37. Absolute Truth
THIRTY-SEVEN
ABSOLUTE TRUTH
For most shifters, honesty comes naturally, as our true nature often shines through, even when we shift forms. However, there are some who find the temptation to conceal the truth as easy as changing their appearance.
While maintaining honesty is the mark of a true gentleman, it’s important to remember that not every truth needs to be told in full.
Oversharing can lead to unnecessary complications, especially when discussing matters related to shifting with those who might not understand. The art lies in finding the balance—being truthful without revealing too much.
–EXCERPT FROM THE METAMORPHIC MAN: A GENTLEMAN SHAPESHIFTER’S GUIDE TO CULTURED CONDUCT
“Well he certainly doesn’t smell dead!” Will was the first to enter the chamber where Zephyr’s lifeless body was laid out. He leaned over the body, sniffing the air again cautiously. “No rot, no decay. Nothing,” Will said.
“Maybe you should show a little more respect, Will…” Maida chided.
Amrita strode slowly around Zephyr’s lifeless form. She crouched down to examine him from different angles.
“Most unusual!” Amrita frowned. “Has there been any change at all to his corporeal vessel since he was brought in?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Arthur answered.
Zephyr’s body looked exactly the same as the first time he’d paid a visit to the morgue.
There were no signs of deterioration and none of the unpleasant smells that inevitably accompanied decomposition.
Other than the slightest trace of synthetic magic that still lingered in the surrounding air, the only aromas that Arthur could attribute to the wizard were a hint of spruce scented beard oil and cherry tobacco. “It’s rather strange, isn’t it?”
“How do you know he’s dead?” Maida spoke from her corner by the door, keeping herself to the farthest point in the room.
“No pulse, no respiration, no reflexes, and a clear case of rigor mortis.” Will demonstrated by attempting to lift a stiffened arm. He pushed back the old wizard’s sleeve, revealing a tightly clutched fist.
“What’s in his hand?” Maida asked, watching as Amrita bent to investigate.
“We’re not sure,” Arthur said. “We can’t get his hand open. There’s been a few theories though. Some folks think it’s a talisman of some sort. Others think it might be Minerva’s wand.”
“That’s quite an incriminating idea!” Will observed.
“It’s forbidden to handle another witch or wizard’s wand,” Amrita explained to Maida “Except in rare cases of self-defense and preservation, such as when one is in the process of disarming a foe.”
“I imagine if you can’t touch another witch or wizard’s wand, you shouldn’t be buried with it either?” Maida guessed.
“Correct.” Amrita nodded. “This presents us with quite a challenge.”
“I find it hard to believe that Minerva did this to Zephyr,” Will scoffed. “Mousy little Minerva?”
“Well let’s see what we can divine from the ashes before we bother to speculate, shall we?”
Amrita pulled out a small purple leather bag from her framed valise. From it she withdrew a kit containing two small vials and a sharp silver implement. She clipped the kit to her belt and withdrew the chisel shaped tool.
Amrita leaned forward to probe the burnt object in Zephyr’s hand once more.
Carefully, she poked it with the blunt end of the silver tool.
Holding the empty vial directly beneath the burnt bit of wood; she used the chisel to scrape the smallest bit of soot into a vial.
“Hold this for me?” She held out the vial to Maida. “Try not to breathe on it.”
Maida stepped forward, tentatively, to accept the vial from Amrita.
The older witch sheathed the tool and pulled out the second vial, which held a cloudy silver liquid.
It reminded Arthur of mercury. “It’s never too early to begin your formal education, Maida.
I’m shocked that nobody’s thought to perform a spell-seeking test on this item already.
” She gestured at the object and then looked pointedly at Arthur.
His face grew hot at the unspoken accusation.
“Of course we thought of that. Immediately! But I’m not a wizard and nobody in Primrose Court has the authority to perform such intrusive spells. We filed the paperwork weeks ago,” he grumbled. “Does no one in your organization answer calls?”
“Not nearly quickly enough.” Amrita grimaced. “Good thing I’m here now then, isn’t it?” Her eyes gleamed as she used her teeth to loosen the cap on the smaller vial. Will gasped and took a step back.
“Don’t worry, Porter. I will not spill a single drop of this,” Amrita reassured him. She turned back to Maida and Arthur to explain. “It takes over a thousand years to brew a single drop of absolute truth. One misplaced drop has the power to destroy an entire civilization.”
“How did you know what that stuff is?” Arthur questioned Will.
“I’ve seen it before. It gathers in puddles around the edges of oblivion. It’s the number one reason most porters eventually go mad. First rule of porting, keep your boots dry!” Will’s eyes stayed trained on the vial.
“Precisely why we don’t sanction the use of it for most applications, or allow many witches permission to handle it.
Imagine if it got into the wrong hands.” Amrita’s hands were steady as she finished unscrewing the vial.
