The Necromancer’s Daughter chapter 11 – Larania

Woodland creature I
Scurrying through the foliage was a small form. Not much bigger than a human hand when rolled up into a ball but large enough to make an impact when speeding through the underbrush. Fluffy cheeks and a bushy tail accompanying a lean body that darted from branch to branch. There was an energy in the forest this morning that wasn’t normally here. Something was different and even the rodents could feel it. Our squirrel friend made his way to his burrow. Leaving behind the morning’s bounty he hesitated, not sure if he should go back out there with this weird energy all around. Eventually the feeling seemed to pass and our little furry fellow felt safe enough to go out for another round of food gathering. Back to the clearing, that’s where the bounty was. You had to be careful though since you were out in the open. But he knew very well how to be out of there quicker than anyone could touch him. He’d been doing this for a very long time. He’d learned how to compensate for his missing eye too. A mistake when he was younger. The clearing smelled different, something was still wrong. Staring out the underbrush were his two beady eyes, trying to see what was different. Sitting in a small crater at the center of this clearing was something. It looked like a big rock. A shiny rock. He’d never seen anything like it. Before he could decide what he should do a sudden ringing sound blew through the area, making his hairs stand up. A crack appeared in the big shiny rock but our furry little friend had already run the other way with his tail between his legs. He wasn’t about to lose his good eye too.

“Come in, come in, goodness me it’s late.” The elderly man that opened the door for Liari and Charlotte ushered them into his cozy living room. They walked through a beautiful village built into the large trees that grew in this part of the forest. Liari had heard about Larania before but she’d never seen it before. The houses were all alight with small lanterns, some so small that Liari wasn’t even sure how they worked. The door of Elder Grahm’s house was like an entrance into a fairy tail home. The inside was covered in beautifully carved wooden walls that seemed both natural and intricately designed at the same time. The furniture looked like it was carved out of the tree and was still part of it, as it blended into the floor. There were carpets of all sorts of colors and fabrics making their feet feel all warm after they took their shoes off. The walls were lined with small outcroppings that held beautiful and wonderfully fragrant plants and herbs, all kept meticulously without a single bad leaf to be found. Sleeping in front of a small stone hearth was a cat with several young kittens. The cat looked up once at the strangers entering her household and then immediately went back to sleep.
“Make yourselves at home while I get you some tea but if you wouldn’t mind not making too much noise, my husband is already asleep.” Elder Grahm smiled, the wrinkles in his face even more visible than earlier, before turning around and making his way to the kitchen.
“This place is beautiful,” Liari said to Charlotte, looking around at all the small little details. There was a statue of a strange bird carved out of marble standing on the table they were sitting next to. The pillows they sat down on had all sorts of herb designs stitched into them. The ceiling was lined with lots of small lights, similar to the ones outside. They all shone in slightly different colors due to the colored glass encasing them. There was a large window on one side of the house that you could hear the little bit of rain that made its way through the canopy softly land upon, giving that sound that Liari found so pleasant back at home. There was a painting on the wall of two elven men standing next to each other, both awkwardly smiling. It was a beautiful oil painting but it did look quite old. The cups that were already on the table – three of them – were mostly empty but each looked very different. There was a very dainty porcelain cup, an iron mug and a wooden stein. There were some papers on a desk in the corner of the room with a lantern that was about to go out. There was a beautiful feather next to a glass inkwell lined with gold. Liari could spot little details for the rest of the evening and still not get bored but eventually elder Grahm came back with their tea. He sat the cups down in front of them and took his place on the opposite side of the table. “I’m sure you’re tired from the long trek and your bones are cold from the rain. This will rejuvenate you and warm you right back up. It’s homegrown tea so you know it’s good.” He smiled.
“Thank you,” Liari said. “I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself yet.”
“I know who you are, child. We met when you were just a little baby. You couldn’t even walk yet. But to be polite, my name is Elder Grahm, I’m the leader of Larania and have been for centuries.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Elder Grahm. My name is Liari Foxire, I’m one of the keepers of the Foxire Library.”
“And we’ve already met,” Charlotte said. “Thanks again for your help back then.”
Elder Grahm’s face went a bit more stern. “What you did was very dangerous and stupid, I hope you realize that.”
Charlotte nodded and looked at the floor. “I know.”
“Good, as long as we learn from our mistakes then they’re not really mistakes at all.” He smiled. “Anyway, I am curious why the two of you are here today.”
“We’re on our way to K’tapur. We plan to go to the Astrianara Academy.”
“That’s quite a journey ahead of you. Why are you going all the way there when you have a fantastic library back the way you came from?”
Liari’s expression turned solemn. “Fesquera has passed away. He told us in a letter that if we wanted to learn more about him, that’s the best place to start looking.”
