“The grammar is not so different from other languages I’ve study,” Sister Maggie explained to the small group gathered in the library, which included Anna, Andrew, and Peter in addition to the other monks working on the translation project. Anna leaned in closer, trying to read the notes the nun had made on the upside down reem of paper on the desk. “It’s most similar to the languages of south central Grealand and northern Selasem.”

  “They had their own languages?” Peter asked.

  “Not for the last five hundred years,” said a younger monk. “Most of the disparate languages died out around then. But the languages sister Maggie is talking about are even older than that.”

  “I’m impressed,” Faelni said. “You’ve made a lot of progress in three weeks.”

  The nun beamed. “It’s all thanks to the artifacts our young friends here have brought us,” she said.

  “I wish we could have been more help,” Andrew said.

  “You were plenty help!” Sister Maggie said. Anna smiled, though she felt a bit bitter, like Andrew. The brothers, not used to spending a long time reading, had become something like butlers for the past three weeks. They would wait in the library with Anna or the translation team, ready to run off and grab something either needed. It didn’t make much difference if it was an important document or a refreshment so the others could spend extra time studying. Anna felt she might as well have been doing the same thing for all her research efforts had achieved in the past few weeks.

  She knew the thought was unfounded. She had managed to find a few new documents that helped confirm the connection between the Wisps and the High Elves. It just felt like nothing compared to the work of the others. Then again, she had found one thing that had helped them herself, completely by accident. A list of supposed High Elven names. The monks had long assumed they were changed as they were transcribed across languages. A few might have been. But after Anna showed her the document, Sister Maggie found four of them unchanged in the tome. The discovery confirmed both the authenticity of the list and demonstrated Sister Maggie’s methods were acurate.

  “We don’t have a complete lexicon, of course,” Sister Maggie went on. “But we’ve made a point of examining the first few pages of the Frost Lake Tome. We want to make sure that you have information to bring back to the summit of at the tournament, after all.”

  “We’re very grateful,” Andrew said.

  “How much have you got?” Peter asked.

  “The first four pages,” Sister Maggie said. “And we are filling in a lot of gaps with context. For example, in this first line, we don’t know if the word would be best translated as ‘on’, ‘by,’ ‘at,’ or ‘with.’ It seems like it could be any of those, and from the context in other places, It seems to be used for each.”

  “Though it is an interesting revelation in any case,” Sister Maggie’s young assistant put in. “No matter which of those it is, it suggests that it was meant to be placed in a grave.”

  “Really?” Anna asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Sister Maggie said. “It’s very interesting.”

  “What makes you think it’s a grave?” Peter asked.

  “If you’d like, I can read you our work so far,” Sister Maggie said.

  “Yes please!” Anna said. Sister Maggie smiled.

  “Alright. Remember, though, we’re filling in some blanks, here. I’ll keep the reading our speculation to a minimum.” She picked up her reem of notes and began to read:

  “Our Chronicles, writ this day the 23rd of this month (a word we don’t recognize, connected to moon. We believe it to be a month, but do not know which month), in the age of the Peacemaker 109 years since departing(it may have been flight or exile) the Place of Wisdom (it could be knowledge or light but given what they call themselves, we think it is this), by the bones (it could be simply body, but we’re fairly certain it is bones) of Darealt, the first to go down since that time, writ by Athalfin, his sister (it is a female relative of some sort, close in age. Perhapse it is broader, like ‘cousin, or more specific, like ‘younger sister’). His gift (we think the word is gift, but it may be sacrifice) shall serve us for the ages to come. Herein I record the history (it may be events) of our departure, and our following actions in accordance with the ancient custom of People of the Mind (it could be ‘that people’ or wise people, but given what they call their city this makes the most sense to us), such that the information shall not be lost in the ages to come.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  We have yet to discover the cause of the Strangeness (the word is something like that. It could also be Twisting, Anomaly, or something of the sort) that made (perhaps caused?) our departure to this place from the Place of Wisdom. Only a few of us are here, those who were by the sea when the strangeness came. Foreigners (literally, people from elsewhere) who were in the Place of Wisdom were with us when we arrived. Their children have spread across the land. Peoples unknown were here as well. As unknown to the land as to us (we think the word unknown may have a double meaning for foolish).

