on the connection between the Wisps and the High Elves by then.”
“The Wisps,” the woman said. She frowned and adjusted her glasses. “Yes, I suppose they must be connected. I can’t recall any references to them from before the Catastrophe. Another remnant of their magic, like the underground chambers, and that strange book.”
“That’s what we’re thinking,” Anna said. She looked up at the shelves of books. They were tall enough that Andrew and Peter wouldn’t be able to reach the top shelf either, which made her feel a bit better that she couldn’t scan those books on her own to see if any might contain what she was looking for. “Your library really is amazing.”
“Of course it is,” the nun said, a beaming smile returning to her face. “We’ve dedicated our lives to collecting and maintaining the knowledge of the world.”
“That’s what this monastery is for?” Anna asked.
The Nun nodded. “Of course! We’re a remnant of the High Elve’s civilization ourselves.”
Anna blinked, and only managed, “You are?”
“Oh yes. The old stories mention people of other races attaching themselves to their cities. We are carrying on their traditions.” She paused, then amended. Attempting to, anyway.”
“I was just reading about that,” Anna said. “But how does that work when they’re gone?”
“The High Elves valued knowledge above all else,” the nun said. “That’s the one thing everyone has always agreed on. After the Catastrophe, some of their disciples began working to try and retain the knowledge the High Elves were so fond of. In the chaos, very little survived, and the disciples never knew everything the High Elves knew themselves. Nevertheless, they did what they could.”
The woman sighed. “Of course, others didn’t care much about the past. Some things were lost merely because they were abandoned as useless, since no one knew how to use the High Elve’s particular kind of magic. But other things were destroyed intentionally or in in wars. The last remnant of the High Elve’s Disciples fled here, to Vulcuo nearly a thousand years ago to avoid such conflicts. And here we stay, doing everything we can to preserve the wisdom of the past.”
“I’m amazed pirates haven’t taken over this island,” Anna said.
“Oh, they have,” the nun said. “But they never stay. Always, at least one of us is an expert in magics such ruffians can’t hope to contend with, such as Faelni. If they don’t let us be, they don’t stay on the island long.”
Anna tried to imagine the grey haired Elf fighting off a fleet of pirate ships. She couldn’t imagine the amount of strength and focus that would take, especially if the pirates had their own mages. And he didn’t seem the sort of person who might do it. Still, if he was strong enough that the monks didn’t need to worry, she was happy for them.
Andrew and Peter came into the library a moment later. “Still here?” Peter asked, seeing Anna talking to the nun.
“Yes,” Anna said. “I’ve just been taking a break with… I’m sorry, I never asked your name.”
“My name is Margarett. You can call me Maggie, if you like.”
“Hey, that’s our little sister’s name,” Peter said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Andrew said.
“The pleasure is all mine,” said the nun. “You’ve given me a lot of fascinating work to do. And I suppose I should be getting back to it.”
“I should as well,” Anna said. She gave a little bow to the older woman.
When she and her companions returned to her desk, she realized she hadn’t found any more resources to study. She groaned, resolving herself to try looking for something useful in the last book again, when Peter asked. “Anything interesting?”
“Do you think descriptions of ancient cities are interesting?” Anna asked.
“Not so much to me,” Peter said. “But maybe it will help with the Wisps.”
Anna shook her head. “Nothing like that either,” she said. “Though maybe you two could help by finding me more books that talk about High Elves.”
Peter sighed. Andrew grabbed his shoulder. “We might as well make ourselves useful,” Andrew told him.
“As errand boys, though?” Peter asked.
“How’s that different than what we normally do?” Anna asked. Peter cracked a smile, and the brothers went off to see what they could find.
Anna looked down at her bracelet and touched the gemstone with the Wisps. “Come on,” she whispered to them. “I’m going to need your help to get what you want.” She waited a moment. Again, they shifted as they felt her, but didn’t respond all that strongly. She sighed, taking her hands away and leaning back. “This is going to be a long couple of weeks,” she muttered.