“I see.” Elder Grahm stared ahead for a moment. “He was getting older, but I expected him to be around until after I died. A real shame, I’m sorry to hear that.”
Liari just nodded politely. She didn’t really have much to say, she was still very much in the process of working through her own feelings. Some time had passed since the confusion all started, but not enough.
“K’tapur you said though, are you sure that’s safe?” Elder Grahm looked at Charlotte specifically.
Charlotte nodded. “I know it’s risky, but we’re mainly just passing through. We’ll try and keep a low profile wherever we can.” She paused. “Maybe I should cut my hair short.”
Grahm smiled. “I’m sure I can get that arranged for you, that’s not a bad idea.”

The tea that Elder Grahm served had a pleasant aroma. Liari hadn’t really had anything like it before. She was still a little bit lost in her own thoughts when Grahm asked. “How are you planning to get a ship to the Arcane Archipelago?”
Liari looked at Charlotte expectantly. They hadn’t really talked about the logistics of their journey yet but Liari assumed that Charlotte would have some idea.
“I’m not sure yet. I know some people I can rely on, and one of them lives between here and K’tapur. I’m hoping to exchange some old favors.”
Grahm frowned. “Are you sure you can trust this person after everything that’s been going on lately?”
Charlotte hesitated for a second before nodding. “Milgrad has no reason to do anything to oppose me, his connection with me is relatively unknown and if I know him well enough he’s more likely to want me indebted to him than doing something stupid.” Charlotte smiles a painful smile. “I considered other options as well but that level of trust unfortunately wasn’t quite there.”
“I see.” Elder Grahm put his now empty cup down on the little table. “As long as you’ve thought about it enough I’m not going to question you any further. I hope your judgment is right, that is all.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
Grahm turned his attention to Liari. “You’re completely new to all of this, aren’t you?”
Liari nodded. “This is the furthest I’ve ever been from the library,” she said proudly.
“Well I think it was something that was going to happen one day and it probably doesn’t hurt to see a bit more of the world. It’s not good for everyone to stay in the same place their entire life.”
Liari thought about this for a while. “I do think I’m going to miss the library a lot though. And Mirana. And.” She stopped.
Grahm smiled. “I know you will and that’s okay. Sometimes we have to leave things behind but that doesn’t mean we can’t go back to them. Maybe it takes a while before we get the chance, but you never know.” He leaned on the small table with one hand and hoisted himself up. “It’s quite late already and I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you are tired from your journey. Stefin cooked dinner today and I think there might be some leftovers. I’ll bring you to the guest room and then I’ll go check to see if there’s a late dinner for the two of you.”
The two women followed Elder Grahm to a curved hallway and into the guestroom. It was a meager room. There were three beds, two storage chests and above one of the beds was a painting of a forest river. “It’s not much but I hope it’s more comfortable than the forest floor.” Grahm said.
“Of course,” Charlotte replied, “we are grateful for your hospitality.”
Liari figured that Charlotte might have already stayed in this room on her way to the library once. They put their packs on the ground and got ready for bed. Grahm came back a little while later with a plate of bread and some soup. “Here’s something to warm you up before you go to bed.” He smiled. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight Grahm,” the two responded.
They ate by the light of two small candles. They didn’t talk much and not more than an hour after Grahm said goodnight, both of them were fast asleep in the comfortable beds. 

The next morning Liari awoke to the smell of fresh herbs and soup. Where last night’s dinner had been a little bit underwhelming – although she would never complain about something given for free on short notice – this meal was decidedly more wonderful. There was a plate with mushrooms and onion with bread soaked in some sort of garlic sauce next to it. In a big bowl was a thin soup with all sorts of vegetables and some spices in them. All in all it was a better meal than she had in a while. Not like the food at the library was bad or anything, but it was often the same, healthy and simple. This meal was decidedly less healthy, looking at the amount of oil that was dripping from the freshly baked bread. Grahm and his husband headed out the moment Charlotte and Liari had woken up, since they had things to do in town. They left the two on their own, and after breakfast they decided to head out as well and have a look at what Larania’s shops had to offer. This morning’s weather was particularly nice in a string of alternating bad weather, and the sun broke through the clouds to warm up the air a little bit. It was still cold, but much more pleasant. After descending the wooden staircase that led down from the mayor’s home to the leaf covered forest floor the two walked a little bit until they reached the town square. At the center was a large fountain depicting a small bird flying up into the air. Some moss covered the fountain here and there and water slowly poured from the bird’s beak into the basin below. The gray stone looked old but well kept. A number of stores bordered the town center. Because they slept in late, everyone else in the small village seemed to be up and about and it was surprisingly bustling for how small of a village Larania was. Liari and Charlotte walked into a small shop that was close by where they walked in from. Like most buildings in this town, it was mainly made from wood and if you didn’t pay close attention it seemed like it grew out of the ground as opposed to being built there. All the buildings blended in really well with the environment, although they were most certainly built by people. The inside of the store was cozy albeit a bit cramped. Behind a small counter stood a young elven woman, probably not much older than Charlotte and Liari were. She smiled brightly at them. “Some unfamiliar faces, what can I do for you?”
