copies of The Love Song of Eillenfiniel lying around.”
“And if that were true,” Desidora said with an approving smile, “then why would the Empire want the original so badly?”
Hessler came out from a nearby stack. He held a long, thin plane of sky-blue crystal in both hands. “Now, while we can’t get the manuscript itself—that’s Loch’s job—we can look at the body of critical work surrounding the manuscript to see if there are themes that might give us a clue about what makes this book so important.” He placed the crystal plane gently atop the panel on the podium, then rotated it, squinting as he did. “Primitive detection methods,” he muttered to himself. “The lapitects are working on new systems that should double normal storage capacity within a few years. “Ah, there we go.”
The panel glowed with sky-blue light, and Desidora nodded and started tapping again. “I have reproductions of the main text in several languages, dissertations upon the themes of the written work . . .”
“If it were part of the written work, then whoever wanted it would be satisfied with a copy.” Pyvic frowned. It had taken him a few moments to understand the methods, but now he was on a case again. He could solve cases. “What have you got that tries to put the elven-specific parts into human terms?”
“Checking.” Desidora tapped the panel again, squinting. “There are several. One student has . . . it appears to be a selection of foods to eat while reading the manuscript, to induce the right sensations.”
“Sounds messy,” Pyvic said.
“It sounds like someone’s liberal arts project.” Hessler snorted. “They might as well have glued felt cutouts onto sticks and performed it as a puppet show, for all its accuracy.”
“Don’t give up just yet,” Desidora said. “Can you find me . . . K-R-772-point-036-dash-A?”
“That’s . . .” Hessler squinted. “Fairy creatures?” He blinked. “Of course. Fairy creatures. They’re made from the same magic that the elves once worked with, which means that their minds may be able to understand the non-standard portions of an elven manuscript without having to resort to liberal arts synesthesia fakery. Excellent thinking. 036-dash-A, you said?” He hurried off.
“You’re cross-checking,” Pyvic said, nodding.
Desidora smiled. “Is that so surprising?”
“I suppose it shouldn’t be. Sorry.” He nodded, and her cheeks dimpled as she bowed regally in return. “After dealing with town guards so often, it’s easy to think that critical thinking is restricted to the Justicars.”
“Often,” Desidora said, “but not always. Hessler’s university and my religious training included brief, sporadic sections in which we were taught to think.”
Pyvic grinned. “So we cross-check criticism of the elven manuscript with works by fairy creatures, which ideally tells us something about what makes the book so damned important.”
“And lets us save Loch,” Desidora finished.
Pyvic looked down through the stacks into the darkness. “Loch can take care of herself.”
“The Knights of Gedesar are extremely dangerous,” Desidora said. “If some element of the Republic is using them against her . . .”
“ Kutesosh gajair’is ,” Ghylspwr growled from her waist.
“That doesn’t matter.” Pyvic glanced at the panel. “You’re going to get me something I can use. I’ll help Loch, she’ll put this behind her . . .” He sighed. “She just saved the Republic three months ago. She deserves a hero’s rest, not . . .”
“You’re doing everything you can,” Desidora said, and put a small, soft hand on his arm.
Pyvic forced a smile. “Thank you.”
“You should have told her you loved her in that message crystal, though.”
He gave her a hard look, and she returned a mocking one in kind.
Hessler came back from a stack a few rows away. He was holding another plane of crystal, this one a pale green. “Got it,”
“And if that were true,” Desidora said with an approving smile, “then why would the Empire want the original so badly?”
Hessler came out from a nearby stack. He held a long, thin plane of sky-blue crystal in both hands. “Now, while we can’t get the manuscript itself—that’s Loch’s job—we can look at the body of critical work surrounding the manuscript to see if there are themes that might give us a clue about what makes this book so important.” He placed the crystal plane gently atop the panel on the podium, then rotated it, squinting as he did. “Primitive detection methods,” he muttered to himself. “The lapitects are working on new systems that should double normal storage capacity within a few years. “Ah, there we go.”
The panel glowed with sky-blue light, and Desidora nodded and started tapping again. “I have reproductions of the main text in several languages, dissertations upon the themes of the written work . . .”
“If it were part of the written work, then whoever wanted it would be satisfied with a copy.” Pyvic frowned. It had taken him a few moments to understand the methods, but now he was on a case again. He could solve cases. “What have you got that tries to put the elven-specific parts into human terms?”
“Checking.” Desidora tapped the panel again, squinting. “There are several. One student has . . . it appears to be a selection of foods to eat while reading the manuscript, to induce the right sensations.”
“Sounds messy,” Pyvic said.
“It sounds like someone’s liberal arts project.” Hessler snorted. “They might as well have glued felt cutouts onto sticks and performed it as a puppet show, for all its accuracy.”
“Don’t give up just yet,” Desidora said. “Can you find me . . . K-R-772-point-036-dash-A?”
“That’s . . .” Hessler squinted. “Fairy creatures?” He blinked. “Of course. Fairy creatures. They’re made from the same magic that the elves once worked with, which means that their minds may be able to understand the non-standard portions of an elven manuscript without having to resort to liberal arts synesthesia fakery. Excellent thinking. 036-dash-A, you said?” He hurried off.
“You’re cross-checking,” Pyvic said, nodding.
Desidora smiled. “Is that so surprising?”
“I suppose it shouldn’t be. Sorry.” He nodded, and her cheeks dimpled as she bowed regally in return. “After dealing with town guards so often, it’s easy to think that critical thinking is restricted to the Justicars.”
“Often,” Desidora said, “but not always. Hessler’s university and my religious training included brief, sporadic sections in which we were taught to think.”
Pyvic grinned. “So we cross-check criticism of the elven manuscript with works by fairy creatures, which ideally tells us something about what makes the book so damned important.”
“And lets us save Loch,” Desidora finished.
Pyvic looked down through the stacks into the darkness. “Loch can take care of herself.”
“The Knights of Gedesar are extremely dangerous,” Desidora said. “If some element of the Republic is using them against her . . .”
“ Kutesosh gajair’is ,” Ghylspwr growled from her waist.
“That doesn’t matter.” Pyvic glanced at the panel. “You’re going to get me something I can use. I’ll help Loch, she’ll put this behind her . . .” He sighed. “She just saved the Republic three months ago. She deserves a hero’s rest, not . . .”
“You’re doing everything you can,” Desidora said, and put a small, soft hand on his arm.
Pyvic forced a smile. “Thank you.”
“You should have told her you loved her in that message crystal, though.”
He gave her a hard look, and she returned a mocking one in kind.
Hessler came back from a stack a few rows away. He was holding another plane of crystal, this one a pale green. “Got it,”
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