CHAPTER 10

Kairi entered the library for the first time, marvelling at the vast shelves of books and stacks of parchment filling up each empty space. She walked through the rows of books, peering around each corner until she spied Sythrian, half hidden, in the midst of about a dozen piles of ancient-looking books. On his shoulder perched a small kestral, who chirped and ruffled its feathers as Kairi approached, watching her with bright black eyes rimmed with yellow. Sythrian looked up at the sound, his smile wide, stuffed a spare bit of paper into the book in his lap to mark the page and set it beside him.

“Kairi! Did you find your way alright? How are you feeling?”

"Alright." Kairi shrugged, looking with curiosity at the piles surrounding Sythrian. He watched her for a moment, as if unsure of the sincerity of her response, before inviting her to sit, clearing away the piles next to him.

"My friends all really like you, you know. They told me at breakfast this morning to bring you to dinner again, if you're up for it."

Kairi smiled, even though she knew he was probably only saying it to make her feel better. "Really?"

Sythrian nodded, smiling back. "Even if they didn't, I'd have brought you anyway, though."

Kairi laughed, peering at a parchment on the floor. "So, what do we do?"

“Right. So,” Sythrian began as she settled down amidst the books. Before he could continue, however, he was interrupted as the falcon hopped off his shoulder onto Kairi’s knee. It looked back pointedly at Sythrian with one dark eye and chirped once.

Kairi giggled, “I think you’d better introduce us, Sythrian.”

Chuckling, Sythrian nodded. “Oh, of course. Forgive me. Kairi, this is my aniih, Nessaria. She bonded to me about three moons before you arrived here. Nessaria, this is Kairi.”

“Nessaria,” Kairi repeated the name, smiling at its sound, and ducked her head in greeting. Nessaria’s head was covered in soft, grey feathers, blending to brown and black stripes down her back and wings. Her breast was dappled brown and cream, and as she ruffled her feathers Kairi could see beautiful stripes on her flight feathers. “She’s beautiful.” She held out her hand, hesitating as she looked up at Sythrian. “May I?” Sythrian nodded, and she gently stroked Nessaria’s silky breast feathers. Although she looked fragile, Kairi knew how powerful a falcon’s beak and talons were. Nessaria rubbed her head against Kairi’s touch before hopping back over to Sythrian’s shoulder.

Sythrian cleared his throat. “Right. Down to business! So, since I am effectively your mentor, if you will, you have been assigned to help me with my job. Everyone here at Tiethar is given some chore or other to do when we don’t have Lessons. We’re on a sort of break at the moment, between lessons, so those not off visiting their families or travelling are expected to work. It’s our sort of payment for being able to stay here. If you happen to know the right people and get on your teacher’s good side, you can become an assistant to one of them, so I work for Diander, whom I think you met during your Test. Diander deals primarily with battle magic, however, he is also interested in Elf magic, and that is what we’re here for.

“Our job is to sort through all of these,” he waved at the piles around him, “and find books that are relevant to his research.”

Kairi nodded, picking a book from the pile nearest her. “So what exactly is it we’re looking for?” She fingered the ornate leather binding, remembering the book that lay sitting in her room. She wondered what exciting secrets this one held.

Sythrian flipped through the book in his lab, not looking up. “Basically we’re looking for anything to do with ancient Elf battles, or just Elf magic in general.” He looked up, noticing the book she held, “Oh, and those books we just give to Diander.”

Kairi opened the book and ran a finger down the page in front of her. “Why? It’s a diary. A rather boring one, from the looks of it.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Sythrian peered at the book in her lap, looking up in amazement. “You can read that?”

Kairi raised an eyebrow. “Why? Shouldn’t I be able to?” She looked down again at the book, peering more closely at the words on the page.

Sythrian shook his head in disbelief. “Not many people can. It’s Ancient Elvish, what Diander calls the Gayr’goah. Where did you learn how to read it? We only learn a few words here and there for spells.”

Kairi was still looking at the page with astonishment. Only now did she begin noticing that what she was looking at was not the rigid writing of Gelarrial, but something else entirely.

She looked up to find Sythrian watching her as she read the book. She opened her mouth and shut it again, wondering whether she should tell him that she did not, in fact, know how she could read the book in front of her. Deciding against it, she finally shrugged. “My father—,” she began, but her voice caught in her throat. She shook her head and shrugged again, and Sythrian quickly changed the subject.

“Well,” he smiled tentatively, “it will definitely come in handy in here. Probably will make Diander happy too.” A somewhat awkward silence followed, and after a moment they both buried themselves in the pile of books in front of them, the silence only permeated by the occasional chirp from Nessaria and a clap from Sythrian summoning forth a plate of dumplings.

***

Many of the books had very little to do with the subject at hand, or simply restated what was in other books. A number of candlemarks and platters of snacks later, however, they had amassed a small pile of books to present to Diander.

Kairi looked up as Sythrian looked at the clock on the wall. “Well, that’s probably enough for today. I’ll just drop this pile by Diander’s office on my way back to my room.” He clapped, and the empty platters disappeared, along with all of the discarded piles of books on the floor.

“Handy, isn’t it?” Sythrian grinned.

Kairi laughed. “This would have made cleaning my room a lot easier when I was growing up.” Her smile faded as she thought of her destroyed home.

“Hey, Kairi.” Sythrian touched her arm, sending a shiver down Kairi’s spine.

Kairi looked up at him, a tear in her eye. “I wish—,” she paused, “I wish it hadn’t happened. I’d rather have my family than this.” She choked back a sob.

Sythrian hesitated, than pulled her into a tentative hug, patting her back awkwardly as she sobbed silently into his shoulder. “I know, Kairi. My twin sister was killed. Tarynna wasn’t able to hide her Powers as I did, and she wasn’t fast enough to escape. I know that doesn’t make it any better for you, but I know how much it hurts.”

Kairi sniffed, pulling back to look up at him, tears making glistening tracks down her cheeks. “Your twin! I-I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

Sythrian nodded, solemnly. “Most people here have lost someone. It comes from who we are, what we are, and it doesn’t get any easier.”

Kairi wiped a tear from her cheek, suddenly noticing how close her face was to Sythrian’s and how warm his arms were around her. She looked down, blushing furiously. She tried to find something to say, anything, but finally she pulled away, hesitating only slightly before rushing out of the library.

***

Sythrian watched Kairi leave. He knew exactly how she felt, lost and alone. He had come into Tiethar a fugitive, much like she. He realised as the door closed with a dull thud behind Kairi’s fleeing form that his eyes were full of tears, and he quickly dashed them away on his sleeve. 

It was strange that this girl that he had only just met evoked such powerful emotions in him. He hadn’t told anyone about Tarynna; his best friend, Rodyn, didn’t even know he once had a twin. Why had he felt compelled to tell her?

Nessaria chirped affectionately and hopped onto his shoulder, nuzzling his damp cheek. An image of Kairi crying flashed through his mind.

“Yah, Nessaria, Kairi’s sad. She lost someone too.”

Nessaria chirped again, more softly this time. At the same time she sent him an image of Sythrian stroking Nessaria.

“I’m glad you’re mine, too, Nessa.” He smiled weakly, and silently bent down to pick up the small pile of books to give to Diander.