Liari smiled back. “I’m Liari and this is Charlotte, we’re passing through here.”
She had a puzzled look. “Not many people pass through here, where are you from if I may ask?”
“From the Foxire library.” Liari said. “The library in the Celeran Canopy,” she added when the woman didn’t seem to know what she meant.
The shopkeep looked at Charlotte who just sighed. “There’s a library deeper in the forest where she grew up. Don’t think about it too much. I’m originally from K’tapur myself, I’ve already come through here once.”
“I see. And where are you headed then, if you’re coming from the forest itself?”
“Currently we’re headed to K’tapur.”
“So back home then?” The woman asked.
“In a sense,” Charlotte said. “How long have you had this shop here?” She was trying to change the subject of the conversation.
“Oh, I inherited this store from my father when he wanted to leave town and see the world.” She smiled. “And when he came back from his journey he said I ran it better than he ever did so he retired.”
Charlotte smiled. “That’s a big compliment then.”
“That or he just didn’t want to work anymore.” They both laughed.
“I really like this one,” Liari said. While Charlotte and the shopkeep talked, Liari had been browsing the jewelry on display and now she stood with a bracelet in her hand. It was a silver bracelet with delicate looking links of metal. Hanging from one of the links was a green gemstone that was brilliantly cut.
“You have a good eye for these things.” The shopkeep walked over to her and carefully put it around Liari’s wrist. “It suits you.”
Liari smiled. “Thank you.” She held her arm up and watched as the light that peeked into the window reflected on the gemstone. It seemed almost magical in the morning light although that was probably just the trickery of great craftsmanship.
“How much for this bracelet?”
“This is a very well crafted piece, made by my father himself. I can sell it to you for four gold pieces.”
Liari looked at Charlotte who chuckled. “You have no idea if that’s a good price, do you?”
Liari shook her head. “Not really, no.”
Charlotte took out a pouch and pulled out some coins. “Consider it a gift from me to you,” she said as she paid for the bracelet.
“You don’t have to,” Liari said, but Charlotte shushed her.
“You’re not the one who makes the decision here.” She smiled at the shopkeeper. “Pleasure doing business.”
“You as well,” the woman said, putting the coins away in a drawer.
Liari looked at her new bracelet with awe, it was beautiful. She barely noticed that Charlotte slowly ushered her out of the store until the cold wind hit. 

“Isn’t that the elder?” Liari asked, pointing at two figures talking a little ways away from the central square.
“I believe so,” Charlotte replied as they walked closer. They were headed that way anyway and when they got closer, Elder Grahm noticed them and motioned them to come over.
“Good morning, how are you liking our humble little village?” he asked.
“It’s pleasant here.” Charlotte said.
“I got new jewelry,” Liari said with a bright smile. She showed the bracelet to elder Grahm.
“That looks like Wesser’s work if I’m not mistaken,” he said.
“I bought it at the jeweler here, is he her father?”
Grahm nodded. “That would be him.” He turned to the man he was talking to. “Charlotte and Liari, this here is Shiraq, one of our town guards.”
Shiraq gave a polite nod. His black hair was tightly bound into a ponytail and his skin was a lot more tan than most of the elves they’d seen walking through town. He was wearing similar garb to the guard they encountered when they arrived last night, although his looked more worn, as if he’d been working hard. Despite that, it did look like everything on him was taken care of very well and none of the important straps looked old. On his hip was a shortsword and strung across his back was a shortbow as well as a small quiver. He looked more like a ranger than a town guard. “Shiraq here has been working hard to investigate some strange noises from the nearby forest, we were wondering if you came across anything weird on your way here.”
Liari looked at Charlotte. “I don’t think we came across anything weird that causes strange noises. All we really came across was that old fortune teller.”
“Old fortune teller?” Grahm asked.
“Yeah, an older gentleman in a small hut, he had me look into a crystal ball and made me see strange things. He was a bit odd, but ultimately nice.”
Charlotte sighed. “He made me uncomfortable, I don’t know why but he creeped me out.”
“Where did you come across this hut?” Shiraq asked, his voice snappy and stern.