“Are you ready to perform your first ritual? As a blood relative of Minerva, it’s much more likely for this to work if you take part. ”
Maida nodded solemnly. She was still clutching the vial with the ashes. Seeing that her hands weren’t shaking either, Arthur felt impressed.
“Will the spell tell us what happened to Zephyr and Minerva?” Maida asked.
“Possibly.” Amrita tapped the vial, causing the truth inside to swirl and coat the glass.
“If that is indeed Minerva’s wand, we’ll learn the absolute truth about its recent spell history.
That’s about all we can risk using it for.
We’ll have to use our wits to figure out the rest. The truth is ultimately a matter that requires some interpretation, right, Arthur?
” She held his gaze for a moment, her eyes filled with respect.
Amrita now turned towards Will, whose face was pale. Her features softened. “Even as trained practitioners of the mysterious arts, sometimes the best we can do is trust each other, keep going and keep our boots dry.”
Finally, she turned back to Maida.
“Hold still,” Amrita warned. “And whatever is revealed, Will and Arthur, I’ll need you to keep your eyes open. You are both serving as witnesses.”
Amrita removed the lid from the vial and the room filled with a bright white light, not unlike the light of Will’s portals.
The light spread everywhere, revealing Zephyr’s body clearly and removing all shadows.
The vial was an even brighter pinhole now, a single point through which one viewed an eclipse.
“Drop the ashes in, Maida,” Amrita commanded.
Maida stepped forward and turned her vial over, allowing the contents to fall directly into the brilliant white spot. And then the room went pitch dark.
Arthur wasn’t sure what to expect. Once or twice in his career, he’d heard testimony from expert witnesses that involved these sorts of absolute truth rituals. But he had certainly never participated in one.
“Eyes open!” Amrita commanded. “Look sharp, everyone. The truth is being revealed.”
The room was still dark, but not completely. Tiny bits and pieces of light were swarming together, gathering to form shapes and crawling up the walls to create moving pictures. The images became more and more realistic as he watched, developing like moving photographs.
“I can see Minerva!” Will exclaimed. “She’s standing in the Mudpuddle. She is scowling! And she’s using her wand on someone. He’s tumbling out the door. I can just see him…”
“My Gods, It’s Zephyr.” Arthur groaned.
“So you can see it too?” Amrita sighed. “That’s three of us. We can confirm that Minerva’s wand was used against Zephyr, quite recently. Yes? What else do you see?”
“I see something…silver,” Maida volunteered. She pointed at a thread of light that extended from Zephyr’s hand towards the ceiling.
“Yes, I see it too,” Arthur agreed. It looked like a bolt of distant lightning, highlighted against the night sky.
“What is that?” Maida asked.
They all watched as the thread fracture and come together again, spinning itself into a silver ball that grew larger and larger.
It hung for a moment, like a poorly sketched moon in the blackest of skies, and then it flew directly at them.
Arthur flinched, ducking instinctively. Maida lunged sideways.
She gripped the marble slab. Floating directly above the wizard was an image of Zephyr.
He was lying on the ground, one hand outstretched.
He waved it in the air, trying to catch something.
“There’s someone else over there, too.” Maida pointed toward the corner, where Arthur could barely make out the fleeting image of a cloaked figure running away.
“Thorny hawthorn splinters! Is that a broom?” Will groaned and closed his eyes as the flying object barreled by him, sailing straight through Arthur’s chest.
“It’s not real, Will!” Arthur reminded him.
“Eyes open!” Amrita called out again. “There are no second chances. We only get one shot at the truth.”
“I’m seeing quite a few squirrels,” Will commented. “Anybody else? They’re just sitting in the trees watching like they’ve got nothing better to do.”
“Arthur, look!” Maida called out, pointing at a small silvery, papery object blowing in the broom’s wake. There was no mistaking it.
“The wrapper!” he exclaimed.
And just like that, the entire vision ended.
“That was awesome!” Will shouted.
“Don’t get any ideas.” Amrita cast him a warning look.
Will held his hands up in surrender. “Respectfully, I’m quite aware that I can’t handle the truth. I was just grateful to be a passenger on this adventure.”
Amrita patted him on the shoulder. “You are a great porter, Will. You deserve people in your life who will carry you as well.”
“So now what?” Arthur asked. His heart was beating almost as hard as when he ported for the first time.
“Now we take a moment to record what we saw, compare notes, and share our findings with the constable. Then we put our heads together to deliberate and come to a quorum about what to do with Zephyr’s body.
He deserves to be laid to rest.” Amrita used her free hand to smooth a lock of Zephyr’s hair off his forehead.
“I don’t think there’s anything else he can tell us now. ”
“Are you sure about that, Amrita?” Arthur leaned in closer for a better look. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Two small droplets of liquid were pooled in the corners of the old wizard’s glassy, unseeing blue eyes.