  We have kept the peace between the many (perhaps the word is disparate) groups as best we could. To them, be they of our lands or others, they believed the whole world lost and changed. Only decades did it take them to adjust and begin building this world anew. Some together, some in conflict. We did what we could. But we were not as certain as they that it was one of form (we think it means ‘that it changed shape.’ We think ‘it’ is the world or the land) rather than of place.

  We have fixed our eyes on the heavens (the stars, or the stary paths) to seek out answers. Alas, it has taken long to create new charts, but we have made them. We know now that we were right. The world did not become strange. We are in a different place. The heavens have told (maybe proven or confirmed) it to us. We are far from the place of Wisdom. It is beyond our ability to see. But it is still (as in still there, we think). It was not destroyed (decayed, laid waste, disappeared, or dead). Or if it was, we were rescued from its destruction.

  But it is not right that we are alone here. The People of the Mind must be in unity with the People of Strength and the People of the Heart. That is to say nothing of the families left behind. The humans who still survive from the first days here do not remember their homes. And they will not live to see us discover a path back. We are sorry for them. But we, at least, must return. We cannot stay in this place.

  But the distance is great. It would kill even us to travel in the natural way. And we lack the power (maybe ability) to travel it as we are. To this puzzle, we must dedicate all our minds, our strength, and our hearts.

  Sister Maggie stopped and looked up at the group. “All of that seems to be a foreword or introduction,” she explained. “We’ve only gotten the next few paragraphs after that translated, which so far seems to be a more detailed description of whatever this ‘Place of Wisdom’ was before their departure.”

  Anna felt excitement bubbling up within her. She was almost sure that the Wisps would come out, as well. “This Place of Wisdom!” she said. “That must be the city they showed me!”

  “But where is it?” Peter asked.

  “It must have been shifted in the Catastrophe,” Andrew said. “That must be the ‘Strangeness’ the author was talking about.”

  Anna shook her head. “No, I don’t think so,” she said. “At least… not how we normally think of it. Remember, she said ‘the world did not change form. We are in a different place!’”

  “Wouldn’t the Catastrophe look that way to anyone at first?” Peter asked.

  “If you’ll recall, Lady Athalfin addressed that,” Sister Maggie said. “She says most others think the world changed, but that the High Elves had discovered something different had happened.”

  “It’s like they were all suddenly moved,” Anna said. “And she didn’t know why.”

  “So that’s the Catastrophe, then?” Andrew asked. “People went from one place to another and couldn’t tell? How does that even work?”

  “And what does that have to do with the Wisps?” Peter added.

  “I don’t know, yet,” Anna said. “But I think this helps with something that’s been bugging me.” The brothers turned to her, expectantly. “There’s always been two theories about how High Elves relate to the Catastrophe. Either they helped people after it, or they were the cause of it, then disappeared.” She pointed to the document Sister Maggie was holding. “What if there were two events? One where the High Elves, and apparently others, were shifted in some way, maybe by coming to this continent. And then another when they disappeared.”

  “Like, they caused a second Catastrophe to get home?” Peter asked.

  Anna shook her head. “Maybe, but I doubt they would just abandon everything. Especially not a history like this. Lady Athalfin talks like this history would be very important to her people, whether they got back or not. Maybe it was some sort of accident trying to find a way back that wiped them out, though.”

  She fell quite, and brought up her hand to look at the gemstone where the Wisps were resting. She thought she could feel them paying attention, responding to her excitement, and she wished she could talk to them, to tell them they’d found something. Peter repeated his question, “What about the Wisps, though?”

  “Perhaps the book will mention them later on,” Andrew suggested. “We still have about a week before we need to leave. Maybe we’ll find out more of that in the meantime.”

  Anna nodded. “We’ll find something,” she said. She placed her hand on the bracelet, and found that the statement was a promise. She felt the warm pulse of Halcyon run through her. “We’ll find something.”