Chapter 27 Codric #2
"Of course! Many scholars have attempted to decipher them over the centuries." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I believe we have a catalog...yes, come with me."
I smiled at Shovia, who gave me a scathing look, and followed him deeper into the archives, past many rows of shelves, to a section that smelled of old parchment and dust. His fingers traced along spines until he found what he was looking for.
"Here. 'A Comprehensive Analysis of Temple Symbols' by Scholar Nivem Mostel. Written over two hundred years ago." He pulled down a thick volume, its leather binding worn but intact.
I took it reverently and opened to the first page, then kept flipping through. Hundreds of symbols had been meticulously sketched, cataloged, organized, and analyzed.
"This is incredible." This was a treasure trove.
"Scholar Mostel spent forty years documenting every symbol found in temple ruins across Elucia.
" Hadrick smiled at my expression. "He postulated that they weren't decorations but a language.
Despite there being hundreds of unique symbols, which is too many for a simple alphabet, he believed that they were a combination of syllabic elements, syllables, and proper names. "
That would explain the complexity and the variations I'd noticed. "Can I borrow this?"
Hadrick hesitated. "It's the only copy, which makes it invaluable."
"Please. I'll take excellent care of it. One week should give me enough time to copy the relevant sections."
He smirked. "One week of no sleep, you mean."
"Probably."
Hadrick laughed. "Very well. One week. But if anything happens to it, you'll answer to me."
"Thank you!"
I carried the book like it was made of glass, heading back to find Shovia. She was surrounded by open journals, making notes in her notebook.
"Look what I found," I said, setting the priceless scholarly work on the table.
She glanced up. "I should have known that you had an ulterior motive for volunteering to come to the library with me."
"Guilty," I admitted. "But it only took a few minutes, and Hadrick let me borrow the book. I'm at your service now. What did you find?"
She pushed her notes toward me.
I sat beside her and examined them. Three different dragon names, cross-referenced with rider deaths spanning decades.
"Vyrassin," she said, pointing. "Captain Odinah's dragon. Five previous riders have all died under questionable circumstances. But Odinah's survived twelve years bonded to him."
"We knew that already."
She glared at me. "I repeated it in case you had forgotten."
"I never forget anything."
"Right." She moved to the next entry. "Morgateth. Three riders. The last one died eight years ago, and Morgateth has not bonded another rider since, so he might attend the Day of Volition."
"I know that as well."
"Show-off," she muttered. "Ixilthar and Syltharion are the other two with suspicious patterns, but the most recent entries don't specify who they are bonded with, and Ravel refuses to tell Kailin who their riders are, which I find suspicious."
"There is nothing suspicious about it. He said that he didn't want us poking our noses where they didn't belong, and we are not going to find out about that in the dead riders' journals. Their riders are still alive."
"I know." She pushed the journals toward me. "But you might find something. You're good at detecting patterns. In the meantime, I'll take a look at your symbol book."
"Be careful." I reluctantly pushed the book toward her. "It's one of a kind, and Hadrick will kill me if anything happens to it."
"Don't worry," she said, flipping through the pages. "I know how to handle old books."
I wasn't sure she did, but I'd promised her I'd help with the investigation, so I dove into the rider journals, cross-referencing them with the death records.
The deaths clustered. Not random across years but grouped together—two or three within months of each other. Like something triggered multiple incidents simultaneously.
Major battles? I cross-referenced dates. Several clusters had occurred after significant engagements with Shedun forces. But others hadn't.
I made notes, sketching out timelines and connections. The pattern was there, but I couldn't quite see it yet. Like the temple symbols, the answer felt just out of reach.
"Time's up," Hadrick shuffled into the riders' archive. "Library closes in fifteen minutes."
Shovia and I packed up quickly. I held Scholar Nivem Mostel's book carefully under one arm, and she carried her notes.
"We need to focus on the danger right now," Shovia said as we walked back through the long corridors. "Warn people away from Morgateth."
"Easier said than done." I looked around to make sure we were alone. "It's not like they post a list of the dragons who'll be there on the Day of Volition."
She thought for a moment. "I'm sure our instructors know."
"Do we trust them enough to ask?"
The question hung between us. Since the rumors about the Elusitor converts had started, trust had become complicated. How many instructors were compromised? How deep did the infiltration go?
"We trust some of them," Shovia said finally. "Commander Ravel, for one. And Saphir, obviously."
"Then we ask one of them."
We found Kailin, Alar, and Morek in the common lounge. Kailin was curled up in a chair, eating cookies from a plate balanced on her knee. She was getting better by the day, with more color in her cheeks. The restorative tonic Healer Morah had prescribed seemed to be working.
"Where have you two been?" Alar asked.
"Library," I said. "We have some new information. Not much, but some."
We settled into chairs, and I explained what we'd found. "The death clusters after battles indicate a pattern. It's like the dragons were eliminating riders who'd seen something or maybe performed poorly under stress."
Kailin was quiet, nibbling on a cookie. "They don't announce which dragons will be at the ceremony. There's no public list."
"So, we focus warnings on Morgateth," Shovia said. "Since we know he's unbonded, there's a good chance he'll be there."
"How do we warn people without revealing why?" Morek asked.
"Spread rumors," I suggested. "We mention the number of riders he's lost. Anyone can find the information in the library. It's not a secret."
"That feels dishonest," Kailin said softly. "Like we're condemning him without knowing the full story."
"Five dead riders is a pretty damning story," Shovia countered.
"Or tragic," Kailin said. "What if he's just unlucky?"
I hadn't considered that perspective. "So, what do you suggest we do?" I asked.
"I suggest we talk to Commander Ravel about it. He has access to more information than we do and can investigate properly."
"He's not been very forthcoming," I said.
Something passed through Kailin's eyes, and I suddenly wondered whether it had been Ravel who hadn't been forthcoming or Kailin. Perhaps he had shared things with her that she had chosen not to share with us, or maybe he'd made her promise to keep them to herself.
"This is above our level," Alar said. "Besides, there are more important considerations now than dragons with suspicious patterns of losing riders."
Shovia leaned back. "If you are referring to the damn Elusitor converts, it's possible that the two are connected."
That was an interesting observation, and I berated myself for not thinking of the connection myself.