Liari and Charlotte recounted the rough location to the two men who exchanged a look. “I’m familiar with the general area you’re talking about, but I can’t remember there being a hut or a person there at all.” He looked at Grahm who shrugged. “I don’t go out there that often these days, but I do think if there was someone living in the area I would be aware of it. This is concerning to say the least.”
“Should I go and investigate?” He asked.
Grahm nodded. “Charlotte, Liari, would you perhaps accompany Shiraq? I hate to ask this of you, but if you’re not in too much of a hurry, could you point him towards what you saw? I’d hate to have someone that’s possibly dangerous nearby.”
“We’re not in a hurry per se,” Charlotte said before pausing to think about it for a little bit. “Fine, I think we can do that. As long as all you want from us is to travel there and then back. We owe you for taking care of us after all.”
Shiraq nodded. “Then we’ll leave in an hour, I’ll see you on the outskirts of town where you came in from.” And with that he quickly walked off to get ready.
“A man of few words,” Charlotte commented.
Elder Grahm smiled. “He’s the solitary type, he works well on his own and although he’s far from unkind, he doesn’t do well with strangers. But you’ll warm up to him quickly, don’t worry.”
He looked off into the distance. “If you kids go back to my home and talk to Stephin, I’m sure he’ll get you some food and some supplies. It’s only a short journey from this strange hut to here, correct?”
“If we depart shortly we should get there tomorrow morning at the latest. Especially if Shiraq is good at finding his way through the forest, that’ll make it easier. We spent a lot of time finding paths and ways to get to where we needed to be.”
“Well, with how good Shiraq is at his job, don’t be surprised if you can get there today then. He knows these forests by heart.” Grahm’s expression went a bit darker. “Which is why it’s extra peculiar that you came across something unfamiliar to him. Be careful out there.”
Liari and Charlotte both nodded.
“Well, good luck, and tell Stephin I’ll be back before dinner.” With that, elder Grahm walked off into a nearby store.

Liari had not met Stephin yet, but she understood from Charlotte that he was a very reserved man. He wore a dark gray tunic and matching pants and had a bushy mustache. He greeted Liari and Charlotte at the door and let them in. “So you’re leaving with Shiraq then, he’s a quick scout, so good luck keeping up with him. I suggest you pack light and leave most of your stuff here with us.”
Liari nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“I will make you some quick dinner, I also think I have some more rainproof coats that I can lend you.” They sat down in the living room while STephin walked off.
“They’re both very different people,” Liari remarked.
“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.
“Well, they’re married right? I thought most married people would be very similar in personality. Rimah and Miroc have very similar personalities.”
Charlotte smiled. “Some people who get married are very similar and they find love in those similarities and shared traits. But other people complement each other’s weak spots. For example, my father was a very kind man, and didn’t really enjoy hurting people. My mother on the other hand could be incredibly cold when important decisions needed to be made. My father would often say that even though he was the emperor, she was the one who truly ruled the empire. So it doesn’t surprise me that they’re different. They probably have a bunch of things in common that aren’t very obvious.”
Liari listened intently and nodded along. Relationships were not very natural to her. She loved the people at the library like family, but she never had a proper family like in stories. She also hadn’t fallen in love yet, there simply weren’t enough people at the library. And when she finally learned who her father was, it was too late to start having a familial bond with him. It saddened her, but it also fascinated her to see how other people had relationships. And now that they were leaving the library, she would meet many more people that would probably confuse her. That scared her, but it also made her excited. How much would she learn in the outside world that she would never be able to read about in books? As she was pondering this question, Stephin returned with a couple of bundles. “These clothes are made from very strong material. They should keep you warm in the rain and if you’re a little bit careful they shouldn’t tear all too quickly. I’ve also included enough food to make it through a day or two. It’s mostly dried food, so it’ll keep well if you don’t get it too wet.”
“Thank you very much,” Charlotte said.
“Be careful, Shiraq knows what he’s doing, so you should be fine, but from what you’re telling me there are strange things afoot and that worries me. With Fesquera no longer being around, these woods have lost a long standing protection that was implied with his existence. Everyone in the region knew not to mess with the librarian and his people.”
This sombered Liari. “Should I be worried for Miranda?”
Stephin shook his head. “The library is probably well protected even after Fesquera’s passing, but the forest surrounding it is a different story. Stay close to Shiraq and listen to what he says.”
Charlotte nodded. “We’ll make sure to be careful. Besides, we made it all the way here without a guard with us, so doing part of the same trip with someone alongside us should be fine.”
Stephin smiled. “I’m sure you’re right, I’m just being extra careful.”
After dropping off everything they didn’t need in the guest room and making sure they were packed, they made their way to the edge of town to meet up with Shiraq.